Stitch Us Back Together (Kamasia) - Crazy4Kameron
A/N:This fic has truly been a labour of love. Iâm so happy to finally be able to release the first part, even though this thing was meant to be a short little one shot. It managed to grow and somehow get away from me and now here we are. I really hope that you all love this story as much as I do. Please leave a kudo or a message and let me know what you think. I really do love to know if I need to improve on anything and what is working! xoxoxo A huge thank you to @mistressaq and @opalescent-cheetah for beta-ing and brainstorming with me, and always being my cheerleaders.
summary:Kameron would do anything to make Asia happy, and that includes going to a sewing class that is being taught by one of her idols. But when she finds out that Asiaâs design school is holding a contest that allows the winner to have their designs showcased by Asiaâs idol she will do whatever it takes to get her to enter. Even if it means going behind Asiaâs back and praying that their relationship can handle it.
It was like any other day for Asia, sitting behind the reception desk at the St.Charles Complex. She was flipping through the pages of the catalogue of upcoming classes when she noticed it. She couldnât believe her eyes at first, but knew that if this was true that she had to tell Kameron. Immediately. Asia knew she wasnât supposed to leave the desk unattended but it had been dead almost all day and this was an emergency - at least in her mind it was. Asia put up a small Sorry be back shortly sign and took off running towards the gym. She knew at this time of day Kameron would be in the middle of a training session, but she needed her, she was freaking out and there was no one else she wanted to tell more than her girlfriend.
Asia whipped open the door to the gym and saw Kameron thankfully standing near the front desk chatting with a few of her colleagues.
âKameron. Bianca. Sewing. Here.â Was all Asia could manage while trying to catch her breath. Kameron and everyone else just stared at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. Kameronâs face was dripping in terror that something terrible had happened.
Kameronâs mind reeled. Oh my god! Something must be seriously wrong for Asia to leave the desk, she never leaves the desk. What if something happened to one of her little sisters? Or maybe something happened to Blair? Oh GOD I really hope Blair is okay. Please let Blair be okay. Wait did she just say Bianca? WHO IS BIANCA? She doesnât know anyone named Bianca that I know of. Â
âBitch, did you just run here?â Vanjie asked.
âI didnât even know she knew how to run.â Scarlet chimed in.
Kameron whipped her head around to give them a pointed look. Scarlet raised her hands in mock surrender.
âOh my god babe, whatâs wrong?â Kameron put her hand on Asiaâs back, trying to calm not only Asia but herself. âJust breathe baby.â Kameron gently rubbed her hand in circles on Asiaâs back the same way Asia had done for her so many times before. This was mostly to calm herself and help her from letting her thoughts carry her away on a terrible spiral. Kameron reached over the desk and grabbed her water bottle, offering it to Asia, who waved her hand to say no thanks. Â
Asia took a few deep breaths then excitedly started waving around the catalogue in her hand.
âBianca Del Rio is going to be teaching a sewing class HERE!!â she screeched out the last syllable, unable to hold back her excitement anymore.
Kameron had to take a step back as Asia began to bounce excitedly on the spot. âYouâre telling me you ran all the way here, just to tell me that?â There was a distinctly unimpressed look on Kameronâs face. âI thought there was an actual emergency Asia! You scared the shit out of me running in here like that.â
Asiaâs excitement quickly died when she saw how upset her girlfriend was, and she realized that Kameronâs anxiety must be going through the roof right now. âIâm sorry sweetheart. I didnât mean to scare you.â
Asia reached up to push a piece of hair behind Kameronâs ear, running her thumb along Kamâs jaw. This always seemed to instantly calm Kam down and earn Asia a few points back after saying or doing the wrong thing. Asia knew it had worked when Kameronâs eyes shut and she instinctively melted into her touch. Â Â
âGross, get a room you two. No one wants to see your lovey-dovey honeymoon phase.â Plastique gagged, pretending to throw up.
âYou just pressed cause no one wants you,â Vanjie pointed out.
âAnd you only find it cute cause youâre lucky enough to have Brooke,â Plastique quipped.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean? You donât think Iâm good enough for Brooke? Vanjieâs tone had begun to rise. Her infamously short fuse had been lit and it was only a matter of time before she went off.
âI donât think anyone is trying to say that youâre not good enough for me, babe.â Brooke tried to discreetly hold Vanjie back.
