Hold Onto Me

I never expected it to be so much fun hanging out with three members of a boy band. I always imagined anyone in a boy band being full of themselves, airheaded pigs. But they were super sweet and courteous, and they were people.

If I was anyone else, I would’ve taken up Niall’s offer in a heartbeat.

It took a bit longer than I usually stayed open to finish, but we got Harry and Liam finished as well. Harry got the quote I gave him, and I drew a tree with a stick figure sitting on top of it to go underneath the quote. He wanted it on his ribs, on the right side.

Liam also wanted the quote I gave him, but he got his on his bicep. They all absolutely loved their tattoos, and I got a way bigger tip than I expected. Not only did I get a large tip, but I also got three new numbers. Harry and Liam both said I seemed like an awesome friend whereas Niall said any time I’m up for drinks, he’s Irish.

I put their numbers in my phone, but I wasn’t really sure if I would ever text. If I had to sign a privacy agreement, they were definitely stalked. If they were stalked, that would mean becoming even their friend was dangerous. More dangerous than being friends with Juliet.

I might get pictured with them, and that was just death waiting to happen.

When I stepped into the studio and people everywhere looked at me like I was as out of place as I always felt, I remembered that I forgot to call Juliet and let her know I was on my way. She saw me come in, however, and didn’t seem upset that I didn’t call.

She actually looked shocked. “I was actually about to call you. I was worried. Didn’t you close, like, an hour ago?”

I took a deep breath. “I did, but I had a group come in, and we just knocked them all out today.”

She nodded. “Well that’s cool. Okay, so, come with me. I promise the makeup and hair won’t be bad. We’ve only got half an hour, so even if I wanted it to be extravagant, we don’t have the time.”

“That’s beautiful to hear.”

She laughed as we made our way to the dressing room, where the nightmare was probably already waiting for me. “It’s in there, as are the shoes. Just come out when you’re ready, and we’ll quickly get some makeup and hair work done.”

I groaned at the last part as I stepped into the dressing room, but I didn’t make too much noise. Even if I had, I wasn’t sure Juliet would’ve heard it. She was already practically running away.

What I saw hanging up in the back of the dressing room was surprising. Unlike most things I had to try on, this one was something I would actually wear. As a matter of fact, it was as if she designed it just for me.

Steampunk was absolutely my favorite style in the world. It was a bit difficult to wear on a regular basis, as steampunk clothing was hard to find in stores and mostly had to be purchased online for super high rates, but any chance I got, I was wearing some kind of steampunk something.

Something about that style just captivated me, and seeing a steampunk dress—or a skirt with a matching corset that hooked onto the waist of the skirt—actually made me smile.

At this point, I didn’t care what makeup she wanted to put on me. It would be worth it.

Black with gold adorning both the corset and the skirt, there was a gold lace top hat that went with it all. I figured I couldn’t put it on yet, since they still had to do my hair, but I was super excited about it. It came with some black and gold steampunk fingerless gloves and some of the most incredible ankle boots I had ever seen. Usually, stilettos killed me, but these were fucking steampunk stilettos. It was worth the death.

At least I’d die looking fucking incredible.

Surprisingly, when I fully got dressed and put the boots on, they were easier to walk in than I expected, and they were comfortable, too. I had seen a pair very similar online, but I didn’t imagine they’d actually feel comfortable.

I walked out of the dressing room and was immediately brought to the makeup and hair chair. This was a routine I knew well, so I just closed my eyes and let the nice women do their thing. It went by faster that way.

After about fifteen minutes of twisting and braiding my hair into a low bun, the makeup lady finished as well, and the lady working on my hair pinned the hat in very securely. She pinned it sideways, so it looked even better, and as I opened my eyes, what I saw was surprising.

I truly looked incredible. Maybe my face wasn’t all that great, but the way the black sparkly eye shadow accented my ruby eyes, or the way the way they twisted my ocean blue hair and placed the hat on top of it . . . I felt like a model, and I was actually proud to be there.

When I stood up, Juliet was standing behind me with her hands clasped together, covering her massive smile. It didn’t really matter because her emerald eyes were shining too brightly to hide the excitement, so I don’t know why she bothered.

“You look gorgeous!”

I looked down at what I was wearing before looking back to her, my smile growing to match hers. “Thanks. Honestly, I’m surprised Gracie didn’t scrap this entirely.”

Juliet looked somewhere in the distance for a moment before pressing her lips together. “She . . . don’t actually know. This was something I did on my own.”

That explained a lot, and honestly, it just went to show that I was right—at least from a selfish perspective.

Juliet just does better on her own.

I pressed my lips together but suddenly remembered that the lipstick was very wet still, and it probably messed up. They had put deep red on my lips and rubbed some kind of gold shimmery gloss over it, almost completely covering the deep red.

I probably just ruined it, too.

Juliet’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. That looks better, more . . . fitting. Anyways, Jane’s waitin’, so let’s go ahead and get in there.”

The reminder that I had to show this to Jane suddenly made me nervous, and it didn’t make much sense. This wasn’t my design, I was simply wearing it, but the model could sell the design just as much as the design itself.

So I guess I was nervous for my friend. If it didn’t look good on me, Jane was less likely to enjoy it.

