AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You did! Oh, my God. Seriously?” My voice rose excitedly. I’d seen the models’ runway at Givenchy, but I hadn’t seen any of myself.
“Yep. I screamed like a fangirl. Scared everyone around me.”
“Did you? It was last minute. I can’t believe I did that. The dress was insane.”
“It was. Why haven’t you seen the pictures? It shows up if you search for the show.”
“I don’t look for myself anymore.”
Every time I typed in my name, the boat party came up in the search, and every press outlet had a hot take on what should happen.
“I’ll collect photos and bring them with me. I just want to let you know that when you stepped on stage, you stopped the show. You did that, Nadia. I know what a big moment this is for you. Remember when I found you knitting in the hallway during lunch in middle school?”
“Yes. It was when we became friends.” My voice was thick.
I never imagined this life for myself. And it all started from that moment in a hallway when a wildly charismatic teen came and sat down on the floor next to me. He told me he sewed too. Then he kept finding me and talking to me. Before I knew it, we were sewing together.
“Now that same shy girl stood on stage with the top designer of the year and the creative head of Givenchy at a runway in Paris. I’m crazy proud.” I could hear the sobs in Xander’s voice, and my throat tightened with emotion.
“You’re at an internship at Givenchy. You’re living your dream.”
I waved my eyes to stop myself from crying. Sometimes I’d forgotten how far I’d come. Our friendship changed me. It made me dream of bigger for myself. “Thank you, Xander. I miss you so much.”
“You’ll see me soon enough. Have fun shopping and next time tell me about Wyatt.”
“I will. I love you.” I ended the call, and Wyatt walked up to me.
“You miss your friend?”
I nodded. He hugged my shoulder, and I got an idea. “Can I take a photo of you? Xander’s curious.”
He took a selfie, and I sent it to Xander.
We only walked a few paces before I received the message back.
Xander: We must meet.
I showed Wyatt, and he was also pleased.
Well, look at me branching out as a matchmaker.
“Let’s see your jacket.”
All of us design interns were buzzing with the challenge of making a sample jacket that fit into Givenchy’s spring casual wear. The successful jacket would be included in one of their limited-edition, ready-to-wear online catalogues.
Instead of the patched, uneven hems I’d seen at other stations, I went for a wool crepe with a raw edge on a blazer, which I then lined with silk.
Tomas inspected my stitching, turning the garment inside and out. His eyes and fingers ran over every seam. “You’ve got a tailor’s hand, Nadia.”
I beamed at him. “Thank you.”
“But I’m not in love with the blazer. It’s too cautious.” He pointed at the colorful pinstripes on the lining. “This makes me excited. We want women to find it impossible to scroll past the clothing. We are surpassing the expected and creating conversations.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Tomas.” He hesitated and picked up a knit dress I’d abandoned. It was a crafty patch with bright balls of light—something I’d been inspired by when looking at Kusama’s art online. I hadn’t wanted to meet with Paul’s mother completely ignorant of the art, and I couldn’t help but return to my beloved knits.
Tomas turned it around in his hands and laughed.
My cheeks warmed. “It’s downtime fun.”
