Total Submission(16)
Maybe Cam is right. Maybe this is my second chance with her, to be real family. Or at least, good friends.
Justine slips back in her seat just as the music starts. “All good?” she checks.
We nod. “Great!”
The lights go up on the runway, and soon, I’m lost in the spectacle of gorgeous models in impossibly high heels strutting their stuff in feathers, sequins and chiffon. The cameras flash, and the audience greets each new outfit with rapturous applause.
Still, I can’t lose myself in the show. There’s too much on my mind: Brent, Cam, even Keely beside me. So much has happened, it’s hard to process it all, and my thoughts are still whirling when the lights come up again and Justine yawns.
“There’s nothing like watching models to make me crave a good meal. Who wants lunch?”
“Me!” Keely declares. She turns to me with raised eyebrows. “How about it, Isabelle?”
“Sure, I mean, that sounds good.” I check to see if they’re just being polite, but Justine is already grabbing her coat.
As we head for the exit, Justine waves to people as we pass. “She’s gone all high-fashion,” Keely tells me with a wink.
“Have not!” Justine protests. “Just because my job comes with an amazing employee discount, it doesn’t mean I don’t still shop at H&M.”
“Those shoes are H&M?” I eye Justine’s amazing neon yellow pumps.
She grins. “Well, maybe I haven’t shopped there in a while…”
I laugh. “Hey, I’m not judging. You should see the size of my shoe closet.” Or rather, Cam’s now.
“Maybe we’ve got something in common, after all.” Justine smiles. “Who’d have thought.”
* * *
Keely and Justine chat all the way to the restaurant, about work and their fiancés, and gossip too. But it’s not cruel or cutting like the society cliques I usually hang out with, and it’s a relief not to have to tear down anyone else just to fit in.
These women are secure in their own lives, I realize: they don’t need to be bitchy just to keep their place on the social ladder. It’s a refreshing change from my usual scene, and by the time we’re seated in a cute Greek bistro nearby, I’m actually relaxing and enjoying myself.
“I swear, I’m going to elope,” Keely sighs, checking her phone. “My wedding planner is driving me crazy. I never realized there were so many shades of pink for the flowers.”
“You’re going with pink?” The words are out before I realize my tone is kind of dismissive. “Sorry,” I blush, “It’s just, you don’t seem like a pink kind of person. And Vaughn?” I stop, trying to imagine the most rugged hunk of a man I’ve ever seen walking down an aisle strewn with baby blush petals.
“Thank you!” Justine exclaims. “I’ve been trying to tell her, she shouldn’t let that wedding planner walk all over her. She should do something crisp and modern, totally minimal.”
“No,” Keely corrects her with a grin. “That’s you and Ash. I don’t know what I want my wedding to be. I start looking through the design books, and it’s all so overwhelming.”
“Well, maybe pick a theme that has personal meaning for you both,” I suggest. “How did you meet?”
Keely and Justine exchange an amused look.
“What, did I say something?” I ask, confused. I take a sip of water.
Keely grins. “No, it’s just… I met Vaughn when he was hired to seduce me.”
I choke on my water. “Seriously?” I splutter. “OK, then maybe not.”
Keely laughs. “It’s unconventional, I know. But what about you and Cam? I didn’t realize you were so close.”
I feel my cheeks flush. “Umm... we ran into each other at a club, a little while ago.”
Keely frowns. “I didn’t think Cam was the clubbing type.”
“Not that kind of club,” Justine speaks up. She winks at me. Keely’s eyes widen.
“Oh. OK!”
I’m embarrassed, but they don’t seem ruffled. “Ash and I went to the Underground a couple of times,” Justine says casually. “It’s a fun spot.”
I should have guessed. Justine seems pretty wild and up for anything.
“So, you’re dating then?” Keely presses me.
“I… guess so. He sort of insisted I move in with him,” I admit.
“He does like to get what he wants,” Keely agrees. “Well, good for you. He’s one of the best guys I know.”
“He is.” I nod. “Better than anyone.”
As if his ears are burning, my phone lights up with a text.