aurora versini
24/02/18
1:41pm
Los Angeles, USA
IMESSAGE WITH
kal.
kal.
i promised myself i wouldn't,
but i miss you so much it hurts.
i'm back in new york. my mom
needed me for some things.
amirah tells me you two
still talk occasionally and she's
told me how much i messed
up by leaving you.
i know that now and i'm so sorry,
because no journey across the
world to find myself will ever be
worth losing you.
i still love you. my trip has changed
me in lots of ways, but it didn't
change that. i'm just praying it
hasn't changed anything for you.
if it hasn't, meet me on brooklyn
bridge on tuesday, the spot where
we had our first kiss.
i'll be waiting for you, my love.
"You need to block his number." My personal assistant Olivia hisses, spotting me on my phone from under the table. "You've got work to do."
"But he still loves me." I mumble, not taking my eyes off those four words.
"He's no good for you, Aurora." she whispers, furiously making notes about the model that's just left. "Think about when you were together. Think about all the times when you came to work late, crying because he'd done something to hurt you again. You were a mess, Aurora. Don't go back there."
I look up at her, seeing her looking sterner than I've ever seen her in all 3 years she's worked for me. "He said he'd changed. Maybe he was, like, spiritually enlightened or something?"
"Can you hear yourself right now?" she sputters.
"That's what those retreats are for, is it not? To clear your mind? Maybe it worked, that's all I'm saying." I hold my hands up in defence.
"And maybe it's all just a bullshit excuse to get back in your life so he can fuck it up all over again!" She explodes, and right on cue the door opens, revealing a new model.
"Welcome." I look down on my page to see the girl's details, smiling curtly. "Sorry about that."
Another mind-numbing two hours later and we're at the bottom of the list, my eyelids heavy as my desperation to go home grows even stronger.
"Is that all of them?" I turn to Olivia and ask.
"Yep, looks like it." She sighs. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"That this is the worst job in the world?" She nods.
"I'm just glad I'm not the one who makes the decision."
"Yeah, that's on me." I look at the long list of people we've seen today, ticks and crosses besides their names. It really was the worst job in the world. The details we had were their names, heights, weights and most sickeningly of all, the number of followers they had. "Fuck it. Fuck the numbers. I'm going based on who sold me the outfit, which means Grace, Charlotte and Corina."
"You're sure?" Olivia asks.
"One-hundred percent. Can you email them to let them know the shoot is on March 10th?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Where is it?"
"Not too sure yet." I say, packing my things away. "Maybe Toronto?"
"Why Toronto?"
"I need a distraction." I hum, walking out of the door with Olivia close behind.
"Shawn's from Toronto." She states absentmindedly, speed-walking to catch up.
"Uh, yeah. And?" I say slowly, unsure where she's going with this.
"You're friends with him, right?"
"Yeah, just friends. Why?"
"Do you have his number? It's just, when you told me to dress him the other day I got talking to him and he's just..." She sighs thoughtfully, "Well, he's perfect."
"Oh, uh... I do. But I don't know whether I should give you it. Privacy issues and all that. You know how it is." I dismiss her, feeling completely selfish.
"Yeah, of course. It's only me though, right?"
"I'll try talk to him for you?" I haven't decided whether that's a lie or not.
"Could you? You'd be the best boss, no, friend, in the whole world. I know people are saying that you're together, and I believed it, until today when I saw you get like that over Kal again."
"I'll see what I can do, but-" I consider making up a lie about him seeing someone, but my conscience gets the best of me. All the things she's done for me whilst she's been working for me; the least I can do is talk to Shawn. "I'll try."
She smiles widely, waving goodbye to me in the reception area of our LA offices. "Thanks, Aurora!"
IMESSAGE WITH
rockstar
fashion icon
it seems you made quite
the impression on
my personal assistant
rockstar
how so?
fashion icon
she just asked me to
set her up with you
rockstar
oH
so what did you say?
fashion icon
that i'd try
so that's what i'm doing
rockstar
erm
so what do you want me to do?
fashion icon
i don't know
but she's super sweet and
i don't wanna break her heart
she got all mushy when
she mentioned you
i mean
do you wanna go
on a date with her?
rockstar
would you be ok with that?
i mean she's very pretty and all
fashion icon
not like we're together
i'd be fine with that
would you be ok with that?
i understand if not
like i totally get it
no pressure
rockstar
sounds to me like you don't
want me to
so just tell her that i'm
not looking for a relationship
or something
fashion icon
i didn't say that
you're so frustrating
but ok i'll tell her that
rockstar
uhhhh says you
fashion icon
behave yourself
rockstar
come over and make
me behave myself ;)
fashion icon
i just threw up
literally
ur desgustang
rockstar
you love me really x
fashion icon
ha ha you wish mendes
"The hell are you giggling at?" Florence asks, suddenly standing in front of me.
"The hell are you doing here? I thought you were in San Diego meeting Brad's parents?"
"Yeah, but I knew you were gonna be here so I thought I'd stop by. How are you?"
"I'm okay. How are Brad's parents?"
"They're so nice, Rora. I love them like my own. And I love him. God, I'm so happy right now. I forgot how good it felt to be in a long-term relationship, you know?" She rambles, smiling widely. I don't have the heart to tell her I'm not in the mood for any romance related talk, after Kal's incessant messaging.
"So what were you laughing at?"
"Just Shawn."
"Just Shawn, huh? Has he worked his magic on you again? Made you forget all about Kal?"
"Eh, kinda. He's left me so many texts. Kal, I mean."
"What saying?" We sit down on the sofas in the foyer and I prepare to offload.
"Just explaining everything, how sorry he is. And how- how he still loves me."
"Crap. It's gonna take a lot more than a hook-up with Shawn to fix that, right?"
"Right. Yeah."
"You don't sound too sure?"
"It's complicated. Things with Shawn and I."
"So there is a thing between you too?" Her eyes widen.
"Yes, and no. We're just hooking up, casually. He knows his place, that he's just a rebound. Which I feel terrible about, but he's ok."
"And do you like him?" She asks me, as if we're teenagers playing truth or dare.
"No comment."
"You do, don't you?"
"Not enough to let myself get my heart broken again. And it will get broken."
"You don't know that, Rora. He's a nice guy."
"So was Kal. But he left, and Shawn will too. He's a singer. He's writing an album. And with albums come tours, somewhere down the line."
"So that's the only thing that's stopping you from getting serious with him?" She says it as if it's ridiculous.
"That, and the fact I'm not 100% over Kal. I don't want to hurt him."
"You know best, at the end of the day. Only you can decide."
"Yeah, right." I sigh, the mere subject suffocating me. "Let's talk about you. Tell me about Brad and his parents."
She tells me, and reluctantly I find my mind wandering. But instead of wandering to where I thought it would, to memories of meeting Kal's family, I'm imagining meeting Shawn's.