Something That Makes Me Whole

Brian POV

I put the phone down having just spoken to Amber and went to the bed, laying down beside Orchid where she sat cross legged and removing make-up from her eyes. I knew she knew I was looking at her because a grin crossed her lips. "Julien didn't like you." She said throwing another cotton bud down on the covers and picking up another.

"And you know this because...?" I prompted.

"I might not have worked with the guy but he's still a designer." She began to explain. "And when you're the model you notice the faces they make and the way they act if they don't like something. It's all the same whether they are Japanese, British or American. He was just being polite about it to you is all."

"And the others?"

"Ben likes you. He actually told me he likes you, he says your different yet you match me or summats like that." She answered, finally setting her mirror on the bed then capping her make-up remover. Now she grabbed up a hair brush and began to run the spikes through her hair, teasing the knots from it. "I'm not sure about Lorraine. She's only the 'I shook hands with you when I came into the ELLE headquarters in London' sort of person and the person I tend to get calls from when her magazine wants to know what I was wearing and who it was by and blah blah blah."

I laughed at her, shaking my head slightly as I began picking at the black nail varnish on my nails that was already a started project. Suddenly she grabbed up my hand and pulled it away so I couldn't. I looked up at her to see her smiling amusedly, her eyes watching me carefully. "You're cute." She commented.

I raised an eyebrow at her as she continued with her smile. "Me? Cute? How are monster tattoos cute, Orchid?"

"Fine, how about I call you...hot?" She said.

"Hot huh?" I said wiggling my eyebrows suggestively, pulling her closer to me. I pulled her right down till her lips were against mine and after a few seconds, in which I had run my hand down her back and began pulling at the edge of the cloth shorts she wore in bed, I could feel her grinning.

"Nice try buster." She said, sliding under the covers and curling up close to me. "I'm here to work not to have lots of reckless sex with my boyfriend."

I wrapped my arm around her and rested my hand on her head as she placed it on my shoulder, gently brushing my fingers through her silky hair. I tilted my head so it rested a top hers and closed my eyes. It felt like my eyes had been closed for ten minutes when I felt a hand gently rocking me awake.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Orchid's kind face smiling back at me. "Hey handsome."

I rubbed my eyes of the sleep and blinked a few more times. "What time is it?" I mumbled, sitting up on my elbows; I saw she was already dressed to go out.

"Early, just gone five."

I slumped back down on the pillows, edging my fingers into the waist band of her very nice shorts and pulling her down too. She smiled and prized my fingers away. "Come on, get up. Then you can see first hand what I do to make all my money."

"I see it everyday." I said, pulling at her again.

"Brian come on, I can't be late." She said more firmly and I gave up, pushing the covers from me and going into the bathroom to shower. Once I was done I pulled on some clean clothes put on some eyeliner then once I was completely ready, followed her out of the room and down to the lobby where Felix and the heavies were waiting.

***

I sat in one of the chairs at the end of the catwalk entranced at Orchid walking up and down it. On the other side in the front row of seats were the contestant designers for this programme and the three people we had met the day before, plus a load of models.

Well, so called models. The Julien guy had made them individually walk up and down the runway and then told Orchid to get up and do it herself. Oh yes, she outclassed them. Now I understood what they had meant when they told her the bar needed to be raised.

"Erm, can I have a word with Orchid alone a moment?" Julien then stood up and declared. Instantly everyone stood and left but I stayed where I was since I wasn't really interested in what he had to say to her. She stopped where she was and looked down at him in front of her. "You're distracted."

"By...?" She prompted, moving her hands to her hips.

"This so called 'boyfriend' of yours."

"Brian is not distracting me."

"He doesn't exactly give you the right image either." Julien went on in a hushed voice but I could still hear him. "Orchid you're glamourous, you're wanted. Brian...Brian looks like one of Hell's Angels."

I couldn't see her expression because her back was to me but I certainly clenched my jaw at that. "If you want this contract with me, he goes Orchid. You can't have Mr Hell's-Angel's-Family-Guy and your career, you have to choose."

Orchid didn't move, and she said nothing. I watched her, waiting impatiently for her response. Then she turned to look me, her eyes sympathetic and apologetic before looking back and staring at her feet. I felt my heart break right then, I felt every single piece stabbing me.

Quietly I stood and left. I pulled my hat on over my head and walked on down the sidewalk not caring or actually paying much attention to where I was going. I didn't want to pay attention since I was too busying trying to fight back the pain I was feeling at what just happened.

Staring down at my feet, my hands in deep in my pockets I stared at the floor without really noticing the images my eyes saw. "Brian!" I suddenly heard. I stopped and turned to see Orchid on the sidewalk quite a way down from me but hurrying after me. Then she stopped, pulled off her shoes before continuing to run until she got to me.

"Orchid, you've made your decision you don't need to explain it to me, I understand." I said solemnly and began walking again, leaving her there where she was stood.

"It's obvious you didn't stick around to hear the rest or you wouldn't have walked away." She then said and I stopped again, turning to look at her confused.

"What?"

"I told him to stuff the contract and the programme, Brian." She smiled.

"Orchid what the hell did you do that for?" I retorted, raising my voice a little angrily at her decision. "You love your career and yet you're just giving up for me?"

"Brian, designers are queuing up from here to Chicago just to get me in their clothes." She began as I saw the first drop of rain on her bare arms. "I could get another contract like that." She clicked her fingers. "But you? I will never find anyone like you again."

Bit by bit I could feel my heart putting itself back together within my chest. "He was basically asking me to fall out of love with you right then and there in that room on that runway." Her voice sounded quiet and shaky. "But the thing is I don't think I'll ever fall out of love with you, and I love Amber far too much to give her up. Something's gotta give and it's not going to be you two, ever."

I just stared at her where she stood helplessly watching me. Then I walked over to her, scooping her up into my arms tightly as she buried her face in my chest, her own arms finding their way around me. "I love you Orchid." I then said as I kissed her and she instantly kissed back.

"I love you too." She replied, as I pressed my forehead against hers, pushing her hair behind her ears, and smiled.

Then I stepped back and wrapped my right arm around her shoulders. "Come on." I said, smiling down at her as she stopped to put her shoes. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Orchid nodded as we began to walk again.

"Breakfast sounds good." She replied and we carried on walking down the sidewalk as the sun blazed down on the streets of New York, all the while my mind thinking about how there was once I big gaping hole in my life and now there wasn't.

Orchid makes me whole.