Page 112 of Grasp The Moment

I designed this dress at the beginning of last semester. It's supposed to resemble a light green wedding dress, but I made a few adjustments to it, and now it’s perfectly on theme for my whimsical Fae line.

Usually, designers wear all black when they do their final walk, but I wanted to do something different. Why not dress in my own clothes that I designed?

The models walk out behind me, clapping along with the audience. There are cameras flashing, and people are wolf-whistling. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much as we all pose at the end of the runway and head back to the dressing room in absolute silence.

Everyone in the dressing room shares a look, small smiles creeping on our faces, before we hug, cheering as we jump up and down.

“You did it! You did it!” Sienna exclaims, bouncing as I laugh.

“I did it!” I cry out, tears clouding my vision as my friends—my girls pull me into a bone-crushing hug.

The door to the dressing room opens again, and a hush falls over the room as a familiar face struts inside. Her deep mahogany skin is glowing, and her honey brown hair is silky and pressed down her back. I gasp as she gives me a blinding smile and holds out a hand to me.

“Hi, Georgia, I love what you did with your line,” Eden freaking Marlowe says, complimenting me.

I faint. Almost immediately, my knees go weak when her palm connects with mine—okay, so maybe I’m lying, and I didn’t faint, but Iwantedto.

There’s no way in hell that Eden Marlowe came tomyshow. I’m in the presence of anicon!

My knees buckle when Eden gives me a smile, and Cleo squeals quietly behind me. I just know that her hands are covering her mouth as she tries and fails to contain her excitement.

I’ve been obsessed with Eden Marlowe since childhood. When Cleo, Sienna, and I were little, we begged our parents for matching ASTERI tracksuits and swore up and down that we would be like Eden when we grew up. She was so magnetizing. She started ASTERI when she was seventeen, and even though she was a child birthed in nepotism, she made a name for herself.

She’s the icon of all icons.

She’s Eden fucking Marlowe.

“E-Eden Marlowe is standing right in front of me,” I gasp out, stuttering as Eden chuckles, pulling me in for ahug!

Is this Heaven? Have I died and been rewarded?

I hug her back instantly and sigh as I inhale her sweetperfume. It smells of lavender and vanilla–my newest favorite scents.

This has to be Heaven.

A loud thundering of steps draws me away from my idol, and my brow raises as the love of my life stumbles into the dressing room with Delilah, my mother, and his mother. My father is nowhere to be seen. Typical.

Derek sighs, sweat beading on his forehead. He’s dressed in the clothes that I laid out for him yesterday. A lightweight sweater that matches his burnt-orange glasses and jeans. It’s simple and makes my mouth water, but I’m mad at him.

Where has he been? I haven’t seen or heard from him all day!

“Damn it, Nina. I told you to wait for me! I wanted to see her reaction.” Derek sighs, dropping his shoulders as Eden scowls at him.

“You were taking too long to get Deli, and I wanted to meet the woman you've been talking my ear off about.” She turns to face me, plastering on a bright smile. “I’m Eden. It’s nice to meet you, Georgia. Obviously, you know my infuriating godson, considering he’s yourhusband,” she says, squeezing me in a tight hug as I smile, my cheeks burning.

“He sure is,” I say, my eyes straying back to my small family before locking back on her. She has the most glowing skin I’ve ever seen in my life. I want to be her.

My mother chuckles, and I grin. Looking at her, she points her thumb at Derek before she shoots me a thumbs-up.

The models have all slowly begun to file out of the room, heading to their own endeavors, leaving just my friends and family.

Eden hasn’t let go of me since she first met me, and I’m not complaining one bit as she gives me a warm smile, “I heard from a little birdie that you were denied a scholarship with usthat started this spring… I don’t know why your file was denied, and I’ve been looking through it for a while now.”

My head shoots up, turning to Derek.

“What?” I ask Eden, but my eyes are solely for him. The skin around my cheeks heats as he winks at me.

“Yeah, and I honestly am happy that they denied you.”