Touched By You

"Thank you, I feel better."

"You look better." George was a nosy guy, more often than not he'd be peeking at something on Vero's desk and she'd be forced to sit through it because he, to some extent, was her superior.

She didn't quite take to his comment because of his underlying tone. He was implying she looked like shit prior to today and in truth, he wasn't wrong, but he didn't have to point it out to her. Because she surely wasn't feeling any better. But her feelings had soon become a second priority to her. First, as of recently, had been looking for a new apartment.

Vero had soon found, after moving out of Dinah and Normani's place, that her apartment carried too much weight in it. No longer could she stand to see Lucy's old records in the corner box or her turntables from two years ago stored away on a shelf they'd long since disregarded after she got her new set. Her new set, now littered with bullet holes and beyond repair, were also now stashed in a box label EVIDENCE in the furthest corner of the living room Vero could find.

But she still saw them.

And it still hurt.

In fact, looking at them felt like tearing open fresh stitches, it was too much, too messy. She couldn't take it.

The entire apartment acted as a seeping wound that bled onto her and left her stained red. There was too much of Lucy in it. Too much reminding her of how much she lost and so Vero had decided two days ago that she needed to move.

She was surprised to find that Normani and Ally endorsed the idea, they both thought it to be a good plan in order to help her move past everything. Camila was apprehensive about it, she didn't like the idea of Vero no longer being close enough for her to simply check up on her. Lauren and Dinah were dismissive of it all, the pair had only just started joining the rest of the girls for dinners again and when the subject is broached, they both remain silent.

"Thank you, I feel better." Vero lied, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear because the easier she got rid of him, the quicker she could get her work done and the quicker she could check out a few more apartment listings.

"Say," George started up again and Vero bit back her anger with a clenched jaw. "How do you feel about Chinese? There's a great place about two blocks from here I was thinking we could check out."

Vero finally averted her eyes to him, astonished by his lack of class. Here he was, asking her out, mere weeks after her wife was killed. The nerve of the man.

He looked hopeful too, as if he hadn't just overstepped a thick, neon coloured line. She wanted to slap the grin right off of his face and she would have too, but Vero appreciated her job. In fact, she actually enjoyed it most of the time.

"I'm not in a state to be going out at the moment, George, but thank you for the offer." She swivelled back around in her chair, her eyes going over the notes in the folder before her.

"I could always bring some over to your place, I really don't mind."

Because her back was turned to him and she couldn't really contain herself any longer, Vero squeezed her eyes shut in frustration and released a very soft sigh before looking back up at her computer screen and running a hand through her hair.

"Listen, George, I'm not really in the mood for company these days. I'm looking for a new place, so I'm pretty busy at the moment as well. So whatever you're trying to initiate here, it can't happen. My wife died not too long ago and so forgive me if I'm not inclined to suddenly hop aboard the dating wagon once more." She said all this without glancing at him once. "I have work to finish up, do you mind?" That was when she turned to him.

He looked taken aback by her words, as if he hadn't expected that at all and he probably hadn't. That was the most Vero had spoken to anyone in the office for weeks and not only that, but she'd always been really soft-spoken and nice prior to her wife's death. To hear her speak so candidly...it certainly put him in his place.