LONDON BOY

19. Opening Night

Listen to this song on repeat to get in this chapter's mood:
CH19: The Moment I Knew - Taylor Swift

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The party would start at 8 p.m., so true to your nature, you decided to arrive there two hours in advance. Your family and friends went out for dinner, but you were way too nervous to eat, so you told them that you wanted to lay the final touches on the store before the kick-off party.

Walking around the now quiet room, you couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; seeing the calm, before the storm that would come in a few hours. Everything looked great. The store design worked out exactly as you'd hoped. The pink cloud feeling, smartly contradicted the industrial vibe of the building, and the new collection had to be your favourite one to date. You'd worked your butt off for this, and in that instant, you felt the weight of all the hard work lift off your shoulders.

You check your watch; 6:45 p.m. You figured Kayla would be there around 7:00, and you told your family to be there at 7:30, to toast before the other guests arrived. You hear a knock on the door behind you. Could that be Tom already? He had a busy filming schedule that day, and would do his best to make it by 8:00.

You turn around, to find Harrison's big smirk on the other side of the glass. You open the door, and start with an over-exaggerated, happy, American accent, "Hi, and welcome to the Valey Girls Boutique!", stretching out your hand, presenting the venue. "It looks great Meg, it truly does! You did an amazing job." He says, giving you a firm hug. "Thanks! Champagne? I need a drink; I'm so nervous, but I felt quite pathetic drinking alone just a minute ago..." You confess, reaching him a glass. "You know I don't pass on champagne, ever." He answers seriously, before taking a sip.

"Oh, before people think these are mine; here are your heels. Rose asked me to pick them up at your apartment on my way here. How can you forget your shoes?" You chuckle, "Well, believe it or not Haz, but those heels aren't quite as comfortable as my Converse, and I had a lot of other things to bring." You sit down, strapping your feet into the heels.

"Have you heard anything from Tom? He said he would text when they wrapped up shooting, but his phone is off. I kind of had a miniscule panic attack a few minutes ago, and when I called him, it went straight to voicemail..." You try to play it off cool, but something inside of you had a bad feeling about it. Haz looks at you, "Oh they're probably just running behind. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to wrap it up as quickly as possible." He pauses, then continues, "Why were you panicking? The guestlist is miles long, the store looks great, you look dashing..." He says, looking you up and down as you stand up. You were wearing a sleek, white dress. It was backless and was flowy from the waist down.

"I don't know. I just walked in, and it just hit me – what if it's a big flop. What if people don't want to come to the store?" You bite your lip. "Oh, don't you worry about that honey! It's going to be marvellous! Everyone is Tweeting about the opening, and if I'm to believe your fans, the line will probably be three blocks long the coming weeks!" You turn around to find Kayla with a big smile on her face as she enters the store.

The way she spoke those words with confidence, Haz' reassuring hand on your shoulder, and the bubbly making its way up to your head, make you relax a little. Your mom, Esra, James, Bri and Rose arrive at exactly 7:30. They are all wearing amazing outfits, that Rose and Bri had fixed, and on their faces were bold smiles. Soon after, you could already see people gathering in front of the store. The crew arrived, along with the DJ and music starts to play.

You take a deep breath, before opening the double doors. "Welcome everyone! Wow. I- I'm quite startled by how many of you are here." You chuckle nervously through the microphone. "I feel so honoured that you are all here and I'd like to thank you in advance, in case I forget to mention it later." Laughter swells up in the audience, as you look at the crowd. You take a deep breath, trying not to tear up when you see your mother's proud eyes welling up. You couldn't help but notice that there was one face missing in the crowd though... I really hoped he'd be here by now... You think, before remembering to continue your speech.