Page 29 of Alpha Chase

“Damn,” I breathe, looking up at the girls in the mirror. “Pretty sure that was cutting off my circulation.” We all laugh as I shuffle back toward my changing stall, eyeing Fallon as she does a little twirl. “I love that one on you, Fal,” I offer. “Brings out your eyes.”

Fallon’s gaze drifts down her body, then lifts to meet my own in the mirror. “You think?”

I nod. “Definitely. That one’s a keeper.” I snag the sparkly champagne dress from the rack as I head back into my changing stall, pulling the curtain. I hang it on a hook and carefully step out of the red dress, placing it back on the hanger as I hear Fallon and Serena return to their stalls on either side of me, pulling their curtains closed.

“So Vee, I’ve been meaning to ask…” Fallon begins, fabric rustling as she changes into another dress. “What’s going on with you and Baby Alpha?”

I’m in the midst of taking the other dress off of the hanger and I freeze, blinking, staring at the plywood wall that separates our stalls.

Shit, did she connect the dots when she found me at the bottom of the stairs earlier? Did the look on my face give me away?

I’m thankful that she can’t see my expression right now, because I doubt I’m concealing my sheer panic. My mouth runs dry and my pulse quickens. “What do you mean?” I grind out, still standing frozen in my bra and panties, dress in my hands.

Damnit, I took too long to answer that.

“There’s nothing going on,” I quickly add.

I hear the rustle of clothing again and see the pale blue fabric of the last dress Fallon was wearing pool on the ground between our stalls. “That’s not what I hear,” Fallon clucks, her tone teasing.

My heart hammers against my ribs as I clutch the sparkly champagne dress to my chest. The curtain on the opposite side of me makes a swishing sound as Serena opens it to step out, saying “same here.”

It suddenly feels a lot like these two are conspiring against me. I suck in a breath, steeling my nerves. “There’s nothing going on,” I repeat, slipping the dress on over my head. The fabric is luxuriously soft against my skin, and since it’s backless, I reach around to unclasp my bra and wriggle out of it, dropping it to the ground. “I don’t know what you heard, but it clearly wasn’t from a reputable source.”

The curtain on Fallon’s stall swishes as I hear her step out to join Serena. “I’d like to think that Gray’s pretty reputable.”

Once again, I’m glad they can’t see my face, because my jaw practically hits the floor and my breath gets caught somewhere in my throat. Questions ping around in my brain, but I manage to pull it together pretty quickly this time, yanking the curtain back to see Fallon and Serena standing outside of my changing stall, waiting for me with sly smirks on their faces.

Before I can probe for answers, though, Fallon’s eyes drop down my body, widening. “Holy shit, Vee, thatdress!”

“You look incredible,” Serena agrees, stepping aside so I can see myself in the mirror.

As soon as I do, I understand why they had such a strong reaction- not only is this dress stunning, but it looks like it was made for me. It’s the perfect fit, the perfect length, and the color compliments my skin tone flawlessly. I take a couple steps toward the mirror, taking in my reflection, my stomach curling into a tight ball of desperatewant.

Fallon comes up behind me, eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Girl. You are getting that dress.”

“I…”

Can’t afford it.

Shouldn’t throw away an entire paycheck on something so frivolous.

Wish things were different.

“Don’t know. I think I already have something similar.”

It’s a feeble lie- I’d definitely know if I already owned anything half as exquisite as the dress that’s on my body right now. Just trying on something this nice makes me feel like an imposter. I spin around to face the girls, not wanting to fan the flames of drama by asking, but knowing that I have to divert their attention to something else to avoid the embarrassment of my debit card being declined at the register. “What did Gray say about Chase?”

Fallon shrugs a shoulder, so nonchalant that it fucking kills me. “Not much. Just that after the whole rogue situation the other night, Chase wasveryinsistent on being the one to look out for you.” She winks.

I roll my eyes, resting my hands on my hips. “Well that doesn’t mean anything. The guy gets off on harassing me.”

“Liv told me you two disappeared in the woods together at the bonfire,” Serena adds, a coy smile stretching her lips.

I wave a hand dismissively. “I just had to pee. People gossip too much.”

“You’re telling me,” Fallon sighs, stepping up beside me in the mirror and adjusting the hemline of a sleek navy bodycon dress. “It’s probably for the best anyways. I like Chase, but that guy is all damage.”

“Tell me about it,” I groan, unable to take my eyes off of my own reflection. I never want to take this dress off. “What the fuck is his problem anyways?”

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