MRS. COLLINS

20. born for this

I'll never forget how it felt when I had my first fashion show. I was so nervous, I vomited ten minutes before the show began. Victor was the one to pull my hair back as I leaned down on the toilet.

The nerves have diminished as I became more confortable through each show but they don't really disappear. It's impossible to not stress and feel nervous about everything. It comes in bits and pieces. One day I'll worry about my designs. I'll worry that people will hate them. I'll worry about the reviews the next day even though I made myself promise to not read them. I'll worry about the decorations and the runway another day. The days building up to the show are stressful but the day of the show is the most stressful of them all.

I rarely get any sleep Thursday night and I'm at the office by six in the morning on Friday. The day of the show is usually chaotic. I spend all day in the auditorium helping with last minute decorations and moving back and forth with the models. Before I know it, it is six in the evening and it's time to change for the show which starts at seven.

I'm wearing a custom dress tonight that I designed like I always do at every show. It's a long, burgundy dress that's going to mix right in with the fall colors of all the other designs. I let my hair loose around my shoulders and apply some mascara. I'm putting on red lipstick when I see Nick walk into the dressing room.

He's wearing a black tuxedo tonight. He has a black vest with bow tie and all and matching shiny, black shoes. Gosh. He looks so handsome.

"Is it time?" I ask him, standing up.

He nods. "Yes." he looks at me. "You look gorgeous."

I smile. "Thank you. You look pretty gorgeous yourself."

He chuckles, looking a little embarrassed which eases up my nerves a bit. "How are you holding up?"

I sigh. "Just the usual nerves."

"Anything I can do to help?" he asks with a glint in his eye.

I half smile. "I actually got this new lipstick that is supposed to be kiss proof..."

He raises an eyebrow, and a smile plays on his lips as he reaches out to put his arms around me. "Oh. Shall we test it?"

I look down at his lips and nod. He grins before leaning in to kiss me. "Well?" He asks after he pulls away.

"I think it works," I say with a smile. "How does it look on me?"

His blue eyes linger on my lips for a moment. "They look good. Maybe we should try again just to make sure."

I laugh as he kisses me again.

"Huh." He looks at me after we pull away. "I think I prefer the other one. I like getting your lipstick on me."

I shake my head with a smile. "We should go."

He reaches for my hand. "Come on, Mrs. Collins."

We make our way out of the dressing room and to the stage. A few seconds later, I hear Nora speaking on the microphone. She's presenting us.

I put my arm through Nick's and take a deep breath as the red curtains pull open. The bright lights blind me for a few seconds but they're a good distraction from the crowd. I've gotten more comfortable with speaking in front of people. It's their reactions that make me nervous. The room is full of people with dance dresses. There are a lot of photographers taking pictures of everything. The white runway extends in front of us gracefully. I smile. Here it goes. Another fashion show. Another line of clothing. I wouldn't change this feeling for anything.

The room is filled with applause as Nick and I take center stage where the glass podium is.

"Good evening, everyone," Nick says onto the microphone and I smile at him. He was born to speak in front of people. He would make a great politician. "It is a pleasure for my wife, Rachel, and I to have you accompany us on this special night. Tonight, we unveil my beautiful wife's collection for this fall. Please join me in a round of applause as I hand over the microphone to her."