Someone is always watching

Chapter 45

Friday, the gala

Nerissa was in her room getting dressed. She had chosen one of her mom's dresses, knowing it would irritate Clarice to see her in Carmen's dress. It was a long black dress, the sleeves and high collar were lace, the corset and long skirt were a mix of lace and satin, the skirt flared at the small hip with a thigh high slit on the right side. It gripped her forms tightly and allowed her to dance. She had a pair of black stiletto heels on. She kept the jewelry simple; her locket, her dad's ring and a simple pair of silver earrings.

Nerissa spoke the words of the cloaking spell as she fastened her knife on the inside of her right thigh over the protective plate without the knife's holster. She slipped the protective plate on her left thigh and cloaked it too. She checked on the mirror, everything was invisible, last step zipping up the dress in the back; no problem, except; problem.

Nerissa kept struggling with the zipper in the back to the point it got stuck in the fabric around it. She went to the door and peeked outside she only saw Dick buttoning his shirt in the corridor.

"Hey Dick?"

"What's up?" Dick walked towards the door.

"Are any of the girls around somewhere?"

"No I haven't seen them yet, you okay?"

"How about Jason?" She asked urgently.

"I think he went downstairs, what's wrong?" Dick tried to hide his worry, but he had no idea he was dealing with a walking emotion detector.

"It's nothing, my zipper is stuck and it took a minute to get into the dress so I just need help with it."

"Let me," he offered trying to push the door open.

"Is Damian here?" She kept the door closed.

"He's threatening the justice league in the cave, it's okay I'll be quick," he smiled his signature Dick Grayson smile, the one that made his look so genuine so she let him in, "woah you look amazing!"

"Thanks," she wanted to get it over with, it's true that she's had her fair share of sexual partners who have seen her naked, but this was different, "the zipper is old I think that's why it got stuck!"

Nerissa turned giving him access to the back of the dress. She closed her eyes trying to focus on not feeling him around her.

Dick was going to see her scars for the first time and being the sweetheart that he is, he probably won't be able to contain his reaction. Nerissa could feel his fingers on the zipper tugging gently at the fabric, it felt so awkward. Then the zipper started going up, she didn't know if time slowed or if Dick was slowly zipping the dress up but she could pinpoint the exact moment he saw her death wound. She felt it because he couldn't contain his emotions.

"Dick," she whispered, "just-"

"I'm sorry," he answered with his hands frozen on the zipper that was only midway up, his eyes glued on the scar. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, maybe if I had stayed with Bruce we could've-"

"Stop! I can't deal with this right now," she took a step forward reaching for the zipper and bringing it all the way up.

She turned to face Dick and saw Jason standing in the door frame in his suit with an unreadable expression. Dick turned when he saw her face drop. Jason's eyes were cold and hard. Jason was against the gala. Since she got back from New York he felt like Nerissa's been acting weird, and now seeing Dick with his hands on her, his mind started creating all kinds of scenarios. Nerissa felt every last one of Jason's emotions, anger, and pain, a hint of jealousy, fear, insecurity and grief? She couldn't go through with the plan if Jason was upset. She couldn't do anything if Jason was upset. She could barely breathe if Jason was upset.