Vera’s POV.
“Well, I hope I’m not interrupting the girl’s moment, am I?” Willam’s baritone spreads across the table as he asks.
I look over at him and practically shake my head. “Not at all.” I take a drink of my juice and drop the glass on the table. “My friend and I are just celebrating my successful admission.” I don’t know when that escaped my lips.
However, William seem a little too excited about that.
He claps his hands together which draws others’ attention to our table. “I’m sorry, I’m just more than excited.” He whispers to me. “Congratulations Vee, I’m happy for you.”
I hold Williams’s gaze as the words fall from his lips. For the first time, I notice the man’s hidden beauty. He’s not that bad, really. I bet there are many girls out there crushing on him.
The round birthmark on his face adds to his beauty.
I cut my eyes away from him so he’ll not catch me looking and begin having extra ideas about me in his mind.
“What school is that?” He asks.
Sage is busy twirling her fork through the cake, and stabbing some, downing it with ease.
“Stanford.”
“That’s impressive. I hope you keep with the good grades like you did in Dame High School.” William advises and I brusquely offer a cut nod.
“Are you on patrol or what?” I teasingly ask.
William whispers a laugh at my words. Then. “I just came by to visit a friend of mine. He had a little home accident yesterday. But he is fine now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that.” Sage and I say in unison.
We spent the next few minutes chatting and discussing things such that I didn’t even know when it was already five p. m
The restaurant is growing more in numbers as people who just got off their jobs come in to dine.
I dart a look outside through the glass wall and I pick on the tight traffic.
As a result of the traffic, I tell Sage that we should spend more time here.
“Gosh, I guess I’m having blisters,” I state as I’m suspended in a moment of pain.
“Why?” William quickly chirps and Sage drops her cutlery on her almost empty plate.
“I’ve been on heels practicing for about hours.”
“I guess that’s the reason for the blisters.” Sage offers.
“What practice were you literally doing?” Williams’s voice booms.
I give a cheeky smirk and then, “I’m into modeling now, William. That’s the reason.” He’s still reeling from the surprise my words created when I add. “I work with Days Dream.”
William practically throws his hands up. A proud smile takes up the corners of his lips. “Wow, that’s awesome, Vee.”
“Thank you.”
Sage brings up another topic and we fall back on chitchatting and making small arguments. I thought William would be bored over my arguments with Sage but he seemed rather interested.
We consume a lot of drinks. By now, I’ve taken about five glasses of sweet mixed drink, enjoying it with my swizzle straw while William brings up topics related to relationships. William rattles on about the essence of having a partner.
It got to a point where I got a little thrown off and I mutter.
“I’ve not been in one, so o can’t fully relate.”
“Really?” He asks.
A shy smile creeps up my lips and I nod.
“But, Sage here can. She has a girlfriend.” I point at my friend. Sage blushes.
“God, you shouldn’t have pointed at me. ” She grins, flushing.
“But at least you’ve experienced what I said about possessive partners?” William asks Sage and she nods.
Without even being told, I know both Ms. Lynn and Sage are possessive of each other.
I remember when Sage nagged about Lynn’s ex stalking Lynn. She was scared the woman had come to snatch her baby away. Well, what scared Sage more was that Lynn might still have buried feelings for her ex and decided to accept her back.
Sage nearly lost her cool the day she arrived at Lynn’s place and saw her ex leaving. She threw a fit. Raging on but Lynn later told her she was only forcing her ex out, just about to call the police when Sage came in.
Hell, I really felt pity for my Bff then but they settled things out. Got back together. Lynn equally acts way too possessive of Sage. I’ve witnessed that several times.
“…so why don’t you want to have a boyfriend yet?”
William’s words pull me out of my reverie and I throw my sharp gaze at him.
“What?” I ask in a snap.
William cocks his brow at my terse words.
“Sorry, I didn’t get your question?” I say more in control of my actions now.
“I mean…girls as beautiful as you do have boyfriends. So why don’t you?”
Before I even say anything, Sage sputters. “Vera’s waiting for her prince charming from a faraway kingdom…”
We all burst into laughter. My bladder rages from the weight of it.
I remember having flip-flops with me so I quickly changed into my flat flip-flops and excused myself to use the restroom.
“I’ll be right back, guys.”
I slip out from the chair, enjoying the feel of my feet moving freely in the flip-flops.
Returning back to the table, we enjoy a few more minutes together before nightfall.
Sage and I make our way out when William says he’s going to wait for a friend.
