Kim's phone rang the moment she stepped outside Maria's office. It was Kris.
What the HECK I literally just got this phone how does she even have my number? Kim thought. She tried to find some way to quickly decline the call but it automatically went through. Of course.
"Kim. KIM! HELLO???" Kris's tinny voice said. It was outrageous that there was no way to decline a call in this world. The whole point of having a phone is to not have to actually talk to anyone ever.
"Heyyy, what's up?" Kim said, brute-forcing sunshine into her voice.
"I just wanted to check in and see how it's going with the Brandon Marlo thing. Did you get him out of retirement yet? Do we have the space for the Hamptons store?"
"Oh! Oh that. Yeah, things are moving forward," Kim said. "This Brandon guy is tricky. It's going to take a little wrangling. But it'll happen, don't worry!"
"Well what's your timeline, Kim. When can we expect to have the new store opened? Are we talking 1 hour? 3 hours?"
"I mean, it's complicated? Soon? Soon-ish?"
"Kim, this store is very important to your sisters and to this world, I hope you understand that. I know organizing and completing projects is not your best skill."
"Yup got it, OK. Hey I'm getting on the Metro so I might lose you, just hang on OK?" Kim said, and hung up the phone.
Bluh. She did not care about stupid Brandon Marlo or the stupid store in the Hamptons. And she couldn't string Kris along forever, either, but she would figure it out later.
After a quick ride over to LAX, Kim stood outside the Championship Business Centers. Probably her least favorite place in all of KKHollywood? It just seemed so sorrowful and devoid of character. A space devoted solely to random Business. Shudder. Plus the last time she'd been here she'd had to perform all kinds of arcane rituals in order to hack her phone, and had almost gotten herself killed by some Madonna-looking witch for her troubles. She shook off the memory and pushed through the doors.
Kim found Simon's new office for the Kim Kardashian Memorial Foundation for Celebrityship. It looked exactly like his old office tbh. She stood in the doorway and watched him. He was on the phone, going on about something and waving his arms around wildly. He looked the same. Tireder around the eyes, maybe. Sadder. Like his naturally animated state didn't come quiet as naturally as it once had.
Kim was about to say something when Simon's eyes landed on her. He stopped speaking mid-syllable and sat there, holding the phone, staring at her. "I'll call you back," he said, dropping the phone.
He was staring at her like he was afraid to take his eyes off her. It was a little weird and Kim wasn't quite sure what to say. Was he mad at her for leaving? She had kind of ditched him at the end, not saying goodbye or anything. Another thing that she had avoided thinking about much, in order to save herself the pain.
Simon came around the desk and walked across the room. He stood inches away from Kim, examining her face. His lips were trembling. He reached out to touch her face and when his fingers made contact with her skin he pulled back, startled, like he was shocked that she was actually real.
"It's really you?" he whispered. "You're back?" His eyes welled up with tears, waiting for confirmation from her.
"Hi Simon, yes, it's me, I'm back, hi!"
A tremor rippled through Simon's body and all at once he fell to the floor, clutching her legs and weeping. "You're back, thank the Goddess, you're back, I can't believe it. You came back."
"OK. Yes. Simon. Up, please, up," Kim awkwardly tried to unhook Simon's arms from her legs and pull him back up to his feet. "Simon! Come on! Up! It's just me! I'm happy to see you too! I missed you! Hi!"
She pulled him into a proper hug and held him as he sobbed heavily into her arms. "I thought you were gone forever. This is even better than the time I learned what a hashtag is," he said.
"So, hi! What is this all this?" Kim said, stepping back and looking around the office.
Simon stood in the center of the room and threw his arms open wide, like TA-DAAA. "Welcome to the world headquarters for the Kim Kardashian Memorial Foundation for Celebrityship!"
"OK? And what is that?"
"We're a non-profit," Simon said. "We hold events, raise awareness, community outreach, that sort of thing."
"That's very vague but it sounds cool? I love charities," Kim said. "And you run it all by yourself? I can't believe you gave up your management career for this."
