The Designer and the Model

Chapter 12 - pool side

"I can't, I can't, I can't. I'm sorry..." Charlotte was out of that room as quickly as she could move her shaking knees. Overwhelmed and embarrassed she couldn't contain herself as she wept aloud. Muffling herself with her hand she was careful to avoid anyone on her way back to her room, sitting with her back rested against a bedpost on the floor Charlotte hugged her knees to her chest.

"Charlotte," Bethany came in and hastily knelt at Charlotte's side, she wouldn't look at her but Bethany wasn't going anywhere, "Charlotte I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out-"

"You d-didn't" Charlotte's voice shook and she dapped her nose with the towel around her waist, "I... I just couldn't." Tears felt harder from Charlotte's reddened eyes, instinctively Beth wrapped her arms around the trembling girl.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you Charlotte," adjusting herself on the floor she held Charlotte steadily, "I had time to think about why you didn't sit with Lucinda on the plane."

Charlotte's cries choked in horror and Bethany stroked her hair gently, "I noticed some looks and stuff in the past but I thought it might have been a mixture of admiration or intimidation or something. Things changed really quickly after 1 OAK, I caught a glance of you two leaving together...Something must have happened because from then on Lucinda ran loops to avoid seeing you. At first, I thought it might have been a disagreement or something but after I saw you get more and more depressed and fake, I knew it was more than that-"

Charlotte's forehead rested on Beth's shoulder and she wrapped her arms around her neck, crying softly. Grimacing pitifully rubbing Charlotte's back, Beth sighed, "I know it hurts wanting someone you can't have but I promise Charlotte it hurts less if you accept it for what it is. Lucinda isn't going to give you what you want, she grew up in Russia. I don't know if you know much about it but they aren't very fond of anyone non-heteronormative, I have firsthand knowledge of that trust me. If there is one thing to absolutely not talk about around Lucinda, it's that. You're a beautiful, intelligent, and talented young women Charlotte. Do yourself a favor and accept things for how they are or it'll just hurt more and more as you let it."

-

Versace gold and black themed, the bustling warmly lit mansion courtyard. A combination of Vogue Models, designers, critics, and supporters gathered around taking in drink and business.

Donatella's people seemed to try and get under Charlotte's skin, many mentioning and questioning her natural physical features and suggesting adjustments. Being aware of this type of criticism was becoming second nature to Charlotte, she knew what to say and how to act even if the comments lingered in her mind for a while after.

She felt proud of herself as she mingled with the Vogue models, still not feeling quite adequate but she started to gain a sense of belonging as they congratulated her. As models, they expressed an understanding of how they assumed Charlotte might be feeling; as a novice model that gained traction fairly quickly and how intense the change in her life might have been. She ignored the possibly condescending ways they spoke with her and took the words of support for how they were structured and not so much how they were said.

Security had a strong presence at the Versace mansion tonight. Every doorway to the mansion and opening in the garden stood a large set man in a suit but the bulk of the muscle surrounded the curtained gazebo where Donatella and Lucinda were having dinner together.

Charlotte had not gazed in that direction all night despite seemingly everyone telling her about what an honor it was for Lucinda. Charlotte was currently trapped in a collection of people talking about it in detail, hearing her name over and over and over making it more and more difficult not to look.