The room is light and airy, sun shining in through the glass roof, illuminating the entire space. Alice and I have each just finished a bowl of cheesy, tasty carbonara. She'd insisted on a lunch meeting, adamant she would be paying for all of my time and food.
Picking up my half-drunk glass of prosecco, I watch as she lifts each sketch, eyes scanning every detail of the options.
I stayed up all night attempting to sketch at least ten ideas for Alice, desperate to show her how serious I am, and to turn up prepared. Sav had stumbled into the room at five in the morning, begging me to go to bed until I showed her the pile of balled up rejected designs on the floor beside me.
"What do you think?" I ask Alice, smiling across the table at her.
"These are all incredible." She grins. "I'm going to have a hard time choosing."
"I can adapt each one with aspects from other ones," I reply, pointing between the pages.
"That would be amazing," she exclaims, before we descend into silence once more. I take the time to glance around the room. The numerous people who are dining here are clearly of a wealthier status than myself, their pristine clothes and elegant movements giving it away. I'm just glad I put on the long flowing navy dress I made myself last week instead of my pink mini-dress.
"Would it be possible to use this neckline?" Alice points to the sketch on her left, the cleavage dipping dress staring back at me.
"Of course." I nod, flipping my notepad to an empty page and hastily writing it down.
"And I love the waist on this one," she adds, pointing to her right as I continue to scribble. "Obviously I wanted it long... but I'm not sure which hem I like best." She sits back and bites her lip.
"I can sketch out everything else you like with varying hems?" I offer and she smiles.
"You're way too accommodating, Becky!" she exclaims. "I would love that though."
"I'm expensive," I correct her with a cheeky smile. "I need to make sure what I make is one hundred percent what the client wants."
"Looks to me like you're heading towards having one incredibly happy customer," she replies before turning and looking around the room. "I think we need another glass of champagne. What do you think?" She smiles.
"I would never say no to free alcohol," I answer honestly and she laughs before summoning the waiter over.
*~*~*
It's over three hours later before Alice and I part ways, her giving me a tight hug on the sidewalk before hopping into a cab and disappearing down the street. I hug my bag to my chest, unable to wipe the infectious smile from my face at what just happened.
I don't know whether it is purely from the alcohol, but I adored my first proper meeting as a designer, from the very minute it started until the second it ended. The way Alice smiled at my suggestions, how we debated over exactly what would work best. For the first time in my life I feel like I am getting somewhere, and it's fucking fantastic.
"Becky Gordon?" I recognize the male voice as it calls out, furrowing my eyebrows as I attempt to place it. Whirling around, I grimace at the sight of Savannah's boss, the absolute bane of my life over a year ago.
"Eric," I greet my old colleague.
"Fancy running into you here." He smirks, stepping closer, his hands shoved into his loose black pants.
"I was just leaving," I retort, making a move to turn away.
"Wait!" he exclaims and I grit my teeth before looking at him once more.
YOU ARE READING
Perseverance
Romance{18+ COMPLETED} "I don't understand why you won't tolerate the idea when we're both about the same no-strings fun." "Maybe because I just don't like you," I argue. "I don't believe you." Ellis' voice startles me, not just by how low and husky it is...
