Vogue | Tony Stark

THREE - CHRISTMAS EVE

Backstage at the Ralph Lauren Christmas Eve show was perhaps the most chaotic scene Esté had ever found herself in.

Almost every show she walked was a race against time behind the scenes, hair and makeup stylists rushing around to touch up their work while assistants helped the models slip into clothes at the same time, things being fixed literally right up until the second before their foot hit the runway. That afternoon, however, felt a lot more intense than normal.

Perhaps because it was Christmas Eve and people had plans to rush off to, or because the sheer scale of the show taking place beside the Hudson River was like nothing else anybody had ever seen or worked before, Esté didn't know.

What she did know, however, was that she killed every single one of her walks, executing them effortlessly and owning the runway and the guests' attention with majestic ease. She held a classic straight face with her confident stride, though was keen to exhibit her famous smile once the models walked out together at the end of the show, blushing with thanks at the applause from the crowd.

The chaos didn't diminish once the show was over, though. Models were running in every direction trying to find their own belongings and pull on clothes that weren't for the runway. The stylist team were in a hurry to pack away their kit and head home for the holidays and the set was already being dismantled around them as guests filtered out into the afternoon air.

Esté tried to find a moment to catch her breath, sitting down in front of a mirror and pausing to level herself out, reflect on the fantastic show she'd just walked and settle her excitement that was carrying her head a little too high above the clouds.

She sipped on a bottle of water and took her time getting changed while everybody else made for a quick exit, eventually finding a slice of peace and quiet after being thrown into deafening carnage from six o'clock that morning.

"Amazing show Esté, I hope you have a great Christmas," One of the other models placed a hand on her shoulder while passing by, stopping to give her friend a tight hug, "You didn't mention you were dating Tony Stark, hm?"

Este's face dropped, the warm smile she flashed her colleague after returning the friendly embrace disappeared in the blink of an eye, her brows furrowing and head tilting.

"I didn't mention it because I'm not," she said with a forced laugh, "What makes you say that?"

The girl shrugged and raised an awkward brow, a disbelieving smile lingering on her lips, "Because he's waiting down the hall with a huge bunch of flowers for you?"

Rolling her eyes and letting out a dissatisfied scoff, she said, "You have to be kidding me."

After quickly bidding goodbye, Esté threw her water bottle in the trash and stormed down the hallway, the heels of her leather boots echoing against the floor and turning heads from the end of the corridor.

She walked into one of the dressing rooms, kissing her teeth with arms folded at her chest when she saw Tony stood in the middle of the room with a swarm of models around him. She waited for a moment, staring with an unimpressed look on her face until the conversations stopped and an uncomfortable silence fell.

"Girls, would you excuse us please? Thanks."

The other models did as they were told, all of them scurrying past Esté with heads down and whispers floating between their lips, leaving Tony alone with nothing but an obnoxiously large bunch of Juliet Roses in his hands and an irritating smirk on his lips.

He looked good, dressed in dark wash jeans and a navy Ralph Lauren quarter zip and black overcoat, a pair of distressed boots and black sunglasses, his stubble perfectly shaved and his hair messily slicked back, though even that wasn't enough to outshine the smugness on his face.