Second Chances

9. Adrianna

"We shall meet, Anna."

Adrianna's mind was replaying his words on loop. She thought she had managed to end whatever it was that she had started, but instead, he had been a step ahead of her. Her attempt at leaving immediately had failed as he had loudly said these four words, which were making her heart beat faster even now. There was a surety in his words that made her a tad bit nervous too. Had he recognised who she was? Would he seek her out? What if he pursued her and refused to give up? Damn! She should have simply said that she was married when he had approached her! And what the hell was wrong with her in the first place, playing such a silly game? Pretend identities? Seriously? What was she, four?

Adrianna kept on tossing and turning in the bed, unable to sleep as her mind was dissecting each word spoken and each action taken that evening. If she were to be honest to herself, she had liked the proximity that they had shared, and this thought itself was scary. They weren't going to meet again, and even if they did cross paths, they wouldn't be able to recognise each other. Letting out a resigned sigh, she got up and sat on the bed. Her gown lay on a bamboo chair near the bed. One look at it and she was reminded of how her reflection looked in the ladies' room - the time when she had danced with that charming stranger, how he had caressed her sides so lovingly, so tenderly. No, it wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about some random stranger with an assumed identity, and maybe an assumed personality, when she was married to the person.... whom she thought she loved? Her forehead creased as she thought aloud.

All her life, she had had a massive crush on Elton, which soon turned into love, or so she used to think, until now. Had she made a mistake? Did she not love him like she thought she did? Was it a silly infatuation that was misinterpreted? Mind reeling under such thoughts, she got up and helped herself to a glass of water. As the cool liquid glided down her throat, she realised that somewhere she did love Elton, maybe not with the intensity she thought she did. And right now, considering the time they had been living together, she realised the kind of person he was and that had diminished her feelings for him. Yes, that was it, she concluded as she put down the glass and was soon walking over to her bedroom. But wait, why this surge of such feelings and retrospection now, after she had met that stranger at the party?

***

"Anna..."

Adrianna woke up with a jerk. Was he actually there, in her room? God Lord! Wasn't this place strict about guests' privacy?! She turned around, only to find herself at the party again, wearing the same red gown with the same daring high slit; however, the slit was higher and the neck deeper than she remembered. And unlike before, she was way more confident wearing that gown, feeling sexy and beautiful at the same time.

"Anna..."

She heard his voice again, only this time, she could see him too. There he was, with a smile on his face that she remembered all too well. Apart from her parents and Tess, of course, no one had ever been this happy upon seeing her. He made her feel special.

"About time you heard me and made your way to me," his deep baritone was like a tender caress, making her feel butterflies in the pit of her stomach. His arm was around her waist as he led her to the dance floor. The song that was playing was slow, sensual, as if everything was just one big conspiracy to get them closer to each other.

He pulled her close, eyes looking back at her with an intensity that threatened to make her swoon. With one arm around her waist, the other caressingly made its way down, dangerously close to the daring slit of her gown. Her mind was conscious, yet foggy to comprehend the consequences of what was happening. She felt giddy as a jolt of electricity seemed to have passed through her when his warm hand came in contact with the skin of her thigh.

Before she could recover from it, she felt feathery kisses on her bare shoulder.

"Wh.. What are you d... doing?" She dared to ask, although she didn't know if she really wanted to know the answer.

"You are no less than an enchantress, Anna. As innocent as a little dove but as sexy as sin," his response was followed by yet another feathery kiss as his arm around her waist tightened.

She wasn't used to being at the receiving end of a man's affections, and was stunned into silence. She was done denying what she felt for this stranger, she was done holding herself back, she was done pretending his words didn't make her pulse race. Taking a bold step, she made him look her in the eye and proceeded to remove her masquerade mask. She thought she saw a twinkle in his eyes the moment he saw her face. He leaned in, his warm palm against her cheek, and she closed her eyes, in anticipation of her first ever kiss. Only, the kiss never came.

She slowly opened her eyes, surprised and a bit disappointed to realise that it had all been an elaborate dream. She was still in her suite, all alone, in her pajamas. She looked around to make sense of her reality, and not the one she had dreamt about. The clock on the bedside table read 4 am, and she couldn't help but chuckle as she remembered Tess' weird phase where she was obsessed with understanding what dreams meant. Wasn't she the one who would always reiterate that early morning dreams usually come true, based on her illogical hypothesis?

Adrianna didn't know why her mind had to dig out this peculiar memory, or maybe she did know but didn't want to acknowledge it. Whatever it was her mind was going through, she knew one thing for sure, her feelings for Elton were simply for old time's sake now, nothing more; that she was ready to move on. But before that, she had to leave this place, lest 'Tony Stark' did manage to track her down here.