Chasing a Ghost

Chapter Five

Embarrassment. That's all you could feel, flushing into your cheeks and burning up your insides as you sat in the back of a beautiful, expensive, luxurious car, Soap sitting absentmindedly to your right without a care in the world. You tried to keep your back straight instead of hunching forward with anxiety, the way you typically did when you felt so exposed.

You looked down at yourself, which didn't help anything at all. It felt like you were wearing another person's clothes.

You thought back to the hours you'd spent preparing for this night. Making sure your hair was meticulously put up in an elegant updo. Makeup bold, eye-catching. But the most bold and eye-catching thing about you tonight was this dress, which you had to admit was absolutely gorgeous. You just didn't enjoy wearing it.

The dress was made up of a beautiful deep red, glittering with sequins that danced in the light, a deep cut at the thigh that allowed your legs to show through as you walked. Pressed up against your too-exposed-for-comfort chest was a shimmering diamond necklace with glittering earrings to match. And at your feet, skin-toned high heels that made your legs look even longer. How much this outfit had cost, you didn't want to know. You'd had the opportunity to put it all on the Task Force debit card - Laswell had told you, "Don't worry about prices." It was a look that could kill, if only you felt comfortable wearing it.

Although you knew you looked good, it was always hard for you to shirk off the military uniforms and allow your coworkers to see you in clothes that made you look... attractive. Something about catching the attention of the men you worked with just didn't sit right with you, so you'd always avoided it before. That being said, you felt like a fish out of water and could barely bring yourself to step out of your room to meet Soap and the chauffeur waiting outside. Even though it was dark out and unlikely for anyone to see, you'd still stepped out of the house with a blanket wrapped around your shoulders in case someone might catch a glimpse.

That didn't make it any easier when you finally had to take it off, getting ready to head inside the formal gathering with Soap. When the blanket fell away from your shoulders and exposed the outfit underneath, his jaw had partially dropped. It was true, no one in the unit had ever seen you dress up before. Your cheeks had burned with the way his eyes swept over your body. "You're embarrassing me, Soap," you had whined quietly in the back seat.

"Sorry, Y/N. It's just... you look stunning," he replied back, causing your cheeks to burn even more. You couldn't even muster up a "thank you" in response, just crossed your arms and continued gazing nervously out the window.

When it was time to finally step out of the car, you took a deep breath. Soap slid out of his seat before walking around to your door and opening it for you the way you'd practiced back at home. He could see the blush on your cheeks as he took your hand and helped you out of the car. He looked good too, wearing a handsome formal suit that accentuated his muscular features underneath. He looked confident and proud. When you noticed that, you'd finally managed to mutter out a compliment to him in return. "You look nice, Soap," you'd said distractedly, taking careful steps out of the car.

As the two of you began to approach the building you found yourself staring up at it in an attempt to distract yourself from the curious looks you were receiving.. It was a huge building that towered before you, reeking of pretentious rich folks and millions of dollars. You didn't feel like you belonged here.

Your hand was gripped around Soap's bicep, allowing him to lead you into the building. It was your job to take over once you got inside. Warm yellow light pierced your eyes as you both entered. It was difficult to keep a straight face, having never been in such a beautiful building before. It was like a fairytale ball room with all sorts of gorgeous people milling about, sipping drinks and chatting pretentiously.