Setting Me On Fire

11

Invitation

The fashion studio in Fasho was my ideal place to spend my time. I would spend hours on top of hours cutting up pattern tracing paper with the outline of my garment and make sure all the measurements are correct, choose the fabric I want and need for my idea, pin the pattern paper to the fabric and cut it out.

The part I look forward to was pinning the cut-up fabric to the dress form and seeing a preview of how my idea looked before I start sewing the pieces together.

"Green," I say. I was sitting at the table in the center of the fashion studio with Amber, Kevin, Yufei, and Sofia discussing our ideas for our company's annual fashion show for spring. Or as I liked to call it, Fasho's Primavera Fashion Show.

One of which I was planning to invite my parents. I think...

"Leaves, some flowers in bright or pastel colors." We were creating a mood board, and going through the fabric book where I now point at the cadmium green. "This one, it's dark, not too light and it'll allow the flowers to pop out."

Kevin left the room to ask Brian to find him the green I'm asking for, I turn to the girls and Yufei. "I need stockings, fishnet stockings preferably. I need one of you to ask the wardrobe team to get me at least ten of those, different colors and styles."

"I'll be back," Amber says and disappears to do just that. Sofia and Yufei and I continue to paste photos onto the big black cardboard paper. Labeled Primavera Fashion Show Visualization.

"So Margo," Sofia says in a sing-song voice with a smirk. "How was your night?"

She knew, didn't she? She knew I slept with Alexander. I don't react though, instead, I pretend to not have any recollection of what she's talking about. "Fine, yours?"

I look back down at the cut-out of a green flower as I apply glue to it and paste it down.

"I got wasted, I think I flirted with your brother at some point last night." I raise my eyebrows at her and she cringes at the memory.

"Right, remind me to call Marco in a few minutes," I say to both of them. They nod and then the conversation continues.

"I saw you, and Amber making Jacob take photos with you. It was funny, I'm sure Brian has a video on his phone," Yufei says to Sofia. I smile and shake my head. To me, he asked, "Where did you disappear to?"

I shrug. "I went to sleep, I woke up so early for the fashion show, I needed some rest." He nods and gives me a look that shows that what I said was reasonable.

"I thought Alexander left the party early, but then this morning I saw him in our kitchen..." Sofia looks up from the magazine to give me a knowing look.

"He was?" I say as I look down to avoid her eyes. Just in time, Amber walks in with fishnet stockings. She sets them on another table and walks over to us.

"Amber you know how we saw Alexander in the kitchen this morning?" Amber hums a yes. "Well, no one knows where he slept."

My phone rings saving me from the conversation that was about to unfurl in my face. My phone was faced down on the table so I flipped it over and see Christopher's name across the screen. Amber gasps and I look up at her with the same surprise.

I swiped the screen to answer and put him on speaker. As he speaks, his voice fills the room. "Margo Ambrosia, good afternoon, how's it going?"

We hear music and chatter on his line, Amber looks at me with curious eyes. "Good afternoon, I'm doing great, how about you?"

"Awesome on my end, I called to invite you to my grand birthday party at The Plaza Hotel, it starts at seven. You are free to bring anyone you like, the more the merrier."

Amber and Sofia share exhilarated expressions before they look at me. "It'll be a great pleasure to attend, thank you Christopher for inviting me."

"Of course, you are a dear friend. I think it'll be best to tell you now that the theme is the 90s, I'll mail you some invitations so you could be able to enter, with that said, I'll see you tomorrow night, love."

It takes a few seconds for the perception of his words to hit me. Did Christopher just refer to me as his friend?

The line cuts off, and I look up at everyone staggered. "Well that just happened," I say. I look at Yufei. "Are you willing to come?"

He nods with a shrug. Yufei was the type of person who didn't care for parties or social events. Which is what made him likable. We could be in the same room and not have to talk.

"This means we could go shopping, maybe get some drinks after," Amber says. Sofia nods, and Yufei shrugs.

"Let's do it." The room surrounds us in silence before Sofia startles us all when she speaks keenly into the noiseless air.

"Call Marco!" We all look at her like she turned into another person, but just as fast as I got shocked by her sudden outburst, I recollected myself and nodded. 

"Right, thanks." I grab my phone and step out of the room to make the call. Marco didn't take long to pick up, which caught me by surprise because it usually took me two to three calls to get ahold of him.

"Ciao Sorella," he greets.

"Hey, so listen as I said, I'll help you, so swing by my place when you can and we'll talk through the plan."

"Understood, I'll swing by tomorrow around one."

"Works for me, see you then."