Kamin took one last look at herself in the mirror. It reflected a girl with a slight smile on her face as she smoothed out the creases on her pristine, white dress that seemed to sparkle under the light. It was beautiful. It fell to just above her knees and its strapless style revealed her collarbones. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in perfect waves. With one last final look at the mirror, Kamin walked out of the room with a small snow-white purse in hand.

 

Kai was already downstairs, waiting down there for a long half an hour. He was undeniably excited about this masquerade ball. Not only could he see his long-time business partner and good friend, he could also enjoy a night of dancing and partying. It has had been a long time since the last party Tao had thrown and he was anticipating for the sky to turn a mystifying black which would portend the start of the evening. 

 

Kai drummed his long fingers on the glass table as he sat on the couch, dressed smartly in a white suit and pants to complement his date's outfit. On the table, rested two masks, one pure snowy white and the other a sparkling pristine white that had sequins which reflected the light from every angle. Flicking away some invisible dust on his tuxedo, he blew his bangs as he waited for Kamin to appear. 

 

It was not out of frustration but of anticipation that he wanted to see her, in the white dress. To him, it made her look like an angel. His attention was soon diverted towards the staircase as he heard footsteps coming down the wooden stairs.

 

He gasped inwardly as he saw her. She was wearing that dress and her hair fell nicely down her shoulders. It looked perfect on her. Perfect was the word; there was none left in Kai's vast vocabulary to even describe that pulchritude she exhibited.

 

Her hand left the railing as she descended from the last step. She walked towards Kai, her hands at two sides. 

 

"How do I look?" She asked, twirling around to show Kai her outfit. The outfit was simple from the front but despite its theme of purity and innocence, the outfit had a revealing point, other than the strapless style. Half her back was bare and her alabaster skin shone under the light. 

 

"You look really beautiful." Kai said, still in the midst of admiration. 

 

Kamin's cheeks turned a faint pink,"thanks and... You look quite good yourself." She nodded approvingly at his outfit.

 

"Like it? Now the two of us are a matching white." Kai grinned,"and here are our masks. Put it on before you get out of the car." 

 

Kamin nodded,"so are we heading out now?" 

 

Kai extended his arm which Kamin took gracefully,"lets go. We are going to be in the limelight, I assure you." 

_________

 

Kai and Kamin stepped out of the car and two pure white figured walked through the darkness towards the ballroom located in a grand, colossal building that stood prominently in the centre of town. 

 

Kamin and Kai walked along the hallways, the heels making a soft click-clack sound as it walked on the polished surface of the marble floor. Classical music was being played, a quintessential genre for a charity ball like this. Kai could vaguely tell that it was a waltz. Kamin felt her heart beating unusually fast as she neared the door. Perhaps she had not been on the dance floor for too long. 

 

 "You ready?" Kai asked as they neared the two big doors which would lead to the ballroom. 

 

Kamin nodded and the men dressed in black suits swung open the door and welcomed them to 'Tao's masquerade ball". 

 

Another stairways which led down was right before them. 

 

"This is so Tao. He loves to do this kind of stuff." He explained to Kamin,"shall we?" 

 

Kamin took his arm and they slowly but gracefully went down the stairs. All eyes were immediately on them as they came down. Much commotion was among the crowd. 

 

Omo! Who is that dashing man in that white suit? 

 

And who is his beautiful date? Doesn't she look like an angel? I am so going to ask her for a dance later.

 

They look so lovely together.

 

Who are they? I am so curious. 

 

"Everyone is looking at us." Kamin whispered, slightly taken aback by the sudden attention. 

 

"I thought I told you that we would be in the limelight? Don't worry, they wouldn't bite. At most, they would ask you for a dance." Kai smiled,"come on. Smile. This is going to be a fun night." 

 

It was a grand party, indeed and it lived up to Tao's reputation of being the one who throws the best parties in Tokyo. They were immediately thrown into a whirlwind of activity as people from all sides peppered the new couple with greetings and compliments on their hair, shoes, outfit and the list goes on. 

 

Kamin greeted them back politely and smiled brilliantly, dazzling a few men. 

 

"I am so curious as to who you are." A women dressed in bright yellow asked Kai.

