MARBLE GREY EYES

Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. She fought hard to see through the tears yet no matter how much she tried to stop the tears from spilling, she couldn't. Eyes red and puffed, she sniffed, pulling a hand from the steering wheel to wipe the tears rolling down her face non stop. She tried to stop the tears from coming but it seemed they streamed down on their own accord.

She couldn't think straight though her gaze was glued on the roads through the windshield, her mind and brain were in deep unrest. Jane couldn't fathom what happened at Hugo's house. First he thought of her as someone else and secondly, a cake was delivered on his doorstep with the name initially IY LOVES HO. Seeing that felt like a slap on her face. All these years, she had that inkling that Hugo loves her no matter what, that he wouldn't hurt her in any way despite her being an actress.

All she wanted was for a man who would see her for who she was and accept her and not feel threatened by her.

Her face streaked with tears, she drew in a deep breath and pressed tightly on the steering wheel, her mouth pressed in a thin line and her breathing a bit shallow. The energy to think or mull over what happened or to cry drained from her body. She felt numb, empty— not knowing what to feel in the moment, anger or sadness.

She pulled down her left side windshield, letting the cold breeze of the night crash in on her face, slightly messing up her hairdo. She hunched her shoulders when a wave of coldness swept across her body making her quiver, wondering if she was reacting to the cold wind or at the stuff she witnessed a while ago.

'You don't need to know her,' Hugo's voice made a cold shiver run down her spine. Tightening her chest, giving her no room to breath. As tons of thoughts and questions barricaded her mind, she stepped on her speed pedal – increasing the speed, ready to crash into anything. Ready to meet her demise.

An hour of racing down the busy streets of Las Vegas and lost in her train of thoughts, she ended up halting in front of that bar, the bar where her nightmare began. Three shots of alcohol might calm her down and lessen her worried brain. After a couple of contemplations, she stepped down from the car. Another wave of cold wind surged over her but she ignored it and walked into the bar.

Stepping inside the busy sleek and modern bar with dark wood paneling and leather furniture. She was greeted by the neon dim lights, the smells of beer and perfume mixing together, creating a heady aroma that permeated the air. The temperature was hot despite the fact it was cold outside and it seemed a band was performing because people were gathered before the neon bathed stage. Cheering.

Music blasted from the instruments the band used in the playing. It was loud and the cheers from people were even louder, creating a cacophony of sound. Jane managed to squeeze herself through the people standing shoulders to shoulders. She squeezed her way to the bar counter, the bartenders busy and frantically mixing shots after shots to please customers.

A little alcohol will do, she said to herself. Pulling out a stool, and plopped down.

"Tequila, please," she told one of the bartenders. "Three shots."

The bartender nodded, ready to keep to her order.

Jane narrowed her head toward the stage where an infamous band was playing, displaying their talent. Although the stage was dimmed with soft neon lights, she could see beyond the lights the band was made up of three boys and a girl. The girl and one of the guys were singing, playing the guitars draped over their shoulders while the two other guys— one was playing the piano while the other one was playing the drums.

The sounds from their instruments and from the crowd cheering wafted the air, a little bit calming her tensed nerves, Jane felt her muscles relaxing, melting along with the music as she became immersed in the song that she slowly started nodding her in rhythm. She felt her shoulders swaying slowly in accordance with the song. The beat was a very catchy beat.

"Here you go, ma'am," the soft voice of the bartender called her attention back. She shifted her gaze to him and smiled, picking up one of three tiny glasses of the alcohol the bartender pushed in her direction.

She downed the harsh liquid in the glass. It burned her throat but this was what she needed to get herself from overthinking. She knew the thought of Hugo cheating on her was bound to haunt her the following day but right now, she wanted nothing to trouble her mind or keep her brain in a state of unrest. She wanted nothing keeping her from getting drowned in the music and in the alcohol if that means getting drunk.

Not even Hugo.

She took another shot, this time the strong liquid was starting to mess up her head and her eyes. The effect of the alcohol was beginning to make her head and body feel lightweight.

'I thought you were HER!' Hugo's voice came crashing back. Echoing in her ears. Infuriated, she tightened her grip on the tiny glass and stared into the empty space even though her vision was beginning to fail. Her vision became blurry and distorted, everyone and everything seemed to appear double.

