The Masks We Wear by Lee Jacquot

 

EPILOGUE

 

“Oh, you look perfect, mija.”

My aunt Mina beams at me from the bottom of the stares. Her wide brown eyes sparkling with tears that slowly release down her cheek.

It wasn’t, but two weeks ago, she helped me pick out the dress. It’s an A-line, long sleeve, and floor-length. The deep emerald stands out beautifully against my skin, which is only showing at my chest with the low v-neck, and at my right leg from the slit that reaches just under my thigh. The heavy fabric is divine, and I purposely didn’t show Spencer so I could see the look on his face right now. And it was so worth it.

His own tux is black, tailored to show every bit of his muscle, and the emerald green pocket square ties it together magnificently. His thick locks are combed back, but a few strands fall over his forehead in a sexy Johnny Depp from cry baby type way, so I won’t dare fix them. His mouth is parted, and I have to bite the inside of my lip to keep from smiling at how fast his chest heaves and falls.

When I’ve made it to the end of the stairs, he still hasn’t spoken and my aunt Mina jabs him in the ribs. “Boy, if you don’t—”

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” he pauses, his smile finally splitting his face bringing his delicious dimples out. “It’s just when I don’t think you can get any more beautiful, you always make me feel stupid and show me you can.”

His words swirl in my chest before blooming on my cheeks. “You are many things, Spencer Hanes, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

I reach up, kissing him on the edge of his mouth. His hand snakes around my back, holding me in place so he can admire me up close. He lowers his voice to a whisper. “As long as one of those things is being yours, I’m happy.”

“Bet your ass you are.”

He laughs through his nose before releasing me and digging into his pocket. “I got you something. I wanted to give this to you our freshman year because I planned to add to it…”

He pulls out a large white square box before turning it to face me and pops it open. Inside, resting on a pillow of fluffy black velvet pillow. It’s a gorgeous medium twist charm bracelet with two charms. The first is the one I’ve been missing for months since I threw it at him. The second is a small masquerade mask. I feel my eyebrows furrow as my finger traces over the intricate piece of silver.

“Because our prom is masquerade-themed?”

He chuckles, taking it out of the box, and holds his hand out for my wrist. “Purely coincidental. It signifies the mask you wore. It’s something I don’t want you to forget because it takes a truly strong person to endure everything that you have in your life. It helped you shield your heart from any more hurt, keeping it intact until I came back.” His hand connects with mine, sending shivers up my forearm.

I’m thankful my sleeves are long, so he doesn’t notice the gaggle of goose bumps. He claps it on before locking our fingers together. “But I’m here, and it’s my job to protect it from now on.”

He smiles at me once more before turning me to face my aunt. She has a large camera covering her eyes, but the tears flowing from underneath and her shaking shoulders reveal what’s happening behind it.

“Mina.”

“Just smile, you silly girl.”

So I do. We take at least thirty-five pictures, in way too many poses, before finally, she comes from behind her shield, a blubbering mess. I wrap my arms around her, squeezing as I rock us back and forth, humming one of Blaze’s tunes that always calms me down.

She cries a little more before grabbing onto my face, but careful not to mess up my makeup. “I am so, so, so proud of you, mija.”

I can feel the prickling at the back of my eyes, threaten to mess up my mascara, so I kiss her cheek and smile. “Thank you. For everything.”

She shoos me away with her hand, grabbing a tissue from inside her shirt. “Hush hush. It’s my job. Now, here. Don’t forget your masks.”

Mina hands us our half-black masks. Mine is lace with hints of the same emerald green as my dress, while Spencer’s is matte. His phone rings just as Mina finishes securing it around my face.

It’s hard for me to grasp just one emotion that’s flitting through my body at this moment. But there is one I notice a little more because I haven’t felt it ever before.

Peace. There’s a serene aura swirling around me, almost lifting me off the ground. It’s knowing that life is full of shitty things, and even though I could handle it by myself, I don’t have to. Not anymore.

Mina spares me one last once-over before Spencer leans in, kissing her on the cheek. “We won’t be back late. Promise.”

She laughs. “Oh, I know. Or else I have those testiculos of yours and feed it to the dog next door.”

We walk outside to a rumbling black truck that vibrates my entire driveway. For a second, I wonder how in the hell I’m even going to get inside. As though Spencer can read my mind, he squeezes my hand and winks. “Easy stunt to a frequent flyer.”

