by Sian Ceinwen
“Okay, so as I said in my email, we weren’t able to source enough of the purple bracelets you wanted, so we got some of these pink ones as well. We went with half and half of each”—Ally indicated to a pile of purple and pink bracelets that were sitting on a table near the racks of clothing—“I just need you to decide which outfits you want to have purple, and which should have pink. We could just alternate them, but I didn’t want to make that call if you felt some suited one better than the other. If I can leave you to that, I’ll call those agencies, and you come get me when you’re done, okay?”
Heather nodded her approval and released a breath as Ally walked away from her. She could feel herself getting overwhelmed, but Ally was so cool, calm, and collected, that she felt safe in the knowledge that everything really was under control.
She found herself glad that they hadn’t made this decision for her. As she looked at each outfit, she got a feeling for which bracelet worked best in her mind, and while the alternating of them would probably have been fine, Heather knew she would’ve hated it.
It took her about ten to twenty minutes to get everything sorted. As she did it, she moved around a few of the other accessories as well. Heather didn’t think she’d ever be one hundred percent happy with everything, but time was rapidly ticking by, and soon there would be no chance to make any further changes, anyway.
She left the clothing area and went and found Ally, who was talking to one of the hairstylists, ensuring that they had perfectly fulfilled the brief for the model they were working on. Heather had gone with soft, gentle makeup, and the models’ hair was to fall in loose waves, barring one of her favorite models, Jess, whose braids would remain in but also be left loose.
“Perfect. Great work, Anthony. Ah, there you are, Heather! All sorted?”
“Yup, I changed some of the other accessories around, too”—Ally cringed as Heather said this—“oh no, did I do the wrong thing? I can change them all back if you want!”
“No, it’s fine. You’re the creative!” Ally gave her a reassuring smile as she called her assistant over to them, “Emma! Heather’s changed a few of the accessories around, can you take a fresh set of pictures to ensure we get them all right for the show?”
“Not a problem.”
“I’m so sorry for being a hassle!” Heather bit her lip as she said it, feeling very much like she’d fucked up.
“No, it really isn’t an issue,” Emma smiled at her, “I don’t mind at all. We’re just here to present your vision.”
With that, she quickly headed off to the area Heather had just left.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry!” Heather said to Ally again.
“Stop apologizing. I’m just glad you told me; it would’ve caused hell if you hadn’t. Now we know, and we’ll get it fixed. As Emma said, we’re here to do what you want. Trust me; it’s not the worst thing a client has ever done to me on show day, not by a long shot. Ladies!” She strode over to the sofa where several models were still talking to Harrison, “You are not here to fangirl over the client’s fiancé; you are here to work, and if you ever want me to book you again, I suggest you do that!”
Ally was scary when she was in full-on fashion show director mode, and the girls quickly scattered to the winds.
“You’re mean,” Harrison laughed.
“And you’re far more distracting than I expected you’d be,” Ally quipped.
“Just be glad Sebastian isn’t here”—he looked at Heather—“can you imagine?”
“I’d rather not! Trust us, Ally, it would be a nightmare.”
“Oh, I can certainly imagine how Mr. Sex-On-Legs would love it here”—Ally looked at Heather—“do you promise to never bring him backstage to one of your shows if I’m directing it?”
“You say that as if I’m ever going to do another show! How about I promise never to do another show, instead?” She wrinkled her nose, and both Ally and Harrison laughed.
“Okay, obviously, you’re suffering from some nerves right now. If you still feel that way after the show is done, though, I’ll personally help you to set fire to all your designs”—she laughed again, owing to the horrified look on Heather’s face at the thought of setting her designs on fire—“and that look is why I know that you’ll be booking my services again before you know it. Now, if your delicious, but troublesome fiancé could try to cause less of a commotion from now on, we still have plenty to get done. Look a little less pretty, would you?”
She directed this comment at Harrison, who laughed and saluted her, “Yes, ma’am!” He pulled out his phone and looked down at the screen as Ally led Heather away from him.
“You’re one lucky girl.” She sighed dramatically.
“Tell me about it, darling. We had crazy, hot sex yesterday!” Heather winked at her.
“Well now, bragging is just rude,” Ally scolded her, “some of us have practically forgotten what crazy, hot sex is even like!”
They both laughed and toned down the conversation as they neared the area where the models were getting ready. Heather went from model to model, chatting to them as they had their hair and makeup done, talking about what she wanted from the show, and answering any questions they had for her.
She got the impression from the models that this wasn’t normal behavior for a designer, but she didn’t care, Heather wanted to be involved and connect with everyone working on the show. She wanted to be sure that everyone involved was invested in the end result being amazing, and she hoped that she had chosen people to participate that would be as invested as she was.
Around nine-thirty, Damien arrived, and she was thrilled to see him again. Ally directed him out to set up for the dress rehearsal, and that was when Heather discovered Russell had been there for some time already, setting up the lighting.
“Darling! How did I not know you were here?” she asked him.
“You literally walked under me on your way in,” he laughed, “I don’t normally climb up and rig lights myself, but on occasion, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do!”
