UnMasked

by Yara Gharios

  Suddenly, a song I know very well and love to sing starts. I gasp in shock and squeal with excitement. “I love this song!” I scream and rush to the stage.

  I hop on and stand behind the microphone. I swing my hips side to side and lift my hands up, then I start singing along Charli XCX’s “You (Ha Ha Ha).”

  I’m hitting the notes right on key. Some people in the front cheer me on. It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve never sang in front of people. The alcohol is helping with stage fright, and my movements flow more easily, although I’m sure I still look stupid. I don’t care, though.

  When I get to the first pre-chorus, I notice Logan standing in the back, his eyes on me. He looks pissed off. Good. Maybe now he’ll understand how I feel. I bring my hand up to point at him as I sing the chorus.

  I jump around on stage a couple times and then make a motion of pumping my chest as a heartbeat-like sound shakes the room. Then the music changes as the second part starts. I stand still, contemplatively staring at the crowd.

  I repeat the same verse in the same way before going back to the bridge. During the second chorus, I point in the general direction of the crowd. I am pleased when I receive a few claps. Then I get to the third verse, during which I stare at Logan again as I simply speak it, with an imitation of the British accent it’s normally sung in. I’ve grown so used to singing it that I can only do it this way.

  The final chorus comes around, and I jump once before pointing at Logan as I sing it.

  As the song ends, I throw my head forward and whip it back, bringing my arm up at the same time, with my hand doing the rock–and–roll sign. I feel like a rock star. It’s amazing!

  “Thank you SMP!” I yell into the microphone for effect. “I’m here all night. You can make requests with the DJ.”

  Is there a DJ? I vaguely wonder without really caring to know.

  As the next song starts, I stumble down the tiny step to join Sadie again. She catches me before I fall.

  “That was awesome!” she yells. “I didn’t know you could sing so well! I was a little distracted the last time I heard you.”

  We laugh together, although I’m not sure at what. That’s when I see Logan coming over, and I’m suddenly excited to see him. I try to remember why I should be mad at him, but I can’t.

  “Logy!” I cheer. “Did you see me up there? I rocked!” I giggle uncontrollably. “Oh, no, I should have surfed the crowd,” I realize dejectedly. “I’m going again!”

  He grabs my wrist a little too hard and pulls me back just as I take the first step, making me stumble back into his chest.

  “No, you’re not going again,” he orders harshly. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

  CHAPTER 17

  His grip gets stronger. I feel a bruise forming and grimace in pain.

  “Ow,” I whimper as I try to untangle myself from him.

  He looks down, and suddenly lets go. But then he holds my hand like a normal person, entangling our fingers together in a much gentler way, and starts pulling me away from the crowd, the dance floor, the room, and then out the door. The light breeze brushes against my cheeks and makes me realize that I’m actually feeling a little hot.

  In more than one sense, I add smartly in my mind.

  “Heyoo!” I giggle at my own joke.

  Logan abruptly stops and frowns at me. “What?”

  Did I say that out loud? I close my mouth shut, like a fish. But then the image of a fish opening and closing its mouth pops into my head, and I can’t contain my laughter this time.

  “Fish!” I tell him to explain why I’m laughing.

  He stares at me for a second before shaking his head in exasperation, and goes back to manhandling me. He’s pulling too hard and his pace is too fast. I start getting dizzy and stumble a couple of times.

  “Where are we going?” I finally ask him.

  “To my family’s cabin,” he replies shortly.

  “Are we there yet?”

  “Dylan, we just left less than a minute ago!”

  I don’t like the tone he’s using. “Well how the hell am I supposed to know where this stupid cabin is?” I retort. That’s when I trip on my own feet and almost fall, if it wasn’t for him still holding my hand.

  “Would you at least slow down? I’m drunk over here! Drunk people can’t walk straight, you know? Wait, you don’t know. You don’t ever get drunk. Why don’t you drink? I forgot. Don’t you like having fun? That’s right, you don’t! I remember now. You’re all work and no play. Your mate left you because of that, right?”

