Steady Hands [Milex]

1- Flawless

"What's the point?" Alex thought to himself as he sulked in his small tailor shop. It was insanely hot, the only air conditioning in the shop was the open door and the single fan going from side to side. It had been months since he'd had a proper client. Not to mention his last client being his dad's friend. He'd failed to advertise his business properly. Maybe entrepreneurship wasn't for him. Maybe he just wasn't cut out to be a tailor(no pun intended).

There he was sweating profusely, looking like a mess. He didn't really have anybody to look good to. Every day for hours the only people who saw him were little kids out with their bikes coming to his shop for a quick glass of water.

For someone described as a mess, his shop was actually quite tidy. Sure it was hot but it wasn't overflowing with fabrics and threads thrown around like one would imagine. And though he sure was a tidy person, the main reason why his shop was so clean was because he didn't even have an opportunity to mess it up. Nice looking fabrics were stacked on top of each other, his sewing machine untouched since weeks ago and the rolls of threads still neatly in the box.

The biggest job he'd had in a while was sewing one of the local ladies' dress back together after it was ripped. Sure he could always tailor as a hobby and make things for himself and his loved ones. But this whole business slowly failing was taking from the confidence and the motivation he had when he first began at a young age with a dream.

It's not like this little business failing would take a huge toll on his family, it wouldn't take a toll on it at all. His mom was the CEO of a big audio equipment manufacturer. If all else failed he could always work there.

But he wanted that to be his last resort. He had a dream. He'd dreamed of being a worldly tailor since the moment his elementary school teacher walked into the classroom wearing a beautiful dress which she explained was hand tailored. That day he'd gone home, telling his parents about how pretty that dress was compared to dresses bought from the store. Of course his parents immediately got him into a tailoring course and bought him the required equipment. If only this had worked. If only he could advertise more and get more people to know about him... If only! If only his mom would tell her employees about her son's tailoring business.

He knew his talent. He was confident in his skills. He knew he could make a good name for himself if he could only get his business kick-started.

But again, what was the point? For the past week he'd been thinking about closing this place down for good. Maybe try again in a couple of years. It would be for the best. He was still using his parents' money to pay for this place's bills and rent.

He had almost fallen asleep until he heard the sudden mechanic sound of the automatic air freshener followed up by the whistle of it's . With the fan spreading the odor to the entire shop, in a few seconds it was full of the pleasant smell of spring flowers. Alex inhaled the scent and slowly let the breath out. The air freshener's smell was mixed in with the smell of clean unused fabric. He loved that smell. It felt like home. Not home as on the place he lived in, but home as in the place he felt he belonged.

He'd closed his eyes when he heard footsteps walking in. He thought one of the kids had come to ask for water. He opened his eyes, but instead of seeing the small figure of a child he was met with a tall and skinny man taking off his shades.

"Good afternoon." The man greeted "-it smells nice in here"

Alex straightened his posture "Oh, that's because of the air freshener. It went off right before you walked in. Can I help you?"

"Oh yes, yes you can help me. You're a tailor, no?" This eccentric man had a way with physical gestures. His body language was expressive.

"Yes, I'm a tailor."