“Well, I definitely appreciate the effort.”
As ten o’clock rolled around, Ally, Heather, and Harrison were all sat in some of the front row seats when the dress rehearsal began. The show was spectacular; Heather could scarcely believe that this was her show. It felt too good like it must be from some “proper” designer, but those were her designs. Everything flowed beautifully, exactly as she’d wanted it.
She felt exhilarated when the dress rehearsal was complete and the models stood in their places. Heather joined them on the catwalk to practice her walk down the runway for the end of the show. Harrison and Ally cheered and clapped for her, pretending to be the audience, and she laughed.
Even though the dress rehearsal went well, Heather was definitely worried about the missing models. The two designs that weren’t in the rehearsal were the only sticking points for her—particularly the one for the middle, as it interrupted the flow of the show because it was the link between the designs before and after it.
Ally reassured her that she’d received confirmation from both agencies that the girls would definitely be able to make it, and they should be here in less than half an hour. They headed backstage, and Harrison insisted that Heather sit with him on the cream sofa as he got them both a plate of food, since this was probably their last chance for some downtime before the actual show.
Heather flopped onto the sofa and pulled out her phone. Gabriel had texted her.
Good luck, H. You don’t need it!
She smiled. Amidst all of this drama lately, she’d almost forgotten that he was her friend. It really meant so much to her that he’d texted her today. Despite everything that had happened between them lately, she loved him dearly, so she replied.
Thanks. I think I do, so I’ll take all the luck I can get.
She saw a text from Sebastian as well and opened it.
What’s happening, lover? We’ll be hea
ding over soon. Wanna pick out a model and we can have a threesome?
Heather laughed and showed her phone to Harrison as he sat down next to her with their food.
“You’d better not let Seb backstage!” he warned her with a grin as he handed her plate over.
She set her plate on her lap and replied to Sebastian while still laughing.
Nobody is letting you near any models until the show is over. Just FYI.
Why do you have to ruin all my fun?
My show > your fun. Just saying.
Heather picked up a sandwich off her plate and took a bite as Sebastian’s reply popped up.
You = my fun. Also, just saying.
Harrison had a wicked gleam in his eye as he read the message on her screen, “Seb’s such a fucker, give me your phone for a sec?” Heather handed her phone to him.
Heather = mine. Am too, just saying. – Harrison
Heather leaned over and kissed him, as he gave her phone back to her.
Tell your old man that he wouldn’t feel the need to stake a claim if he didn’t feel threatened.
Heather burst into laughter at this as she showed Harrison her phone again, and he laughed with her. She put her phone away and talked with him as they ate the rest of their food. This was comforting—the food was delicious, and it was nice to spend this time with him. It wasn’t long before Ally came to get her, though.
“Sorry to interrupt, guys, but we need Heather into hair and makeup now. Harrison, we didn’t talk about this, but are you planning on doing any of the press outside with Sebastian and Hayden when they arrive, or are you going straight to your seat?”
“Is it better for me to do press again? We did some when we got here,” Harrison asked her.
“It really couldn’t hurt if you’re willing. Emma will liaise with Sebastian and Hayden on their arrival, and we’ll get you to where you need to be.”
“Well, since I’ve been nothing but trouble back here, I guess it’s the least I could do,” he winked at Ally.
“Great. Okay, Heather! Let’s go.”
Heather stood and followed Ally over to the area the models had been getting ready in earlier. She hadn’t even noticed, but most of them were done now, there were only a few left here. Looking at her watch, Heather realized that it wasn’t long at all until showtime, and her stomach became a ball of nerves.
She sat in a seat in front of a mirror, and it was incredibly soothing to have Jessica working on her. It felt familiar and put her at ease. When Jessica was almost done, Tristan became free and joined them to start on her hair.
“Can you even believe this is happening, guys?” he asked them.
“I really and truly can’t,” Heather answered honestly, “I’m so glad you guys are here. You’ve done an amazing job on the models, by the way.”
“I was so nervous when you asked me to do the makeup,” Jessica confessed. “I was Googling all of the procedures and what to do. You’re insane to hire me!”
“I won’t lie, that’s what Ally said at the time, but I knew I was right. You guys get me, and you get my style. I didn’t want to work with anyone else.”
Jessica gave her a quick hug before continuing to work on her face. It wasn’t long at all until they were done, and by the time they were finished, she felt like she might throw up but looked as though she was glowing.
“Thank fuck, I don’t look anything like how I feel!” she told them.
“The show is amazing,” Tristan said, “we had a peek during the dress rehearsal. You have nothing to worry about.”
“You really don’t,” Ally arrived, and interrupted their conversation.
She spirited Heather away quickly, to the area with the clothes so that Heather could change into the outfit she’d be wearing for the show.
“Now, I have some information for you, and I don’t want you to freak out.” Ally said carefully.
“Well, now I’m definitely going to freak out! Carrie didn’t show up?!”
“No, nothing bad! Okay…Vogue sent Nicole Spencer.”
“What the hell? You said we’d get a fashion assistant or intern. Not, the bloody fashion director! I think I’m going to be sick.”