  Logan can’t ignore my rambling anymore, and he comes to an abrupt halt. He faces me with a confused look on his face.

  “What are you talking about?” he asks. “Is that why you won’t be with me? I’m not fun enough?”

  I blink at him. He totally got it wrong. Boys are so clueless!

  “No, I was talking about Reena, dummy.”

  When he still doesn’t get it, he sighs and starts pulling me again. “Let’s just get to the cabin first, then we’ll talk,” he declares.

  “Why do we have to be in the cabin to talk?” I wonder out loud. A disturbing thought crosses my mind. “Wait, you’re not going to rape me, are you?”

  I resist him and try to go in the opposite direction, but he’s stronger than me and won’t let me budge.

  “Help!” I scream. “I’m about to be raped by my lunatic mate! Somebody!”

  “Would you stop?” he demands in a hiss. “I’m not going to rape you! I would never do that! I just want to go there because it’s soundproofed and private. No one will bother us there.”

  That makes sense. I stop and look at him curiously.

  “But your office is soundproofed,” I remind him. “Why can’t we go there?”

  “Not completely, we could still hear what’s going on outside. I don’t feel like having this conversation with music blasting in the background,” he tells me, annoyed. “Now will you please come quietly?”

  I pout, suddenly feeling too tired to walk. “But I’m drunk,” I point out. “Drunk people can’t walk straight, you know?”

  He heaves a frustrated sigh. “You said that already. Fine, here.”

  Out of nowhere, he puts one arm behind my knees, the other around my shoulders, and he scoops me up. Taken off guard, I squeal and fling my arms and legs in fear of falling.

  “Don’t drop me!” I squeak. “Please don’t drop me!”

  “Stop flailing around and I won’t!” he orders.

  For once, I listen and wrap my arms around his neck to hold on. I close my eyes shut and shove my head into his neck to hide from the fear. I can tell I hurt him because he lets out an ‘oof!’ sound.

  The more he walks, the more the movement soothes me, like a baby in a rocking chair. Slowly, I relax. When I open my eyes, I can see the side of his face. Even though it’s dark, I can still see him. Up close, it’s like every detail is heightened. I like what I’m seeing.

  “You’re pretty,” I let him know.

  His chest vibrates a little, which takes me off guard. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” he says in a light tone.

  I rest my head against his shoulder and sigh contentedly. I inhale a nice fragrance. “And you smell nice,” I add with wonder, getting closer and sniffing him to detect what the smell is, exactly. “What is that?” I ask, sniffing again. “Lavender? No, it’s more… fruity. Hmm. Weird.”

  “Um, could you not do that, please?” he asks rigidly.

  I didn’t realize I was annoying him, until I feel that he’s stiffened, so I pull back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.”

  “You’re not,” he assures me. “It’s just… distracting.”

  I still don’t understand what he means, so I don’t say anything. A moment later, I hear something that sounds out of place. I lift my head again to look around. Sure enough, there’s a waterfall. It looks kind of familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen it. On one side of it, there is
a huge rock that seems almost separated from the cliff. That’s exactly where Logan goes, and wonders of wonders! It’s a cabin!

  It’s tiny, like there’s only one room inside it, and made out of wood.

  Well duh! It’s a cabin, stupid! I scold myself.

  There doesn’t seem to be any window, but there is a door. Logan sets me back on my feet in front of it. He opens the door for me, and I see that there really is a window on the opposite side of where we’re standing. It’s dark inside, but Logan turns a light on for me. The room is really tiny, and there’s only a small cot in there at one side. That’s where I go sit. My feet dangle from the top, which makes me giggle, waving them back and forth.

  “Now,” Logan says as he leans against the wall in front of the cot. “Let’s talk. Why did you get on stage and start singing?”

  I shrug, not really seeing what the big deal is. “Because I felt like it. Didn’t you think I was good?” I ask, a bit saddened by the idea that he thought I did a terrible performance.

