Just Deserts

A Night to Remember

Kayla could feel the stares as she descended the grand staircase. Which was exactly what her stepsister had intended. This was her moment to shine.

All the biggest names in the fashion world were gathered there along with those who could afford couture.

The whispers followed her as she made her way to the centre of the room where Danielle waited for her with her fiancé, Colin.

'You really look stunning, sis,' Colin said as he kissed her hand. 'Your design is absolutely breathtaking.'

'Thank you. Though I do wonder what lies behind all that charm of yours...'

'A hard-nosed reporter,' he answered with a wink.

Kayla looked around a little nervously.

'Have a drink. It'll relax you,' Danielle said as the waiter stopped next to them.

'Why are all the drinks green?'

'Green's the new black,' her sister said with a mischievous smile. 'Here, have a kiwi margarita.'

More people clucked around them. Everyone had questions about the dress, oohing and aahing as Danielle fussed over Kayla's awesomeness.

She was glad that her sister was taking control. She'd never been comfortable in crowds, especially not when they expected her to speak. Kayla kept her nervousness to herself. This was her one and only chance to show the world that her designs were amazing and that it wasn't just a "company effort" that created it. She needed to get recognition for her efforts for once in her life.

Even if it meant that Amy was shooting venomous daggers at her with her eyes.

Yeah, tomorrow there'll be hell to pay.

'You clean up nicely,' an almost familiar man's voice said.

Kayla turned. It was the man from the shoe store.

'So do you.'

'Dance?'

She saw Danielle and Colin nod eagerly.

'Sure.'

The song playing sounded vaguely familiar, though Kayla couldn't be sure. She wasn't that great with instrument-only songs, even if they were warped versions of pop songs.

'If it weren't for the shoes, I wouldn't have recognised you.'

Kayla merely smiled.

'I'm Kieran, by the way.'

'Kayla.'

Her heart was fluttering and she felt a little lightheaded.

It's not like you've never danced with an attractive man before, she scolded herself.

But it didn't help. There was something about Kieran that caused her to melt. Perhaps it was his expensive cologne? It was citrusy and woodsy all at once. Intoxicating.

The song came to an end and she was loathe to let go. But dancing two songs in a row would cause people to gossip. And she needed them to only talk about her designs.

'That was fun,' Kieran said as he led her to the side of the dance floor.

'It was, thank you.'

A crowd of admirers flocked around her and she lost sight of her handsome dance partner. There were a few couples still dancing, but most of the guests were gathered in little groups watching everyone else and what they were wearing.

Her stomach growled, but there was no sight of food. So she took another of the strange green cocktails that circulated the ballroom.

Kayla felt empty and cold now that she stood among strangers. Though the song couldn't have lasted more than four minutes, it had been the safest she'd felt all night.

The chandeliers reflected light off the gem coloured ball gowns of the others there. They all looked pretty. Even the ones wearing white. But she knew that her dress was superior to them all. It made her feel a little better as she had to listen to the inane babbling of the people around her obsessed with who-was-wearing-what.

Kayla saw him make his way through the crowd. For the first time she noticed that his suit had a slight purple tinge beneath the light of the chandeliers. It made him look roguish in his otherwise ordinary black evening wear. Her heart sped up.

You're too old to freak out over a guy like this, she scolded herself.

Kieran smiled and extended his hand. Kayla smiled and took it gratefully. She felt like she was being suffocated by the airheads who could only talk about fashion.

He led her out to the middle of the dance floor. A new song started and everything else faded away.

'I hear this is your own design?'

Surprised, Kayla nodded. She easily spoke to him about her designs, her hopes, and her dreams.

Kieran listened and asked questions that startled and delighted in equal measure.

One song led to the next and still they danced. After a while they fell into a comfortable silence.

The whole thing felt very surreal. Mostly because she felt like she was someone else. She felt for the first time what it could be to really be Kayla Castillo. And it was liberating.

She could've stayed in Kieran's arms forever. Though they didn't talk, it felt to Kayla like their eyes were having a conversation all their own.

'Want to get out of here?' Kieran asked.

Her mouth suddenly became dry. Something in his eyes compelled her to want to say yes. She looked around. The crowd had thinned, but the party was still going strong.

The sensible part of her wanted to say no. But the other Kayla, the one intoxicated by Kieran and the feelings he evoked, nodded.

Kayla woke up in the grey light of dawn. She stretched contentedly. Kieran lay next to her, handsome even in sleep. The bedside lamps were still on and competed with the soft light coming in through the curtains.

She looked away before her staring woke him up. Most of her was freaking out over what she'd done. She wasn't ready to face him – or herself – in the light of day.

Scrambling out of bed, she searched for her dress and shoes scattered among the clothes in the room. She blushed as she remembered her uninhibited behaviour a few hours earlier.

She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. Kayla barely recognised the woman wearing jewels and nothing else. A robe lay over a silver upholstered chair and she grabbed it. She could feel time slipping away as she searched for her belongings.

Purple silk peeked out from behind a sofa. Her dress was crumpled. And there was no way that she'd be able to fasten it herself. Sighing, she draped it over the back of the sofa and searched for her tiny clutch and shoes.

One shoe lay next to the door. Her clutch was inside Kieran's jacket. But no matter where she looked, she couldn't find the other shoe.

Sunlight was piercing the curtains and the silver-and-white room lit up prettily.

Kayla pulled her cell phone from her clutch and quickly dialled the programmed number.

'Antonio, can you please pick me up from the hotel?'

When the driver said that he could be there in ten minutes, she sighed in relief. At least she wouldn't have an audience when she left the hotel in only a bathrobe.

She quickly searched the room again. But to no avail. The other shoe was gone.

Kayla grabbed her dress, her matching clutch and the one shoe then slipped out of the room before Kieran could wake up. Her heart was beating in her ears and she felt a strange sense of loss as she closed the door behind her.

*Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this newest chapter in the tale. Vote if you did. If you have anything you'd like to say, don't hesitate to comment – I always appreciate feedback. What do you think of Kieran?*