The Designer and the Model

Chapter 9 - Cyclist

Months passed and the company was flourishing, making the front cover of Harper's Bazaar after hosting their very own featuring runway. Lucinda's designs were piquing interest all over New York City, so many security measures had to be set in place to protect her unreleased designs. With Lucinda's rise to fame also spread the word of her own personal model, captured in the New York Times designers all over the world started to think her method of the individuality of a brand was soaring due to her one model repetitive method.

As quoted by the New York Times "-with stunning and ground-breakingly new designs flying out of Miss Lucinda Volkov's hands, why only have we seen one model showcasing on the runway?"

Lucinda and Drake remained quiet to the public on the issue as it performed beautifully to creative hype and mystery to the brand they were looking to add.

Charlotte had her hands full with runways, media attention, and her family. Her first paycheck nearly killed her, previously she had researched the amount she would roughly receive and it was far from the estimated sum. Expecting to struggle to pay her rent of three thousand dollars off and on top of that manage to pay Drake back for living expenses, Charlotte was ready to struggle. The moment she saw her bank balance she sent her mom and dad half of it and called them right away. Her mom cried and the amount of praise they gave Charlotte gave her absolution of her career path. She knew this was where she needed to be and this is what she needed to do, this is what her family needed to stay together.

The money didn't make her duties any easier though, new pressures arose from Lucinda's success. Interviews were Charlotte's anxiety-infused nightmare come to life, people she'd only seen on television stared at her with their Botox pulled faces, and with each one she completed she had to disappear to the bathroom for an extended period of time. She hated it but it was her job.

Charlotte barely saw Lucinda anymore after the celebration at 1 Oak. Most fittings she had to do with Bethany as Lucinda began just leave notes of direction for her to follow. Charlotte hated herself for pushing the personal boundaries between her and Lucinda, she hated that she didn't stop herself, she hated that Lucinda was repulsed by her but she couldn't stop thinking about her. Missing her.

Charlotte didn't understand her infatuation with Lucinda, she fought it every day but the thoughts kept running back to the forefront of her mind. Charlotte had never had a relationship before and in high school, she had never thoughts of anyone like she did of Lucinda. It confused her as she didn't at all identity as a lesbian but she knew deep within herself that she wanted the impossible touch of Lucinda's tattooed fingers.

Concealed behind Gucci sunglasses and a New York Yankee baseball cap Charlotte ran her daily route in and around Central Park, 4:00 am was the perfect time to exercise as Charlotte found out by a lot of trial and error. Any later than that joggers swarmed her route and with that came people recognizing her and stopping her. She liked being alone and running herself numb, it was her best way of coping with her anxiety and crippling depression. Days she didn't run were days that felt impossible to get out of bed.

Listening to her favorite Spotify playlist the track changed over to Lazy Wonderland by Broken Bells. Speeding up her pace she felt a sense of calm washing over her as the song played in her ears.
Humming in stride, ducks flew at her approach around their pond, flying out like a flood as she kept her shoulders pinched and head up racing smoothly through them.

That was until a certain ringtone sounded over it.

"Hello?" Charlotte asked as she was aggravated over her time being disrupted so early in the day.

"Grumpy. Where are you Charlotte?" Bethany questioned through the air pods.

"Out. Why are you calling me at 4 in the morning?!"

Face heating Charlotte got a sinking feeling in her chest, "sorry. What's up?"

After a slight pause, "I'm waiting outside your place, I need to give you some news."

"Can't you jus... Shit."

Out of the blind order of the hedges lining central cark came out a flying cyclist, both panicked moving out of the way but not fast enough. Driving the front wheel spinning to a crush into Charlotte's side, throwing her scraping onto the grass.

Face up to the sun-rising sky Charlotte struggled to inhale as the wind wouldn't come back into her lungs, wheezing and clinging to her side she laid there.

-

"What the hell happened? I thought you got hit by a car. You're hurt." Bethany's expression dropped in sympathetic pain and she looped her arm around a hobbling Charlotte. Once settled in her apartment Charlotte just wanted to find out what the news was, being so forward and blunt stopped Bethany from fretting over her and connected her back to business mode.

"We are taking a flight today to Florida. Three words... The Versace Mansion!"

Bethany didn't hold her disappointment back as she saw close to no reaction from Charlotte, "The Versace Mansion... with our own rooms." She continued but Charlotte just nodded and asked what it was for and what to wear.

"Do I have to shake you, women?" Beth joked still taken aback, "fine if that doesn't do it for you. Are you aware of a certain woman by the name of Donatella Versace?"

Charlotte glanced left and right and slowly nodded.

Now outranged, Bethany pulled out her phone and dramatically searched her up "Look! Ring any bells?"

"Jesus!" Charlotte cringed holding the phone steady in Bethany's hand, snatching away Beth just shook her head.

"Don't ever have that reaction if Lucinda ever brings her up or if, god forbid. You meet her. Donatella is Lucinda's dream mentor, Donatella is like a Justin Beaver in 2010 to a schoolgirl for Lucinda-"

Bethany noticed Charlotte's internal retraction as she dropped her eyes to the floor. Beth saw the change in Charlotte, in the beginning before everything blew up she was just a shy 20-year-old girl that just needed some confidence but now after everything, Beth saw it wasn't just nerves anymore.

"How are you? Like, Seriously Charlotte." Beth pressed resting her hand on Charlotte's shoulder to get her full attention. Such sad eyes, Bethany thought. Charlotte gave her an act she expected from her.

Before boarding for Florida Charlotte had to get a haircut, not of her own choosing as her appearance doesn't really belong to her anymore but Drake and Lucinda's. Her long brunette hair was trimmed into layers and Charlotte was given bangs. She didn't look like herself and Charlotte didn't know how she felt about that, she was just grateful she got to keep her hair long.

Bethany loved the new look and told her so as they piled into their taxi for the airport.