𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫 | 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢

Smile And Nod

On the night of the charity gala.

Cheryl stood in my doorway, while I tried to process her words. "Will you be my date to the gala?"

"What happened to Veronica?" I asked despite myself.

"She can't make it. She came down with a bad case of food poisoning." Cheryl explained.

I cringed. "Yikes. Um.. I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to take her place. The last thing I need is Veronica hating me more than she already does."

"Except, it was her idea." Cheryl pointed out.

"What?"

"She said you'd know what to do since you helped her prepare. And it was 'uncouth' for Blossom Enterprises to have an empty seat at the table."

My eyes glistened with hope for a second, but.. "What about the twins? We can't leave them by themselves."

"Marcus already said he can keep an eye on them."

"Okay, but-" My mind raced to come up with another reason, yet I couldn't. "I'm out of excuses."

"What do you need an excuse for?" Cheryl frowned. "Hey, I don't want to force you into something you don't want to do. Okay?"

I let out a long breath. "I want this. That's the problem."

She stepped closer, reaching out to cup my cheek. I leaned into her touch instantly.

"I don't know what the future holds for us, Toni. But I do know this. I'm a selfish woman. And I want one night.. this night with you." She dropped her hand back to her side. "But only if you want it too."

I sighed, quieting the warning voice in the back of my mind. I'm selfish too. "I want it. I want you."

Her lips grew into a wide smile. "Then I'm yours."

We embraced for a brief moment before separating. "So.. what exactly does one wear to a fancy event like this?" I asked.

"Funny you should ask." Cheryl walked out of the room and returned with a gorgeous white gown.

"It's beautiful."

Toni's dress:

"You're beautiful. It doesn't matter what you wear but I do think you'd look particularly stunning in this." Cheryl flashed me a mischievous grin before excusing herself to give me privacy to change.

After I dressed, I examined myself in the mirror. I looked good. Not to toot my own horn but..

Cheryl knocked on the door before pushing it open. "You ready?"

I turned so she could take me in from head to toe. "You tell me."

Her gaze grew warmer as her eyes wandered up my body, building to a fire by the time she reached my face.

"I was right. You're stunning, Toni." She took two steps to cross the room, then ran her hands down the curves of my body. "Fits like a glove."

My breath caught as our eyes met. Her finger stroked my cheek.. then she cleared her throat and stepped back. "We should head out."

I watched her go, breathless. "Right. Don't want to be late."

Cheryl reached for my hand and gave me a rueful smile. "That, and if we stay here a moment longer, I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to leave."

"Oh!"

She smirked. "Come. The limo's waiting for us." With a quick goodbye to the twins, Cheryl and I were on our way.

. . .

When we arrived at the gala, I stepped out of the limousine and was immediately flabbergasted by the flash of the cameras from the paparazzi.

"Whoa. The press is even crazier than at your engagement party!"

"Just smile and nod. That's what I always do." Cheryl offered me her arm, but I declined. "As your non-fiancee, we probably shouldn't. The media will love it."

She nodded in understanding, and the two of us walked towards the entrance side by side.

"Cheryl! Cheryl Blossom! Who's your date? Where's Veronica Lodge?" A paparazzi called.

"She's got such good style! Look at that gown!"

I smiled and struck a pose as Cheryl giggled.

The paparazzi roared and flashed more photos. "Give us a quote, sweetie! What're you doing here? What happened to Veronica?"

"No comment. Now, if you'd please excuse us." Cheryl moved to shield me from the invasive throng, as we stepped away from the mob together.

"I can see why Veronica prepared so much for tonight. I didn't realise this party was such a big deal!" I said now that we were alone.

Cheryl stopped along the path and I almost bumped into her. She turned and took my hand in hers.

"Toni, I've thought about taking you out on a night like this for a long time. Now that we're finally here, I'd really like to focus on us, not Veronica. Because you.." Her eyes traveled down my body, then back up to my eyes. "...are all I can think about. Deal?"

With an embarrassed smile, I nodded. "Deal. No more Veronica talk. Let's head inside and enjoy the evening."