SLOW HANDS

The movement opened his black jacket, offering a glimpse of his pristine white shirt stretched across his broad chest and flat abdomen. Everything was perfect. This was a great day for him and his agency. It was a party to celebrate the account Golden Gates promotions had with Packard Enterprises and a good number of people had been invited. Everything seemed like it was going to go well. It was all perfect.

Well… Except the fact that Christina had refused to attend the party with him.. No matter how much he had asked her, she had simply insisted that she wasn’t ready to be around a lot of people, and the last thing he wanted to do was to force her into situations she wasn’t comfortable with. He turned away from the mirror and headed out of his bedroom to find his wife. He found her in her bedroom, working on her laptop.

Well, at least she wasn’t sitting and staring at the ceiling, Evan thought. She was making little progress, no matter how slowly. Christina lifted her head to stare at him when he came in, and her lips curved into a small smile.

“You look really good” Christina said softly and Evan beamed at her.

“Thank you very much” he said, very aware of her gaze on him. “I’m really excited too, you know. I’ve wanted this for so long and I still can’t believe that I have it. I swear, Sometimes I still wonder if I deserve it.”

“No one deserves it more than you do,” said Christina.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Evan smiled. “Thank you. I wanted to tell you that I am leaving now. I will be back as soon as the party is over.” he paused and added hopefully, “Unless you have changed your mind and decided to come to the party with me. It could be fun, you know.. The two of us… Doing something together like we used to”

Christina shook her head. “No. I Would rather stay here” she replied.

The hopeful look left Evans face and was immediately replaced by disappointment. “Why not? I’m going to be right there with you… What are you so worried about?”

“I do not want people staring at me and asking me questions. I don’t want to be the woman who lost her baby.. It’s the reason why I regret that we told people about the pregnancy so fast. I don’t want to see people giving me those pitiful looks. I do not want any of that because I do not want to be pitied”

Evan lifted his hands in frustration. “No one is going to be thinking that,” he said. “You are the only one who’s thinking like this because you keep on holding on to the past and you have refused to let things go”

He moved closer to her. “Come with me, Tina. You are not going to be alone. I’ll be with you… I will always be with you because I love you. But I need you too, baby… This is a big deal for me and you are not going to be by my side? It just doesn’t feel right to do this without you… You were with me when I started, remember? You should be with me now too… I can wait for you to get dressed so we can go together… Say you will come honey”

Christina moved deeper into the bed and shook her head. “I can’t, Evan,” she replied. “Please don’t try to make me. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. I don’t think I’m ready to do this. You just go and I’ll stay here. I will stay up till you come back if you want”

Evan simply stepped away from her. “No, don’t worry about that,” he said softly. “You don’t have to wait for me, okay? You can go to bed. I might be home a little late. Take care”

“Take care” Christina replied as he walked out of her room.

_________

The soft navy blue dress Chloe was wearing had been found rolled in a crumpled ball at the bottom of one of her bags. She wasn’t even sure why it was there. She had worn the dress once last year and had forgotten about it. She shook it out. The short-sleeved, knee-length dress had resembled a crumpled rag, but Chloe had known it could come out looking brand new in the laundry…. And she wasn’t wrong.

At present, it was hanging in front of her. The fake wrap-around look meant the dress fell in soft folds creating a V in front, with a split near the knee to give a hint of her lap. She had a pair of small heels that she was sure would go perfectly well with the dress too. She grabbed some long gold earrings and shook out her hair. She had even attempted to straighten it but had later changed her mind, deciding that her hair was perfect the way it was. She avoided straightening it often to avoid heat damage. After a quick shower, she put the dress on and stared at her reflection in the mirror. It hugged her curves in a way she didn’t quite remember. She had thought it was a pretty plain dress, but right now it looked anything but plain. She glanced at the clock. The majority of the people invited would be at the party right now, she thought. She was a bit late, and she had to hurry.

Chloe finished her make up with a slick of red lipstick and threw her jacket over the dress, stepping out into the corridor with her clutch in her hand. She kept her head low as she strode quickly to her car. Hopefully, she hadn’t missed anything important at the party. Parties weren’t really her thing and she only attended them if it was important for her to be present… Just like this one.

She arrived at the venue Twenty minutes later and just as she guessed, the party had begun. She decided to leave her coat in the car and strode into the hall. It had been beautifully decorated and the beautiful gowns and tuxedos worn by the guests accentuated its elegance. Chloe stood at a spot and searched for Evan with her eyes. She found him at a corner, standing with Bryce Collins, who had also been invited and began to make her way towards them.