Crazy for Love

Bang!

"Fuck! Who fucking shot?" Joseph said sharply, his voice remaining low and controlled.

"Damn! That came from the dark corridor. Let's go check. Hopefully it's nothing."

Both walked fast toward the dark corridor, the air heavy with tension. Joseph headed first, pistol in hand, with Anna a step behind him, cautiously watching his rear.

Up front was a figure with a bright crimson mask that glowed in the faint moonlight seeping through the windows. His back rested against the wall, and his breath was unstable.

His hands pressed weakly against his chest, fingers slick with blood, dragging along the surface as if trying to stay upright.

Both stood there, just watching. They couldn't tell if he was friend or foe until the figure's hands moved slowly, removing the mask from his face.

"MARK!"

Anna lunged forward. Her pistol slammed hard against the floor as her grip loosened. Her eyes turned red instantly as tears slowly flowed down.

"Mark, I'm so... s-sorry... I'm rea...lly sorry..." Her voice trembled as her hands slowly applied pressure to the wound.

"Babe girl, you stil..." His voice dragged, barely holding together. Then it broke into a violent cough, blood slipping past his lips.

"Hey... hey, stop." Anna dropped beside him, grabbing his shoulder, trying to steady him. "Don't talk. Don't... just breathe, okay? Just breathe."

Mark tried once more, but this time the cough was far worse than before.

"Please!" Anna's voice cracked, sharper this time. "Stop talking, please. Joseph-" her eyes shot toward her partner. "Go start the car! We need to move him now!"

Her hand pressed harder against his chest. "Just stay with me, Mark," she muttered. "Please don't talk."

"You're such... a baby," he whispered, blood slowly slipping from his lips.

"Joseph is getting the car, Mark... please just hold on..." Her face held a strained smile. "...the car is coming... please... please." Dry tears flowed slowly from her eyes without stopping. Her words jammed against each other.

Mark smiled. His hand slowly reached for hers, pulling it toward his lips, then gave it a soft kiss.

"Anna... remember... the time we met..." he coughed hard, "...even if... you weren't mine... I wanted to always make you smile... always be by your side..."

Anna let out a broken sound... half sob, half laugh. Tears kept falling as her lips trembled upward.

"Anna, it's too... late. This is the... end for me..." His hand lifted slowly, trembling as it reached her face, brushing her cheek lightly.

Her breath hitched. "Stay with me... please-don't-"

"...but remember..." His voice dragged, barely there. "I will... always... love... yo..."

His hand dropped hard to the floor, and the room fell silent.

"Mark?" She reached for his hand, lifting it up and watching it drop once more.

"MARK!!!!!!!!"

"...No."

Her hands tightened around him, shaking now, desperate, like she could force life back into something that had already gone. "No... no, no, no... please, no..."

Her voice cracked under the weight of her own tears. Her wailing ripped through the silence of the corridor. "...Mark... not you... as well..."

Thirty minutes away from the corridor where Mark was shot dead, late at night at Landmark Beach, where only the sound of the Atlantic sea could be heard.

On a secluded wooden bench sat someone. His back hunched over and elbows pinned against his knees. His body shook violently, from the tip of his lips to the depths of his limbs. His heart raced continuously against his rib cage, almost like an addict suffering through terrible withdrawal symptoms.

"I had to, Anna... I had to do it," he said, his voice uneven and ragged. "You don't understand, you couldn't see it, but he... he had to die. Because of you. No, for you. All for you."

He slowly chipped away at the flesh and nails of his fingers as he tried to force his racing mind to focus.

"Each day... every single day, he was around you," he whispered, his eyes wide and unblinking. "He wasn't a good guy, Anna. He wasn't good for you. I needed to protect you. I had to protect you."

He rested back against the bench as a dark laugh mixed with sobs escaped through his lips. He looked down at the bench where a black pistol lay, then grabbed it forcefully, wiping it frantically against his jeans as if it were still covered in grease and gunpowder.

"Now he's gone. He's gone and you're finally safe. You're safe from him, Anna. I did it for you. I did it all for you..."

His body slowly calmed down, a dark smile slowly curling across his lips.

"You really are a piece of work, Dracula."

A dry voice tore through the silence of the empty beach.

"It's about time we move. Stop behaving like it's your first time putting someone in the dirt."

