In Your Custody

•FIFTY-FOUR•

The couple was about an hour late by the time they arrived at the venue for Axel's 10-year high school reunion. Neither of them minded, this event not being anything of too much importance to either of them

If he did not have such a beautiful woman on his arm to show off, he would have stayed home. During high school, he wasn't popular but he was far from a loser. He fell somewhere in the middle just like everyone else, making this event worthless.

There would always be cheap blondes who continued drama into their circles of trophy wives, a football player who peaked in college, and several nerds that never grew out of their mother buying their clothes for them, only handed the duty off to their wife.

He couldn't say it felt good to be back amongst these people. Even now, after years had gone by, a paralyzing fear remained of the repetitional damage one small mistake could make.

No one here mattered and ceased to matter the moment he crossed that stage to receive his diploma. He had a sudden realization that everything he did, everything he said, was no longer going to spread in a wildfire of gossip once that final bell rang. It was very liberating.

High school was a different world. A different society with levels and statuses. No one was safe from scrutiny, and the higher they were the harder they would fall.

Axel adjusted his grip on Vera's hand as he lead her into the hotel bar where several of his old classmates had gathered. This hotel had hosted several proms and winter formals for all high schools across Lincoln, so it was a familiar space for those who had decided to return.

Vera looked around frantically with wide eyes, not used to being surrounded by such massive groups of people. She had never been to a party in her life, other than the occasional birthday but the guest list was never more than 10 people long.

What she didn't know was that Axel's graduating class, alone, was just shy of 300 students and at least half of them had journeyed back here today.

Vera's church had fewer members than that!

She squeezed his hand tight, her cold fingers frozen between his. Her other hand held onto his wrist, making sure she was hooked to his side.

Every woman that passed them either wore a dress or some type of formal attire, like dress pants and heels. They wore black smokey eyeshadow that made them appear so effortlessly beautiful, while Vera had struggled to even apply her eyeliner correctly, "I feel underdressed." She mumbled, burying herself deeper into his side.

"Hmm?" He asked, tilting his head down so his ear was next to her mouth. The bar was only growing noisier around them and it was difficult to hear.

"I said, I feel underdressed." She repeated, much louder this time, she felt like she was yelling.

Axel shook his head, giving her a thorough once over, "Not at all! You look..." His vocabulary did not stretch far enough to explain all the shapes and edges of her body that enticed him.

He did not have the words to explain the curves of her hips and how wonderfully her ass filled out her jeans.

He couldn't think when he was in front of her.

She left him tongue-tied and confused, lost for words to even try to satiate her worry because no words would ever do her justice.

"You look gorgeous, sweetheart."

"But everyone else is wearing dresses." She pointed out, regretting her jeans and boots. They were very warm against the snowy weather outside but she feared people were looking down on her.

"Vera I don't know what you want me to do." He sighed, gesturing outwardly with his arm, before letting it fall back at his side, "Are you asking to leave?"