âNO, she better apologize now!!â Vanjieâs voice grew more high pitched by the second.
Plastique, not about to be wrongly accused of something, fired back, âFor what?! I literally didnât even say anything mean or rude about you or your girlfriend!â
âWhy canât we all just bottle our feelings like normal people?â Brooke pleaded, trying to bring the argument to an end.
Asia gave Kameron a look of are you going to stop this?, shifting her eyes between Kameron and the fight that was about to break out. Kameron knew that she needed to put an end to this before it got out of hand, she just needed to find the confidence to do it.
âHey, guys.â Kameron tried, but she was barely heard over all the yelling.
âHey, guys.â She tried again this time a little louder but to no avail. So she took a deep breath to center herself and gave it everything that she had. âWOULD YOU TWO IDIOTS SHUT UP!!!â
Everyone fell silent and just stared at Kameron, surprised that she had been the one to yell.
âThank you. Now that I have your attention, can you all please take your little argument out of the gym, so I can talk to my girlfriend before she gets fired for abandoning the reception desk. And so our clients donât think that a bunch of children work here.â Kameron put her hands on her hips to show that she wasnât playing around. The girls, knowing not to get on Kameronâs bad side, cleared out of the gym or else went about work they were supposed to have been doing anyway.
âWow, that was seriously impressive and kinda hot, Iâm not gonna lie.â Asia gave Kameron a sly smile and a wink that turned Kameron three shades of pink, before wrapping her arms around Kameronâs waist. Â
She play-smacked Asiaâs arm. âWould you be serious please, and tell me what got you so excited you had to run here in the middle of your shift?â
âOh, I almost forgot! I was flipping through next monthâs catalogue and The Bianca Del Rio is teaching a sewing class here!â Asia squealed with excitement, picking up the aforementioned catalogue from the desk. She held it out in both hands towards Kameron, with the biggest smile on her face.
Kameron took the book and quickly flipped through to see when this class was, "Okay, I donât know who that is, but clearly you are very excited about it.â Kameron looked at the date the class was scheduled and did a quick mental check of her and Asiaâs schedule to see if they were available.
âIâm pretty sure that weâre both free on this day. Do you want to go to the class?â Kameron asked, already knowing the answer.
âAre you serious? Of course I want to go!!â Asia was elated. Kameron had never seen Asia so happy before. She knew that she made Asia happy, but not like this. She had never seen Asia glow with such pure joy and excitement before, and it was at that moment, Kameron knew that she would do anything to make Asia that happy.
âOkay well you should really get back to desk babe, before there is a real emergency and you get fired.â Kameron leaned over to give Asia a kiss, which she quickly followed with a second.
âIâll see you tonight then?â Asia asked heading towards the door.
âOf course, Iâll be counting the minutes.â Kameron winked, making Asia blush.
                          ââââââââââ
As the day grew nearer, Asiaâs excitement seemed to be dying down. Over the past week or so, whenever Kameron would mention the class, Asia would smile and say she was excited, but her eyes didnât shine quite as bright and she always seemed to try and change the topic. She seemed to be in her head a lot more, and it appeared like there was always something that she wanted to tell Kameron, but never did.
They were out for lunch on their shared day off, at a local pizza place when Kameron finally brought it up.
âSo Iâve been meaning to ask you something lately, just never got the chance.â Kameron tried to sound casual, but she was scared shitless on the inside.
âWhatâs that babe?â Asia asked over a bite of her pizza.
âIs everything alright? You just seem a little out of it and distant lately, and itâs starting to scare me a little. Iâm starting to think that maybe I did something or said something to upset you.â Kameron couldnât hide her nerves any longer and began to bite her lip and stare down at the table.
Asiaâs heart almost broke. She knew that she had been a little more in her head and stressed about things lately, but she never realized that Kameron would have thought that it was her fault. Asia did her best to hide all of her stress and self-doubt from Kameron. âOh no baby, it has nothing to do with you.â Asia reached across the table to take Kameronâs hand. âI promise you Iâm just stressed about school and midterms is all, thereâs nothing to worry about.â Asia smiled at the beautiful woman across from her. âYou know I have that design project due next week.â
âAre you sure?â Kameron asked, wiping at the tears on her cheeks with the back of her free hand.
