Mirrors

June 18th, Tuesday Evening
6:30 pm

"I'll send you a text when I'm coming back." I looked down at my feet, scratching the floor with the toe of my shoe. We stood in the doorway while Blair waited in his car for me as I said a small goodbye to Hudson.

He nodded, "Okay. Have fun in Paris, and have a safe flight. I'll miss you and I love you."

"Yeah, love you too." I cleared my throat as we awkwardly leaned into each other for a kiss but I only kissed his cheek. "Bye."

I pulled my purse higher onto my shoulder before turning and shuffling down the walk toward the car. When I got in and was settled, Blair manoeuvred the car out of the driveway, he glanced over at me with a small smirk. "Freedom at last."

I lightly laughed, "Yeah, it's weird to be going on a trip without him."

"You're gonna love Paris, I promise you. And I have an studio over there so you won't have to worry about annoying hotels and elevators. This will be an unforgettable vacation for you."

"It will, I've never been to any sort of show remotely related to fashion. My friend's Amelia, Gemma, and Kennedy are the fashion savvy ones in our group." I smiled as I thought about them but my smile faltered when I realized just how much I missed them.

"I like the way you dress. You've got your own style." He commented as he kept his eyes on the road, checking his mirrors and changing lanes.

"Well it's evolved over the years."

He cleared his throat. "So with my show I'm introducing a women's clothing line, and I designed a little something for you."

I looked at him and smiled, making a face, "You did?"

He laughed and nodded, "Yes, for you."

"That's so sweet Blair, am I gonna see it in Paris?"

"Most likely, I packed it with my things but I think it'd be appropriate to see it over there."

"This is really exciting, I've always wanted to go to Paris and now I'm gonna be the one in stylish getup." I grinned, "Do you think I'll fit it? I'm already starting to show." I bit my lip as I rubbed my small belly.

"You will. One of my favourite materials to work with is Jersey. And you've just started to show, so with the design you won't be able to see a thing, even when you're on the runway."

I started to laugh, "Are you saying "you" as a collective pronoun or as in me?"

"As in Avery, I want you to walk the runway during my show." He smiled.

My mouth was agape and I stared at him, caught off guard by his request. I stammered, "You...want...me to be in your...show?"

"Yes." He glanced at the time and firmly pressed his foot against the accelerator.

"But aren't I little short?" I started to laugh and he smiled, "It's my show and I will have anyone I want in it. And Kate Moss is 5'7", in case that helps."

"And I'm two inches shorter than that." I stifled my laughter.

"But in heels you're at least 5'7", 5'8"."

I shrugged my shoulders and smirked, "Well despite my height, I think I have a face for modelling. You don't have to be beautiful to model."

He furrowed his brow and looked over at me. "You don't think you're beautiful?"

Half-smiling I could feel my face flush, "I mean...I think I'm pretty. Beautiful is such a big word with a huge meaning. Beautiful is Kate Moss, and Amelia, and Gemma."

"I find you to be very beautiful. Don't compare yourself to other women. You are all unique and beautiful in your own ways, never doubt your looks because you're not 5'10" or because you don't have a Pamela Anderson rack."

Blushing, I gave a small smile and I glanced at him, not wanting to make eye contact for long. "I wasn't fishing for a compliment, but thanks."

"So the flight will only be an hour and half, and when we get into Paris it'll be about nine-thirty, ten o' clock. We'll have a late dinner, hang out. Did you want to go out for dinner or stay in?"

Thinking for a minute or two, I chose the latter option. "Let's stay in, I'm eager to see your apartment. If it's anything like the one here, it's probably fantastic."

"I like it. It's a lot smaller than my place here, but since I live alone I don't need much room. And it has a great view of the city, you'll fall in love with it." He smiled at the thought of his home away from home.

I smiled back and looked ahead as he drove on, the radio was playing quietly, some station that played nothing but music from the 40s. He likes music like that, he said that it has a haunting feel to it. Like in each song, whether or not there be words, it tells a story of one's past, it's like a ghost and it just lingers.

During the drive we were quiet, it was the kind of silence that wasn't awkward, that's what I valued about this friendship. Nothing was ever awkward with us and we could talk about virtually everything or we could sit in complete silence and be comfortable. Our relationship reminded me of when I first started hanging out with Christian, it was fresh and new, developing.

And I'm sure many who have seen Blair and I together in the streets of London and have heard of how often he comes over, probably think that there's something going on between us that is more than a friendship. But I can promise everyone that this is really all it is. We're just friends.

We can relate to each other because we've both lost things in life that nearly destroyed us, we are able to connect on levels we wouldn't normally find in anyone else.

As of a week ago I decided that I was going to do a piece on him for the magazine, I had already talked to Christopher and he agrees that Blair Comeau would be a perfect subject. I want to show the world that Blair is not just a designer or someone with fame, it goes deeper than that and he truly is a genius that this generation needs. He sees the world in such an incredible way, I want to be able to share his visions with everyone else.

With each interview in the magazine, a photo spread is also an essential, and the camera already loves him. He's a handsome man but his looks are different than that of a Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio type, he's a James Dean type. He has tired eyes of an ashy blue and pouty full lips, and he always has a serious expression that probably intimidates others. But all in all he definitely has a baby face look about him and perhaps that's why women swoon over him; a boyish face with an intimidating and compelling personality, though he's never given any of them the time of day -so I've heard.