"The world depended on it, Kim. It wasn't even a choice. This world was dying when you left. It was as though all the energy, all the magic in the world, was vanishing. I didn't know what else to do. I thought maybe if we can preserve something of you in the world, maybe we can keep things from declining. Maybe we can even make everything how it used to be."
"Wow that's super ambitious."
"We've had mixed success," Simon conceded. "But I never gave up. I never stopped believing. And now you're here, so it was all worth it! This is perfect! We have an event tonight, in Florence. One of our biggest benefactors is holding a charity event. You have to come. You'll be my surprise guest. It'll be your big return. We can do so much good in the world, Kim. We can turn everything around. We can make KKHollywood what is used to be."
His eyes were so filled with hope. It was impossible to deny him this happiness.
"OK. Of course for you I'll be there."
"Great! The event starts in 8 hours! See you there!"
"Sounds fantastic," Kim said.
"So much to do! Preparations!" Simon said, running back around his desk and tripping over his fax machine.
Kim smiled the whole way back to Tribeca. On the one hand she felt bad that apparently her leaving had practically destroyed the entire world? But on the other hand she was excited about catching up with her old friends, and about having a big event to attend. IRL, every day was kind of an event. Wherever she went, whatever she did, it made the news. There were photographers and people screaming and it was insane and thrilling. Here it was like hardly anyone noticed her. If attending this event injected a little life, a little hope, a little glamour back into the world, she was excited about it.
Back at her loft she performed a quick cleaning spell with the deft application of the Do Not Litter and Universal Recycling Symbol emoji. Once she had the apartment looking awesome she spent some time going HAM with her new wardrobe. There were all kinds of new dresses that had been added since the last time she'd been here. It still really annoyed her that tops and dresses were in the same category. There were so many of them, it would be so much easier if they were broken up into two separate categories. SO much easier. But whatever.
She tried on every hairstyle, even the bad fedora ones, and checked out the new shoes. She took her time selecting the perfect outfit, and before she knew it, Simon was calling her, telling her it was time for her to be at the 10AX Club in Florence for the charity event.
Florence looked...surprisingly normal. Florence had always been kind of a boring location to Kim-it had the club and a very ugly statue and the frankly overpriced villa, and not much else to recommend it. Tonight it looked pretty much the same as she remembered it, which was only weird because every other location she'd been to had fallen into such disrepair.
Kim went inside the 10AX Club and wandered around, doing a few activities. She did Mingle. She did Have A Drink. She did Chit Chat. It was kind of great! The room was packed, people were in a good mood, and she slid right back into the role of highly-focused party attendee. She felt very much in her element.
Eventually she found Simon and went over to say hi.
"This event is going so well!" he said. "Have you met Cassio yet?"
"Cassio? What's a cassio," Kim asked.
"Cassio is the billionaire landowner and entrepreneur," Simon said, pointing to a man across the room. Kim saw a swooshy-haired pretty dude who winked too much. He was surrounded by a crowd of people, who were probably fawning all over him. He was holding some skinny blonde's hand. "He's one of the foundations biggest benefactors. A huge supporter of your cause. He actually owns this club! And he owns the villa next door! Come on, I'll introduce you," he said, pulling Kim over. "You'll love him."
They nudged their way through the crowd. "Excuse me, Cassio," Simon said. "We have an incredible surprise tonight. Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful and amazing Kim Kardashian!"
Cassio unhooked himself from the blonde, who was talking animatedly to a group of people. "Ah, Kim, so wonderful to meet you," Cassio said in his heavily-accented English. If Cassio registered Kim's name or was surprised to hear it, he hid it behind a practiced veil of glad-handing. "It is wonderful to have you here in my club, on this special night. Please make yourself at home."
"Thanks, happy to be here," Kim said. "Great party."
"And allow me to introduce you to my lovely wife," Cassio said, touching the blonde's hand to redirect her from her conversation.
"Oh, they've already met!" Simon said.
"We have?" Kim asked.
"This is my wife, my angel, the light of my life, Willow Pape," Cassio said.
