Music streams in the grand ballroom. Light glitters from the multitude of crystal chandeliers, oozing light onto everything, I eye tables laden with delicacies, the bottom-darklander in me salivates at the myriad of food. The air buzzes with the polite chatter of the city's elite, a creation of expensive fabrics rustling, the tinkling of glasses and cultured laughter.
My expensive gown felt stiff and unfamiliar against my skin, I feel like an outcast in it, I stared at the women they wore their gown with such effortless grace, like they were born to do just that. Which is the very reason they're here. I tried to smile, a practiced curve of my lips but it felt fake. Socializing, they called it. I drift through the throng of unfamiliar faces, nodding at polite greetings, offering generic pleasantries. Each interaction felt like wading through thick mud, my inner turmoil a lead weight dragging me down. Soon, I would be gone, swallowed by the vast, expanse of Ausbutch.
I scan the crowd for Yu, but he's nowhere to be seen, perhaps he hasn't come yet. I stared at the hologram band visitor's pass on my wrist, ticking the minutes and seconds I am allowed in the top-level. This floor belongs to the Jingh'ans, one of the many influential families in Gaurab city.
I walk to where Jinx converses with a smartly dressed man with pale skin, and graceful features, his golden-brown eyes fell on me almost stopping me in my tracks, I eye his silverish-white long whiplash of a hair that trails down his back like a graceful river.
This party, this glittering facade of success and happiness, felt like a cruel joke, a final, mocking glimpse of a world I was about to leave behind, a world that would never be truly mine.
"Aida meet Selaez," Jinx smiles, eyes glazed over, glued to the piece of heaven before her. I don't blame her, this male specimen is just too handsome, looking at him, unreal comes to mind.
"Hello, your friend has told me all about you." He extends a hand in front of me to shake.
I lay my hand in his without hesitation, a smile morphs his features and a faraway look enters his eyes. Static sparks between our skin, almost on the borderline of painful. I extract my hand back . "Only good things I hope." I smile, trying not to shake the pain from my hand.
"Oh yes, only the best." He sends a dimpled grin my way.
I wish the ground would open up and swallow me when he continues looking at me like I was the world to him. The hush of the room saves me from his distracting gaze. Heads turned, cutting conversation mid way, a ripple of excited quiet chatter spread through the crowd. I followed the collective gaze, my breath catching in my throat. Yu stood there, framed by the doorway, and beside him, her hand clutching his arm, was Min Tiangchi.
The evil witch.
I thought bitterly. She looks radiant, her gown a cascading waterfall of moonlight-golden silk that seemed to sparkles like luminescent eclipse. Her smile matches her dress, she walks confidently, her smile of someone who knew her place in this world, knew her worth.
And on her left hand, catching the light with every subtle movement, was a ring crafted from knottily woven dream jade, a ring like that can only be made by a master Jader of the highest level, its design evident, the symbol of a binding promise, a permanent vow. They're engaged.
Yu and Min.
I stared at them, the moment thieving the air from my lungs, leaving behind a hollow ache in my chest. A haze takes over my vision, I had knowledge of this happening, I thought I was ready for it.
I was so wrong.
The thunderous applause that followed nearly fells me, each clap a hard blow. I forced another smile, a wider, brighter one. I offered a small, almost imperceptible nod in their direction, I meet Min's eyes and she smiles victoriously.
A part of me fractures into thousand sharp pieces. A fateful knife that twists and burrows with every second I watch them. I continued to mingle, each interaction was a performance, a desperate attempt to appear unaffected, to project an image of happiness that felt utterly foreign to the storm raging within me.
The air grows thick, knitting a blanket that hardens the air over my head, the glittering lights began to blur, and the cheerful chatter morphs into a discordance that pressed in on me from all sides. I need air desperately. I slipped away from the crowded hall, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs, the beautiful romantic music chasing me away.
The cool night air hits my face like a welcomed salve as I stepped out onto the terrace. The city lights twinkle mockingly in the distance, a vast, indifferent expanse mirroring the void I felt inside. The aroma of the night-blooming orchids, usually so intoxicating, felt heavy and cloying tonight. I leaned against the stone railing, taking deep, shuddering breaths, trying to alleviate the tremor that ran through me.
The deadly silence of the balcony was a welcomed contrast to the energetic celebration inside, offering a respite from the onslaught that lashes into me. I closed my eyes, willing the knot in my chest to loosen, to subsides, even just for a moment. Then a familiar voice that brings shivers cut through the air.
"Aida?" My eyes snapped open. Yu stood a few feet away, the moonlight casting his handsome features in sharp relief. He looked different out here, away from the glittering lights and the expectant gazes. He's the Yu I know. His usual composed demeanor seemed to have softened, replaced by something I couldn't quite decipher. Min Tiangchi the witch was nowhere in sight.
"Yu," I whisper. He stepped closer, his gaze searching mine. "Are you alright? You seem sad. What's wrong?"
I swallowed, trying to find the right words, the words that wouldn't betray the turmoil within me. "Just needed some air," I, force a smile. "It's a bit overwhelming in there. Coming here for the first time and all." I wave a hand.
He nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on me, as if he could see through my carefully assembled mask. A moment of silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken emotions. Then, he spoke, his voice quiet, almost hesitant.
"I was just about to go for a ride. You game? Runaway from all these for some time." He waves at everything.
A ride. Is he alright? A flicker of defiance slithers in me, a frantic longing to run away from everything, for a chance to breath normally without thinking of a hundred ways to murder Min Tiancgchi. I looked at him, at the quiet intensity in his eyes, and a strange sense of calm washed over me. The pain was still there, a dull ache beneath the surface, a reckless abandon, flickered to life, fanned alive by the grin on Yu's face
"Yes," I said, my voice stronger this time, a small, defiant spark in the face of the crushing reality. This is mine, this moment, this ride, damn Min and her threats. "Yes, I would like that very much."