Andrei picks us up.
While in the car, Sage tells me all I need to know about her parents and the divorce process which is taking more time than expected.
Somewhere in between, our car pauses and waits in line of the traffic It goes on and off until we reach the spot where Sage takes off.
Now that it’s only Andrei and I. I decide to ask if he is fine.
“I am, Vera. Thank you.” He says in response to my question. I don’t buy his words and I lean my arms over the driver and passenger seat, taking in his rearview as I ask again.
“You don’t seem fine to me for weeks now. What happened to you, Andrei?”
I remember he traveled to Russia some weeks ago, saying he needed to handle some shit. David didn’t even stop him.
I think they both know what’s happening.
I sigh, remembering just how both men hide things from me.
I can’t forget how David came back some time ago with blood all over his shirt and knuckles as if he had a fight with someone.
I was consciously waiting to see the bloggers carry the news about the CEO of the Truman empire engaging in a fight with someone but I saw nothing.
I can’t help this nagging feeling but I know something is going on.
How do I find out what that could be? How do I investigate this matter and get to the root of it?
No matter how nonchalant I pretend to be, I can’t help feeling David Truman is hiding so much and somehow I believe that so much has something to do with me.
Maybe something about my past.
Could it be? I wonder, looking between the crowded road and back at Andrei.
This just makes me remember my childhood days. The memories are vague but I remember how my mother used to hide me around.
I can’t remember what she usually says to me when I ask about what the problem was but those same feelings I had then are what I’m having now.
I just wish I could find answers.
What is it about me that is David hiding?
Or is it just about him?
Andrei’s answers snap my mind away from jumbled thoughts and I look back at him.
“I just lost someone.” He finally says.
My heart sinks at his words. “I’m sorry.”
He nods slightly, whipping his hair back with his thick fingers. “It’s nothing, Vera.”
“Was that a family member?” I probe.
“More than.” He takes a look at me and says. “My lover.”
I trail my hand over his outstretched hand that’s holding the wheel and softly caress him.
“I’m so sorry, Andrei.”
I never peg him as someone in love because I never saw him around anyone except me or David.
Still reeling in my thoughts, we arrive at my apartment complex. Once Andrei throws the car in park, I rush out, dragging my aching feet to the elevator.
I slam the door behind me a bit forcefully, strutting inside when I heard my housekeeper scrambling around in the kitchen.
“Still here?” I ask, perching my bag and phone on the Island.
“Oh, yes, Vee. I needed to squash some things together for you.”
“Nice. Thanks. It smells incredible already.” I compliment her efforts and she smiles, the smile clearly reaching her gray eyes.
“I suggest you go take a shower. You look like shit.” She says.
I nod eagerly, standing to my feet. I hurry into my room and rip off my clothes. Padding my way into the shower, I steady myself under the soft strokes of the water, enjoying its caresses over my body.
In record time, I finish bathing. Entering the room, I begin to towel myself when my housekeeper, Jess, comes in bearing my ringing phone.
“It’s been ringing for some minutes now.” She curtly says.
After I possess the phone again, I answer the call.
“Well, Vera?” The man from the other end calls.
I recognize it as Williams’s voice and I quickly chirp.
“Mr. William’s, any problem?” I ask.
He kinda scrambles from a seat because I heard the chair squeal against the floor.
“It’s minor…” he says lightly. “You actually forgot your heels here…”
I smack my hand over my face, groaning. “Shit, what do I do? I need the shoes for practice tomorrow.”
“Well, if you can give me your address, I don’t mind dropping by and handing it over to you.”
I consider his words and then I chirp.
“Fine, come over to my house.”
My brows wrinkle when I heard a low hum of “yes” coming from Williams’s side.
I want to question him but he beats me to it when he demands. “Send me your address.”
I end the call and send William my address.
Shortly after, my phone chimes with a text message.
“Always making me proud.” David texts in response to the message I sent him earlier.
“Thanks.” I type back but I see the three green dots on my screen, indicating that David is typing.
“Great…guess it calls for celebration…”
“I don’t mind one…”
“Good. Daddy’s going to come…” His texts are coming in one after another. I’m not able to finish reading what he was sending when my doorbell rings.
I throw my phone on my bed and rush to the door.
Peering through the peephole, I see William.
“Hey,” the says with a flirtatious wink and smirk while coming inside my house.
It’s only then that I remember I still have my towel around me loosely.
And William has his dark eyes on me.
“You look…sexy…” He says walking closer to me…
To be continued…