âOf course babe, I promise that you havenât done anything to upset me.â Still smiling at her girlfriend, Asia gently put her hand under Kameornâs chin so she could look her in the eye. âWhatever is going on with me has nothing to do with you. Understand?â
Kameron only nodded and gave a gentle smile.
                              ââââââ
Kameron felt a little better after the talk she had had with Asia, but something was still bugging her about the situation. So on her break a few days later, she decided to talk to someone who knew Asia even better than she did.
Kameron was apprehensive at first, but still she knocked on the doorframe. âHey MonĂŠt, do you have a minute?â
âYeah sure girl, whatâs up?â MonĂŠt had just finished her rounds and was now sitting behind her desk watching the security cameras.
âWell, itâs just that, lately, I donât know, Asiaâs been acting kinda weird and like Iâm  not entirely sure why. I asked her about it the other night and she said it was cause of school stuff stressing her out, but it just seems like there is something else going on and I thought you might know.â Kameron managed to get the words out, with some difficulty, eyes shifting and heart pounding so loud she was sure that MonĂŠt could hear it from where she was sitting.
âFirst of all, you need to calm down baby, everything will be alright. Youâre not the only one thatâs noticed. And I canât believe that she told you it was just school stuff,â MonĂŠt said in disbelief, she was stunned that Asia would lie to Kameron like that.
âWait, so it isnât midterms stressing her out? Asia lied to me?â Kameron couldnât believe her ears. She could actually feel her heart breaking. The burning tears started to prickle at the corners of her eyes, and her voice cracked when she spoke. âWhy would she lie to me? I thought she trusted me?â
MonĂŠt could see the panic that suddenly washed over Kameronâs face and knew she needed to right the situation quickly. âKam baby, Asia really cares about you, and Iâm sure she just didnât want you to freak out and worry about all her personal stuff. Thatâs all.â She also knew that Kameron deserved to know the truth. âLook, if you really want to know whatâs going on with Asia, Iâll tell you.â
Kameron figured the answer was already written on her face, barely able to hold the tears back. âYes please.â
âOne of Asiaâs classmates gave her a flyer about a competition that they think she should enter. Something about the winner having their design used by Bianca in her next show. I guess theyâve been hounding her about it for a while now, and Asia is just really on the fence about the whole thing.â MonĂŠt finished waving her hands about.
âWell I mean that totally makes sense now, why sheâs been so stressed, but I still donât understand why she never told me about this.â
MonĂŠt held out her palms in a shrug. âThatâs something youâd have to ask her, baby girl.â
âOh, I intend to.â Kameronâs hands were curling into fists. She wanted answers.
âThe only reason I found out is that I saw her going through some of her design sketches and muttering about how none of them are good enough,â MonĂŠt remarked. âLike seriously, all of her designs are amazing and everyone can see that but her.â
Kameron took a steady breath in. âWell my break is just about over, but thanks for telling me all that. I have a lot to think about now, before I talk to Asia later.â
âGood luck girlâ MonĂŠt yelled as Kameron waved goodbye and went back to the gym. It was a slow day which would have normally bothered her, but today it gave her the time she needed to figure out what she was going to say to Asia.
 âââââ
At the end of the work day, Kameron was finally on her way to talk to Asia about the information she had found out earlier.
"Hey babe! Did you have a good day?â Asia couldnât help but beam as she saw Kameron. As Kameron got closer though, Asia could see that she wasnât smiling. She was biting her lip, and appeared to be in deep thought about something, which fired off a spark of worry in Asia.
âHey,â was all Kameron could muster as she approached the desk, putting her bag on the counter.
Asia couldnât hide the concern in her voice. âWhatâs wrong? Did something happen at work?â
âYou could say that.â Kameron tried to hold back her anger. âI went to talk to MonĂŠt today on my break.â Kameron watched confusion cross Asiaâs face. She continued, âI was curious to see if âschool stuffâ was really the only thing bothering you latelyâ not that I donât trust you,â Kameron almost sneered. âBut it turns out that I do have a reason not to trust you. I found out that you lied to me!â By this point Kameron couldnât hold back the anger and betrayal that she felt. âYou lied to me Asia! WHY!?â Kameron knew that she already had tears spilling from her eyes and could see the mixture of hurt and anger that was plastered all over Asiaâs face.
