An esteemed guest (1)

Vera turned silent some minutes before arriving at Neven's parents' home. She was nervous, almost as much as to vomit. Nausea was making her head spin, but she didn't complain. She was going to a dinner, not an execution. She would survive it.

«Hey,» Neven called her, noticing the sudden change in her mood. «It will be all right. I won't let them hurt you, Vera. In any way.»

«Really?» she hummed. In the depths of her heart, something happened. She was moved by his words, even though they were kind of a formality, something he said because she was scared.

However, having someone worry about her was nice. And if he tried defending her for real, it would have been the end of the world. But she dared not hope. Her hope was that Neven wouldn't change his mind about her during that dinner, realising that he could have a simpler relationship with a girl his parents approved of.

«You're beautiful,» he added. «That dress suits you very much.»