A Night To the Future

“Today’s literally the last day Amanda, I didn’t get any mail.” Emily sat, staring at her laptop screen, wearing a long face. “I didn’t qualify.” Amanda’s voice was audible over the speakerphone. “I’m so sorry Em, I know how much you wanted this. I know you would next time.” In a calm, comforting tone. Emily sighed, “Maybe not, I’m not good enough.” Her voice was quiet. “Don’t say that. You’re one of the best out there. They just haven’t seen it. I know they would soon. And they’d be glad they did.” Amanda reassured Emily. “Thanks Amanda. But I need to get to work. I still have so much to do. Talk later.” Emily hangs up the call. Emily Hart had always been passionate about fashion. From the way she dressed to how she styled her outfits and even the colour combinations. She was very enthusiastic about her craft and believed that one day she’d be out of her little sewing corner, making and displaying clothes for celebrities. Emily sat at her sewing machine after the call, staring at the beautiful dress she had draped halfway on her mannequin. It was a red, gorgeous dress with silver beadings that made the dress glow in dim light. But it wasn’t enough. Emily wasn’t satisfied. Why hadn’t she gotten into the LA Red Carpet Fashion Show? Didn’t they like what she displayed on her portfolio? She kept asking herself these questions over again until her thoughts were distracted with a message tone on her phone. It was from Amanda. Her best friend. She picked up her phone and read the message. “I’ve got a potential investor who seems to be interested in investing in your business. He says to check your mail for more information.” “Well, at least there’s some positive news today.” Emily muttered. She headed over to her laptop and went straight to her mail to see the message. There’s no recent mail. Now Emily is just about to text Amanda when a thought pops in her head. SPAM! Emily headed over to her spam messages and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Not only was the email from her potential investor, her invite to the LA Red Carpet Show there! There it was, staring at her as she read the heading of the invite with her eyes wide open: Congratulations Emily Hart! Official Invite. Emily screamed and began to jump about like she had received a huge sum of money. Immediately, she picked up her phone to call Amanda. “I got in! I got in Amanda!” Emily exclaimed, almost out of breath. “The show? How?” “I didn’t think to check my mail thoroughly, saw it in my spam messages.” Emily replied, still trying to catch her breath. She sat still for a moment and her eyes became teary. “They liked my work.” “See? I told you Em, don’t ever doubt yourself. You’re made for this.” Amanda replied. “It’s next week.” Emily’s voice shook with excitement. “So? Your collection is ready. Isn’t it?” “Almost.” Emily whispered, glancing around her studio to her unfinished designs scattered around. She panicked. She had just one week, but she wasn’t going to let this lifetime opportunity pass her by. “I’ve got to get back to work Amanda, talk later.” Emily worked tirelessly to finish up her collection. She barely had any night rest but it didn’t matter to her, this was what she had always prayed for. Time went by and before Emily knew it, the day of the event was here. She had finished up with the designs and now they were all perfect and ready to be displayed. She picked her best outfit from the collection to wear on this day. It was the Winnie Set. A purple two-piece, blouse and a long flowing skirt that looked like a dinner dress. It had beautiful draping at the hips that enhanced her curves and made her look gorgeous. Emily woke up nervous. She couldn’t believe it was finally the day she had dreamed of since forever. A day where her works would be seen by celebrities and she would get to interact with them. She said her prayers and jumped out of bed. The event was for five in the evening so she had the day to tidy up and get her clothes ready for display. At about three in the afternoon, Emily started getting ready. Her long, brown, curly hair was held back with a claw clip which enhanced her strikingly beautiful facial features along with her make up. She wore her dress, paired with silver heels and her purple clutch bag. She looked absolutely stunning and smelled even better. She was ready for the night. At the Show, Emily met so many A-List celebrities. People she could’ve only imagined seeing on TV. She interacted so well with them and displayed her designs. So many of them were intrigued and interested. She received a lot of compliments also. Investors had reached out and given their cards to her for a possible collaboration. The night was going so well. Better than Emily had imagined. The Show was exciting. From runway display of outfits from a variety of cultures, to socializing, lots of good food and drinks, Emily learnt so many new tricks and tips and gained more ideas for her business. The best part of it all was, she didn’t feel like she didn’t belong. Everyone seemed so lovely and pleasant. As the event came to an end, closing remarks were made and everyone applauded. It was a beautiful night for Emily Hart. She felt like her life was finally beginning to make sense. She knew this was a great start to something big for her business. As everyone began to depart from the hall, Emily found her way out too. As she was about to leave, she bent down in a hurry to pick up the tail of her skirt and accidentally bumped into someone. It was Cole Adams. The C.E.O of The Adams Empire, which he had inherited from his father. He was a big investor in the fashion and lifestyle industry. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Emily apologized, looking away with a hint of embarrassment. “Oh no, it’s fine.” Cole spoke, with his deep bass voice, staring at Emily in awe. “Hi, I’m Cole… Cole Adams.” Cole added, and reached out for a handshake. Emily was too stunned to speak at first. It felt like she had just been hit by a demi-god. How was he so handsome? She could bury herself in his eyes if she had a chance. All these things Emily thought of before she got herself and replied. “Emily Hart.” Reaching out to return the handshake. “Nice to meet you Emily. You owe me a drink for bumping into me this hard though.” He jested. Emily giggled. Then she thought to herself, the night was still young, besides, she needed to celebrate this feat she had just attained. It was huge. Then she replied. “Alright then, my treat.” They left and were headed to a bar down the street to have drinks.