Each week, I send out a story via my email newsletter. Each story is around 1000 words, sometimes less, sometimes more. The stories are in a variety of genres: supernatural, thriller, sci-fi, horror, and sometimes romance, and all of my stories typically feature a gay protagonist.
I would love it if you would subscribe to my weekly newsletter! You can do so HERE.
This is story number 21 of the series. Enjoy!
Midnight’s Masquerade
Carter fumbled with his tie, cursing under his breath as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. New Year’s Eve parties weren’t usually his thing, but his best friend Zoe had insisted he come to this one. “It’ll be fun,” she’d said. “And you never know….you might even meet someone special.”
Yeah, right. As if the universe would suddenly decide to be kind to him after the year he’d had.
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. Speak of the devil.
“Carter! Where are you? The party’s starting!” Zoe’s voice was a mix of excitement and impatience.
“I’m on my way,” he lied, giving up on the tie and tossing it aside. “Just finishing up.”
“Well, hurry! And don’t forget your mask!”
Carter rolled his eyes as he hung up. A masquerade ball on New Year’s Eve. How cliché could you get?
He grabbed the simple black mask from his dresser and headed out, bracing himself against the cold December air. The streets of Chicago were alive with energy, people laughing and stumbling from bar to bar, their breaths visible in the chilly night.
As he approached the old Blackstone Hotel, Carter couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. The building was a relic from another time, its stone facade illuminated by soft, golden light. He showed his invitation to the doorman and stepped inside.
The ballroom was a sight to behold. Hundreds of masked figures twirled and mingled, their laughter and chatter mixing with the strains of a live orchestra. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over the scene, and the air was thick with the scent of champagne and perfume.
“Carter! Over here!”
He turned to see Zoe waving at him, adorned in a peacock-inspired gown and mask. As he made his way over, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was… off. The music seemed to echo strangely, and the light from the chandeliers flickered in a way that made him dizzy.
“You made it!” Zoe squealed, pulling him into a hug. “Isn’t this amazing? It’s like stepping back in time!”
Carter nodded, still uneasy. “Yeah, it’s… something else, I’ll give you that.”
“Oh, come on. Lighten up! It’s New Year’s Eve. Here, have some champagne.”
She thrust a flute into his hand, and he took a sip, grateful for the distraction. As the bubbles tickled his nose, he caught sight of a man across the room. Even with a mask, Carter could tell he was gorgeous – tall, broad-shouldered, with a jawline that could cut glass.
As if sensing Carter’s gaze, the man turned and their eyes met. Carter felt a jolt of electricity run through him. The stranger smiled and started making his way over.
“Well, hello there,” the man said, his voice deep and smooth. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Miles.”
Carter swallowed hard. “Carter. Nice to meet you.”
They fell into easy conversation, and Carter found himself relaxing for the first time that night. Miles was charming, funny, and seemed genuinely interested in what Carter had to say. As they talked, Carter couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d known Miles for years, not minutes.
“Care to dance?” Miles asked as a new song began.
Carter hesitated. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
Miles grinned. “Neither am I. We can be terrible together.”
Before Carter could protest, Miles had pulled him onto the dance floor. They swayed awkwardly at first, but soon found their rhythm. As they moved, Carter noticed something strange. The other couples around them seemed to be… shifting. One moment they were in modern clothes, the next in outfits from the roaring twenties, then Victorian era gowns and suits.
“Miles,” Carter whispered, “do you see that?”
Miles’s grip on Carter’s waist tightened slightly. “See what?”
“The people… their clothes keep changing.”
Miles chuckled, but it sounded forced. “Must be the champagne playing tricks on you.”
Carter shook his head, trying to clear it. But the strange visions continued. He saw flapper girls giggling behind fans, gentlemen in top hats tipping their drinks, flappers doing the Charleston. And through it all, the music seemed to shift and change, sometimes a waltz, sometimes jazz, sometimes a modern pop song.