Heather breathed deeply in through her nose, before releasing it through her mouth. This was too much pressure; she couldn’t handle it. If Vogue slammed her collection, that would be the end of her short-lived fashion career.
“This is a good thing, Heather. It means that they’re already skewed toward liking you if they’ve gone to the effort of sending her. They wouldn’t waste her time with anything they thought was sub-par. Needless to say, this could truly make your career, and your show is worthy of it.”
“I’m definitely going to be sick.” Heather put her head in her hands.
“No, you’re not. I’m not going to let you wallow in self-pity for having designs so amazing that Vogue warranted sending their fashion director to your show. So, suck it up, princess. Go get dressed and let’s get this show on the road!”
Ally pushed her over to where her outfit was hanging on a rack. It fit right in with the rest of her collection. In fact, it could really have been worn by one of the models, but she had made it for herself.
It had long sleeves and was fitted at the top before flaring out from her waist. It had flowing, interlocking patterns of different pastel colors, and it might possibly be the best thing she’d ever designed. Of all the outfits in her collection, this was her favorite.
She carefully removed it from its hanger and slipped it over her head, knowing she’d need Tristan to fix her hair again. Dammit, she hadn’t thought of this when she’d designed it. Adding in the jewelry that was there, and the shoes, she caught her reflection in a mirror and was amazed by what she saw.
Aside from the fact that her hair was out of place from pulling the dress on, she looked like any of the other models in this area. Damn. She wouldn’t stand out as the designer; this dress was a mistake. Heather considered removing it and just wearing what she’d been wearing earlier when Emma came over to get her and gasped.
“Heather, you look phenomenal! I’ve never seen anything like that dress!”
“It’s too much, darling. I was just thinking about taking it off.”
“No, you can’t, it’s perfect! Ally sent me to get you, anyway; we need to go”—she frowned at Heather’s hair—“okay, we need to get you to Tristan ASAP, but the show is going to start any minute.”
Emma rushed her over to Tristan, who had her hair looking perfect again in less than five minutes’ time, and then it was happening. The models were all lined up, Carrie at the front and looking phenomenal, all the way back to Jess at the end. It felt like forever ago that she and Ally had picked these two women out as their frontrunners for callbacks.
So much had happened to get to this point, and soon it would be done. They heard the music start and Ally signaled for Carrie to go, then it was all on. Time passed by in a blur as each model walked the runway and made their way backstage with a huge smile on their face.
Every timing change was met in what Heather considered to be a complete miracle but knew was entirely down to Ally’s skill at organizing fashion shows. Then it was her turn to walk the runway. She followed Jess up the stairs, then stood at the end of the catwalk as Jess made her way to her spot to the side. There was a gap in the middle of the models for Heather to walk through.
She was absolutely terrified that she would fall flat on her face as she walked down the middle of the runway. The models lined up on either side of her were all clapping for her, as was the audience. She saw Sebastian stand to applaud her as she passed them, and then everyone else was standing, including Nicole Spencer, who had been front and center across from Harrison, Sebastian, and Hayden.
She stood at the end of the runway, posed for photos, and then made a small bow, as Ally had instructed her to do, before turning to walk back up the runway, with the models falling into line
behind her as she did.
Suddenly, it was over. Heather had never before felt such an intense mixture of exhilaration, relief, and pure joy. She was ecstatic, and everyone backstage was laughing and clapping for her. After a moment or two, Harrison appeared, and somebody popped a bottle of champagne as she kissed him deeply.
They cheered and toasted one another. Ally invited Nicole Spencer backstage to meet her and Heather discovered that she was actually quite lovely. She didn’t give much away, though she did appear to be a big fan of Cruise Control. Heather felt like the review was going to be a positive one, at least. If she could bottle the way she was feeling right now and sell it, Heather thought she could probably make a fortune.
She went out that night to a club with Harrison, Sebastian, and Hayden. Heather invited Ally, Emma, Damien, and Russell along to celebrate with them. Without them, the show couldn’t have been the success it was. April Conway said that she’d be happy to come out with them as well when Heather asked her, and she was thrilled when April told her that she’d loved the show and wanted her to design a gown for an upcoming awards night she was attending. Some early reviews were already coming through online for the show, and not one of them had anything bad to say.
“Will you direct my next fashion show, too?” Heather asked Ally, much later in the evening, when they were all three sheets to the wind.
“So, I guess we’re not setting fire to your designs, then?” Ally laughed at her.
Heather looked down at the stunning dress that she was still wearing and grinned back at her, “No, I guess we’re not.”
~OCTOBER~
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CRUISE CONTROL?
This is not a drill. We repeat: this is not a drill! After the amazing, critical success of Heather York’s debut at Fashion Week last month for her fashion line, Serenity, Cruise Control appears to have gone underground.
We saw them back in Chicago after the show, but they’ve been MIA for over a week now. Nobody has seen any of the band members in public. Heather was spotted having lunch in the city, while Gabriel’s girlfriend, Ariana Chamberlain, was also seen at a popular Chicago nightclub with friends, but none of the guys seem to be around.
