Masquerade - A Short Romance

Chapter One

This story may be short, but that doesn't mean I love it any less than my other works. I really hope you all love this as much as I did writing it!

Enjoy my loves! And don't forget to give feedback. :)

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Monica Dellwoods stood in front of the mirror, her sweating palms smoothing out the fabric of her dress, the constant flutter seeming to lull her into a trance like state of anxiety. Could she possibly go through with something like this? Taking a breath, her nerves started to calm. This was her big break, and she had earned this honor of being invited to the Annual Masquerade Ball. Ever since she was a little girl, dreams filled her mind of gliding across the polished marble floor, her dress flowing around her, as the handsome man that would be her prince for the evening would move around gracefully and take her off of her feet. Perhaps even her heart? But, those were childish dreams, and now her dreams of being on Broadway and expressing herself in song was now a reality. A reality that seemed to be a dream that was almost too good to be true.

It had been three years since she had moved from her small home in North Dakota to New York City. The busy streets and constant noise that went around Manhattan was now a lullaby for her slumber, and her heart now belonged to the busy life of the stage. It had started small, starting with working on the makeup and costumes for the shows. But, slowly, she was able to land small parts in the musicals, and soon had landed the role that she had dreamed about since she could remember: Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera. The world seemed to change for her completely after that. She soon had a manager, and opportunities seemed to be at every corner.

Now, with her taking a small break before she went back to her life on the stage, the witches' call of Wicked ringing in her ear as she had been balancing her career and hobbies on a steady scale, she was ready to dance the night away with masked strangers and enjoy the company of the friends that she had grown to love so. It had been so long since she had taken a step back and enjoyed the pleasures of life, and allowed herself to possibly eat a few more sweets than she would ever admit. Mix several pieces of cheesecake and some delicious champagne? The night would be one to remember.

Taking one last breath, she walked over to the vanity where she made sure her makeup was perfect, no flaws on the winged liner, or that the lashes were too overdone. Smiling, she looked at the rose gold shimmering eye shadow on her lids, and the smoked out brown and black that tied everything together with the thick black wing of her liner. Long and wispy lashes had been adhered to her natural lashes, making her golden brown eyes seem as large of that as a doe. Wine colored hair spilled over her head in an elegant bun with loose curls that fell around her face and a few down the side of her neck. She felt beautiful, proud even, that she had been able to do an elegant and sexy look for the evening. And, with all the setting spray to ensure that the makeup would not move anywhere during the long night, it was practically glued to her face.

A soft meow followed by a purr caused her ears to sing as she looked down at Menchie, her adorable three year old ragdoll cat. With fluffy fur that seemed to go on forever, bright blue eyes, and a constant purr rumbling through her chest, the cat was Monica's weakness.

Lifting the properly named fat cat into her lap, Monica scratched Menchie's chin and ears, smiling and giggling as she rubbed into her palm and twitching fingers.

"You'll be good while I'm gone?" Monica asked before lifting the cat up to kiss its little button nose. She received Menchie's forehead rubbing against her cheek and forehead before a meow left. The constant purr rumbling as it jumped from her lap, trotting over into the bed portion of the studio apartment. It was home for the two, and had been for the past seven months. Small but spacious, it was enough for the small woman and her feline friend.