Dressed in White // H.S. AU

2 - BUSY BEE

"To Sophie, for being the best wedding gown designer LA has ever seen!"

Wine glasses clink loudly above the table as jovial laughter surrounds it. I peer around at the warm faces of my friends as they celebrate the success of my major client meeting today with a nice dinner out. My head shakes dismissively at their actions.

"Thank you, but that's a bit dramatic. It's just work," I scold. It doesn't dull their enthusiastic shine.

"Well, a successful day of work, to say the least!" exclaims Anders.

"You gotta give us more details," Imani insists.

"When's her wedding? How do we sneak in?" Avori begs as she lifts her eyebrows excitedly. I roll my eyes in response.

Despite their prying, I do quietly appreciate their interest in my work. I try to keep up with their careers as much as I can with our busy schedules. I often get to bring them into my own work due to their fields.

Imani is a photographer. She prefers studio work, but I've convinced her into shooting a few weddings for some of my clients. Her lively brown eyes continue to scan my face for the answers to her questions. The dark tone of her skin is being gorgeously complemented by the gold of her dress. She's not one to shy away from bright tones and statement-making pieces. Long black braids extend from her scalp down her back, decorated with a few scattered gold rings.

The twins Avori and Anders have taken over their family's luxury jewelry business, with Avori doing most of the designing for their original line. They share the same pale skin, dark blue eyes, and shockingly bright blonde hair. Avori's hair turned brown after she got into middle school, but she bleaches it to match the original color Anders got to keep.

I wouldn't consider myself good at making friends. As an adult it's even more difficult. I've known these three since elementary school and haven't let them get rid of me since. The twins were a stroke of luck because they came as a two-for-one deal. Imani transferred into our school in 4th grade and I remember latching onto the new girl because she wouldn't have any predispositions against me - a fresh slate. And it worked. Here we all are in our "late" twenties and still in contact - I'd call that a success.

"Fine, fine! It went well," I offer while they all wait with baited breath. Avori waves her hand to gesture to me to go on.

"Okay, she came in with a whole storm of a team buzzing around her, tapping on their phones and looking all around the room. Two security guards came in with her and two stood just inside the front door. It was really intense," I finally gush. They hang onto every word and nod excitedly. "But, you know, I kept my cool, kept it professional. I literally signed an NDA about the dress design so I can't tell you anything about it - don't ask, Avori!" She swats at me playfully and rolls her eyes.

"What else can you tell us?" she begs. Her hands rub together in anticipation.

I think through the elegant swan-inspired look I discussed with the client. Seven months to perfect the sweeping skirt, select just the right lace and mesh, and for our team to hand-sew 10,000 crystals into the bodice and skirt. It will be a magnificent sight to see. I hope for my design's sake that she actually makes it to this wedding. Grooms left at the altar aren't great for business.

"Eh... hmm..." My mind wanders to any other topics we might have discussed. We spoke mostly in detail about her specific desires for this dress and working through some rough sketches for overall shape and vibe. There was something that stuck out though - something she said early on in our appointment. "Apparently her favorite flower is Baby's Breath. Which is actually so weird? It's literally just filler. But she went on and on how the blue and purple of the bouquet on our table made the Baby's Breath pop. Like, huh? What a weird perspective."