Loyal

Chapter 6

Vera's POV

I slip into the red dress, pulling the straps up over my shoulders. Leah pulls the skirt down, smoothing the wrinkles out.

             "Yasssss, yasss! Why the hell haven't you worn this yet?" Leah exclaims, stepping back to examine me. I shrug, looking down.

            "No! Leah, my boobs look huge!" I gasp, trying to pull the dress up to hide my cleavage. Leah rolls her eyes and pulls the dress back down. Growing up in a conservative household meant growing up with modesty. I couldn't even wear leggings around my own house without being yelled at by my grandmother. 

            "And? Trust me, the girls at this dinner will be showing more than just cleavage. Plus we're gonna head to the club right after! This is perf!" 

I've always been uncomfortable in tight clothes, but my heart skips a beat thinking of Colin seeing me in this. Immediately scolding myself at the thought, I examine myself in the mirror once more. Two weeks had gone by and I successfully avoided him. I'd spent time at the stadium working with Rebecca, but I made sure to pack a lunch every day so I could avoid leaving the office. Everything was perfect. No Colin, no problem.

            "Well, let's go mamas. The charity dinner ain't gonna wait for us!" Leah heads out the door of my bedroom, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. I sigh as I slip into black platform pumps. This is going to be a long night...

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We make our way into a part of the stadium that resembles a large reception room. The place is filled with ornately decorated round tables, long buffet lines on each end. We stop at a table to check in and then head to our seats.

            "Ugh, this is shit. I wanted to sit next to Patrick Willis," Leah pouts, as we make our way to our assigned table.

            "Isn't he married?" I press. Leah flips her long brown hair over her shoulder, smirking at me.

            "And?" she says, with a devilish grin. I roll my eyes. That's Leah, the shameless flirt. "Hey, ten o'clock. Kaepernick," Leah nods towards the entrance. Before I can stop myself I turn to watch Colin make his way through the double doors, wearing the same striking red as me. He smiles for pictures in dark sunglasses. I feel my heartbeat quicken and my palms begin to sweat. Why did I agree to come? Leah stops a waiter next to us carrying a tray of drinks.

            "Sir, can we have some drinks? And she's gonna need something strong," she smiles, pointing to me. The waiter tips his head and makes his way back to the kitchen. Leah knows for a fact that I don't drink, but tonight I realize I'm willing to make an exception. Nervously smoothing out my skirt, I make the feeble attempt to look as calm and normal as possible. But how can I, when he's here.

            The room fills to capacity in a matter of moments. People enter wearing their best, women click around in Loubitin shoes, rolex watches shine from the wrists of football players, and waiters are  polished in their best tuxedos. I take everything in. Flashy clothes and jewelry had never meant a lot to me, and unlike Leah, I didn't feel right at home in such an environment. I refrain from looking around the room too much, to avoid locking eyes with Colin. 

            "Hey baby girls!" Rebecca's loud voice comes from behind as she wraps both of us in an embrace. Leah reaches around and grabs her aunt into a tight hug.

            "Hey Aunty Becks! You're lookin' foine." Rebecca is wearing a short blue cocktail dress that comes in at her waist, showing off her coke bottle shape. She lets out a deep-throated laugh and grabs onto the arm of her date, a Liam Hemsworth look alike who has to be ten years younger than her.