Crashing

Chapter Four

My getting ready routine is very important to me. I turn on my favorite playlist and focus on myself for the next hour. It's very therapeutic. I grab the silver dress I'm wearing tonight hanging it on my door, trying to decide a makeup look.

I don't know why I'm so nervous about tonight. I actually do know why but I don't want to admit it. So many questions are running through my head.

Is he bringing a date?

Will he like the dress?

Why do I care so much?

Why is he so alluring to me?

Why do I want him all over me?

I can't calm my nerves. Which in hindsight is ridiculous. He is just a guy, Amora. But he won't be able to not notice this dress.

Mila got me a black lace mask that just goes around my eyes. I couldn't handle those plastic masks, they bothered me way to much to wear for a whole night.

I settle on a soft bronze eye look with a dusting of high lighter. I decided against eyelashes since it would be a lot going on with a mask on my face as well.

Putting on the dress I feel the pit in my stomach getting stronger. A mix of excitement and anxiety dance inside me. I don't know if its intuition but I think something will change tonight. Everything bone in my body is aching just to be close to him again.

Am I crazy?

I barely know this guy but he consumes my thoughts to the point where I might explode. I just want to know him. I want to know every part of his mind. Maybe this is just a stupid fantasy, I need to breathe.

After I slip on my dress, I strap on my heels and tie my mask on. I glance in the mirror one last time, I take a breath. I think back to the scared little girl with a book in her hand that was too shy to say a word. It took me a long time to not be her anymore. To build who I am now was a long journey but when I look in the mirror now I see a woman who is strong, put together, confident, and independent.

I got this.

Like clockwork I hear a knock at my door. Mila is always on time, right to the second almost. I open the door and see her in a stunning light purple satin gown that fits at the waist then flows out. It looks like it was made for her. She is wearing a white plastic mask with crystals covering it making her pretty hard to miss.

"Wow Mila, you look amazing." I say as I'm locking the door.

She smiles and shakes her head, "Amora, somehow you always out due me."

Mila is driving again this time, she never likes me to drive. Apparently I have some road rage I need to work on.

Once we get to the venue, I am just taken back. The party is in a hotel ballroom. The purple flowers I picked are scattered around the room. The bouquets on the table sit on an all black table cloth with silver accents. People are already dancing, it's completely packed. The ballroom looks just like what James described in his book.

There was a chapter about how he and Sarah went to a huge masquerade that had an air of drama and mystery to it. Earlier this week James and I had a conversation about the party and he mentioned how it would be cool to make it look like what he envisioned. We talked about it in complete detail. From the type of music to play to the color of the napkins. I remember him saying, "I want people to think they just walked into a room that takes them into a dream. A party where they think anything could happen."

I think we succeeded.

"Amora!" I turn my head to see a man in a silver mask that covers half of his face. He pulls up the mask and shows me his face.