The shadow turned away, leaving Dracula alone on the bench under the dark Lagos sky.

Eight months later, January 23.

"You know," she said, stepping out of her apartment building, "at this point you're just stalking me." She smiled softly, looking toward the gates where the culprit leaned against them.

Ben-a young man in his mid-20s, sharp-featured, wearing casual blue jeans, a jean jacket, and a white inner shirt. His left shoulder rested against the wall, with one of his hands holding a paper bag and the other holding two cups of hot coffee.

He tilted his head slightly. "It's called friendship, learn the difference, fish," displaying a cute smile on his face.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you trying to act cute all of a sudden?" she said, laughing. "...You look like a freaking monkey," not even bothering to hold back her laughter.

"You memorized my schedule once again, jeez."

"You have a predictable life."

"You bought breakfast again."

"I know you definitely forgot to eat."

She sighed, taking the cup from his hand. "You really need a girlfriend."

"And yet," he said, pushing off the wall, "you can't do without me," he said, smiling warmly.

Anna took a sip first, and the taste was exactly the way she liked it-the regular. And of course it was. For a friendship already over 20 years old, at this stage every habit was already known.

Without thinking, Anna reached up to Ben's neck to straighten his collar where it had folded inward.

He smiled softly. It was usual as well...

"You could have told me, people are watching," he said with a slightly flustered face.

"What will they do? Let them judge all they want, it's not like we are dating or something."

Ben huffed, but the corner of his mouth lifted.

Anna's phone buzzed slightly. She barely glanced at it at first-just a usual notification, probably one of the usual advertisement alerts. Then she suddenly stopped talking, staring deeply at her phone.

Ben quickly grew worried as well. "What happened?"

She didn't answer. Her eyes stayed on her screen while her expression shifted slowly-the kind of change that only someone who knew her would notice.

Ben stepped closer. "Anna?"

"Anna!" he said, his voice slightly louder, grabbing hold of her shoulders, cutting her off from her trance.

She looked at him, her hand shaking slightly, then she turned the phone toward him. A message glowed on the screen from a group chat filled with old but familiar names. Names she hadn't seen in years, from a group that was almost dead.

Class Reunion - Tomorrow Night! Royale Restaurant, 7 PM. Don't ghost us again this time.

Silence stretched between them as she immediately locked her phone.

"I'm not going." Anna said, her hands shaking continuously.

He just looked at her, his eyes slowly watching as her expression darkened.

"Why?" He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, calming her down a bit.

"I just don't want to," she responded, her hands visibly shaking nonstop.

"That's not an answer," Ben said, his voice calm yet serious.

She shrugged. "I just don't want to go, please." Her voice came out sharper than usual, but beneath the rage and irritation was someone fragile.

He tilted his head slightly, staring intently at her face like he usually did whenever she was hiding something.

She tried looking away at first, trying to avoid his gaze, but it was of no use.

"It's just stupid," she muttered, her voice low and weak, like a frail animal cowering in fear.

"Tell me anyway," Ben insisted, gently grabbing her hands to provide a sense of assurance.

She exhaled slowly.

"...I was bullied there."

Her words were quiet, plain, and soft, but they carried weight.

"I know," Ben said softly.

Anna's brows knit. "You do?"

"Did you actually think I wouldn't notice something like that?"

Her gaze dropped straight down. Her fingers curled around her sleeve as she spoke.

"I just... don't see the point in going back," she said. "I don't want to remember it again. I don't want to reopen wounds that are already healing."

Ben went quiet for a moment before finally speaking.

"You have to stop running." He paused to catch his breath. "If you keep running from it," he said, his voice calm, "it'll keep hunting you."

She scoffed lightly. "Wow. Inspirational speech of the year, Mr. President."

"I'm serious," Ben said, his voice calm yet firm.

She tried to change the subject quickly. "So anyway, did you finish that report yesterday..."

"Anna."

She stopped.

He rarely stood firm. Although he was a playful person, sometimes he became serious...extremely serious, like now.

"You should go," he said firmly. His voice was low and steady, without shaking, enough to make refusal feel stupid.

"Face it once."

"No."

"I'll be there."

She folded her arms. "I'm still not going."

He just continued staring at her quietly. He didn't rush or push her. It was only a matter of seconds before she gave in.

Finally, after a while, she sighed.

