A Year In Paris

AYIP- ONE

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

-C. S. Lewis

C H A P T E R   O N E

Abuja, Nigeria.
Thursday, 7th October 2021.

Mehreen placed her cup of coffee down and pushed back the seat she was settled on, and stood up. Her boss had called for her, she slowly made her way towards her office, which has 'Manager' written boldly in a calligraphic style on it. She knocked, softly and only entered when she got a reply from her boss, Mss Imani, the owner of 'Victorian Fashion and Luxury.

Imani offered her a sit and proceeded with what she called Mehreen for. "We are having a very important shoot in collaboration with Valter Antunes in Paris, for the newest designs of Christian Louboutin shoes and bags. The model who will be featuring the brand is Diana Graff."Mehreen nodded and Imani passed a black file to her. "You are handling this project, and this file contains all the information about the shooting sites and also a little bit of information about Diana that I thought you should know about, she is very tough."

"Okay, Ms. Imani, it will be done."Mehreen collected the file and kept it in front of her.

"Good. You'll be leaving for Paris next week. Sarah Lois and Taheera Lawan Aliyu will go with you. Ms. Mehreen, this shoot is very important to me and the company, I trust you that's why I'm letting you handle it, so don't disappoint me."

Mehreen smiled a happy one. She couldn't believe she is going to Paris, it feels surreal. "You don't have to worry about a thing Ms. Imani, I'll take care of everything, In sha Allah."She assured, confidently.

"You can go now, if you've any questions regarding the project you're free to ask."Mehreen nodded with a small smile, that anytime from now may turn into a guffaw. She was so happy she couldn't wait to get out of the office and screamed out of joy.

Taheera ran out to Mehreen and threw her arms around her. "Gosh, Alhamdulillah Reen!!! We're going to Paris..." she yelped, excitedly breaking out of the hug.

"I know, right I can't wait. I don't think I'd be able to sleep this whole week."Mehreen hyped, gripping the file tightly as though her life depended on it.

"Same here, I'm so anxious."Taheera squealed again, and together they walked to their respective desks. "Ammi will be so happy to hear this, you know."

Mehreen's smile dropped a little when her mind drifted off to her father. He won't be happy about it, will he even let her go to Paris alone and stay there for a whole year?

"Mum will be happy too, but I don't know about Daddy, this is the kind of situation where his 'strict mode' get activated, but I'll try my best to convince him."Mehreen faked a smile.

"Don't worry it'll turn out positive, and you're not going alone I'm with you, "Taheera said to cheer her up, and they fist bump each other.

Taheera Lawan Aliyu is also the same age as Mehreen, her best friend, her best pal, she is just like a sister from a different mother. They grew up together as they were neighbors, they established friendships since during their childhood, and they're still friends with the same goal in life, Photography!

"We are going to have so much fun."Taheera squealed again, and Mehreen looked up from the file she was given earlier.

"And also focus on the project."She closed the file to look at Taheera. "Ms. Imani said it's very important for her, we can't lose the project."Taheera nodded and shrugged.