My heart flutters, and I lean up to kiss him. Ever since regionals, he’s come to any practice and watched all of my recorded tapes. I have to force myself not to look at him at performances because it trips me up every time I do. He looks at me as if I’m the most magnificent thing he’s ever seen, and it melts my mind into mush.

One of the dark tinted windows rolls down, and a green-eyed devil appears. William has since taken an interest in being Spencer’s shadow, and it was surprisingly easy for us to forget our past encounters. Especially with him popping up almost every weekend and never misses a chance to ogle my aunt. Luckily though, he disappears when Amora’s around, unable to put up with her sharp tongue before getting worked up.

“Hey-a sugar. You look goooood. You too, Lily!”

Spencer rolls his eyes, and I laugh as we pile inside. Remy sits tucked away in the back seat. A phenomenal blood-red sleeveless dress that sparkles in the low light of the truck and clings to her like a second skin. “Remy, you look hot.”

Her small face turns nearly the same color as her dress, a timid smile sweeping across her face. “Thank you. You too, Lily. You guys look perfect.”

“Alright, alright. Let blow this popsicle stand. Score me some…” William clears his throat, looking at Remy in the rearview. “After I get you home, of course.”

She grins for a moment before hugging herself around the middle. I wait until we’ve pulled off, and the boys are talking about potato distribution before turning to her.

“Hey, so I read a lot of manga when I was younger and haven’t really had time for it lately. But with summer around the corner, I thought about opening my reading horizons and wondered if you could give me any recommendations.”

Remy’s face lights up like the fourth of July. Her hands wave around as she talks, and she goes off on at least four tangents, describing six different genres until I pick one. “Oh, I think I like the broken alpha one. That sounds interesting.”

She beams, her cheeks swelling so much her eyes seal shut. “Yes, that’s one of my favorites.”

By the time we reach the school, she’s ordered three books online and created a buddy reading schedule, totally forgetting how uncomfortable she was. Spencer pauses and shoots me an appreciative smile, but I wave it off. In the short time I’ve gotten to know her, it’s easy to see why he became friends with Remy. She’s a pure type of person. The bright light that will sit with you in the darkest of rooms until you get up and walk to the door.

We pile out of the car and walk toward the school, which is booming—spilling music, and light into the dark parking lot, leading us into the good time it promises. I notice Blaze standing at the entrance across from the last-minute ticket booth. His dark suit is tailored perfectly, and for once, he doesn’t look so broody. I lean into Spencer, reaching up on my tiptoes. “I’ll be right back. Get the ticket for William, and I’ll meet you right inside.”

He nods, capturing my lips with his. The stampede of butterflies never gets old. They flap around with excitement until I’m dizzy from his smell.

Finally, he releases me, and after catching my bearings, I meet Blaze with a hug. “You look handsome.”

“And you are stunning.”

I don’t want to, but I grit my teeth and ask what I’m wondering. “Waiting on Stacy?”

After her confession of trying to ruin the team, I busted my ass for, she lost her spot as next year’s captain and decided to just quit. Waste of talent, if you ask me, but not being associated with the team gave Amora free rein when she ran into her late after school one day. I told the girl to let it go, something I excel at thanks to Dr. Floren, but she’s a firecracker through and through. Once you light the fuse, there’s no turning back.

“Amora, actually.”

My head snaps up so fast it pops. “What?”

He grins, pushing some hair away from his face. “It’s not like that. She wants to make some dude jealous.”

My eyebrows furrow as I try to figure out who Amora would want to make jealous. Shit, the only guys she can’t get her nails into is Blaze. Just then, I notice the blue in Blaze’s eye twinkle. It’s subtle, but his jaw tightens, forcing me to follow his line of sight.

Remy.

Whipping back around, his face becomes impassive. And I can tell he doesn’t want me to say anything. So I don’t. But I know what I saw. It was a crack.

Once there is a crack in the masks we wear, it’s only a matter of time before the whole thing shatters, exposing who we really are. The ugly, filthy truths we hide underneath. And if anyone can love Blaze’s bruises and show him how to love them.

It’s her.

He clears his throat, shifting on his feet. “So, Solace, huh?”

I nod, wiping a stray lint from his jacket. “Yep. The first years have been paid, and I’ve already started applying for scholarships after that. Plus, I’ll be able to save everything I make from coaching cheer to the little league girls.”

