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The Masked Dancer
#WritcoStoryPrompt24
A dance was an art form, whether in front of an audience full of gentlemen and ladies or in front of lascivious losers in a bar. She swirled around the pole as graceful and elegant as a respectable ballet dancer lost in the beauty of her own motions. Her eyes behind the mask that had been closed, opened as her set ended and locked directly with the steely, grey eyes of the man in the front row. Her heart skipped a beat. He knew who she was!...
She quickly grabbed her robe and ran backstage, hoping he had not followed her. She had recognized him instantly, even though she had not seen him in years. He was her childhood friend, her first love, her biggest regret. He was the reason she had left her hometown and moved to the city, where she had fallen into this miserable life of dancing for money. He was the one who had broken her heart and shattered her dreams.
She reached her dressing room and locked the door behind her. She took off the mask and looked at herself in the mirror. She hated what she saw. She hated what she had become. She hated him for making her this way. She wondered why he was here, in this seedy bar, watching her perform. Did he come to mock her? To pity her? To save her?
She heard a knock on the door. She ignored it, hoping it would go away. It did not. It grew louder and more persistent. She heard his voice, muffled by the wood.
"Please, let me in. I need to talk to you."
She felt a surge of anger and fear. She grabbed a bottle of perfume and threw it at the door.
"Go away! Leave me alone! I don't want to see you!"
She heard him sigh.
"Please, don't do this. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for everything. I never stopped loving you."
She felt a pang of pain and longing. She remembered how he used to say those words to her, how he used to hold her and kiss her, how he used to make her feel alive. She wondered if he was telling the truth, if he really loved her, if he really wanted her back.
She heard him kick the door.
"Please, open the door. I can't lose you again. You're the only one who matters to me."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away with her hand.
"Go away! You don't love me! You don't care about me! You only care about yourself!"
She heard him groan.
"That's not true. I love you more than anything. I care about you more than anyone. I came here to take you away from this place, to give you a better life, to make you happy."
She felt a flicker of hope and doubt. She wondered if he was sincere, if he really wanted to take her away, if he really could make her happy.
She heard him slam the door.
"Please, trust me. I'm not lying to you. I'm not playing with you. I'm not hurting you. I'm here to help you, to protect you, to love you."
She felt a wave of emotion and confusion. She wondered if she should trust him, if she should open the door, if she should give him another chance.
She heard him whisper.
"Please, say something. Anything. Just let me know you're still there."
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach. She wondered what she should say, what she should do, what she should feel.
She opened her mouth and said...
"I'm sorry, but it's too late. You can't just come back into my life and expect me to forgive you. You can't just erase the past and pretend nothing happened. You can't just take me away from this place and make me happy. You don't know me anymore. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what I've done. You don't know what I've become."
She heard him gasp.
"What do you mean? What have you been through? What have you done? What have you become?"
She felt a surge of bitterness and resentment.
"I mean that I've been living in hell for the last few years. I mean that I've done things that I'm ashamed of, things that you would never understand, things that you would never accept. I mean that I've become a different person, a person that you wouldn't recognize, a person that you wouldn't love."
She heard him sob.
"That's not true. I would understand. I would accept. I would recognize. I would love. You're still the same person to me, the person that I fell in love with, the person that I still love."
She felt a pang of guilt and regret.
"No, you don't. You don't love me. You love the memory of me, the idea of me, the fantasy of me. But I'm not that person anymore. I'm not the innocent girl that you knew, the sweet girl that you loved, the happy girl that you made. I'm a broken woman, a tainted woman, a lost woman."
She heard him plead.
"Please, don't say that. You're not broken. You're not tainted. You're not lost. You're still beautiful. You're still pure. You're still mine."
She felt a flicker of hope and doubt.
"Am I? Am I really? Do you really think so? Do you really mean it?"
She heard him swear.
"Yes, you are. Yes, I do. Yes, I mean it. With all my heart and soul."
She felt a wave of emotion and confusion.
"Then why did you leave me? Why did you hurt me? Why did you break me?"
She heard him apologize.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was young and stupid. I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But I realized it soon enough. And I tried to find you. To fix it. To make it up to you."
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.
"Then why did it take you so long? Why did you wait until now? Why did you let me suffer?"
She heard him explain.
"I didn't know where you were. I didn't know how to reach you. I didn't know if you wanted to see me. But I never gave up on you. I never stopped looking for you. And then, by chance, I saw you here. And I knew it was fate."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek and a smile form on her lips.
"Is it? Is it really fate? Or is it just a coincidence?"
She heard him declare.
"It's fate. It has to be fate. Because nothing else can explain how we met again, how we feel again, how we are again."
She felt a surge of love and trust.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe it is fate. Maybe we are meant to be."
She heard him rejoice.
"Really? Do you really think so? Do you really believe it?"
She felt a pang of fear and courage.
"Yes, I do. Yes, I believe it."
She heard him ask.
"Then will you come with me? Will you leave this place with me? Will you start a new life with me?"
She felt a flicker of doubt and hope.
"I don't know. Can I? Should I?"
She heard him answer.
"Yes, you can. Yes, you should."
She felt a wave of excitement and anxiety.
"Then... OK... OK, I'll come with you."
She heard him cheer.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! You won't regret this! You'll see! We'll be happy! We'll be together!"
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.
"I hope so...I hope so..."
She opened the door and saw him standing there, smiling at her with tears in his eyes.
He reached out his hand and said...
"Come on, let's go."
He took her hand and led her away from the dressing room, away from the bar, away from the past.
They walked out into the sunlight and embraced each other.
They kissed each other and said...
"I love you."
