THE DATE
424 Words
The phone chirped again, but it wasn't another message from Alexander. It was Mira. Rose took a steadying breath, forced a casual expression onto her face, and picked up the call.
"Rose! Finally. I have been dying to hear—how was it? Did Marcus turn out to be as charming as his photos? Please tell me he wasn't another bore."
The "date" felt like a distant, irrelevant memory, Rose looked at her workbench, then toward the window where the black sedan was still idling, unseen by her. She felt a strange, protective instinct flare up—not for Marcus, whom she barely remembered, but for the memory of the conversation with Alexander. It felt like a private sanctuary, something she wasn't ready to share, not even with her best friend.
"Oh, him? It was... fine, Mira. You know, just a normal date. There is nothing to write home about, really."
"Just 'fine'? Rose, don't tell me he was a dud! I swear, the next one will be better. Did he at least buy you a drink? Did you guys talk at all?"
"her voice remained steady, despite the way her pulse quickened
"We talked, yeah. It was just a standard evening. Honestly, I’m kind of exhausted from it.Can we talk about the new fabric shipment coming in next week? I’m stuck on these patterns for the wedding party."
"You're always burying yourself in work!
Fine, we’ll move on. But you are officially off the hook for taking my dating advice for at least a month."
Rose let out a small, genuine laugh, relief washing over her. She successfully steered the conversation toward business, but as she listened to Mira talk, her eyes drifted back to her phone screen. The notification from earlier was still there, sitting like a live wire. She hadn't opened it yet.
Mira’s voice had been vibrating with excitement for the last ten minutes, the kind of frantic, hopeful energy that usually made Rose smile. But as the reality of the proposition sank in—a high-profile national design competition, a chance to move beyond the small-town clientele, to finally be recognized as more than just a local tailor—Rose felt a cold weight settle in her stomach.
"Rose, listen to me! This is it. The Elite Couture Showcase.' It’s exactly what you need to launch your career into the stratosphere.
You’re talented, you’re meticulous, but you’re hidden in that small shop. This competition changes everything. It’s the platform you deserve."
- Writer
