“You murdered them, Gall; you murdered the apples. You fuckingkilledthem – skin by skin; piece by piece.”
I opened my mouth to answer her, but stopped when my phonepinged.
I grabbed it off the table and read the text.
Shane:12 seconds! It’s time! So happy for you, kid.
I smiled and showed Zaira the text.
“So am I,” she said with a grin.
I placed the phone back on the table and woke up my laptop. Zaira and I both looked at the screen – at the countdown in progress on the officialUnder the Woodswebsite – and as the timer went 0:00:00, I felt my heart soar as my newest fashion line in collaboration with Natanya went live.
EXPRESShas been something I’ve wanted to bring to life ever since I started dating Zaira. Her personality, her dressing sense, her talents – they’ve all contributed to this line.
EXPRESSis all about being unique and fierce andtrue. It’s about making a statement when out and about, whilst also sticking to one’s roots and signature dressing style. It’s a women-only, plus-size line, and is dedicated to every Zaira out there who wants her voice to be heard; her boldness to be seen.
When I’d told Kenneth about the idea during our press tour, he’d suggested I discuss it with his sister.
Natanya Barnes didn’t shy away from diversity, and when her and I joined forces,EXPRESStook form. And God, was I proud of what we’d achieved together.
“Oh-my-God! Things are selling out already, babe!” Zaira said as she scrolled through the various outfits in theEXPRESSrange.
I looked at the screen, and sure enough, a lot of the casualwear was rapidly selling out.
“There goes another one.” She giggled. “This is so fun!”
I laughed. “It’s all thanks to the endless promotion we’ve been doing for weeks.”
“And also your face-magic,” she added. “Under the Woodsisyourbrand, and you’ve got a crazy ton of female fans. Of course they wanna buy all your new stuff. I’m sure they’re thinking more about taking selfies in these clothes and tagging you in them than actually wearing good-quality apparels.”
I smirked. “Jealous?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not a chance. I’m way past that amateur bullshit.”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “You rock, babe,” I told her.
She batted her lashes at me. “Oh, I know.”
Ping.
I shook my head at Zaira before opening the message.
Kenneth:Dude, Amara and Zaira are rocking the EXPRESS collection outfits. No wonder your web designer didn’t want us to see the page until the release. I’m feeling a lot of things right now as I continue to stare at my wife in all these clothes, G – things that can quite possibly give Isaac a sibling.
I laughed.
BecauseEXPRESSis dedicated to the plus-size female audience, I’d asked Amara and Zaira to be the product models for every item in the range. We have casuals, formals, sportswear, nightwear, occasional, seasonal, lingerie –everything. The clothes are available in a variety of designs and colors to match the vibrant personalities out there, which is an added bonus.
Zaira and Amara had been hesitant in modelling for a couple of things, but with little motivation from me and the others, they’d rocked the cameras and their respective shoots with natural confidence and grace.
I typed a response to Kenneth.
Me:TMI, man.
Kenneth:Don’t act like you’re not feeling the same about Zaira’s photos.
I glanced at my girl, and found her eyes glued to the laptop screen.