13sep23
© JR2K6
#WritcoStoryChallange #writcostory #Writco #writcostorychallenge #englishstory
A dance was an art form, whether in front of an audience full of gentlemen and ladies or in front of lascivious losers in a bar. She swirled around the pole as graceful and elegant as a respectable ballet dancer lost in the beauty of her own motions. Her eyes behind the mask that had been closed, opened as her set ended and locked directly with the steely, grey eyes of the man in the front row. Her heart skipped a beat. He knew who she was!...
She quickly grabbed her robe and ran backstage, hoping he had not followed her. She had recognized him instantly, even though she had not seen him in years. He was her childhood friend, her first love, her biggest regret. He was the reason she had left her hometown and moved to the city, where she had fallen into this miserable life of dancing for money. He was the one who had broken her heart and shattered her dreams.
She reached her dressing room and locked the door behind her. She took off the mask and looked at herself in the mirror. She hated what she saw. She hated what she had become. She hated him for making her this way. She wondered why he was here, in this seedy bar, watching her perform. Did he come to mock her? To pity her? To save her?
She heard a knock on the door. She ignored it, hoping it would go away. It did not. It grew louder and more persistent. She heard his voice, muffled by the wood.
"Please, let me in. I need to talk to you."
She felt a surge of anger and fear. She grabbed a bottle of perfume and threw it at the door.
"Go away! Leave me alone! I don't want to see you!"
She heard him sigh.
"Please, don't do this. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for everything. I never stopped loving you."
She felt a pang of pain and longing. She remembered how he used to say those words to her, how he used to hold her and kiss her, how he used to make her feel alive. She wondered if he was telling the truth, if he really loved her, if he really wanted her back.
She heard him kick the door.
"Please, open the door. I can't lose you again. You're the only one who matters to me."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away with her hand.
"Go away! You don't love me! You don't care about me! You only care about yourself!"
She heard him groan.
"That's not true. I love you more than anything. I care about you more than anyone. I came here to take you away from this place, to give you a better life, to make you happy."
She felt a flicker of hope and doubt. She wondered if he was sincere, if he really wanted to take her away, if he really could make her happy.
She heard him slam the door.
"Please, trust me. I'm not lying to you. I'm not playing with you. I'm not hurting you. I'm here to help you, to protect you, to love you."
She felt a wave of emotion and confusion. She wondered if she should trust him, if she should open the door, if she should give him another chance.
She heard him whisper.
"Please, say something. Anything. Just let me know you're still there."
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach. She wondered what she should say, what she should do, what she should feel.
She opened her mouth and said...
"I'm sorry, but it's too late. You can't just come back into my life and expect me to forgive you. You can't just erase the past and pretend nothing happened. You can't just take me away from this place and make me happy. You don't know me anymore. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what I've done. You don't know what I've become."
She heard him gasp.
"What do you mean? What have you been through? What have you done? What have you become?"
She felt a surge of bitterness and resentment.
"I mean that I've been living in hell for the last few years. I mean that I've done things that I'm ashamed of, things that you would never understand, things that you would never accept. I mean that I've become a different person, a person that you wouldn't recognize, a person that you wouldn't love."
She heard him sob.
"That's not true. I would understand. I would accept. I would recognize. I would love. You're still the same person to me, the person that I fell in love with, the person that I still love."
She felt a pang of guilt and regret.
"No, you don't. You don't love me. You love the memory of me, the idea of me, the fantasy of me. But I'm not that person anymore. I'm not the innocent girl that you knew, the sweet girl that you loved, the happy girl that you made. I'm a broken woman, a tainted woman, a lost woman."
She heard him plead.
"Please, don't say that. You're not broken. You're not tainted. You're not lost. You're still beautiful. You're still pure. You're still mine."
She felt a flicker of hope and doubt.
"Am I? Am I really? Do you really think so? Do you really mean it?"
She heard him swear.
"Yes, you are. Yes, I do. Yes, I mean it. With all my heart and soul."
She felt a wave of emotion and confusion.
"Then why did you leave me? Why did you hurt me? Why did you break me?"
She heard him apologize.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was young and stupid. I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But I realized it soon enough. And I tried to find you. To fix it. To make it up to you."
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.
"Then why did it take you so long? Why did you wait until now? Why did you let me suffer?"
She heard him explain.
"I didn't know where you were. I didn't know how to reach you. I didn't know if you wanted to see me. But I never gave up on you. I never stopped looking for you. And then, by chance, I saw you here. And I knew it was fate."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek and a smile form on her lips.
"Is it? Is it really fate? Or is it just a coincidence?"
She heard him declare.
"It's fate. It has to be fate. Because nothing else can explain how we met again, how we feel again, how we are again."
She felt a surge of love and trust.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe it is fate. Maybe we are meant to be."
She heard him rejoice.
"Really? Do you really think so? Do you really believe it?"
She felt a pang of fear and courage.
"Yes, I do. Yes, I believe it."
She heard him ask.
"Then will you come with me? Will you leave this place with me? Will you start a new life with me?"
She felt a flicker of doubt and hope.
"I don't know. Can I? Should I?"
She heard him answer.
"Yes, you can. Yes, you should."
She felt a wave of excitement and anxiety.
"Then... OK... OK, I'll come with you."
She heard him cheer.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! You won't regret this! You'll see! We'll be happy! We'll be together!"
She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.
"I hope so...I hope so..."
She opened the door and saw him standing there, smiling at her with tears in his eyes.
He reached out his hand and said...
"Come on, let's go."
He took her hand and led her away from the dressing room, away from the bar, away from the past.
They walked out into the sunlight and embraced each other.
They kissed each other and said...
"I love you."
13sep23
© JR2K6
#WritcoStoryChallange #writcostory #Writco #writcostorychallenge #englishstory
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