"I don't even have anything to wear," she said at last. A final struggle. A last straw.

He answered instantly with a reassuring smile.

"Then I'll get you something."

She laughed. "You're joking, right?!"

He didn't laugh back.

"Right?" Her face went pale, and her smile faded a little.

"My treat," Ben said, smiling as though he had just won a battle.

He meant it. He meant every word.


****

City Mall. The mall was large, filled with many stores and boutiques, ranging from average shops to top luxury brands. The lighting was beautiful and welcoming.

Anna stood in front of a mirror wearing the fourth dress she'd tried.

She stared at her reflection, turning side to side slightly, then frowned.

"No."

Then she disappeared behind the curtain again.

Ben leaned against the wall, arms folded, patient as ever.

Dress five. "No."

Dress six. "No."

Dress seven...

"No."

He sighed. "At this point, I think you're just dumb about fashion."

"What do you mean? I have standards," Anna said, trying hard to prove herself.

He reached blindly toward a rack, grabbed a random dress, and held it out.

"This one. Try it."

She stared at it.

"It doesn't even look good."

"Trust me."

"You don't know fashion compared to m..."

"Trust me."

She rolled her eyes and took it halfheartedly. Then, a minute later, the curtain slid open.

As he lifted his head, he froze, forgetting how breathing worked. His heart raced with every beat.

A red gown, soft, flowing, and elegant. It fitted her like it had been designed specifically for her, as though it had been waiting on the rack just to be picked by her.

She looked at herself in the mirror... really looked this time.

Quiet.

The saleswoman clasped her hands. "Oh, that's perfect! Sir, this will look lovely on your girlfriend."

Silence.

Ben cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Sorry. She's not my girlfriend."

He cleared his throat once more. "She's just my best friend."

His words were simple but true, and yet they didn't feel right to him. His heart felt tight and pained.

And Anna... she wasn't any different. She didn't know why something inside her stung, as though she had been pierced. It was small and quick, almost barely there, but it was there.

The saleswoman blinked rapidly. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," he said. "We get that a lot, usually," he said, trying to smile halfway.

Anna stepped back behind the curtain without speaking. But it was rather obvious-something was different about her.


****

Outside the shop, she started increasing her pace, moving ahead of him.

Fast.

Ben caught up easily. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Anna."

"Nothing."

He reached out and gently caught her wrist, pulling her closer to him.

She stopped.

He leaned slightly closer, almost as though he could kiss her at any moment.

"...Ice cream?"

She pressed her lips together, trying not to smile, but her emotions failed her. Before she knew it, all her strange anger had flown away, and all she could think about was ice cream.

Minutes later, they both sat on a bench, each holding a cone.

Traffic hummed in the distance. Wind moved lazily through the trees and through her hair. Somewhere nearby, someone laughed.

Anna stared at the pavement, deep in thought.

"Why does being with him always feel like the safest place in the world?"

She couldn't understand her feelings. Was it just affection or love?

So she ignored it once more, like every time in the past.

To her, it was safer not to think too hard about her feelings, because once feelings were named wrongly, they could begin to cause harm.

The next night arrived dressed in golden light and glass reflections.


****

Inside Royale Restaurant, laughter floated through the air. Glasses clinked. Music hummed low beneath conversations.

Royale Restaurant wasn't the kind of place people casually wandered into. Even the lighting looked expensive.

The door slid open, drawing attention to the entrance. Standing there was an average-height woman wearing a red gown, and beside her was a handsome man of unknown origin.

Anna stepped inside.

Her red fabric flowed behind her like a quiet flame. Each step she took was careful-but her posture was straight. Her shoulders were tense-but her chin was lifted. Her eyes were nervous-but steady. She was the very definition of beauty. The kind of beauty only seen in top model magazines.

Ben entered beside her in a dark tuxedo, calm as still water.

They looked like a couple straight out of the movies.

People stared.

A voice cut through the room.

"Well... if it isn't our little crybaby."

Anna froze mid-step as a woman with sharp eyes approached her, smiling sweetly.

"You look... different," the woman said, her gaze sliding over her dress. Then she glanced at Ben. "I see you got yourself a new boyfriend. He's really better than the last one-the full package, I can see."

Anna's throat sting with pain with her grip hard around her clutch. Her heartbeat grew loud, racing by the second.