âOkay hold on a minute. If you thought that I was still hiding something, then why didnât you just come to me?â Not that it isnât obvious why she hadnât come to me. Why did I ever think that I could hide this from her?
âBecause I knew that you wouldnât tell me the truth even if I asked you about it. And I had to be sure, so I went to MonĂŠt, I figured if anyone would know it would be her.â Kameron let out a frustrated sigh. âI was worried about you, Asia. I canât believe youâd lie to me over something so stupid. Why didnât you just tell me about the competition?â Kameronâs shoulders shook as tears continued to stream down her cheeks, her whole body stiff with tension.
Asia looked down at the desk, guilt washing over her. âIâm sorry,â she could only whisper. âIt was stupid of me but.. .it felt so trivial. I didnât want you worrying about my personal shit.â
âIâm your girlfriend, Asia! Iâm here to worry about your personal shit. I know your life isnât rainbows and unicorns all the fucking time, life gets messy, but I want to help you with stuff. Even if itâs just something as small as a design competition. I want to be there for you.â Kameron reached over to grab Asiaâs hands and squeeze them tight. âSo please⌠donât push me away like that again.â
Asia had also started to cry, but didnât know when. âOkay, I promise I wonât push you away anymore.â She was so touched by how much Kameron cared about her, and had also thought that she just needed to be there to protect her from the world. In the process, sheâd forgotten that sometimes itâs okay to lean on someone else.
Kam reached up to wipe away the tears falling down Asiaâs soft cheeks. âYouâre always there for me whenever Iâm having a bad day and have always been so good about accommodating my anxiety. Sometimes I just feel so useless, you donât always have to be the one helping me. I want to be able to help you, too. Iâm not some fragile little girl thatâs going to break if you need to vent to me about things.â
âI know youâre not fragile and that I can talk to you, I just worry about your anxiety and overwhelming you. But I promise that I will start telling you about things that are weighing on my mind more often.â Asia leaned over the desk to give Kameron a quick kiss, before promising her that she would try harder to open up. She had to stop thinking that she needed to take on the world alone.
âNow can I see some of those sketches youâre so worried about?â Kameron suggested. âIâm sure that one of them is more than good enough to enter.â
âWell, I donât know. I mean I guess you can look through my sketchbook, but itâs back at my place.â Asia was always unsure about letting people see her work, but she did just promise to let Kameron in more.
âSo am I driving or are you? You know I could always stay the night⌠if you want.â Kameron gave Asia a wink, wiggling her eyebrows.
Asia came around the desk and wrapped Kameron in a tight hug. When they pulled away Asia kept her hand on the redheadâs waist, pulling her close. âYou know that sounds good right about now. And maybe I can show you how sorry I am for keeping this from you.â To accentuate her meaning Asia slowly slid her hands down Kameronâs toned ass and gave a quick squeeze. Kamâs eyes went wide as she sucked in a sudden shocked breath, a playful smile forming on her full lips.
âWell I was really hurt when I found out you lied to me, so you might need to work really hard to make it up to me.â Kameron gently breathed out, before kissing Asiaâs pouty lips.
âWell letâs get out of here then. It sounds like this is going to take a while."
                            âââââ
That night they were curled up in Asiaâs bed, Kameron tucked up under Asiaâs arm, looking at the designs that Asia had considered entering into the competition. Asia just wasnât happy with anything that she had drawn and in her mind nothing she did would ever stand up to Biancaâs quality of work. Kameron knew that this was wrong and that anyone of those designs would win the competition for sure. Knew that all of Asiaâs perfectionist and professional ways, made all of her designs beyond magnificent, and that no matter what Asia said she needed to enter that competition. Kam had a plan and she hoped that Asia would forgive her for it, in the end.
   âââââââ
Kameron suspected that Asia wouldnât be in any condition to drive that night, she had been sending her nervous texts all day, and was afraid that if Asia drove she might chicken out at the last minute. So Kameron told her that she would drive. Kameron picked her up at around 5 pm and spent most of the car ride listening to Asiaâs excited chatter. Asia had no idea her sketches were in Kameronâs bag, neatly tucked away in a plastic folder (she seriously needed to thank MonĂŠt for that one).
