Masquerade
All masks eventually fall
Ari Ascher disconnected his call and very slowly placed his phone on his dining room table. He cocked his head sideways and smiled a little smile.
“Ari? Who was that on the phone?” Annabeth asked.
Ari smiled. “That was Ronson…”
Annabeth returned her husband’s smile. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Apparently, Xander just arrived from Portland. He is here in Beverly Hills.”
“And?”
“Xander just asked Ronson for permission to ask Halo for her hand in marriage…”
Annabeth laughed happily. “Oh my! Halo must be ecstatic!”
“She does not know as of yet… Xander has not yet spoken with her.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, he wants it to be a big production… a surprise. He feels he needs to make amends.”
“Oh my… this should be interesting!”
“Oh, it gets better. Xander has already brought Vicente in on this scheme of his.” Ari smiled bigger.
“And Vicente agreed?”
“Of course…”
“Ari Ascher! What are you not telling me?”
“We, my love, get to assist. That is if it is acceptable to you.”
“Of course! I love surprises!”
“I have to wear a what?” Simo barked.
Jessie laughed and resisted the urge to pat Simo’s cheek. She held up a cardboard box and opened the lid. “A masquerade mask.”
“No.” Simo held up his hands as if to push away Jessie’s box.
“Ari’s orders.”
“Fuck… really?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“That fucker Xander sure is getting on my nerves!”
“Oh, come on. He wants to surprise Halo. I think what he wants to do is very romantic.”
“He should just go see her. She will be happy he is there! Done. Finished.”
“Simo… what am I going to do with you? You had to have done something romantic for Marina at least once? You did for me...” She saw Simo’s face flush red. “Ah… so you have. Now that you remember what it’s like, let’s help Xan out, ok?”
“Only because Ari wants this,” Simo grumbled. “So, where is this at?”
“The Beverly Hills Hotel.”
“Again with that place?” Simo shook his head.
“Are you going to need a date?”
“No.”
Jessie perked up. “Are you sure?”
“Jessie, stop. Just leave me the details and I’ll pass it along to everyone else.”
Jessie smiled, set the box on the desk, and slid his envelope across Simo’s desk at him. “Better hurry and read it… it might self-destruct in five seconds…”
Simo pushed it back at Jessie. “Ha! I wish.”
Simo watched Jessie leave without looking back or saying a word.
He shrugged and opened the envelope. In it were all the details of Xander’s grand scheme.
Apparently, Athena was his spy in Halo’s home, as she had accepted Halo’s invitation to stay there when her mother left for Oregon.
He read through Xander’s detailed plan, and Simo was grudgingly impressed.
Then he got to the part that irritated him further…
he had to dance. “Fucker,” Simo grumbled.
It was the night of Xander’s big production at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Jessie sat with Simo and Eleni, their masks on at the faux gala.
The venue was full of guests, and Halo was under the impression that she was paying back Vicente for some favor by being here for a charity event.
The band was playing seventies songs, and Jessie saw that Simo was tapping his finger to the disco beat.
She watched Eleni lean close to his ear and speak. “Try and have some fun.”
Simo snorted and didn’t answer, which made Eleni shake her head at him. Jessie pointed to the entry door as Vicente led Halo, JJ, and Selena Torres in. As per the instructions, everyone ignored them. Halo looked stunning in her red dress and matching ornate red mask, which was unlike anyone else’s.
Jessie could tell by her body language that she didn’t really want to be there.
Soon, Vicente was introducing California’s masked governor and ex-governor.
After they left, Halo took her seat; Jessie could see Halo very much didn’t want to be here.
Then she watched as Halo looked long and hard at their waiter.
She discreetly pointed to him, and JJ played it off.
Jessie smiled from under her mask, thinking that Halo wasn’t stupid, because, as per the plan, her waiter was indeed Xander hiding behind his full mask.
JJ was playing it off and soon was practically dragging Halo up to the dance floor along with Selena. Eleni tapped Jessie’s arm, and she turned.
“Simo needs a dance partner…” She could tell Eleni was grinning like a Cheshire cat under her mask. Simo shook his head ‘no,’ but Eleni elbowed Simo hard and pointed to the dance floor.
“Fuck,” Simo muttered, stood up, and gestured at Jessie to the dance floor.
Jessie felt herself flush with excitement, as she thought Eleni would be the one dancing with Simo.
She nodded and met Simo on the expansive dance floor.
The song playing was ‘September’ by Earth, Wind it was the one she had given him.
He took her hand, and she realized his palm was hot and sweaty.
He placed his other hand on her waist. She swallowed hard and let Simo guide her slowly around in circles.
He made sure to keep a big gap between their bodies.
She felt Simo’s hand get hotter and sweatier as they danced wordlessly.
Jessie closed her eyes and remembered back to Athens, when they danced for the first time…
just like this. She so wanted to lift up her mask and kiss him, but she knew he would just yell, and in the end ruin Xander’s surprise.
She settled for the wonderful feeling of his strong hands on her.
Then Simo was talking to her, and she opened her eyes. “What?”