 

"Stay curious then." Kai laughed though he gave her a clue,"I am a CEO." 

 

Her eyes widened and after bowing hastily, she disappeared though the crowd, sharing this piece of news among her group of friends. Kamin glanced around the whole ballroom. There were people everywhere. In the far corner, there was a classical band playing music. In the other corner, there were drinks and food. Many people were apparently socializing there with a glass of wine in their hands. Not far away from the food table, there was a photographer, also donned with a mask,taking photos. 

 

A sudden pause in the waltz piece caused Kamin to pause in her admiring of her surroundings and turn towards the staircases just like everyone else around her. A spotlight shone on the door and the door swung open to reveal two gentlemen, dressed fashionably in white suits. One was lean and tall. He wore no mask. His black hair stood out in contrast against the white tuxedo he donned on. He adjusted his collar and his lips curved to form a 500 megawatt smile as he waved to the people on the ballroom floor. The music started playing again.

 

He must be the organizer of this ball. What's his name again? Kamin thought to herself. And the guy beside him must be...?

 

The other gentlemen, on the other hand, wore a simple white mask which covered the upper half of his seemingly v-shaped face. As the two of them came down the stairs, people, particularly women, noticed that the other gentlemen had beautiful facial features. Despite the mask, they could see his straight nose, nice jawline and perfectly sculpted lips.

 

They drew even more attention than Kai and Kamin, immediately besieged by friends or simply admirers of the new, enigmatic gentlemen who had accompanied their fun-loving friend, Tao, to this ball. 

 

"Who's that?" Kamin whispered to Kai, nudging him. 

 

"Tao. He is the one who organized this charity masquerade ball. He is a good friend of mine. Fun-loving, humorous. Sociable. And rather direct, I would say." Kai grinned.

 

"And who's the one beside him? He seems to be very popular."

 

"That...I have no idea. I think he should be a friend of Tao's." Kai shook his head. 

 

"Oh, okay." Kamin nodded and kept silent for the rest of the time, continuing her admiration of the ballroom. It was lit up by huge chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and expensive-looking paintings adorned the walls, causing the ballroom to have a artistic touch to it. There were rose bouquets placed at strategic places in the ballroom, hence there was a faint scent of roses, mixed with different scents of perfumes that were spritzed on by the ladies. 

 

"Let's go and say hi, shall we?" Kai weaved his way through the crowd, looking back after every few steps to check that Kamin was following him. The crowd that had surrounded the two gentlemen had dispersed not long ago and they were finally left alone, much to Kai's relief. Tao was popular and sociable. It was hard to find him in a social place without a throng of people surrounding him.

 

"Hey there." Kai greeted Tao with a brotherly hug,"no more adoring fans surrounding you?" 

 

Tao shrugged,"my friend here isn't used to it." Kai turned to the other gentlemen and bowed politely. He bowed back, a slight smile on his lips. 

 

"Nice to meet you." He said. 

 

"Same here. You are Tao's friend?" Kai inquired. 

 

"Yeah. He is. I haven't seen him for such a long time. He just arrived here recently and I thought he could be my date for the night because I don't have any girls to bring." Tao pouted,"still single and woah-" he let out a low whistle as he caught sight of Kamin who was hiding behind Kai's tall frame. 

 

"Your girlfriend?" Tao asked, looking at Kamin with glittering black eyes filled with curiosity. 

 

"Nah, just a friend." Kai explained. Kamin simply smiled at Tao and then at the other guy who returned hers with a polite smile. 

 

"Oh really?" Tao lifted an eyebrow. He leaned in, whispering into Kai's ear. "You better catch her before she gets taken." 

 

"Anyways, don't mind my frankness but you look like an angel. So pure and innocent-ish." Tao commented, looking at Kamin. Kamin blushed. He really is direct. 

 

"Thank you. You look really dashing too." Kamin replied with a curtsy. Tao threw his head back, laughing. 

 

"You are such a charmer." Tao smiled, his eyes smiling,"would you care for a dance?" 

 

Kamin looked at Kai, hesitant. "Enjoy." He whispered and watched Tao lead Kamin onto the dance floor. He could not help but feel a tug at his heart.