Juliet pulled me to the offices in the back, past all the secretaries and crazy designers shuffling to scramble together the designs they were showing Jane. That was one neat thing about Jane. To keep things different and fresh, she usually demanded each designer give her at least one design every other week.

This was the first time, that I knew of, that Juliet wasn’t doing this with Gracie.

“Come in, darling.”

Jane was an exceptionally nice lady, all things considered. She was strict and very demanding when it came to fashion and her designers, but overall, she was a truly wonderful woman. Though I didn’t particularly share taste with her, she was always well dressed, and she looked refreshed at all times. I had never seen her look tired or sick, even when she was exhausted.

Maybe it was the large smile almost always on her face, her best accessory.

At the sight of me, Jane’s eyes lit up. “Theo! How wonderful to see you, darling.” She shuffled across the room to place a kiss on each of my cheeks, but she was very brief in her greeting. I think her curiosity was getting the better of her. “Alright, Juliet, darling. Please explain this very . . . different look to me.”

“Well, this was something I’ve been thinking a lot about,” Juliet began, and she took a deep breath. “Gracie keeps demanding I throw the designs out, but Theo’s my best friend. She’s sorta the inspiration behind it all. Steampunk is a fashion, as you know. It’s more widely known in some areas and less known in others. Theo adores it, but it’s so hard for her to find places that sell steampunk clothing and accessories. So I wondered if there were more people out there like Theo, those looking for the modern fashion to embrace what has been around for a while and maybe even make it new. Bring it back to the light and make it known everywhere.”

Jane’s eyebrows rose as she continued eyeing the dress in particular, as that was the specific part of the design she needed to look at. “I love what you’ve done with it. It sticks with the steampunk roots, but it adds a bit of modern flair that just . . . works.” Her eyes immediately snapped away from the dress and over to Juliet, and her smile widened. “I’ve never been so easily swayed to adore something so different, but darling, I love this. Work with this, and if it means separating you and Gracie permanently for this to happen, so be it. I want this to become big. I want to start getting out all kinds of designs. Dresses, pants, shirts, shorts—anything! You name it, I want us to have designs at the ready. Let’s make this known.” Jane’s sea green eyes moved away from Juliet once again, and over to me, where her smile became a bit mischievous. “I’m sure Theo wouldn’t mind getting it out there, would you, darling? Free steampunk designs, made by your friend here. Anything you want, any time. Just wear the clothes and get people interested.”

My eyes grew wide. “I . . . I would love that.”

“I have one request, however,” she said, and as she slowly began pacing around me, my heart began to thud inside my chest. Usually, when Jane had a request, it was something that was going to make me uncomfortable. Anything she wanted me to do involved fashion, and that wasn’t my thing. “It’s going to take a few months to get these designs created and ready for a fashion show, but I want to give Juliet her own fashion show to debut this entire new look. Would you be interested in being one of the models for this show?”

Juliet sucked in a gush of air as my throat almost immediately closed up entirely. “Theo, that’d be incredible! Just think how much fun we’d have! It would be different from normal things because, I mean, it’s what you love wearing!”

She had a very valid point, and I knew it meant a lot to her. While getting my picture taken as I walked a certain way down a long runway didn’t seem pleasant . . . at all . . . the idea wasn’t as horrifying as usual.

So, I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

Juliet squealed and threw her arms around me, nearly knocking me over in the massive heels I had on. “You’re the best! Since this was just the prototype, you can keep this entire outfit.”
Jane let out a pleased sigh and turned away from us. “You two should go out and celebrate. After all, Juliet, this is your first fashion show that’s completely yours.”

“I know!” Juliet squealed, and she immediately began pulling me out of the room. “Thank you so much, Jane! You’re the best!”

I heard Jane laughing as the doors closed behind us, but I didn’t pay much attention to her. I was too focused on running without breaking my ankles in these heels.

Juliet suddenly stopped and turned to face me, her green eyes wide. “Will you come out with me tonight to celebrate? I know I promised I wouldn’t ask, but things are different. I’ve got my own show! I-I-I mean, thank you, so much, for agreeing to be in it and a part of it. This was all inspired by you, and I-I just want to celebrate with you.”

I grimaced. “Okay, Jules. I’ll celebrate with you tonight. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do.”

She let out another high pitched squeal as she pulled out her phone. “I’ll call Gracie now and tell her to have Adam bring a couple of his friends.”

My eyes grew wide once again, and I took a step back. “Oh no, no. I am not going out with any of his idiotic, steroid infused, pig headed friends. I won’t.”

I knew Juliet was pouting before she even turned to look at me. “Come on, Theo. I’m gonna have a date, and I don’t want you to feel like a third wheel.”

Niall immediately came to mind at the mention of having a date of my own, though I knew immediately that it was a horrible idea. But it was also a wonderful idea . . . and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I needed a date. He wanted to get drinks.

Before she could continue trying to persuade me, words began falling out of my mouth. “I-I won’t because I have a date.”

Shock was present on her face, but one eyebrow actually rose in disbelief. “Uh huh . . . you’re not just saying that so I won’t bring anyone, are you?”

I shook my head and started walking past her, past all the offices and back to the dressing room, where my bag was safely hidden away. Inside of my bag was my phone, and after digging it out, I pulled up a blank text to send to Niall.

“I’ll message him right now,” I said, and after taking a deep breath, that’s exactly what I did.

So . . . how about those drinks?