V & V (wlw)

Chapter 6 - The one with the card

Veronika stared at the monitor. The numbers blurred together the longer she looked. She rubbed a hand over her face, a failed attempt to refocus her eyes.

Of course, the ringing office phone didn't help her concentration, but soon enough someone picked it up and she could once again try to get back to work.

"For Rosales?" Her ears pricked up at the mention of her name.

"Hey, Veronika," said the coworker. who answered the phone. "Front desk says there's something for you down there."

Ron looked to Jess on the station beside hers, who shrugged. Ron herself knew she didn't send for anything.

She wondered as she descended the flights of stairs, then wondered no more upon seeing the bouquet of flowers atop the counter.

"There's a note," said the receptionist, looking like someone who may or may not have read said note.

Veronika scooped up the flowers - roses - and muttered thanks, then booked it back upstairs. She knew who sent them.

Jess pantomimed incredulous surpise when she walked in cradling a bunch of flowers. Her other colleagues were also curious, and a few were already teasing her.

"My girlfriend sent them," she explained, and took a quick peek at the card to confirm. It read:

I've always wanted to send you roses.

-V

"My god, I thought you were joking," said Jess beside her. "The girlfriend is real."

Her friends kept trying to set her up with other people, and according to Victoria's set of rules, Ron had had to admit that she was seeing someone.

"Of course she's real," she hissed.

"Can I read the card?" Ron passed it and Jess said, "Who's V? Ronnie, did you send yourself flowers?"

"No," she said emphatically, offended that Jess would think she would do that. "That's my girlfriend."

"Why can't we meet her? Celia's worried about you, you know."

"You know it's complicated." Veronika hadn't admitted to her friends that she was seeing Victoria. That Victoria. They probably wouldn't even believe it.

Jess was looking at her with the most concerned expression. Veron sighed, not without guilt.

"Look, okay. I'll ask her if we all can get brunch or something. But no promises," she said, wondering already how she would ever get Victoria to agree.

"Okay, all right," said Jess, and didn't bring it up for the rest of the day.

Veronika knew that at some point her friends would have to know about Vic, especially because marriage was definitely on the table. In fact, the table was reserved. It was time to bite the bullet.

Knowing that did nothing to stop the feeling of dread churning in her stomach especially when, near the end of the workday, Victoria texted her.

Vic: Come over?

That meant she wanted to talk about something; Ron could tell her about brunch there.

She knew why she didn't want to tell her friends. Them finding out somehow wasn't even the biggest issue. No, it was because Jess and Celia had front row tickets to every time she bitched about Victoria, back when they were kids.

They would drag her for it if they knew Ron was dating her now. Never mind that they weren't even dating for real; Veron could never tell them that.

Work hours ended and she sped home. She wanted to change her clothes and no way was she showing up to Victoria's with that bouquet.