Trihn hurried over to help Francesca into the final piece. She was the only model who was wearing two items, but Trihn wouldn’t have it any other way.
The dress was everything on Francesca’s tall frame. A floor-length gown hugged her hourglass figure. The bottom half was a see-through black-and-silver mesh that wisped and circled perfectly on her figure while half-concealing her tall black heels. It had a heart-shaped plunge neckline and sleeves that snaked loosely around her biceps. It was the only thing in the line that Trihn had never worn, and seeing it on Francesca made Trihn think that no one else should ever wear it.
Francesca walked out in that dress, and it was as if the world erupted. The audience roared its approval. Everyone was on their feet. Trihn stared with her mouth agape at what she was witnessing.
This, this right here, made all her hard work worth it. What she’d had to endure to get that sketchbook back from Neal for this design, the long hours at the studio, the sleepless nights, it was all for this moment.
Bryna and Stacia ran back to Trihn when it was over and practically tackled her.
“You were amazing!” Bryna said
“That dress!” Stacia cried. “I need one just to wear around the house.”
“It really was stunning,” someone said behind her.
Trihn whipped around with her eyes wide. “Chloe!”
“Hey!” she cried. “Surprise! I brought you a present.”
Damon appeared from around the corner with a huge smile on his face. Trihn forgot everything else. She only saw her boyfriend standing there. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be in LA, filming a music video. He’d been gone for a week already, and she’d missed him so much.
“Damon,” she said, throwing herself into his arms.
“Hey, love.” He kissed the top of her head and breathed her in.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping back.
“You think I could have actually missed this?”
“But you’re supposed to be filming,” she insisted.
“We wrapped up early,” Chloe told her. “We thought it’d be fun to surprise you. Plus, the song is releasing tomorrow, and Damon wanted to play it for you before it went up.”
Bryna narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “Up to the same antics as ever, Chloe?”
“What are you talking about?” Chloe asked.
“We heard the song,” Trihn said, meeting Damon’s eyes. “A radio station leaked it early.”
“Shit, I wanted to play it for you first,” Damon said.
“Come on, girls. Everyone, get onstage, so I can announce the winner,” Teena said, breaking the moment.
Damon looked like he wanted to say something more, but Trihn briefly kissed him on the lips.
“You can play it for me later,” she said before walking away to the fate of her career.
“AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION by the judges, we announce the winner of the eleventh annual Teena Hart Fashion Show…Trihnity Hamilton.”
Trihn’s hand went to her mouth, and she felt her legs turn to Jell-O. “Oh my God,” she cried.
The crowd applauded, and her designs were paraded out onto the runway one more time to showcase the winning talent. Francesca took Trihn’s hand in her own and raised it high overhead. Trihn laughed brightly and wrapped her friend in a big hug. Cameras went off all around them. The audience rose to their feet once more to celebrate, and then it was all over.
As Trihn stepped offstage, she truly realized what this moment meant. Her designs were going to be on a runway in New York City. She would be competing for a spot in Bloomingdale’s. There was still a chance her dreams could all be realized. Despite leaving NYU’s fashion school and walking away from this very possibility, it was within her reach all over again.
Backstage was a mess of a cleanup. Trihn was so busy that she didn’t even have time to talk to Damon about the song issue. In fact, Damon and Chloe basically got bombarded by people who realized who they were. Chloe had to step out with her bodyguard, Mateo, to get some breathing room, which was perfectly fine with Trihn.
By the time she was finished and all the models had changed out of the clothes, Teena took ahold of her designs for safekeeping, and Trihn was free to go. Everyone was standing around, waiting for her, even Gates, his date, and her friends.
“All ready!” Chloe said, appearing out of nowhere. “Let’s go!”
“Wait, what?” Trihn asked.
Damon sidled up next to her. “Well, this was supposed to be a surprise, but it seems the radio ruined part of it.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “And here I thought you were the surprise.”
Damon wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Well, this whole night was supposed to be about you anyway. I’m so proud of you. You deserved to win everything and more.”