Brent: A Beautiful Beau
"She's not coming," I said to myself as I stared out of the 10th floor window. It was a nice view, at least. My reflection mocked me in the glass. I'd rented a suit for this, double-breasted, all blue, my tie red. I had to buy the white shirt myself though. I'd even gotten a haircut and a shave. This whole night had set me back quite a bit, but I'd resisted the temptation to spend even a cent of the $10,000 I'd "earned."
Admittedly, I should've been home now, taking care of my grandmother and my dog, not standing around a hotel room waiting for a woman who would never come. The champagne was probably warm. The quiet classical music I'd set to play had even looped.
I put an arm on the window and leaned against it. Maybe the glass would break and I'd fall. Not suicide, just a tragic accident. That would spare me the heartbreak that was waiting for me at the end of the night, when she never came. It was one thing for me to wait at a fountain and never know if she'd show, but for her to set the time and place and still stand me up, my self-esteem was shattered.
I checked the clock. It was already 8:00 p.m. She knew the time was 7:00 p.m. She wasn't coming. I was a fool, a complete--the door opened. The lights were low in the room, the dimmers down. But the hallway was bright with florescent light, and when that door opened, she looked like a glowing angel.
She came. She really came. I couldn't believe it, but she was here, and she was drop-dead gorgeous, dressed in a red top and skirt, with amazingly sexy stockings and high heels. This was happening. This was really happening. I said a prayer of thanks that the window hadn't broken. I pulled my mask down as I stepped out of the shadows.
"Ginny?"
Her eyes scanned the room and found me, those gorgeous green eyes. Her strawberry-kissed hair fell over them. She brushed it behind her ear.
"Hi."
"You came," I said, still disbelieving.
"I did," she said, stepping in and closing the door, the darkness swallowing her up. "It's so dark in here," she said, giving a nervous little laugh.
"I thought maybe you'd prefer that."
"Yes, I think I do."
"You look amazing, absolutely beautiful."
"I can't believe you're talking," she said. "It's bizarre, and that mask. Is it the same one?"
"Yes."
"You're real, huh?" she said.
"I'm real."
"I don't think I connected the voice to the person until now," she said.
"And now that you have?" I said.
"You look really good," she said. "Like, amazing. I love your suit."
"Thank you. Your... everything is perfect, you're perfect."
She smiled and laughed a little. "I honestly had no idea what to wear."
"I like it," I said. We were still so far apart, me near the window, her inches from the door. I had to get us closer. "Do you want to sit, talk for a while? I have champagne."
"Yes, I'd like that, to sit, I mean. I don't want to drink."
"Are you sure?" I asked, ready to pour.
"I don't want to get foggy, you know? I want to be sober."
I put the bottle back. "Okay, me too."
She approached slowly and then sat on the sofa. I sat down too, with an entire cushion between us.
"I like the music," she said nervously. "I've always found classical romantic."
"Me too," I said.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said. "I was really struggling to come."
"Why?" I asked.
"Oh, come on, we both know what's going to happen."
"It doesn't have to, Ginny," I said. "We can talk, just spend the evening together, watch a movie." I shrugged. "Cuddle."
She smiled at me. "You know, I so badly wanted to remove your mask during my ceremony, and now that I can, I'm absolutely terrified of what you look like underneath."
"Why?" I was perplexed. I expected to take the mask off immediately and reveal my barista identity, which would certainly give us plenty to talk about.
"Because if I know who you are, I can't keep you bottled up in this room, in my fantasies, in the shadows. And I really need to keep you in the shadows, you know?"
"I'm your dark secret, huh?" I said. It was hard admitting that, but this is what kept us apart, and overcoming this secret and stepping into the light would be a monumental task for her.
"Yes, exactly. I like not knowing who you are. It's like when the villain captures the hero, they never unmask them, because it would ruin the fun."
I smirked. "Am I the hero?"
"Yes. And that means I'm the villain."
"You? Never."
"I think I am," she said. "There's a lot I should tell you, things that would probably make you angry with me."
"Then don't tell them to me, not tonight."
She tilted her head. "Are you so trusting?"
"Ginny, I've waited so long for you, at that fountain, on the phone, in my heart. Yes, I trust you, and my trust has been rewarded. I've missed you more than you will ever know."
"Oh, God," she said, putting a hand on her face.
"What?" I said.
"The way you speak to me... I don't think I've ever heard a man speak to me like that."
I was really confused. "What do you mean?"
"You're so vulnerable. You just say how you feel."
"You don't like it?" I asked.
"I'm not used to it. I didn't like hearing what you said the other night."
"The thing you told me never to say again?" I said.
"Yes, that. And I meant it."
"I understand," I said.
She took a deep breath. "This has to be about sex, okay? We can't get tangled up with each other, emotionally, I mean."
"You don't think it's too late for that?" I asked.