  Seeing me dejected, he hastily tries to reassure me. “No, you’re really good. I’m actually surprised I didn’t know that about you.”

  This makes me sad, for some reason. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I mumble.

  I’m not drunk enough to be talking stupidly, but I have had enough to make me bolder and unafraid to speak my mind, even if my mind is a little fuzzy right now. Maybe this is an opportunity to give him a piece of my mind. I’ve said the word ‘mind’ one too many times. Is this the reason why he brought me here? To confuse me so I would talk?

  “You’re not playing fair,” I protest.

  His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I’m not playing anything.”

  “Yes, you are,” I insist childishly. “I told you to let me have fun tonight. You promised to leave me alone and that we wouldn’t talk until tomorrow. You’re breaking your word.”

  He scoffs. “We both know you weren’t going to let me near you tomorrow. This,” –he gestures to me sprawled on the cot– “is just your way of avoiding me. You were going to break your promise first.”

  I grin and giggle when I remember that. “Boys are so stupid.”

  He frowns. “Why am I stupid?”

  “I never promised anything, silly. You just assumed I did because I didn’t say otherwise.”

  Logan stares at me blankly for a second. “Well, damn, I didn’t even notice that.”

  I giggle again, and this time I can’t stop. I laugh so hard that I have to hold my stomach. Logan stares at me with amusement until I almost fall off the cot. That’s when my laugh cuts off, and he lurches forward and catches me by the shoulders. He brings me up and sits me back against the wooden wall. Then he kneels in front of me and stares at me in a way that makes my body heat rise and my heartbeat accelerate. I focus my senses until I hear his heart doing the same, and I somehow know where this is going.

  “You want to kiss me,” I realize in a small voice, eyes wide.

  He gulps and says, “Yes.”

  I shake my head frantically. “No,” I whimper. “Please.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ll forget why I’m mad at you,” I say. “And I don’t want to be a pushover.”

  The glint in his eyes disappears as he pulls back with a frown. “You’re very honest right now. I thought you were playing when you called me pretty, but maybe you weren’t…”

  I grin at him. “I’m drunk,” I remind him with a giggle. “Well, kind of. I don’t know, this is the first time I drink.”

  Logan stares at me with a thoughtful expression, not saying anything for a long time. In the meantime, I examine the patterns on the wooden wall until I start seeing shapes in them, almost like cloud watching. I see a puppy in the corner, which makes me giggle.

  “If I ask you a question, will you answer me with the truth?” he finally speaks.

  “Probably,” I answer him, still laughing over the puppy.

  “Why don’t you want to be with me?”

  I frown at him. Is that what he thinks?

  “I do,” I correct him, confused.

  He blinks in surprise. “You do?”

  “I do, I do,” I sing, then burst out laughing. “I said doodoo!”

  Logan grabs my face to make me look at him again. “Hey, Dylan, focus please, this is important,” he requests.

  His voice is so nice. I feel like I’m melting because of it.

  “Okay,” I sigh.

  He stares intently at me, like there’s an opportunity in front of him that he doesn’t want to miss. “Why did you say you were mad at me?”

  “Because I am, duh!” I reply, and then frown angrily when I remember. “I’m mad at you. Hey, I’m mad at you!” I try to move him away, but my hands won’t cooperate correctly.

  “Why?” he insistently repeats, his voice urgent.

  I stop resisting so I could talk. He should know this, but since he’s asking, I’m telling him.

  “Because you don’t want to be with me,” I answer his obvious question. “Boys are so stupid.”

  When I say that, Logan is shocked. “What?! Why would you think that?”

  “It’s the truth,” I remind him. “You only want to be with me because of the pull.”

  He frowns, confused by my choice of words. “The what?”

  “The pull,” I repeat, enunciating it for him.

  He rolls his eyes with exasperation. “Yes, I heard you the first time. What pull?”

