Marrying a Charming CEO: From Friendship to Love

"There are moments we pray are only dreams... and dreams we wish could become our reality."

The world around me spun like a carousel of lights, music, and laughter-all too fast, all too loud. My thoughts were sluggish, drenched in tequila and heartache, and my limbs felt light, as if they didn't belong to me anymore. Ten shots in, maybe more. I couldn't count. I didn't care.

And yet, I remember the moment I felt myself being lifted-two strong arms wrapping around me, steady and sure, as if they had done it a thousand times before. I let myself sink into them, the scent of cologne and clean cotton grounding me more than anything else that night.

The throb of music softened the further we went, fading into a distant echo behind us. My eyes fluttered open. I tried to focus on the face of the man carrying me, but his mask concealed everything except his mouth-shapely lips, soft and slightly parted. His silence intrigued me. He didn't speak a word, and neither did I.

Maybe that's what made it feel unreal. Like something out of a story.

A part of me thought to lift my own mask-to let him see me. But he made no move to remove his. Maybe that was the agreement: two strangers behind masks, sharing one fleeting moment that didn't need names or explanations.

Because deep down, I knew... once the alcohol faded, regret would settle in like morning fog. But in that moment, the masks made sense. The mystery felt safer than the truth.

He laid me gently on a bed-cool, soft, inviting. As he stood to leave, I reached out, catching his wrist with a quiet desperation.

"Please..." I whispered, my voice trembling. "Don't go. I... I need you."

He hesitated, the warmth of his skin pulsing beneath my fingers.

"You should rest," he said, his voice low and smooth-like honey over silk.

Tears burned behind my eyes. "Please," I pleaded again, this time pulling him down to me. "Just stay. Help me forget... just for tonight."

"You'll regret this in the morning," he murmured, his voice brushing against my ear, breath warm.

I shook my head. "No, I won't. I just... I don't want to be alone tonight."

He looked at me then-really looked. Even through the mask, I could feel the intensity of his gaze. And then, slowly, he leaned in and kissed me.

Time stopped.

It wasn't hurried. It wasn't wild.

It was slow and full-like a promise. Like he wasn't just kissing me, but unraveling every piece of me I'd tried to hide.

And I let it happen.

I gave in to the moment-the heat of his body against mine, the way his hands moved like he knew exactly where to touch and how to hold. I wanted to lose myself. To surrender everything I'd been holding onto for too long.

And I did.

That night, in the arms of a masked stranger, I let go of the pain, the memories, the expectations. I gave him my first time. My vulnerability, my body, and I didn't even know his name.

A sharp ray of sunlight sliced through my eyelids, yanking me from sleep.

"Who the hell opened the curtains?" I groaned, covering my face with the back of my hand. My head throbbed like a drumbeat, and my mouth felt dry as paper.

Where... am I?

I sat up slowly, the events of the night before rushing back in broken pieces. I blinked, adjusting to the light-and saw the door closing quietly.

I caught just a glimpse of his back. Then he was gone.

"No... no no no," I whispered, panic rising in my throat.

I looked down.

Naked.

The duvet clung to my body, suddenly suffocating. I pulled it tighter around me and forced myself to my feet, rushing to the hallway.

He wasn't there. No footsteps. No trace.

I was alone.

And I was still wearing the mask.

The same one I wore into the bar last night.

The irony stung-he hadn't cared to see my face. Just my body. Just the part of me I had protected for so long.

With trembling hands, I walked back into the room and sat on the bed, pulling my knees to my chest beneath the blanket.

What did you do, Evelyn?

You weren't supposed to give yourself away like that... not to someone you don't even know. Not like that.

Tears burned their way down my cheeks. I tried to hold them back, but they came anyway-hot and heavy, carrying regret and shame with them.

I stood again, stumbling into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.

Under the steaming water, I cried harder than I had in years. The water couldn't wash away the memory of his hands, his mouth, the way he looked at me like I was something delicate. Something worth holding.

But then he left.

He was gone, and I didn't even know his name.

Back in the room, I wrapped myself in a towel and stopped at the mirror. My reflection looked like a stranger hair wet and tangled, eyes red from crying. I traced the faint marks on my collarbone with my fingertips.

His marks.

Proof it wasn't a dream.

I looked to the bed where the mask now rested. I picked it up gently, brushing my fingers over the soft blue feather along its side.

There were supposed to be three.

Now there were only two.

Just like me-something missing.

The sudden sound of my phone ringing cut through the silence. I flinched and dug under the bed until I found it. The screen lit up with a name I hadn't seen since yesterday.

Nathaniel, My ex. The reason I drank too much. The reason I wanted to forget.

My stomach twisted.

I didn't want to answer. But I did.

Clearing my throat, I held the phone to my ear.

"Hey babe, where are you?" Nathaniel's voice came through, casual and sweet.

But I wasn't the same Evelyn anymore.

Not after last night.