More than Fashion

11

“Nice to meet you,” I blurted out, thrusting my hand toward him.

His dark eyebrows shot up, and for a second, I worried he wouldn’t go along with it. But then he smiled and took my hand in his own, slowly raising my fingers to his mouth. A little shiver went through me at the brush of his lips on my knuckles. “Julie, is it?”

My eyes narrowed, and I jerked my hand away. Of course he would make a big deal about my name. “That’s right.”

His grin widened at my reaction. “Lovely to meet you.”

I held my breath, waiting for more, expecting him to say something damning. But he turned back to Molly, who’d asked him about living in England.

I exhaled in a rush. He was going to keep our secret. For now, anyway. He could always try to use it against me later, at a more strategic time. After all, he was my competition. I’d have to watch out for him. What did I even know about him, really?

Absolutely nothing.

As the others talked, the room began to blur and sway around me. I was barely keeping it together, my head still pounding, my stomach still churning. All I wanted was to lie down somewhere dark and quiet for a few hours. And Gavin’s presence beside me definitely wasn’t helping matters. The last thing I needed was for him to see how hungover I was. No way was I giving him the satisfaction of knowing he was right about how drunk I’d been last night.

With everyone in our circle focused on Gavin, I slipped away unnoticed. The champagne wasn’t helping, so I swapped it for a soda, hoping the caffeine would wake me up. The purple-haired girl stood by herself next to the drink table, and she watched as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“Rough morning?” she asked.

“Very.”

“Been there plenty of times.” She had a shiny stud in her nose and wore tight black ankle pants and suspenders, with a white shirt and red bow tie. Her name tag said, Trina Rodriguez.

I leaned against the wall beside her, sipping my soda. “Have you met everyone already?”

“Nah. I’m not exactly a people person. And half of these designers will be gone in a few days anyway.”

“Exactly my thought.”

“You made that, didn’t you?” she asked, her dark eyes scanning my green-and-black dress. “It’s cute. I can tell you’ll stick around for a while.”

“I did, and thanks. I love your outfit, too. Great mix of masculine and feminine.”

“Thanks. That’s my design aesthetic. I just hope the judges like it, too.”

“Who do you think is going to be the biggest competition?”

She crossed her arms and surveyed the crowd. “Hard to tell. But I have my eye on the blonde over there.”

“Her name is Dawn, and yeah, her dress is really well made.”

“Oh, I just think she’s hot,” she said with a grin. “But her dress isn’t bad either. Maybe I’ll go introduce myself.”

“Go for it.” I raised my soda to her. “Good luck.”

Trina strolled across the room and said something to Dawn, who looked up and smiled. I wanted to watch what happened next, but as soon as I was alone, Gavin found his way back to my side. Jesus, I could not get away from this guy.

“So your name’s Julie?” he asked, his voice low enough that no one else could hear us. Except for the mic recording everything, of course.

I gestured to my name tag. “That’s what it says.”

“Sorry, it’s just a bit…anticlimactic.”

I rolled my eyes. “What did you expect, something more exotic?”

“No, but after all that build-up, I expected something a little more… I don’t know. Dramatic. Mysterious.” His gaze skimmed down my body. “Naughty.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

One side of his mouth curled up. “I suppose I’ll have to keep calling you ‘love.’”

“That really won’t be necessary. Julie is fine.”

“Oh no, I can’t do that. You said no names, after all.”

I quickly switched off my mic. Did Gavin not understand this was all being recorded? That the sound guys were probably listening to our every word? Or did he just not care?

I moved closer, reaching for his shirt as though I was flirting with him. He didn’t pull away, and I heard his sharp intake of breath as my fingers slipped inside his collar. I turned off his mic and kept my voice low.

“That was last night. Things have changed. Obviously.” I dropped my hand and stepped back. “And you need to be careful what you say while the mics are on.”

“Speaking of last night, how are you feeling today, love?”

“I’m fine, Gavin,” I snapped. “How are you? Get lots of sleep after you took off without a word?”

“I did, actually.” He gave me a devious grin that only annoyed me more. “I admit, I never expected to see you again. I’m quite surprised you're here.”

“You’re surprised? You told me you were an artist visiting from London!”

“I am an artist visiting from London. You said you were a pre-med student.”

“I am a pre-med student!”

“Then what are you doing on the show?”

“Same as you, I imagine. Trying to win.” “That’s too bad, love. Because I’m going to win.”

I snorted. “I’d tell you to kiss my ass, but you’d probably fall in love with me and then I’d never get rid of you.”

He gave a sharp laugh. “Trust me, there is zero chance of that happening.”

“Good. Because I don’t have time for complications like you.”