I pulled my heavy purse onto my lap from the floor and dug through it till I found my polaroid camera. Preparing myself, I quickly took it out and snapped a picture of him.

He blinked and suddenly glanced at me, probably because I startled him. He looked surprised and didn't know whether to smile or react differently. "You took a picture of me."

I smiled and laughed lightly, "I always take pictures of my friends." He glanced at me but kept his eyes on road mostly. A small smile broke his serious expression.

After arriving at his small but very posh flat, he realized that he didn't have any food in his fridge, so we ordered in and dined on Thai food from a place called the Blue Elephant. We sat on his double bed eating some of the best food I've had in a while, I gazed out the window at the mesmerizing twinkling lights of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was in view and from here it was stunning, illuminated in little blue lights reaching high up above the city. It truly was "La Ville-Lumière", the City of Light.

And playing in the background Blair had an Edith Piaf record playing quietly, to set the mood.

"Go to the Eiffel Tower. Go to an opera or ballet: no preference. Go to the Louvre. Go to the Moulin Rouge to see a cabaret. See the countryside. Visit the Tuileries gardens. Visit le Château de Versailles. Do a "little" shopping." Blair chuckled as he read my to-do list. "It's virtually impossible for anyone to do a little shopping in Paris."

I blushed.

"I like this list, and it's completely doable. I will take you to each place and show you more than your mind can fathom." He smiled warmly as he tucked the list into his pocket. He changed into a more casual attire upon arrival, he wore an old pair of jeans and a wife-beater tank top.

"Blair, if this was all I came to Paris for, I would be completely satisfied." I laughed, referring to us sitting on his bed eating Thai food. "Thank you so much for asking me to come with you." I lifted my glass of Perrier to him and nodded my head.

"You're welcome for the millionth time." He laughed, clinking his glass with mine. "And you did very well on the plane for someone who hasn't flown much, apparently, when and where was your first trip that required taking a plane?"

For a minute I became very quiet and I gave a small smile as I recalled the memory, New Orleans. With Christian. I cleared my throat, "Last year, in October. It was a week or so before Halloween, I went to New Orleans on an assignment from Rolling Stone with a co-worker." I forked up a mouthful and took my time chewing it.

"That's fairly recent," He smirked, "You seem to be at ease with flying now though."

Covering my mouth, I replied to him, "I guess I am. Since then I've been to London, Italy, and California."

"...Avery...when we were on the London Eye the other night, you said something about you still caring deeply for another man. What did you mean by that?"

I stilled and took a deep breath, swallowing the last bit of food in my mouth and deciding that I wasn't going to keep this a secret from Blair. He had become a confidant of mine and I knew I could trust him. "I won't keep this from you because I trust you."

Slowly he nodded and waited for me.

"I had an affair in March with the same co-worker I had gone to New Orleans with. Nothing happened between us then, it only happened in March. His name is Christian and we met in September and at first I was just excited to have him as a dear friend of mine, but then our friendship grew over those months and feelings began to develop, mutually. I fell in love with him but ended up choosing Hudson over him. I haven't seen Christian since April..."

"And do you still love him?"

"I always have." I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know what I'd do if I were to ever see him again. I don't know how I'd react...sometimes I think I would just fall apart again. When he left, I was shattered, completely shattered. Having to pick up the pieces and keep going like nothing was wrong was one of the hardest things I've had to do."

His gaze faltered and he just nodded.

I just smiled, "Let's talk about something else, this is depressing. Blair, I want to interview you for the magazine."

He blinked and gave a short laugh, "Why?"

"Because, I'm entitled to interview anyone I want, and I want to interview you." I smiled, closing the lid over the cardboard takeout box. I set it on the nightstand and he handed me his to also place on the table.

I crawled to the end of the bed and unzipped my bag, taking out a different camera of mine. He started to laugh as he watched me getting my camera ready and he rolled his eyes as I took a picture of him. Shuffling up to the head of the bed, I sat next to him and got a picture of us together.

"You know what I almost forgot?" He smirked.

"What?"

"My present for you." He smiled.

I gasped upon remembering, "Yes, I forgot! Show it to me."

He slowly crawled off the bed and went into the other room of his small studio and came back in with a garment bag. He placed the hook on top of a closet door and unzipped it, pulling out a gorgeous two-piece outfit. I stood up and grinned as I examined it, "Blair, this is beautiful."

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." I smiled as I held the soft material in my hands. It was a long black skirt and a white top with a lattice bustier look.

"I'm glad. I was going to make it into a dress, but I figured it'd be easier to put on if it were in two." He gave a relieved sigh.

"It's lovely, absolutely lovely. If your new line looks anything like this, it'll be amazing." I smiled.

"I hope so." He half-smiled, "Let's finish the movie." He walked over to his turntable and shut off the record and then reached for the t.v remote and turned on the movie we had only watched the beginning of; Heathers.

We got back onto the bed and piled the pillows high so we could lean back on them. After getting comfortable, I grinned and looked at him, "I've always had the biggest crush on Christian Slater."

He covered his face and began to laugh.