Maybe This Time

Chapter Four: Party

The dress was tight around her growing body, the buttons in the back just barely unable to reach each other. Olivia pulls at the fabric again and Vera sucks in as much as she can.
"Just forget it." Vera tells her. Liv releases the fabric and steps away.
Vera sighs with frustration and pulls the dress down her body while Olivia looks through her closet for a bigger one.
"Vera, honey, are you ready?" Nestor calls out to her from downstairs.
"Just...just a minute." Vera calls back, frantically looking through her dresser drawers.
"This one." Olivia says, pulling the dress out of the closet and handing it to her.
"Okay. I will try." Vera says, pulling it on.
"V!" Nestor tries again, checking his watch as he paces the living room. Olivia walks out of Vera's room to talk to Nestor.
"Nes, she is eight months pregnant. She needs a little more time. Okay? She will be out soon." Olivia tells him.
"Okay. It's just...I have to be there in forty minutes. And there's traffic-"
"We will get there." Olivia tells him.
"You look hot, Liv." Max tells her. She mock glares at him but is unable to contain her smile.
"Calm him." she orders to Max.
Nestor and Max had been working on a film together, both of them directing it, and today was the premier. Of course Freddie was invited to tag along, since they hardly ever got time with him.
"Let me see." Olivia says, walking back inside of the room to find Vera wearing the red dress with her arms crossed over her chest.
"The color is pretty but I just...I feel really self conscious in it." Vera tells her.
"Does it fit?" Olivia asks.
"Well, yes." Vera says, turning around to look in the mirror.
"The back is pretty." Olivia says, walking over to look at Vera's reflection.
"Why do you feel self conscious?" Olivia asks. Vera drops her arms and Olivia gasps.
"Woah." she says, staring at Vera's chest.
"Stop it." Vera says to Olivia, turning to her.
"Your boobs are huge." Olivia says, still staring at the low cut dress.
"They're so huge." Vera says with worry.
"That's amazing." Olivia says with a smile.
"Okay see, that's why I don't want to wear this. I look ridiculous." Vera says, covering her chest again.
"Ridiculously hot." Olivia says, pulling Vera's arms away from her chest.
"I'm just like, really uncomfortable in this. I mean I look-"
"You look hot." Olivia tells her, grabbing shoes for her.
"I just, I don't even want to go tonight. I look big and my ankles are swollen so I have to wear flats and-"
"Vera, we are going to be standing there next to like twenty year olds in miniskirts and size zero dresses." Olivia tells her.
"Great."
"So we need to bring out the big guns." Olivia says.
"What do you mean 'we'? You are a twenty year old size zero-"
"I am not. I mean, Vera, look at yourself. you're gorgeous. And Nestor worships the ground your flat shoed foot walks on. Any he would be devastated if you didn't go tonight." Olivia tells her, laying out black flats for her.
"Okay. You're right." Vera says, slipping on the shoes.
"Ready?" Olivia asks.
"Yes." Vera says, waddling to the door. They walk out and Nestor looks up, a shocked look on his face. His lips pull up into a smile and Vera blushes under his gaze.
"You're so...wow, you're beautiful." he tells her as she walks down the stairs slowly. Once she reaches the bottom, he grabs her hand and kisses her cheek.
"Ready?" she asks. He chuckles and nods, leading the crowd out the door.
When they arrived at the event center, there were flashes of cameras all around them. Vera looks to Nestor, a hint of fear in her eyes.
"Are we going to have to stop for interviews?" she asks.
"No. No we don't have to." he tells her. She lets out a sigh of relief and nods, looking around. Nestor steps out and walks around the car to let Vera out, holding her hand to support her.
They walk inside the building and enter a crowded room with loud music. There were many girls in short dresses, dancing with the men.
"What kind of movie was this?" Vera shouts over the music.
"Romcom." Max shouts back.
"I think most of these women are crew or the dates of the crew." Nestor tells her, sensing her unease. Vera glances at Olivia who is looking about as uncomfortable as Vera feels.
"Come here, i'll introduce you to the main actress." Max tells them.
"Have I seen her before?" Vera asks.
"She's new. Great though. Very talented." Nestor tells them.
"Veronica." Max shouts.
A tall, blonde woman who couldn't be older than twenty five turns around, her large boobs almost bouncing out of her black strapless dress that ends just below her crotch, leaving little to the imagination. Her red stained lips pull up into a sexy smirk when her green eyes see the two men.
"Max and Nes." she says with a smile, her voice sounding like velvet. Vera looks to Olivia who is looking back with the same shocked face.
"We wanted to introduce you." Max tells her.
"This is Olivia Cooke." he says, stepping aside to allow Olivia to shake Veronica's hand.
"And this is-" Nestor begins.
"Vera Farmiga. I know. I'm a huge fan." Veronica says, shaking Vera's hand.
