Vogue | Tony Stark

TWELVE - A SURPRISE VISIT

Tony's heart was in his mouth when he looked up and saw Estélla shining on the runway beneath the Eiffel Tower, an honest welling of pride in her eyes as she took in the applause that she undoubtedly deserved.

When she looked at him, however, Tony felt his smile grow infinitely, and he watched her's do the same. He witnessed the shock register on her face and the overjoy light up her cheeks and her eyes, his heart beating faster when he noticed her bottom lip begin to tremble and her smile turn into an unstable frown.

Reaching beneath his seat, Tony took his chance to take a couple of quick steps forward and hand his best friend a huge bouquet of Juliet roses before sprinting back to his place, dashing out of the flash of the cameras that snapped at the interaction like it was gold dust.

Estélla had been conscious about the reputation of her friend since they first crossed paths again before Christmas, and a lot of the hesitancy she had towards being publicly tied to him still stood. She felt guilty about it since she knew how good of a person Tony was, but her industry had encouraged her to think selfishly about some things to protect her own reputation, forcing her to find a balance between fame and friendship.

In that moment, however, Estélla didn't care. Her heart too had risen into her throat as soon as her eyes landed on Tony in the audience. His face felt like home as they looked at one another and the tears that fell were unstoppable, an overwhelming tug on her heartstrings at the realisation that someone had been there to support her.

And as she bent down and accepted her lifelong favourite roses from him, Esté realised that the only person she'd wanted there after all had been there.

She tossed her judgement to the side for the moment for the sake of her heart and her happiness, kissing her fingertips and blowing it in Tony's direction. He grinned from ear to ear and grabbed the kiss in his palm, pressing it against his chest before giving her a reassuring nod as he sat back down.

He hadn't seen Esté since their second rather awkward encounter last week at her home, though the tension had only lasted for a few long minutes while Esté made the second cups of coffee, their dynamic instantly switching back to normal while they carried on laughing about old memories while they flicked through photo albums.

He had undoubtedly been consumed by the weight of his feelings and Tony had spent hours trying to decipher them while he had some time away from his friend, though the thing he couldn't shake the most was how disappointed she'd looked when she'd first answered the door that day.

And so, there was really no hesitation from Tony when the idea to fly to Paris for her Saint Laurent show entered his head, booking the flight and hotel within minutes. He'd kept the trip a surprise for her and although it had been eating him alive not being able to tell her, knowing it would make her feel better to have someone she knew there to support her, he knew that the look on her face when she found out for herself would be worth it.

Any by God, the way Tony's world slowed down and darkened around him to make his eyes see only her when she looked at him with the most heavenly smile, had surely been worth every second.

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing! I'm so proud of you, Esté."

Alicia and Katy had been walking the show that day which had acted as a small comfort to Estélla to know she had some familiar faces around her, even if she hadn't had much chance to talk to them at all that day.

The girls reunited backstage once the show was closed, three of them embracing tightly with a bubble of happiness and excitement wrapping around them.

"It was fantastic, and you look fantastic, too. You owned that runway with Anthony more than any of us did the whole day." Alicia nodded, squeezing Este's hands with a wide grin.