Short stories, vignettes and such: Roxie. IV

Roxie - Chapter 4: Opening the Door

The patio bar on the balcony provided welcoming fresh air, and Roxie breathed in deeply, enjoying the change of scenery. Bright lights and gold stars were strung across the patio beams, adding a sense of enchantment to the atmosphere. Roxie was certainly feeling it. She turned toward the phantom and, while the patio was quite crowded, she suddenly felt like they were the only two people outside. She didn't know who this man was, but she was intrigued; and that scared her to death. She thought she had firmly shut the door on romance. The last time she loved someone he broke her heart, and she swore to herself she’d never go through that again. ‘I was a foolish girl,’ she thought to herself. She knew better than to let her guard down. 'Don't open the door; don't open the door' her mind was racing. 'Don't let him in.'

Her eyes darted to his. He was looking at something just past her, down below. Roxie took the opportunity to study his face. He was standing to her left, so his mask was obscuring most of his face. Still, there was something vaguely familiar about him. Slowly, as if coming out of a fog, Roxie became aware that the phantom was smiling at her, and she realized she had been caught staring at him. She quickly averted her eyes, and bit her lower lip nervously.

"You're biting your lip again," observed the phantom softly.

"Excuse me?" replied Roxie.

"You do that when you get nervous."

Roxie peered up at the phantom. "How do you know that?" she asked.

It was the phantom's turn to avert his eyes. "I, uh, just noticed you doing that a few times tonight," he stammered.

Roxie looked at him skeptically. She supposed that was possible. Still….

"You know, it's going to be midnight soon," said the phantom, attempting to redirect Roxie's train of thought.

"And? Are you concerned about turning into a pumpkin?" teased Roxie.

"Noooooo," replied the phantom before flashing Roxie his best devilish grin. "But I believe everyone gets to kiss somebody at midnight," he finished.

Roxie laughed. "No, that would be New Year's Eve. On Halloween at midnight, everyone just takes off their masks."

"Oh yes, the masks," repeated the phantom absently as his fingers gently brushed the feathers of Roxie's mask. They were standing less than a foot apart, and Roxie felt that long-lost sensation called 'butterflies'. She stood there, transfixed in the moment, wanting to turn and run but unable to break the spell. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them took their eyes off the other. And neither of them noticed the two drunken revelers behind the Phantom. The drunkards were in an apparent disagreement, and one shoved the other in anger, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backward until he fell past the Phantom and against Roxie. The jolt caught Roxie unaware, and just as she was about to hit the railing, the phantom's arm reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into him. Shaken, Roxie looked up at him with wide eyes as she realized what just almost happened.

"Thanks, I nearly fell over the railing," she said.

"You're lucky I caught you. It’s a long fall and there's no safety net down there."

Roxie whipped her head back, the color draining from her face as she looked up at the phantom. "What did you just say?" she asked breathlessly.

Slowly, the phantom repeated himself "there's no safety net."

Roxie pulled slightly away. "Chase?" she asked incredulously.