“Together!” Lucia whisper-cheered and fake-clapped. “Oh my God, this is huge! Why would you tell me this while my child is sleeping and I have to be quiet? That’s so rude, I want to scream!”
“Sorry!” I smirked. “Now please, I need clothes.”
“You don’t want to meet your father in your club dress?”
“Christ, no.”
Lucia’s head fell back in a laugh. “Okay, follow me.” We walked through the bedroom, trying to be as silent as possible. To my left was Alexander, absolutely knocked out with a sprawled Gianna next to him, head on his chest. It was fucking precious. My heart thudded again.
Lucia looked all gooey-eyed at them before pushing us into the walk-in closet and closing the door behind us, flipping on the light.
“Woah,” I whispered. In front of me was about double the clothes I had seen before. Her wardrobe had grown significantly. It made a smile slide over my features, because Lucia was no longer making herself small, trying to not be a hassle.
She was taking up the damn space. And I was so proud of her.
“I love this for you,” I smiled.
“Alexander has a sugar daddy kink,” she giggled as I fake-puked. But it was in fact the cutest thing ever. He loved her so much, in their own quiet way. But it made my heart swell. Look at me, all gushy over watching people fall in love. Beginning-of-season me would have been pro ‘leave him!’ but maybe this whole relationship thing wasn’t the worst.
“Okay, what are we going for?” Lucia’s voice pulled me back.
“Casual but put together?” I replied. Lucia nodded seriously. The girl loved fashion. She was always dressed to impress, and while I leaned more casual, she leaned more polished. She pulled out a matching denim set, with tailored shorts and a long, tailored vest. I shook my head. Not me. Next, she pulled out a cotton dress. I also shook my head. Too casual. She tapped her pointer finger on her cheek.
“Oh, I’ve got it.” She started pulling things and putting them in my hands instead of holding them up to get my approval. She just dove in. I kind of loved it. First were cream-colored tailoredpants. Next was a high neck black tank. I looked at her unsure. She held up her finger telling me to wait.
“Accessories next. It’ll pull it together,” she explained. “Put it on, no complaining.” I held up my hands in defense and did as she said. I pulled on the outfit she’d handed me. The shirt was tight, the pants baggy and slightly long. She smiled, turned and looked through a small jewelry box, handed me a necklace, then went to her shoes all lined up on the wall. Red and white sneakers were plucked from the pile and thrown at me. I caught them with an umph before socks were thrown at my head with a laugh.
“Go on, put them on!”
“Stop throwing things at me!” I glared.
“You respond to aggression best,” Lucia smirked.
“It’s scary how much I’ve rubbed off on you,” I sighed. Lucia looked proud. The final look came together, after she pulled my hair into a semi messy but somehow put-together high ponytail hairstyle and gave me earrings. We tiptoed out of the closet and into the bathroom to look in the full-length mirror. She curled some pieces of my hair, letting little pieces come out, then pushed me toward the mirror.
“See?” she raised an eyebrow. She had somehow made a base outfit that was very Lucia coded, but still felt like me. I was highly impressed.
“Okay, you’re like, really good at this,” I said fiddling with little things on the outfit. The sneakers made it feel more casual than my usual heels. And while I loved pairing heels with things, this was an impressive outfit. And my feet were thankful to not be in the same heels as last night. I loved those sky high, strappy little things, but they were a rare-occasion type shoe because they were rather painful.
“Rude that you doubted me,” Lucia smiled.
“Honestly true, cause damn Luce. You ever thought about going into styling?”
She blushed and looked down. “Yeah, actually it was kinda my childhood dream. But I think I like dressing my friends most. Alexander loves fashion too, so going to shows and those fancy private events has been reigniting that dream. But I also love helping my parents with the business end of things for the Vineyard. Maybe one day I’ll do something small, but for now, it’s fun to just put together outfits!”
“I’m serious though, you’re crazy good at this. This feels so me, but it’s made of your own clothes. Didn’t think I would feel this powerful in sneakers. Usually, my heels and a bold lip are my secret weapon.”
“Now you have half a power suit and half casual. It’s like ‘day off’ Nicola. Still gorgeous and terrifying, maybe just a little shorter.” We laughed together at the last part, slapping hands over our mouths, trying to keep in the noise.
“You still have your red lip though, right? That’s a Moretti staple.”
“Yeah, in my purse. She comes with me everywhere, don’t worry!”
“Alright, I think you’re ready. Do you think your dad will be mad?” she asked.
“Not about me and Matteo, but about finding out after it hits the tabloids, maybe,” I sighed. “I feel really bad about that.”
I hated disappointing my father. I wanted him to trust I could make good decisions for my future, that I could stand on my own two feet. While I had been proving that, while I had found my place in the Moretti company with the Foundation, this nagged at me. I knew he was proud of me, of everything this past season. I also knew I shouldn’t have let him find out about it this way. Family being first was always a strongly-rooted motto in our household. If we got into trouble, we told our parents, and theywould help us through it. Better to work as a unit than to let the press and tabloids try to blow something up.
