***
“These are my friends from college, Casper and Nash. And these fine ladies are their better halves, Lily and Bonnie respectively. Guys, meet Gemma,” Vincent said by way of introduction. I stood flushed and unsteady next to Vincent, trying to disappear into myself, while the others scrutinized me with narrowed eyes.
Casper and Nash were both handsome. Did Vincent know anyone who was remotely plain looking? The two women looked elegant and refined in their dresses. They’d probably gone to dozens of parties like this one.
“Hello, Gemma, so pleased to meet you.” Lily stuck out a hand toward me. She was smiling and tucked in some auburn curls behind her ears.
“Hi,” I mumbled, barely meeting her gaze. I felt like they were all trying to judge me, closely studying every inch of my body so they could figure out if I was worth being seen with Vincent.
“How long has Vincent kept you hidden from us?” Bonnie said, placing a small warm hand on my bare arm. I knew she was trying to be friendly, but I felt an itching urge to pull my arm away from her.
“Not very long, Bonnie, don’t worry. We only just met,” Vincent replied and I noticed the way he glanced smilingly at his two best friends. Casper and Nash looked at each other and then back at me. I could tell that they were surprised to see me here.
“Where did you two meet?” Nash finally asked. His voice was cool and deep, but I detected a tone of suspicious curiosity. He was interrogating me.
“At home. In my hometown in Washington, Carlow Ridge,” I fumbled and dropped my gaze to the floor. I could sense that they were all still looking at me.
“Where you went for your quiet vacation?” Casper asked Vincent with a laugh in his voice. I shot my head up to look at them, and Lily cut in.
“Oh, leave them alone. We’re just happy to see Vincent attending a social gathering with a plus-one for a change,” she said and some of them laughed.
Vincent was laughing, too, but I could only smile.
I had finally mustered the courage to meet their eyes, and I was holding their gazes with all the strength that I had in me. This was other-worldly, too far away from home. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be able to do it.
“So, what do you do, Gemma?” Nash asked, taking a sip of his drink. I exchanged a look with Vincent, but he only had a smile on his face. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. What he wanted me to say.
“I work at a diner… I used to work at a diner. I just lost my job,” I said and immediately knew that I should have been diplomatic about it. This wasn’t something that any of them wanted to hear. They looked like successful professionals, sophisticated and well educated.
“I worked at a cafe once, when I was in college. It can be good fun and the tips are great,” Lily said with a laugh and rolled her eyes. I noticed the way Casper leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek. They exchanged a tender look that told me that they were madly in love and had a steady strong relationship. Vincent and I were the only ones here who were just having a fling. The only ones who were just fucking.
“Gemma is studying to get into med school actually,” Vincent said, bringing the conversation back around to me so that I was blushing again.
“Med school! That’s impressive,” Nash commented and Bonnie nodded, smiling indulgently at me like I was a child. Nash and Bonnie were holding hands, and I noticed the sparkling diamond engagement ring on her finger. Why had Vincent brought me here? To show me a taste of his life so that I could feel miserable about it?
“Yeah, but I’m probably not going to get in,” I blurted and all eyes were on me again.
“You can’t second guess yourself like that, Gemma,” Vincent said, turning to me with a supportive smile. I was suddenly very angry with him. For subjecting me to this torture. For making me feel so uncomfortable. What did he know about me that made him so sure that I would get in? He didn’t even know where I lived, who I lived with.
I turned my lips down at him and breathed in deeply.
“Med school is hard to get into, but I’m sure you’re preparing well for it,” Casper said, in support of his friend. I shot a look at him, before looking back at Vincent again. I wanted to scream and tell him that I didn’t belong here, that this was all an act. But I was holding it in, ready to burst.
“She’ll have her pick of colleges soon,” Vincent said, turning to me. I was burning up while he looked proudly at me. How did he know if I’d get into med school? How did he know if anything I’d told him was the truth? He placed a hand on the small of my back, but I was imploding inside and I stepped away from him with a jerk, so that his hand fell from my back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows immediately furrowed.
I lifted the sides of my flowing dress up with both my hands and kicked off my heels before I started running away from them. I didn’t care who saw me running, how many rules of decorum I was breaking, but I needed to get out of there.
This was the third time I was making a run for it, but this time what I was feeling was different. I wasn’t just escaping Vincent Stoltz; I was escaping my dreams, too. All the emotions, the guilt and the embarrassment of the last three days had piled up in one big heap, and it was like finally someone had set fire to it inside me.