Short stories, vignettes and such: Roxie

Roxie - Chapter 3: Are You Down?

Any reservations Roxie had about attending the party were left at the front door of Maxwell's as the infectious beat from Montell Jordan’s “This is how we do it” washed over her as she entered. Who could possibly feel down when that song was playing? As she glanced about the room, she didn’t see one person not dressed up. Though a few looked haphazardly put-together, most people had gone all out on their costumes. ‘This is going to make voting for best costume at the end of the night really hard,’ Roxie thought to herself. But she was looking forward to it. Grinning, she followed ‘Joe’ and ‘Marilyn’ into the throng of costumed party-goers. It wasn't long, however, before she bumped into a rather inebriated Frankenstein.

"Hey doll," he said. "Wanna be my bride?"

"Um, what makes you think I’m a bride? I'm wearing silver, not white. And feathers, not a veil," replied Roxie, a little annoyed.

Frankenstein looked at her dumbly through red eyes before stumbling off muttering under his breath "well, a Vegas bride…."

"An innocent mistake," came a voice from behind her. Roxie spun around.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Well, you could pass for a Vegas showgirl," surmised the stranger.

"Um, hel-lo? I'm a trapeze artist," explained Roxie as though she were talking to a five- year-old. Though in reality she realized she was speaking to….the Phantom of the Opera.

"But of course. I completely see that now. My bad," replied the Phantom smoothly.

"My bad? Who still says that?" asked Roxie.

The Phantom merely grinned and bowed before Roxie. "I don't imagine your name would be Christine?" he asked hopefully, thinking along the lines of the famous Opera.

"No, I don't imagine it would," replied Roxie as she spun around on her heel and was about to make a smart exit, were it not for the mass of gargoyles blocking her path.

"Allow me," the Phantom offered as he gallantly stretched out his arm, his cape falling away enough for Roxie to get a glimpse of the broad frame underneath.

Quickly averting her eyes, Roxie muttered a quick "thanks, but I can manage" as she ducked through a hole in the crowd. The Phantom smiled and his eyes followed her until she disappeared around the corner.

"Whoa! Watch where you're going!" exclaimed Eric as he quickly sidestepped to avoid getting plowed into as Roxie rounded the corner.

"What? Oh, sorry," Roxie apologized, though still clearly flustered. Colleen was quick to pick up on her friend's distractedness.

"So, see anyone interesting?" asked Colleen as she cozied up next to Roxie.

"No, just a drunk Frankenstein and some crazy Phantom," replied Roxie as her eyes scanned the room.

"Yeah?" Colleen followed Roxie's eyes around the room. "Looking for anyone?" she asked curiously.

“Of course not,” replied Roxie a little too quickly. Colleen studied her friend for a moment.

“What?” asked Roxie.

“You know, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt,” she said with a small smile. Roxie gave her a look.

“So you’re not looking for anyone?” Colleen persisted.

"No!" replied Roxie, slightly annoyed. Silently she repeated to herself 'No.'

By 12:30 the party was in full swing. Maxwell's had reached capacity and partygoers were being turned away at the door. Roxie hadn't seen the Phantom since she hurried away from him several hours earlier. For all she knew, he could have left the party already. 'So why does that bother me?' Roxie asked herself. 'I don't even know him, nor do I want to.' But she didn't sound convincing, not even to herself. Perhaps Eric and Colleen were right. Maybe it was time for her to take a chance and start dating again. She shook her head at the thought.

"Shaking out cobwebs?" asked a voice behind her. Roxie turned around and saw the Phantom grinning at her.

"Must you insist on teasing me?" Roxie asked, amused.

In mock horror, the Phantom quickly put his hands up to his heart and staggered a bit.

"You wound me with your implications, my fair trapeze lady. The only possible way I could recover from the mere insinuation of being anything other than most sincere with you would be to find myself the recipient of your indulgence in allowing me to buy you a drink," he finished breathlessly.

"Well, that's a line if I ever heard one," laughed Roxie.

"But it was good, no?" grinned the phantom rakishly.

"Um, not so much," replied Roxie. Taken aback, the phantom looked into her eyes and caught a sparkle in them, belying her words. He realized she was playing him back.

Grinning, he held out his arm. "I think you may have just a tad of rogue in you," he said.

"Takes one to know one," Roxie replied sweetly as she took his arm and allowed the Phantom to escort her out of the room.