Lilac Sunrise (Mile x Apo) [Mile x Apo]

Part 1:

"...I wonder if anyone actually wears any of these outfits outside of this room..."

Was that his inner anxiety boiling to the surface rapidly that his inside thought became an outside thought? Had Mile's lack of sleep recently unlocked his jaw and spewed out? He hoped to hell not. Mile knew he would never live it down if that were the case.

There were too many eyes on him constantly that being allowed a moment to breathe and relax was an oddity. A refreshing one, but a rarity that made him nervous something was about to implode.

The calm before the storm as they say.

A quick peek to his right and found there was only silence from the side-profile of an individual who had been placed beside him as their seating arrangements went, a bushy brow popped. They hadn't been introduced yet and the younger man seemed inclined to sit there casually without so much as a greeting, gazing idly at his cellphone. Mile mentally shrugged. He had no time for people who didn't know the basics of socializing. Perhaps the comment was his imagination then and his own thoughts just creating a hallucination. Shaking his head, Mile dipped his head to stare at his cellphone again to scroll through the brand, his brand's, social media account to see the multitude of news articles circulating about this afternoon's event.

Good. There was nothing more that he hated than a wasted investment.

This was his college friend's debut in the design world, and he was all too happy to oblige in propelling them with his full backing and support.

Mile knew how difficult it had been when he started his own business and brand. Now a literal icon in both the fashion and music industries with his name associated to the band he used to run in circles with back in the day. And of course, his modeling gigs helped to propel his naturally handsome features, it was the way to get ahead. Connections, effort, and dedication.

Use every available asset in one's arsenal in order to make an imprint. Fast-forward five years, Mile is on top of the world with his self-made worth and value, he enjoyed being able to regal in his simple start and flourishing finish.

He paused.

Finish?

Mile shook his head. His mother's words had gotten to him a little. She teased him at dinner a couple of nights prior about him thinking about settling down, being comfortable with a family or at least a partner by his side, and that she wanted grandchildren at some point. All Mile could do was awkwardly smile at her, wave off her concerns, and get up to take an emergency phone call related to the event he was currently seated at. The point of him just giving this lonely aura is what was worrying her. He knew that. But when Mile put his mind into an endeavor, he was laser focused and never strayed from it. It was impossible to give anything less.

His connections, consumers, and partners expected this. And he always delivered. What was sacrificing one's personal time as a trade off? He was literally swimming in money, drove a different car a day (if he chose to – except he only owned two), and his clothing was all designer labels. His own or others.

Besides, Mile had plenty of friends, entertained company when the situation called for it or he met the right person, and it just tended to fizzle a little. It wasn't entirely his fault – right?

"...It's neon...they told me that I would stick out in the crowd and shine...yeah more like become a reflector for incoming traffic at night..."

There it was again. It was giving him sarcastic, only there because they had to be, vibes.

Mile snapped his head up, stared forward for a moment, eyes narrowed. The collection and work belonged to his friend and Mile had approved the process of getting the designs fixed up, show aligned, and top-tier people invited to attend to give it the merit it deserved. Now this random fellow was going to be critiquing it? They didn't understand the work that was put into these shows, and he would educate them. Promptly.