Sugar Babe [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Can't Refuse

After Joshua and Gola had been whisked off into the chaos, I ended up having to drag my ass to accompany Johnny and Amanda. We eventually found seats. Even more surprising was the fact that there was an actual seat reserved for me.  Johnny continued to send me impressed looks from my left, while Amanda sat tight lipped on my right.

I wasn't going to lie, I was sort of excited. At the very least I was intrigued. I took the few short moments before the show started to think about the fact that I had been doing some pretty weird shit lately. Ever since that night when I had designed my New Year's Event dress, my sketching hadn't dwindled.

 It was a really uncomfortable feeling, whenever my mind started to run and my fingers started to twitch with the need to draw. It started with little things, like when Joshua and I were at the airport.  I had actually noticed what people had been wearing. Sometimes I would see a shirt that wasn't exactly right, and make little changes in my head.

 A whole new picture would pop up and I even wanted to put it on paper. It explained the gnawing curiosity I had before the show. For the first time I actually wanted to see what the models were wearing.

That, and seeing Joshua, made for a very jittery Jilly. Even his retarded nickname has stuck on me, I thought drily, seconds before the lights dimmed.

The first models semi impressed me. They were all wearing some really amazing clothes, but there was something about their expressions. I wasn't aware that 'Stony Faced and Bitchy' was the protocol.

Most of the girls looked completely uninterested in what they were doing, and the guys walked as if they had things better to do. Their image irked me, but that didn't take away from the clothes.

 I couldn't believe that my heart could actually speed up just because a blouse fit just right. That's when it finally hit me that I wasn't the same cynical Lilly from before, but I wasn't some shallow fashion obsessed bimbo either.

 I found the entire show interesting, most importantly when I finally saw Joshua. The minute he walked on to the runway, he immediately answered my question. Instead of looking nonchalant about the entire thing, he walked with a purpose.

 He sold the clothes. My hands got clammy and my heart sped up when I watched him practically glide on the runway. That's when I felt lucky. Lucky because I knew that under the image he was selling was a genuine person.

 All of the other people didn't know about his home life and his family, they only knew the object he was selling. I don't know how he did it, but I knew that he saw me for a split second. He never broke his facade, until the very last moment, when the hint of a smile graced his lips. Had anyone else noticed that?

My stomach churned when I saw Robert gliding through the runway right after Joshua. He wasn't that bad, but he was practically on my shit list so I wasn't very congratulating. I thought the show was over, except the lights dimmed a bit more and a glow was added to the entire stage. I glanced at Johnny and saw him looking intently up at the runway. Was I the only one taken by surprise?

 It didn't take long before a shadowed figure appeared. I realized that it was Gola when the lights finally came back on. She was wearing a long ruby red gown with black pumps; the dress flowed and danced around her.

Even I had to admit that she looked stunning. It really was the perfect finishing touch on the show. I clapped along with everyone else when it was wrapped up and we went backstage to get Joshua and Gola right after.

The ride to the hotel didn't take very long, checking in turned out to take even less. Once everyone had their room cards, we all dispersed into various parts of the hotel.  I heard Gola pulling at Joshua's arm, telling him about their plans together.