“The music is over. Vicente is coming with Halo,” he whispered.
“Oh, ok,” she replied and followed Simo back to their table.
They took their seats and watched as Vicente surprised Halo by introducing the band’s singer. It was Halo’s sister, Stormy, whom he had flown back from her band tour in Germany.
It was the Raines sisters’ first meeting since Halo went missing, and the reunion was tugging at her tears.
They obviously loved each other, but Jessie was surprised by how different they were from each other physically.
Halo was gorgeous, with a perfect figure and true blonde hair.
Halo was at least five inches shorter than Stormy, who was beautiful on her own, with dark hair and blue-gray eyes—the color of her father’s.
Soon, Stormy was back on stage introducing the next act.
Unbeknownst to Halo, the next act was a father-daughter duet: Xander and Athena Kostinos.
Jessie was told that Halo thought Xander couldn’t sing, but he in fact did.
She heard Athena and Xan practicing at JJ’s recently and was extremely impressed.
The two began singing, and she carefully watched Halo’s reaction as JJ moved her to the middle of the dance floor.
Halo was definitely not a stupid girl. She pointed at Athena who, while masked, was singing, as JJ was trying so hard to be casual, playing it off.
Then it was Xander’s time to take up his next song as more masked people came out onto the dance floor.
Halo stood stock-still, watching him with every ounce of her being, as he sang.
Xander stepped onto the dance floor and danced with the masked Yiayia briefly, then, while singing, he spun Selena around, then did the same with JJ.
Jessie glanced at Simo’s eyes and could tell he was irritated.
Turning back, she saw JJ pointing at Halo.
Xander moved close to Halo and quickly spun her around, then beat a hasty retreat, leaving Halo standing there wholly confused.
Athena finished the song, then introduced the next song.
Xander began singing an older song, ‘Golden’ by Harry Styles, which was their cue.
Eleni pointed at Jessie, and she could see Simo sigh and shake his head.
Eleni pushed Simo, and he got up like the weight of the world was on him.
Soon enough, Jessie and Simo joined the rest of the guests on the dance floor as Xander, still in disguise, made his way slowly toward Halo.
With a huge grin stretching under her mask, Jessie watched Halo as she, Simo, and everyone else suddenly moved off the dance floor and took off their masks.
Halo was in total shock. Her hands were shaking as they came up and covered her mouth in surprise at seeing her family and friends surrounding the dance floor.
Xander was still masked, and his voice was now breaking, as he came closer to Halo.
Suddenly, Xander pulled his mask off, and she thought Halo was going to faint.
Instead, Xander rushed the remaining distance, and Halo leapt into Xander’s arms.
Jessie had to fight back her tears at Halo’s utter joy.
She glanced at Simo, whose eyes were misty as well, but he began looking away.
She smirked, then turned her attention back to Xander.
He had dropped down on one knee and was pointing to a big pink diamond already on Halo’s finger.
He was proposing. Halo was in shock, and she wasn’t answering…
everyone went deathly quiet. Apparently, Halo quickly realized her silence was beginning to worry Xander.
She quickly told him that she would love, more than anything, to be his wife.
The collective sigh in the room was palpable.
Jessie felt her own throat tighten watching Halo's shaking hands, the way Xander looked at her like she was the answer to a question he'd spent his whole life asking.
For one unguarded moment, Jessie let herself picture it: herself in the middle of some room full of people who loved them both, Simo on one knee, saying her name like it was the only thing worth saying.
Then she caught herself, swallowed hard, and let it go, the way she'd learned to let go of everything else that was never going to happen.
She fixed her eyes back on Halo and forced herself to smile and continue to watch…
Then Halo asked him to wait as she had something to tell him. She pulled Xander up to his feet and stumbled over her words. Jessie could tell that it was Halo’s turn to be scared. Then she did it. She told Xander she was pregnant with their daughter…
When it finally hit Xander, the joy on his face did bring tears to her eyes.
She turned to Simo, who was making his way back to the table with a stern-looking Eleni eyeing him.
Jessie sighed and watched as Xander and Halo began dancing.
Soon, Ari Ascher and Annabeth were dancing, as were Halo’s mother and father.
Jessie made her way back to Eleni. Sitting down across from Simo, Jessie crossed her arms at him. “So, why are you still pissed at Xander?” She saw that he immediately didn’t like her question, then Eleni sided with Jessie, and both women were now staring at Simo, waiting for his answer.
Simo shook his head and angrily retorted, “He left her and now he came back and asked her to marry him. Like I said before, he is unpredictable and unreliable. All this is stu… silly.”
Eleni beat Jessie to a response. “It is not stupid! It is romantic, malaka. See how happy Halo is? This was all for her, to show her how much he loves her. It’s called effort, malaka. Don’t look away, LOOK at them!”
Simo sighed and turned to the dance floor. He saw the utter joy that filled Halo as she held on to her man with everything she had. He sighed heavily and capitulated, as he was outnumbered. “Yeah, yeah. I see it. I’m happy for her…”