(BlackHeart2) BLACKSOUL

Chapter 6

        New York. Deja Vu. There's always a slight difference each new time I arrive here, but the outline is always the same. First, it was Mia with a broken luggage bag, approaching a stranger with a sign that read her name. The second time, it was with luggage that actually worked, approaching a man whose face was familiar to me now. The third time, is with about four luggages from a private terminal, as I approach a man I already expected to be here.

"Miss Fiore," Riccardo tipped his imaginary cap to me. I had a poor attendant helping me roll all my bags down to the car. Riccardo quickly jogged over and took mine away from me, as him and the man loaded them into the blacked out SUV.

"No Elio, huh?" I bothered asking. Riccardo was already coming around the car to open my door, though I told him it was not necessary. "Well, actually, he was going to come himself this time, but I figured why break tradition?" He admitted. It made me laugh.

        "I didn't know you'd be so sentimental about driving me. Last I remember you didn't like it very much," I teased him. "It's been a long time, Mia" he pointed out the year I've been away. A very prominent fact we all know. I've kept up with Riccardo in some ways. Mostly that he's my friend on social media, and he'll like my pictures. We chatted a few times over the past year just asking how the other person is.

"It has," my voice faded into the background of him turning the engine on, pulling away from the curb. "I couldn't find your exact flight, so I thought I missed you to be honest. I'm glad you showed up when you did," he admitted.

"I didn't end up flying Air France," I confessed to him. "Oh? Which airline?" he asked me. I bit the side of my cheek knowing my answer would very much surprise him. "I was actually in a private jet...with, um, Karl," I told him.

        "Whose Karl?" It didn't click for him. Of course I've posted Karl on my social media plenty of times before, but if you aren't in the fashion industry, or keep up with celebrities I guess the name isn't as well known to you. I feel like everyone knows that man's face though. "Karl Lagerfeld," I clarified.

"Shit," I heard him curse to himself. "This is real, huh? You've really become something," the fact seemed to sink in for him. "Define 'something'," I laughed. "You know what I mean," he waved me off, turning into New York traffic. "You're kinda famous now," he clarified.

"I wouldn't say that."

        Riccardo shifted his dark eyes over to me and he gave me the 'BS' face. "I saw the articles," he called me out. "What articles? Oh, where they asked if I was Karl's new muse? I don't wanna be famous for that. I want a successful fashion career," I pointed out the difference. "It'll all come with being known. Girls will wanna wear what Mia Fiore is wearing, so if you're wearing your own clothes then they'll wanna wear it too," he reminded me. It made me smile. I couldn't even hide it.

"That's the dream," I nodded to his thought. "How many followers do you have on that instagram page of yours? You used to have like 10k, didn't you?" I nodded yes and pulled my phone to check the exact number now. It changes every day as people start to learn about me.

They want to be my friend because they want to see my life. Now that it isn't just posting outfits, but posting runway shows, celebrities I've seen, and my outfits that were a part of the Chanel collection.

"I have 500k right now. It's grown a lot within the past few months," I told him. "You'll be at a million in no time," he assured me. "You think so? That'd be wild," I rubbed my hands together in excitement.

        As we started passing buildings I'm familiar with, a thought crossed my mind. "So, Riccardo...how is everyone?" I asked him. I didn't want to ask straight up, but I hoped he knew what I meant. I had no access to Dom before, but right now...maybe I'll learn something. I'm not even sure what I want to know. I just want to know anything beyond the radio silence.