“It kind of sounded like they were interested in at least hearing what else I’ve done. A record deal would be…out of this world. Chloe thinks it could happen. She kept telling them to sign me on the spot,” he admitted.
“Wow. That was…nice of her. She believes in you that much?”
“Enough to pull me onstage for her own concert, so I’d say yeah,” Damon said. He unlocked the car, and they both sank into the seats. “It would be epic, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Either way, it was incredible to play live on that stage. A dream come true.”
“I’m glad I could see it.”
“If I had it my way,” he said, speeding out of the parking lot and away from the Strip, “I’d have your beautiful face at every one of my shows.”
Trihn lit up at his comment. “So, what are you going to do now?”
Damon shrugged. “Wait.”
“YOU HAVE GOOD CLEAN LINES,” Teena Hart said, examining the clothing samples that Trihn had put together.
“Thank you.” Trihn wrung her hands in front of herself as Teena swept through the various designs. They weren’t all finished. They were just the shells of what she was going to have as final pieces to fit to her models.
“What is your inspiration for the line?”
“My inspiration?”
“Yes,” Teena said. “There seems to be a theme among your work. If you don’t have a speech on what inspires you, then you’re already lost.”
Trihn pulled herself together. With all the stuff that had been happening with Damon, she had been so out of it with her own work. Focusing on her art was the thing that had gotten her through a lot of ups and downs. She needed to continue to focus on it if she wanted to win that fashion show—even though she thought it was highly unlikely.
“My inspiration for the line comes from my diverse background in New York City and the nightlife around the world. I wanted to make a fluid line that went from everyday wear and straight to the club. These are clothes that can be worn on a runway or the Strip or in Central Park.”
“I see what you’re saying, but I recommend you find a specific story for your line. The judges will need something to latch on to. Don’t be afraid to get personal.”
“Right. Thank you for your insight,” Trihn said. She made notes in the notebook she was carrying. She had a long list of things she needed to do before she would be ready for the runway. As far as she was concerned, getting personal was the least of her concerns.
“And do you have your models yet?”
“Not yet.”
Teena carefully eyed her. “I don’t have to lecture you on the importance of having the right models for your line.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Gucci, right?”
Trihn nodded. She was surprised that Teena knew that she had modeled at all, let alone who she had modeled for.
“I’m going to have a model call in the next week or two. I have some people in mind, but I’d like a variety.”
“Excellent. I do hope this is all cleaned up before the fashion show,” Teena said, blindly gesturing to a few of Trihn’s designs.
She froze, wondering what the hell Teena was talking about. After that comment, Trihn would have to go over every single stitch and extensively work on them. Preparing for this fashion show was taking up so much time on top of her already busy class schedule. She hoped it would all be worth it.
“Thank you,” Trihn said.
Teena signed off on the paperwork for Trihn’s samples and jotted out the suggestions she had made. “Keep up the good work. Next time I see you, you’ll be directing your models down the runway.”
Trihn sighed and plopped down onto a barstool by her station. That had gone better than expected, but she still had a mountain of work to do. Just looking at it was giving her a headache. She needed to take a break, yet she had no intention of leaving the studio until she had some of this under control. Not to mention, she now had to get a model call together.
She buried her face in her hands and took a few healing deep breaths. She could do this. It was possible.
She could finish her classes for the semester and rock this fashion show. She could push back her apprehension about Damon’s newfound success. She could resist the all too-present fear about the future and her relationships.
For so long, she had been cautious about relationships. Time and again, she’d had her heart shattered to the wind. Now, she could feel she was falling for Damon. He was stealing her heart away, and this time, if something happened, she didn’t think she would be able to rescue it.
Damon was different from everyone else. He was so sincere. She hadn’t realized the difference in Preston and Neal because there was none. But Damon wasn’t like either of them.