“What is happening?” Carter muttered, more to himself than to Miles.
Miles sighed, his expression suddenly serious. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice so soon.”
Carter tried to step back, but Miles held him close. “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
“It’s… complicated,” Miles said. “This isn’t just any New Year’s Eve party. It’s every New Year’s Eve party.”
Carter’s head spun. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Miles gestured around them. “Look closely. Really look.”
Carter did, and gasped. The ballroom was changing, subtly but unmistakably. One moment it was as it had been when he entered, the next it was decked out in Art Deco splendor, then adorned with Victorian finery.
“How is this even possible?”
“Time isn’t as linear as humans like to think,” Miles explained. “Sometimes, in certain places, at certain moments, it… folds in on itself. This hotel has seen over a hundred New Year’s Eves. Tonight, they’re all happening at once.”
Carter’s mind raced. “Are you saying we’re… time traveling?”
Miles shook his head. “Not exactly. We’re in a sort of temporal bubble. When midnight strikes, it’ll pop, and everything will go back to normal.”
“And you?” Carter asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. “Are you even real?”
Miles’s eyes softened behind his mask. “I’m as real as you are. I’m… a guardian, of sorts. I make sure these temporal anomalies resolve themselves without causing too much trouble.”
Carter’s head was spinning. This was insane. He had to be dreaming. And yet… part of him knew it was true. He could feel the ebb and flow of time around them, see the years flickering by in the faces of the other partygoers.
“Why me?” he asked. “Why show me all this?”
Miles smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Because you needed it. You’ve had a rough year, Carter. You were starting to lose hope. I wanted to show you that time brings change, that no moment – good or bad – lasts forever.”
Carter felt tears prick at his eyes. It was true. The past year had been hell – losing his job, his apartment, his long-term boyfriend. He’d started to believe things would never get better.
“Plus,” Miles added with a wink, “I thought you were cute.”
Despite everything, Carter laughed. “So what happens now?”
“Now?” Miles glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. “Now, we have about five minutes until midnight. What do you say we make the most of them?”
Carter hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s do it.”
They danced through decades, centuries even. Carter saw celebrations from times long past and caught glimpses of parties yet to come. Through it all, Miles held him close, whispering stories of the things he’d seen, the people he’d met.
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, Carter felt a surge of… something. Not quite sadness, not quite excitement but rather a bittersweet mix of emotions he couldn’t quite put into words.
“Will I remember this?” he asked as the countdown began.
Miles smiled. “That’s up to you. Some do, some don’t. But either way, I think you’ll carry the lesson with you.”
“Ten! Nine! Eight!”
The crowd’s chant rose around them, voices from every era joining in unison.
“Seven! Six! Five!”
Carter looked into Miles’s eyes, seeing the wisdom of centuries there.
“Four! Three! Two!”
“Happy New Year, Carter,” Miles whispered.
“One!”
As the clock struck midnight, Miles leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and sweet and felt like coming home. Carter closed his eyes, losing himself in the moment.
When he opened them again, he was standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. The party around him was normal – or as normal as a high-society masquerade ball could be. No time-slipping revelers, no echoes of past celebrations.
For a moment, Carter thought he’d imagined it all. But then he felt something in his hand. He looked down to see a simple black mask – not his, but Miles’s.
Zoe appeared at his elbow, flushed and grinning. “Carter! Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Carter smiled, running his thumb over the mask in his hand. “Just… dancing through time, I guess.”
Zoe laughed, assuming he was joking. “Well, come on! They’re about to do the toast!”
As Carter followed her to where champagne was being passed out, he felt different. Lighter somehow, as if the weight of the past year had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn’t know what the new year would bring, but for the first time in a long time, he was excited to find out.
And if, sometimes, he thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, or felt the brush of phantom fingers against his own… well, that was his little secret.
After all, who knew what the next New Year’s Eve might bring?
The End