I guess you might say that I wasn’t the one to get irredeemably hurt in the end.
I am, after all, still alive. It’s lucky for me that humiliation alone can’t kill you.
Cannes Film FestivalDay Seven
Constance
Tell me it’ssobad to want to be loved. So terrible to believe that a man like Dorian Fisher could want to be with someone like me. He had come tome, remember? After my bad breakup, I’d sworn off dating for three whole years. I’d focused on myself, on healing. My career was flying. Carly Wolf trusted me. She was taking me on styling trips more and more frequently.
I was going places, literally. I had been bruised and battered by my last relationship; Dorian’s attention was my payback. A reward for all my suffering.
Omar had summoned me for another styling session. It was for a charity gala, very highbrow. Very Dorian Fisher in Cannes. He was dressed and ready, hair perfectly in place, tan glowing. Fred from Tom Ford wasmuchnicer to me during the fitting. Dorian still hadn’t introduced me as his stylist, but he’d listened to me once again. That was enough.
Now, all eyes were on him as he made his way across the lobby, showing a hint of a smile to eager photographers screaming his name.
I missed him already, could still feel his touch from when we were intertwined on the floor of his suite. It had only happened once. I mean it had happened many times over that afternoon, but not since.
Meanwhile, Julie Lillie’s messages had gone from passive-aggressive to downright threatening. I’d postponed my meeting with Tyler twice already because I couldn’t focus long enough to get my act together for his next event. Marielle was sending me picture after picture of the pile of packages jamming her stockroom, none of which I replied to.
I would fix that. There was still time. But for now, there was Dorian.
Before heading off, he looked back at me.
“Omar will talk to you.”
His tone was businesslike, but I knew this was code forI’ll see you soon. My skin tingled all over, that Dorian was saying this in public.
I nodded. “I’ll get back to work.”
I don’t know why I said that, maybe to pretend that I wouldn’t spend every single minute until then thinking about him.
He glanced down at himself. “I’m all dressed.”
I didn’t have time to respond because I spotted Tyler across the lobby. He waved hello, all smiles. Dorian followed my gaze to him.
An usher tried to direct Dorian toward the door, but he didn’t move. He looked at me so intently that my mouth went dry.
“Hey!”
That was Tyler, coming in for a hug already. He smelled like the sun and natural soap.
“You’re a hard person to get ahold of,” he said with an awkward laugh. “I guess you’ve been busy.”
He turned to Dorian. “Hey, man. Nice to meet you. I’m a big fan.”
Dorian accepted the hand Tyler offered him, but there was none of his trademark charisma as he shook it.
“Always nice to hear,” Dorian said coolly.
Tyler looked from me to him. “So you also…” He gestured toward Dorian’s outfit. “I had no idea. You’re so secretive.”
I couldn’t utter a word, so Tyler kept talking.
“She’s good, isn’t she?” he said to Dorian.
He sounded so young, so blissfully innocent.
Especially compared to Dorian’s sudden ice-cold demeanor.
