NOT A DREAM

~

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Head splitting like it'd burst open, Jane watched the video of her on the bar stage, making a complete fool of herself. What was she thinking saying all that? Accusing an innocent guy. Witnessing Hugo cheat on her in her very presence had made her go wild that night. She wasn't the type that would create such a scene in public but the heck did she do?

As her heart plummeted against her chest, watching the video. Memories of that night came crashing in. She had taken the microphone from the girl singer, wrapping her fingers around the black metal. The alcohol taking complete control of her, she shuddered and said.

"I know you guys are having a great time," she sniffed, the sound echoing on the microphone. "And I'm sorry to disrupt it, but I got a big announcement to make. A big reveal."

She hiccuped. Sniffing. Steadying her uneven steps.

The crowd stared at her, mouths ajar. Some stared at her, bewildered while some thought she had gone crazy. The rest was curious as to what she had to say.

"What's she doing?" A voice said in the crowd as everywhere became dead silent and everyone's eyes and attention were channeled to her.

"Don't know, dude but it sure would get interesting," another voice cackled in the audience as flashes from phones were directed to her.

"There's been a video of me circulating the whole internet about me having some steamy night with some dude in this bar.....," She hiccuped.

"First and foremost, I hardly get knocked off by drinks but even if I do, I'm sane and know what I'm doing and never in this world. Never in my entire life, would I've slept with a guy I never knew or met."

She placed a hand on her chest in a gesture. "Except I was drugged," she added. "And whoever took pictures of me that night, I hoped you got what you were looking for."

"I'm an actress, trying to hit her peak in her acting life and I'd never do anything to jeopardize it, which is why everything about that video is untrue...."

"Is this the big reveal!" A man's voice yelled from the crowd. "This is a load of nonsense... we know your type, the type that acts innocent and plays the victim..."

"Get off the stage!" The crowd began to boo and jeer at her. The atmosphere became rather tense. The girl singer initiated in taking the mic from her but Jane was too quick to pull it from her reach.

"Can someone get her off the stage!"

Jane stood there, her vision traveled across to the end of the dark neon room. She gawked at the people, their expressions weren't welcoming but she felt light and at the center of the world, ready to vent out her frustration.

First, a manipulated story about her was published. She spent a night with a guy she didn't know and like icing on the cake, Hugo had been having an affair with some woman behind her back. How much more horrible could her life get? She was still surprised Wonder Prism Studio hadn't called to cancel the role they offered her.

"You see that guy, over there?" She hiccuped and pointed toward the bar place where she had gotten up from. She directed her fingers to the guy in the hood. "He's the one."

The whole crowd, including the band, swift their heads and gazes to the direction of her hand.

"What's she doing? Why is she pointing at that guy?"

"He's the one who drugged me and made me sleep with some unknown guy to get a story out of me," she accused. Sniffing.

There was an unsettled noise in the audience as they turned to one another, muttering among themselves.

"You aren't that popular but you aren't accusing someone for your behavior. No one got you drunk that night!" Another voice imputed.

"He intentionally bumped into me," Jane went further to elaborate. "Drugged me and made me sleep with some dude, don't know if he's some reporter, a troll or something.....and right now, my boyfriend is accusing me of two timing. Believing this was the way I got to rise a little in the acting world."

Flashes from cameras flashed at her face, taking videos or photos as she continued to make a fool of herself. Some group of teen boys found everything she did hilarious, laughing at the way she battered her eyes, and stumbled so many times while steadying herself.

Her voice was hoarse and her words held no meaning to them— at least from the audience's perspective.

The hooded guy, from where he sat only gaped at her, listening to her accusing words.

"Otherwise, why does he cover his face each time--he had bumped into me several times with the nose mask not leaving his face and you want me to believe they were just coincidence?"

"My acting career has been slowly going down the drain ever since I bumped into him that night. He definitely is responsible for what happened to me and the false videos of me. And I want to let you all know.....that, that….. I'm not in any relationship with influential public figures, I single handedly worked my way to the spotlight."

"Like we cared to know," an angry voice erupted from the crowd. A female voice screamed. "Someone, get her off the stage. She's not in her right senses."

And just when it was about to get worse, the girl singer of the band snatched the mic from her with a little bit of force. The people present in the bar were feeling very uncomfortable at her words and others tried to get her off the stage.

But then the most embarrassing and irreversible thing happened. In a quest to get her off the stage, she missed a step and fell, right in front of everyone. Her dress, pulling up to her thigh line, made it almost possible to see her panties and its color.

Immediately, her back hit the floor, the coldness of the floor wrapped around her body and in that moment, Jane felt the need to remain on the floor, to remain in that state. No minding what the people may say or assume.

She felt light both within and outside. Thanks to the alcohol, she finally let go of the burden on her chest as a single tear rolled down her face. Jane wasn't bothered about the consequences of her action the following morning, she just wanted to nuzzle in the coldness of the floor and forget everything that troubled her.

"Isn't she going to get up?" A voice asked from the audience.

"I can't believe she stopped the band to utter a load of crap," another terse voice spoke from the crowd, showing they were running out of their cool. "For this, I'm not seeing the movies she starred in. So unethical."

Jane sprawled on the floor as the whole place and the voices became distinct. She was slowly closing her eyes, prepared to remain on the floor until she found the will to get up. But from the corners of her eyes, she saw a pair of black sneakers make their way to her and a pair of strong hands lifted her from the floor into their arms.

Eyes half shut and blurred, she met herself being carried away from the stage toward the exit by the hooded guy. Generating a wild spread of murmurs across the room.

"What is he doing?" A puzzled voice asked.

Didn't she just insult and accuse him? Yet he's the one getting her off the stage?"

"Beats me, this scenario is rather fatuous to me."

Carried in the arms of the hooded guy, Jane found herself nuzzling in the warmth and comfort from his hold. She was impelled to wrap her arms around his neck, nuzzling more against his body. His scent wafted her nostrils and her sense of reasoning. This was a man she just badmouthed in front of people.

Instead of either walking out of the bar, he chose to carry her out to lessen the humiliation she was feeling at the moment. Her instincts were screaming she think through her head but for some strange reason, and rather than being afraid of him, she felt comfort and peace surrounding him. She felt secured in his arms as he carried her out of the bar.

She didn't think through where he might be carrying her off to but bumping into him several times now, she felt she could trust her with her life. At least.

●●●●●●●●●

Those strong pairs of arms laid her down on fluffy sheets as she let out a moan, snuggling on the comfy sheets. Trying to see through her almost blurred vision the face of the man who laid her on the bed, his face was so close and for some reason unknown to fate, she wanted to nuzzle more in his hold for as much as she wanted. Whether it was the alcohol making her think this way or it was actually how she felt, she reached out to remove the nose mask, to see the face behind the mask but he refrained her. Grabbing her hand.

She drew in a breath. Staring into those deep marble eyes of hers.

"You aren't him, are you?" She freed her hand from his grip and rested it against his left cheek. Feeling the rough edge of his cheek under her palm.

He kept mute, staring back at her.

"This isn't a dream like last time....you are real, right?" She said in a low hoarse voice, absently stroking his cheek as a little smile appeared on her face. "You are here and real..."

"You aren't a dream....." She continued to stroke his cheek, harboring that smile. Watching his eyes glint under the night sky. Before leaning her face close to him.

Her lips firmly rested on him. Nipping softly on his lower lip.