"What was your previous toy's name again?" Her eyes slowly shifted toward the ceiling. "Ooohhh... I remember. Jacob... I heard he ended up in prison over drug complications, right? It must have been rough," she said, her face filled with a sinister smile.

Not again.

Ben stepped half a pace forward. Calmly, but alert.

"I've heard much about you," he said politely. "I'm her best friend. We didn't go to the same high school-but we've always been together since childhood."

The woman's smile faltered slightly, but before she could say anything further, other voices jumped in.

"Oh my God, Anna?!"

"You look stunning!"

"You've changed so much!"

"You're gorgeous!"

Warmth replaced the cold creeping up her spine.

Her shoulders loosened.

Then a pair of girls turned to Ben.

"So... if you're not dating," one said, smiling awkwardly, "then can I have your WhatsApp?"

He didn't answer immediately.

He glanced at Anna first.

She smiled politely.

But her fingers wrapped against her purse tightly.

The room softened once more as laughter returned and different conversations flowed. And just as everything began to feel normal...

The door handle turned.

Silence rippled. Everyone wondered who it could be this time.

The door opened.

A voice spoke from the entrance.

"Sorry... am I in the right place?"

Anna's glass slipped slightly in her hand.

She looked up.

It was him.

"Sorry... am I in the right place?"

His voice was low, yet it somehow silenced the room. Most conversations die mid-sentence as their head slowly turns towards him.

Standing beside the door was a man in his mid 20s, his hands rested slightly against the handle, with his sleeves slightly rolled to his elbows.

His face stood out from the crowd, due to his beautiful yet messy silver hair and manly handsome face.

For some seconds, the room remained silent with only music playing in the background.

Then...

"Oh my God, you actually came!"

Stephanie said, her voice bursting with excitement as she rushed toward him for a hug.

"Over here! Come in, come in!"

The room shifted.

People leaned toward each other, whispering among themselves.

"Who's that?"

"Wait... do we know him?"

"He's hot."

"Was he in our class?"

He walked in slowly. His smile was beautiful yet humble, that made most ladies slightly blush without realizing.

"I wasn't sure if I had the right place," he said as he took a seat next to Stephanie.

"You really are something," Stephanie replied quickly. She slipped her arm through his and leaned awkwardly closer than necessary, smiling at the room as though presenting him as hers.

"You're exactly where you're supposed to be."

"Stephanie, sorry... who is that?" one of them finally asked, voicing the same question that lingered heavily on everyone's mind.

"Who could this model be?"

She turned dramatically to the others, smiling sweetly. "Have you all forgotten him already? Seriously? You guys aren't serious, right?" She smiled softly. "...This is Francis."

"Francis?" Everyone still looked confused.

"Francis, our classmate from high school. Have you guys forgotten that quickly?"

Their faces were still confused, then whispers slowly spread from person to person. Someone recognized him, then another, then the crowd caught on.

"No way."

"Wait, that's him?!"

"Damn..."

"You look so different!"

"You look amazing!"

Suddenly the crowd exploded.

A crowd quickly formed around him, consisting mainly of women. Mostly complimenting and some random questions in between.

He smiled gently, nodding slightly and answering politely, calm with a hint of awkwardness mixed in.

Across the room, Anna was watching. Her heart raced from the sight of a previous crush. Her cheeks swollen and red from frequent smiles.

Before she realized it, she had already taken a step toward him.

"Hi."

She said calmly, her voice softer than the others', quieter but quite beautiful.

"Hey," he answered, turning toward her. At first it was just a usual greeting, nothing new nor special. Just polite attention and that was all.

Anna smiled there in silence, her heart cursing at her for being so. She tried speaking but no words came.

Then...

His brows knit slightly, staring deeply at her face and oblivious to the surroundings. His thoughts filled with different facial images, trying to recognize her as seconds passed.

And then it landed.

"...Anna?"

Her lips curved in excitement, "You remember."

His expression changed, not dramatically, just calmly and almost overjoyed.

His eyes moved from top to bottom, scanning her beautiful outfit.

"You look..." he paused, like he was choosing the exact right word, "gorgeous."

"I love your dress," he continued. His words felt more real than before, and his smile was at its brightest.

At that moment, it was as if time paused and the world slowed down.

Ben on the other hand wasn't so pleased. A smile cheeped on his face, forced but there. His hands wrapped harder against his glass watching her smiles so much with Francis.

