Coming Clean by Jen Trinh

Author:Jen Trinh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: asian american romance, goth fashion designer actor, los angeles la romance novel, asian representation in media romance, fake scandal lies hollywood romance
Publisher: Jen Trinh
Published: 2023-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Di

My eyes do another lap across the spread of drawings: one alone at the top of the desk, four in a row underneath. Each one has its charms, but which would Darien prefer?

I let my hand drift over the designs. It lingers over one, the one at the top.

I gather the bottom four drawings and toss them into my portfolio. Just as I finish zipping it up, there’s a knock. I leap towards the door and pull it open, trying not to stare at Darien as he enters the apartment, doused in expensive bear repellent, with perfectly tousled hair like he’s just stepped off of a private jet.

Except that there’s a small yellow stain on his ivory-white polo.

I close the door and point at the yellow splotch on his huge chest. “Hot dogs for dinner?”

He looks down at himself. “That’s puke, not mustard. My nephew’s.”

“Ah. He smelled your cologne?”

“Funny. It’s Clive Christian,” he says, as if that means anything to me. “They’re one of my sponsors.”

He sweeps his gaze around the room before taking a seat on the orange futon and staring up at me. “Is this your bed?”

I cross my arms and secretly wipe my hands off on my shirt, but they’re still sweaty. “Not recently.”

One thick brow rises in question.

“I haven’t slept much these past couple of days.”

I grab the sketch from the desk and sit down next to him, ignoring the heat coming off of him, or the way his eyes beckon to mine. With a quick, quiet breath, I flip the page around and show him.

“The Met Gala theme this year is the Military Invasion of Fashion, so I created a look that weaves together elements of military uniforms, Prince Charming, Chinese formal dress, and my own darker, edgier aesthetic. I’ve heard that Eliza’s wearing a pale pink dress with crystalline epaulets, so I wanted something that would emphasize your shoulders too, but with a different silhouette. So this is a jet-black, open topcoat, with mandarin collar and black trim. The shoulders are detailed with overlapping layers that will be lightly ruched to resemble pauldrons, which will give a nod to Eliza’s outfit without making you look too similar. Inside, there’s a black folded tunic shirt with a complementary low collar, as well as fitted, tapered pants with ribbed accents. Everything will be made of some mix of wool and organic cotton.” Materials that I already have on hand, because shopping for new ones would take too much time.

I hand him the sketch and unlock my phone to show him some photos, wishing for the eightieth time that I had a more professional setup. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to use Jill or someone else to style the look, but I took the liberty of putting together some options. We could pair it with these boots from Yin Yoto, some combination of these rings from John Wallace, and this triple-wrap leather bracelet and black ingot amulet from Karlotta Polnick.”

He scans everything I show him with a small frown, and I can’t tell what it means.

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