And from the corners of her eyes, a figure pulled a stool beside her and sat down. She squinted her eyes several times to get a clear vision of who sat beside her. And as fate would have it, her gaze fell on the hooded guy, he was dressed in all black, he wore a baseball cap coupled with the hood of his sweatshirt draped over it. That nose mask was there across his face.

Her brain registering who it was, she yelped in a high pitched slurred voice.

"Huh, you?" She spun to him, smiling. "We met again."

The hooded guy turned his face to her. A little bit perplexed.

Something stirred in her even though she was knocked off by the hard liquid when his marble gray eyes rested on her. She gulped down, getting a little bit drawn by his eyes....

They locked gaze for a minute before she broke it, shaking her head.

"No, no, nope," she raised a finger and shook it right in his face. Leaning close to him as she returned her eyes to him, blinking. "Toro Wilson...no, no, you can't be him. Having the same eyes doesn't mean you are him."

The hooded guy didn't utter a word and simply gaped at her as she continued to spew incomprehensible words.

"No you aren't him, you are not Toro….." She hiccuped and went on. Pointing at him. Circling a finger around his face but as if something struck a part of her brain, she snapped in another high pitched voice.

"You drugged me, didn't you?" She accused, prompting the hooded guy to raise a brow and the look in his eyes was replaced with surprise.

"You did. You wouldn't bump into me for no reason and because of you, my acting career is going down the drain, my boyfriend accused me of cheating. Social media and netizens are claiming I'm having an affair with some faceless guy."

She hiccuped in between her words. Jolting the guy when she suddenly cupped his face, blinking her eyes. "Tell me, why did you do that? To get out a story about me? To find a taint on me?....and what are you? A journalist?"

"A reporter? A paparazzi? You were the one who took those pictures of me, right?"

The guy kept mute as she continued to vent out her frustration. "You are everywhere I go, what are you? A stalker too? And why are you always wearing that mask over your face? Who are you?"

She reached to remove the mask from his face but he grabbed her hand, halting her.

"You gotta let me see your face or I tell everyone here you drugged me and made me have a one night stand with some mystery guy. I knew I wasn't that tipsy that day so there's no way I would've ended up in bed with some guy."

She kept on blabbering as the guy pulled her hand away from his face. He turned away from her, ignoring her.

"You leave me no choice then," she hiccuped and staggered to her feet. Her vision was hazy as the ground and room seemed to spin.

"Tell them, you are the cause of my misfortune or I do it myself."

All she got was a silent response.

She staggered toward the stage, squeezing her way to the stage.

"Excuse me, coming through." She announced as she made her way to the stage. She climbed the stage, surprising the crowd and the band when she took the mic from the girl.

"Everyone, how are you doing?"

The crowd went quiet as her voice reverberated through the room.

'What is she doing?' A voice asked from the crowd.

"Sorry to disrupt your great time but I have a big announcement to make, a big reveal."

●●●●●●●●●●●

She groaned and turned, eyes fluttering open as she nuzzled in the scented heavy blanket. She tugged on the blanket more as the morning light invaded through the parted curtains. She made a sigh under her breath and fluttered her eyes open, her gaze resting on a mirrored wardrobe.

Was she dreaming? When did she have a mirror wardrobe? She swift her eyes around the dazzling unfamiliar finery. Was she in some fairytale palace or? Because last time she remembered, her room wasn't half as beautiful as this magnificent room.

A couple of minutes passed before it registered in her brain, this wasn't her room. Then where was she? She jolted up immediately, clutching the blanket over her body. Her heart palpitated against her chest as she looked around the unfamiliar room. Did she make the same mistake as last time?

Heart banging and breathing shallow, she raised the blanket, anticipating for the worse but to her surprise she wasn't unclad like last time, she was clothed but not in her own clothes instead she was clothed in a hooded sweatshirt with the picture of the teenage mutants ninja turtles embedded in the center.

"You are finally awake?"

Her breath stilled and her adrenaline kicked in high gear when a low deep voice came. She narrowed her gaze to the direction of the voice and met a man clothed in black hooded sweatshirt coupled with his nose mask.

He sat on an upholstered designer chaise lounge. Legs crossed while holding a magazine in his grip.

'Him?' She gulped in trepidation.

Her blood turned ice in her system when his marble gray eyes fell on her.