  “The mate pull,” I explain like it’s obvious. “I told you I was a girl weeks ago, but you didn’t care about me until you felt it. That’s what’s making you want me, not you. And you tried to make it my fault, so now I’m mad at you!”

  That’s when it dawns on him. I can see it on his face.

  “That’s what this is all about?” he asks incredulously. “You think I don’t care? That I’m being controlled by the mate bond?”

  I shrug one shoulder sadly. “Why else would you start liking me now? You thought I was a boy, so you couldn’t have liked me before.”

  He puts both hands on his forehead, which he lets fall forward a bit, and sighs with relief. “Dylan, why couldn’t you just tell me that? We could have both avoided a lot of trouble.”

  He really doesn’t know? Can’t he even guess?

  I pout. “Boys are so stupid.”

  He looks up at me curiously. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  “Because it’s true!” I exclaim. “You do something stupid, like punch the girl who’s in love with you, right after you accuse her of betraying you when actually she was a victim of your evil ex-girlfriend, and when you find out she’s your soulmate, you act like nothing’s ever happened, but when the girl tries to make you see that for yourself, you make excuses and call her names, like ‘hurt-little-girl’. Why can’t you just say you’re sorry? That’s all the girl wants to hear!”

  Logan stares dumbfounded at me while I catch my breath, having said all of that in a rush because I was so tired of keeping it bottled up. I stare right back at him, because I don’t know what else to do. Slowly, my breathing returns to normal. When Logan keeps staring at me even then, I begin to feel awkward and self-conscious, so I look away from his eyes, which I have now decided are definitely green. Or blue. Or hazel. I don’t know.

  The moment I break eye contact, Logan lifts both his hands to cup my cheeks and force me to look at him again. There’s a determined look in his eyes, but there’s also something softer which I can’t put my finger on.

  “Dylan,” he starts, his voice roughs, and his heart beating fast, “I love you.”

  My eyes widen.

  Say what now?! Did he just say the three words I wanted to hear?

  A strange sensation settles in the pit of my stomach. I wonder if that’s what butterflies feel like. If so, it’s not as magical as they say in the movies. I feel like my stomach has been turned upside down. But my heart is beating off the charts, so that must be it.

/>   “I have since the night after the welcome home party,” he goes on. “I just didn’t realize it until a few weeks ago. But like I told you, there’s a lot more going on than you know, like the whole thing with Reena and my father’s research, and it didn’t help that I was upset you didn’t trust me enough to tell me sooner. I had too much on my mind to be able to stop and sort through my feelings for you, so it didn’t really sink in how much I love you until I felt that pull. Yes, it was what made me see the truth, but it’s not controlling my feelings. I love you, and I would have felt exactly the same if you were human and there was no mate bond.”

  I can’t find anything to say to him. It’s like my tongue has suddenly been swallowed. This is part of what I was always hoping he would say, but there’s still one part missing. When I think of it, I become sad once again, which overshadows the happiness of hearing him say he loves me.

  “What?” he asks worriedly, noticing my expression. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you don’t believe me?”

  “No, I do,” I assure him. “I’m just… trying to take it in. I just wanted to hear that for a long time.” I punch his shoulder. “What took you so long?”

  My question comes out reproachful, which makes him laugh in a relieved way. I can see the tension disappear from his shoulders.

  “I know,” he says. “I’m sorry you had to go through so much idiocy on my part before you finally heard it.”

  I smile at him happily. And those are the two words. For a moment, all is well with the world. The feel of his hands rubbing circles on my cheeks is incredible. The butterflies in my stomach grow. Want flashes in his eyes, and I can practically read the direction of his thoughts.

  “Your girlfriend stole my first kiss,” I blurt out, stopping him just a few inches from my face. The thought was bugging me too much.

  He pulls back in shock. “What?”

  “It was a bad first kiss,” I admit. “She’s not a good kisser. How did you stand it?”

  He blinks at me, frustrated. “Are you seriously going to bring up Reena when I’m about to kiss you?”