Behind the face

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Bright curly red hair looked like on fire as the yellow rays from the window behind her gave her a light halo around her. Her once bright live blue eyes were now dull and dead. She didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. She strode towards her wardrobe, pulled out a pair of skinny jeans a tank top, and a hoodie. She also wore her glasses rather than sunglasses, she refused to hide her eyes. They were the only thing that was left of her now. She jumped from her first-floor window as graceful as a cat. 

It was dark and she blended into the dark well. She walked up to a café nearby, pulled her hoodie closer, and ordered a cup of Café Latte. The cashier tried hard to look at her face, but she kept moving around. He tried talking to her, but she spoke only to give him, her order. She also grabbed a sandwich and walked towards the park bench at the back of the park.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember her past. That is when she heard the name. Her name.

“Bash c’mon! You can’t still be hung up on Aria after everything that’s happened,” Shouted a guy

“Yeah, bro. I mean you guys didn’t even date. You guys just kissed. Ones!” Shouted another guy.

“If it is just a kiss that takes to capture your heart, I can do way more than that.” Said a girl’s voice. 

All of them sounded intoxicated. She just couldn’t find peace with her rotten luck. She is sick of listening to ‘Aria This’ ‘Aria That’ ‘Aria Lost’ ‘Aria Found’ ‘Aria is a witch’ ‘Aria is an angel’

Her luck was truly rotten. Why was she here again? Oh, right Aria the witch is rich! Oh, the things she did for money. She bit into her sandwich and almost threw up listening to the next sentence.

“But I love her. She was my first love. I love her” a guy said who sounded like he was about to bawl his eyes out.

He was in love with her? He was in love with Aria? Everyone hated her. Her own parents couldn’t care less their daughter had gone missing for a month and was back with so many scars than they can count. The whole town talked about her as if she were Cruella de Vil reincarnated. And here is this guy crying and claiming to love her.

She threw the sandwich in the dustbin beside the bench. She bent down, pretending to tie her shoe, not that anybody could see her, she blended into the darkness well. But she learned from experience, never let your guard down and always be in character.

She bent a little forward and could now see 3 boys and 2 girls sitting on the grass with beer bottles around them behind a tree. One of the girls was smoking, and the other was lying on the grass. She didn’t know which one of the boys was in love with her.

The girl who was lying pulled the blonde guy’s jacket so that he fell on the grass beside her. She then went on to kiss him. All the others were now shouting and cheering. The guy didn’t do anything he didn't push her away, from the looks of it he didn’t even kiss her back. The girl pulled back and stood up glaring at him.

“What the hell Bash!”

Oh, so he is Bash! At least he is good-looking. Aria had good taste. That girl ran away. The other girl also followed behind her. Calling out to her.

“Ana! Ana! Wait!”

Ana likes Bash. Bash likes Aria. So now, who do you like Aria? She smiled to herself. It was the first time in months she used her mouth to do something other than eating and ordering the housemaids. And she liked it. She could do much more with that mouth. Like kiss the dimpled naïve head over heels Bash!

Interesting! She had given up all hope. She knew she had rotten luck. This newfound freedom was worse than any prison. At least now her life resembled a soap drama.

“Dude, What is wrong with you?” Said one of the guys.

“What do you think?” Bash said now. Suddenly his voice changed, and he looked normal. No longer was he moping around for his true love for her.

“Bro, Ana is so into you, she would have done you right here, right now.”

“I know,” He said bored.

“Then why did you start with the whole Aria being your first love shit? You have slept with more than 10 girls already, and you are stuck on Aria because you kissed her?”

“Are you in love with me or something too? Why are you counting the number of girls I slept with?”

“I don’t get you, bro!”

“Girls like Ana throw themselves on me always. No matter if I am bad and rude or shy and sensitive. Even if I called her now, she would be back and all over me now. I am just not in the mood now to deal with her after I have slept with her.”

“Dude you are twisted!” 

“I know!” He said smirking.

He was now facing her, and she could see his face clearly. He really was handsome. Earlier she found him cute like a puppy, but now after listening to him, he looked hotter and sexier.

“Then what about Aria?”

“What about her?”

“Are you really in love with her?”

“Are you kidding me? Love is so overrated.”

“Then why do you keep telling everyone that she was your first love.”

“Because… just because. I don’t love anyone. Especially not someone like Aria. She is a real piece of work. I can never fall in love especially with someone like her”

Is that a challenge I hear Bash? I don’t know about Aria, but I love challenges. 

Challenge accepted!

I have been conning people my whole life. I have assumed so many identities that I have forgotten who I really am. And Aria was one of the richest and most boring cons I pulled. She looked like a princess from outside but inside everything is rotten just like my luck.

Bash! I don’t even know your full name. What kind of parents name their kid Bash? Was he supposed to take a bashing from everybody?

When everything looked dark and boring, I found you Bash! Bash you are the intriguing ray of light that could ruin me. But if I go down, I am taking you with me.

I removed my hood down pulled my hair out of the ponytail and walked towards them. Everyone was staring at me as if they were seeing a ghost! 

“Hi boys!” I said smiling at all of them.

“Aria?” Said one of them.

“One and only!” I replied with a wink.

He looked shocked and stood up. All the three were now standing and looking at me. But my eyes were only on my target.

“Hi! Bash! Long time no see” I said huskily.

“A-Aria?” Bash asked blinking.

“Guys, could you give us a minute?” I said to the other two.

“You guys go home I will catch up,” Bash said suddenly recovering.

“Aria?” He asked again when we were alone.

I pulled him towards me and kissed him hard. After he got off his initial shock. He kissed me back with equal fire. It was as if we were fighting for dominance. Trying to prove the other one wrong. He pulled my hair to tilt my head so that he could kiss me deeper. My hands traveled under his t-shirt, and I scratched his back deep with my nails. Finally, we let go of each other to regain oxygen in our lungs.

I looked at him. He looked way sexier from up close, especially with red cheeks and swollen lips. I smirked at him

“You are not Aria.” He said. It wasn’t a question; It was a declaration. 

“I am now!” I said winking and hitting his head with the stone that I had picked up from near the bench when I was pretending to tie my shoes.