Blaze smiles again, and I remind myself vaguely to play the lottery later. “I’m proud of you, Lil. Now go have fun with your Rook.”

“What?”

He huffs, the corner of his lips curling up. “Kings are lazy. Make everyone else surround them and do all the work. Can’t protect their Queen like a Rook can.”

I giggle, backing away just as a strong hand wraps around my stomach. Spencer leans in, his lips grazing the shell of my ears, and sends a violent shiver down my spine. “Can I show you something first?”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I nod.

He leads me inside the side door, down the dark hall, up a flight of stairs, and toward the room we used for our experiment. When we get to the door, he turns, his darkened eyes focus on me, a playful smile twitches the side of his mouth. “There was one color we didn’t get to try. Will you try it with me now?”

My heart thunks in my chest, my hand shaking in his, and when I answer, my voice is barely a whisper. “Yes.”

Spencer’s dimples deepen as a grin slips across his mouth. He pulls the door open and pulls me behind him inside.

It’s black, not like pitch black, but a weird muted color that somehow lights the walls up. That’s when I realize the desk and one of the chairs is gone.

Spencer yanks our connected hands, forcing my body flush against his, and takes my chin in his thumb and forefinger. “I am so fucking in love with you.”

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine, and his tongue dives into my mouth. His hands waste no time, trailing down between the valley of my breast, setting my skin on fire under his fingertips.

We enjoy the push and pull for only a moment before I feel his hand slide over, tugging the fabric away, exposing my pebbled nipple to the cold air. I gasp, and he breaks away from my lips, moving down to capture it in his mouth. His tongue teases over it, flicking it before rolling in between his teeth, sending jolts of pleasure into my core.

My head falls back as a moan escapes my lips, and I push my body closer to him, needing no space where we aren’t connected.

A low, deep groan comes from the back of his throat, leaving my pussy throbbing. My hands find his hair, tugging it aggressively. He laughs against my skin but finally sits down in the chair, gripping my hips to follow him. He trails a hand down my exposed thigh, sending shivers through my body.

“Spencer.” It’s a desperate whisper.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He pulls the draping of my skirt to the side and hooks a finger inside my drenched panties.

Spencer squeezes his eyes shut, and he takes a deep breath before pulling hard, snapping the thin material. Before I can even breathe, his thumb connects with my clit, rolling in in circles, making my entire body convulse.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

My mouth drops open, unable to focus on anything other than the waves of nerves shooting through my core.

“If you could be doing anything right now...” He pauses, slipping two fingers in my channel while his thumb continues its assault. “What would you be doing?”

“Spencer Hanes, if you don’t shut up and fuck me—”

“You’ll what?” he toys, curling his fingers and stealing my words.

Suddenly his fingers and the pressure on my pussy vanishes. My eyes snap down at the same moment his cock comes free of his slacks. He drags it through my slippery folds, hisses through his teeth.

“Spe— Fuckkkkk.”

The threat I had vanishes as he impales me, filling me to the hilt. His fingers dig into the fabric, pulling me up and down in a rhythmic tempo until I’m lost in the abyss. Heat pulses through my body until it rushes south and coils low in my belly.

“Fuck, I love you, Spencer.”

He smiles, letting his teeth graze against my jaw before he presses a thumb on my clit. “And I love you, Lily.”

He circles it twice, and my pussy flutters, the tingle of ecstasy spreading through my limbs like lighting across the sky. Not giving two shits we’re in the school, I scream his name as I shatter into pieces around him.

He fucks me through my orgasm before releasing his own, shuddering beneath me as he comes undone. I fall against his chest, greedily sucking in the air I deprived myself of. He strokes my hair, letting our heart rates return to normal as we come back down to Earth. Suspended shivers still work their way through, and every time I shake, he laughs.

Truthfully, I could just stay here and skip the dance altogether, but I know Blaze will kill me when they crown us, and I’m not there to relieve him of the mystery of standing on stage alone. As if he can read my mind, Spencer stirs, letting me get up before he fixes himself. “Do you remember that contract we made?”

I stifle a laugh. “Yeah, I still owe you a punch to gut for breaking rule two.”

He scoffs playfully, pulling me closer as we exit the room. “So you remember rule thirteen?”

Of course. I remember every damn thing on the sheet. Nodding, I curl into his chest. “Yes.”

He smiles. “Just making sure. Now, let’s get my queen to the prom.”

The End.