He stepped forward with his hand extended between them.

"I'm Ben," he said smoothly. "Anna's partner."

Francis blinked once, then accepted the handshake. "Oh. Nice to meet you."

Anna's eyes widened.

"Partner?" she laughed lightly, nudging Ben's arm. "Ignore him, he's joking. He's just my best friend. My very best friend from childhood."

She said it easily, without hesitation, smiling naturally without much thought in her words.

But to Ben it hurt for some unknown reasons. His inside coiled in pain but hidden behind an empty smile.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Just best friends." Once more with a smile that felt off.

Francis, on the other hand, nodded, relaxed again. "I see."

An awkward air was beginning to blow through the room, making the entire reunion unlike its previous self.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Stephanie's hands slammed into each other loudly, drawing the room's attention back to her.

"Okay! Okay! Enough side conversations! It's getting boring and the night is still early. Why don't we do something to brighten things up, like maybe a game or something."

The others started laughing, yet curious.

"A game?" someone asked.

"Yes!" she answered. "Like maybe we can take turns talking about life after high school...what everyone's been doing since then. Jobs, relationships, scandals, everything." She paused, "what do you think about it."

Most people began smiling, agreeing immediately while some either tried avoiding the topic, or began excusing themselves. But at the end, majority rules.

One by one, people began sharing what they had been doing since graduation. From job stories to promotions, marriages, and success stories.

Laughter filled the room once more, though some of the stories either sounded too exaggerated to be true or they were more like quiet bragging than simple updates.

As more and more time passed, Stephanie once again grew bored. Her eyes slowly wandered through the room, from person to person until they landed on Anna, who was seated, completely focused on the stories.

She smiled softly, especially with the absence of Ben, she was the best candidate to tease.

"Anna, won't your boyfriend be coming anytime soon? I did hear he was released," she said, interrupting the person who had been speaking previously.

The room's attention slowly shifted toward Anna as most of their eyes were either judging or softly smiling.

Anna smiles softly, "I haven't heard from him, anyways it's more than decade already, some of us grew wiser, he probably did as well." she said, her words venomous like a snake.

Then she stood up with absolute confidence from the suffocating atmosphere, excusing herself from the room with Stephanie bitterly staring at her.

She smiled softly as she walked towards the balcony.

****

The cool night breeze welcomed her as she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

She inhaled deeply, looking toward the late-night sky, with the light from the stars and moon finally calming her down, the silence slowly wrapping around her shoulders like a shawl.

"...Better."

"You also felt suffocated, right?"

She froze in fear, turning quickly toward the voice.

He stood there, leaning against the railing of the balcony. One of his hands was wrapped around a glass of red wine, the other resting on the railing.

His eyes lifted toward the sky as if he had been stargazing before she arrived.

"You scared me," she said softly, her breath finally stabilizing.

"Sorry."

"You came out here too?"

"I'm not really good with people, as always," he said, his voice filled with disappointment. "Never was."

She tilted her head. "That's hard to believe."

He glanced at her. "Why is that?"

"You were literally the talk of the entire school."

He blinked. "I was?"

She stared at him. "You're serious? Or are you just messing with me?"

"No! No, it's not like that. I just don't think anyone really noticed me," he said honestly. "I mostly slept through class and had almost zero presence."

Anna let out a quiet laugh.

"You really have no idea, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Girls from other classes used to walk past our classroom just to get a glimpse of you."

"...You're joking."

"I'm very serious. You were literally the talk of the entire school. Among seniors and juniors combined."

He stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter, an easy, unguarded sound that made her doubt her ears.

That laugh eased the tension between them slightly, creating a moment that felt strangely intimate.

They talked easily after that, just random conversation that flowed well...like a couple reconnecting after many years apart.

At some point she said casually, "Hey... can I have your number? We should catch up properly sometime."

He didn't hesitate. "Sure."

She handed him her phone for him to type it in, which he did. A simple and harmless gesture without any hidden intention from either side.

At least, she thought it was.

"Anna?"

A call for her from behind.

She turned, curious who it could be.

Ben stood in the doorway, his face covered with a smile that was slowly fading.

His gaze moved slowly from her face...

To the phone in Francis's hand...

To the awkwardly close space between them.

This time, his face didn't hide his emotions.