"Aren't we all?" Nestor says with a smile.
"Lovely to meet you." Vera says, forcing a smile which seemed real enough for Veronica.
"And I'm Freddie." Freddie says, shooting forward to shake the girl's hand.
"Right." Veronica says, very obviously forcing a smile.
"Ronny, have you seen Jack? I want to show Freddie the final cut since he is getting into directing." Nestor says to Veronica.
"Ronny?" Olivia whispers to Vera who shrugs, her eyes never leaving Nestor's hand which is touching Veronica's forearm as he leans close to her to talk.
"He was at the bar, last I saw." she tells him.
"Alright. I'll be right back, babe." Nestor says, kissing Vera's cheek.
"Me too." Max says to Olivia.
"You're leaving?" Vera asks.
"I'll be right back." Nestor shouts, already walking away, leaving the three girls.
"Have you guys tried the champagne?" Veronica asks. Vera gives her a funny look and then glances down at her very obviously pregnant belly.
"No." Olivia answers for them.
"Have you?" Olivia asks.
"Oh, god, no. Too many calories." she says with a disgusted face.
"Well what do you drink?" Olivia asks with confusion.
"Water." she says with a smirk. Olivia nods, trying to smile but failing.
"I'm just gonna use the restroom." Olivia says, excusing herself.
"You hungry?" Veronica asks.
"No, not right now." Vera tells her, trying to be kind.
"You sure? You should probably eat. Since you're pregnant and stuff." she says, looking down at her stomach.
"Right I'm just not hungry right now." Vera tells her.
"God you're so brave." Veronica says with a smile.
"Pardon?" Vera asks.
"For getting pregnant at your age. Or just getting pregnant in general. It just destroys your body." she says causally.
"Right. Well you're also creating life. So that's pretty incredible." Vera says, running out of energy to keep up her fake smile.
"Right. But there's also the fear that the father of the child will be so disgusted with how you look that he will screw some twenty something year old actress that works for him." Veronica says, smirking at Vera, knowing she struck a nerve.
"Did I miss anything?" Olivia asks, coming back.
"I'm just gonna..." Vera trails off, waking away from them quickly. Nestor glances her way just in time to see Vera walking away from the girls looking upset.
"Excuse me." Nestor says to the men before walking after Vera. He follows her into the hallway and watches her turn and walk into the nearest conference room. When he walks in, he finds her pacing the room rubbing her stomach.
"V?" he asks. She looks up at him, trying to keep the tears at bay.
"You okay?" he asks hesitantly. She smiles a closed mouth smile and nods slowly.
"Vera?" he asks.
"What're you thinking about?" he asks. She lets out a shaky breath and wipes the tears from her cheeks.
"I was just...I was standing next to that goddess you hired. She's really somethin, huh?" Vera says.
"Yeah. She's great. But...I still don't understand why-"
"Look at me, Nes. I mean...I...I am feeling insecure as it is and then being mixed with all of these people. I mean, just standing next to her is mortifying enough-" Vera stops herself, wiping her tears and shaking her head.
"Okay. I...Im fine." she says.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"You don't have to apologize, Vera. I get it." Nestor says, taking her hand.
"Okay." Vera says, forcing a smile.
"For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful." Nestor tells her. She looks away, shaking her head.
"Well, you always say that-"
"I mean it." he tells her.
"I know you do, hon." she says.
"Look at me." he says, making her turn to look into his eyes.
"I mean it. If you could just see yourself the way I see you, you are so beautiful. And you are strong, and you are...Vera, you're giving me a child." he says, smiling down at her stomach and rubbing it.
"And I just...you are beautiful and I love you." he tells her.
"What about her?" Vera asks, stepping away from him.
"Who?" he asks.
"Veronica. Ronny." she says.
"What about her?" Nestor asks with confusion.
"I just...I know that I am fat now and you are still a man and you have...desires and she is really pretty-"
"Vera, stop. Did she say something to you?" he asks.
"She did but she didn't have to. I mean I get it, ya know?" she says, trying to come off as carefree.
"We aren't like married or anything and-"
"I'm not...we aren't...Vera I am completely faithful to you." he tells her.
"So you wouldn't...want her?" she asks.
"Never." he tells her. She smiles and shakes her head, feeling stupid for assuming Nestor would do such a thing.
"I'm sorry. I'm just hormonal and I am tired so I feel crazy." she tells him. He takes her hand, rubbing the back of it.
"I like crazy." he tells her.
"The crazy side of you isn't new to me, Mrs.Bates." he says with a smirk, making both of them feel nostalgic.
"I don't know why I doubted you, sheriff." she says, leaning into his side as he leads her out of the room.
"Do it again and i'll have to arrest you." he warns her.
"Don't tempt me with a good time." she says, smacking his butt, making him jump and laugh.