Time seemed to slow down as Willow and Kim found themselves suddenly facing each other. The world blinked out around them. Willow was doing something sightly different with her hair these days, Kim noticed. It looked amazing. And she was wearing a formal Altuzarra dress instead of her usual ruffled mini. But Kim would recognize those lips anywhere.
Seeing Willow again after all this time was almost more than Kim could take. Of all the memories Kim had tried to shut out and forget and not have feelings about, her feelings for Willow had been the most difficult to ignore. That her most hated enemy had become first a friend, and then possibly something more-much more-was too much for her heart to even bear. There it was again, that pain, that feeling that her heart was being pulled out of her chest. Of course. It made sense now. It wasn't Kim's heart at all. It belonged to Willow.
Kim blinked and was suddenly aware that she and Willow had been staring at each other for too long, not saying anything, and that Simon and Cassio were now in turn staring confusedly at them. She had to say something. But what could she even say? If she started talking, if she even tried to express the things she felt inside, she might never be able to stop.
"Hi Willow," was all Kim could manage, finally, with a smile that her face could barely contain.
Kim looked into Willow's eyes, waiting for her response. Kim was certain Willow had a look in her eyes like there was something important she wanted to say, but couldn't. And then a mood seemed to flutter across her face, like a butterfly trapped beneath her skin.
"You need better security Cassio," Willow said, curling her lip at Kim. "Apparently they'll let just anyone in now."
Kim was too shocked to speak.
"Meow," Cassio said, smiling, like he was enjoying hearing his wife berate someone else.
"Willow!" Kim said, but Willow turned away and resumed her conversation with the other people standing around. Kim stood there, staring at her in disbelief.
"Once again, very nice to meet you," Cassio said. Kim nodded but didn't take her eyes off Willow. "Simon," Cassio said, and rejoined Willow and her conversation.
Kim didn't even know what to do with herself. She turned to Simon and then turned and walked away. She went to the bar and did Have A Drink. Then she did another Have A Drink. She had never felt so humiliated in her life. Should she just go? She wanted to be as far from here as possible. Willow was MARRIED? To some rich sleaze-ball? Her heart and brain were racing ahead of each other. That cruelness of Willow's, it was just like when they'd first met. Like they were starting from nothing. Had everything of their relationship been deleted? Was it all just gone?
She turned to leave and then immediately stopped herself. What should she do? She watched Willow from across the room, holding court and chatting animatedly and doing activities like it was simply the thing she was born to do. She was radiant and perfect and amazing. And OK: of course Willow was angry at her. It made sense. She deserved it. Or some of it, at least. But she couldn't just leave. She had to speak to Willow again.
She did one more Have A Drink to fortify her nerves and then walked over to Willow. Willow continued on with whatever conversation she was having, pointedly ignoring Kim as she stood there.
"Willow, can I speak to you? We need to talk. Please," Kim said.
Willow slowly turned to Kim, staring daggers right into her. "Excuse me? You think you can just walk up to me and start a conversation?" Willow said, looking to her friends like Do you even believe this chick? "I'm not only A-List, I'm the #1 most popular celebrity. And who are you?"
Kim paused, unsure of what she was supposed to say, but Willow continued: "I'll tell you. You're no one."
The words tore Kim's soul in half, and the next thing she knew she was running, through the crowd and out the doors and away. She was sobbing and she had no idea where she was or where she was going, she just needed to get away from that party, away from Willow, away from everything, so she ran and ran and ran, into the endless night.
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EEP WOW. SAD. NOT the #Killow reunion we were hoping for, was it? Ughghg. What does everyone think. I don't even know what's happening.
Please vote and comment, I can't wait to read your reactions.
An important piece of business:
Today is my 1 year anniversary on Wattpad. Becoming part of this community and meeting so many amazing people and readers and writers has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I never dreamed I could write the stories I was most passionate about and have them connect with so many people. Thank you Wattpad and thank you, YOU, READING THIS, YES YOU, for reading and commenting and letting me feel so welcomed into this community with you.
I really love everyone. Thank you for everything.