When they finally got to the class, Kameronâs nerves were only eased by the pure excitement Asia had as she gushed over the sewing machines and picking the perfect table. Now, all Kameron had to do was find a moment alone with Bianca. When Bianca finally appeared Kameron thought that Asia was going to have a stroke. Just breathe baby, everythingâs going to be alright. Bianca will love you and you are going to do amazing in this class, Kameron whispered into Asiaâs ear, squeezing her hand tight. She could feel her skin prickling with nerves and anticipation; would Asia be mad? Or would she be grateful? What would Bianca think? Kameron had already anxiously run through all the ways this could possibly go wrong in her head, but despite all that, she still had chosen to go through with it.
They were about half way through the class when Kameron saw her perfect opportunity. Knowing she may not get another chance, after making sure Asia was fully immersed in her project, Kameron walked to the front where Bianca was sitting at a table, watching everyone work.
âUuummm, excuse me?â Kameron was so nervous she could barely get out more than a whisper.
âDid you just say something?â Bianca looked up at her, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.
Kameron cleared her throat and took a deep breath before trying again. âAh, yeah sorry. I donât mean to bother you, but my girlfriend is a huge fan of yours, and I was wondering if you could look at some of her designs. One of her classmates told her that she should enter the contest youâre holding, but she doesnât think any of her designs are good enough, so I was hoping that maybe if you look at them and see how good they are you could tell her yourself. I know that would mean so much to her.â
âOkay first take a breath before you pass out on me, because I really donât feel like having to explain why a fully muscled and tattooed lesbian, was taking my sewing class instead of building a shed." Â
Kam did take a breath, not quite knowing if she should be offended.
"Second, does your girlfriend know that you have these sketches of hers? Because you know I donât mind looking at them but I really donât feel like getting in the middle of a lovers quarrel.â
âUumm, well no she doesnât exactly know that I took them, but like I said beforeâ"
"Look, you seem like a nice girl and you clearly have good intentions, so why donât we go tell your girlfriend about your little plan, and then Iâll look at those sketches.â Bianca made a gesture, like she was waiting for Kameron to walk back to her table.
Kameron had planned for this, had done her best to mentally prepare for this moment. Either Asia was going to be super pissed and pull her out into the hallway to scream at her, or she was just going to kill her and leave her for dead on the side of the road.
Asia was still completely immersed in her project when Kameron sat back down next to her, Bianca following close behind.
âHey babe, that looks so amazing,â Kameron stammered. Asia still didnât stop what she was doing, or look up. Kameronâs palms were sweating, and her breathing was beginning to get faster. She was really praying that this didnât completely blow up in her face. âSo I have a surprise for you.â
Stopping what she was doing to finally look, Asia realized that Bianca was standing only a few steps behind Kameronâs chair. A surprised look crossed Asiaâs face, before she realized that Kameron looked like she was about to pass out.
âOH MY GOD BABE!! Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Is your anxiety getting to you? Oh shit and here I am so caught up in my work that I didnât even notice.â
Before Kameron could answer, the woman who had been patiently waiting behind her spoke up. âI do believe your girlfriend is just shitting her pants, because she came up with, in my personal opinion, a horrible plan to try and convince you to enter my contest.â
âWhat is she talking about Kameron?â Asia was now looking confusedly between her girlfriend and her idol.
âWell, you know how much I care about you, and that I would do anything to see you happy. And I just really wanted to do something that would show you how much I care. So I may have convinced MonĂŠt to steal some of your sketches, so I could give them to Bianca in person and have her tell you herself how amazing your work is.â
Asiaâs eyebrows shot up and Kameronâs heart thudded faster. Oh no. Oh no sheâs pissed, I need to explain myself more. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK! But people are starting to stare. God why do people have to stare?
âBecause it really is amazing and you always seem to think that itâs not, and I just really wanted you to have as much confidence in yourself as I have in you. Kinda like the way that youâre always pushing me to have confidence in myself.â Â
Tears were streaming down Kameronâs cheeks at this point, she didnât know when they had started, only that she wanted to crawl under the table and die. She couldnât stand the way that Asia was looking at her and she thought that maybe if she kept trying to explain herself that eventually Asia would understand. Before Kameron could open her mouth to continue though, she felt a hand come from behind her to grab her shoulder, and watched as Asia got up from the table and stormed out the door, most of the class trying not to look up from their projects.
âOkay sweetheart, remember what I already told you about breathing. Just keep breathing. She needs a few minutes to process what you just told her. The rest of you please just go back to your own work. The poor girl doesnât need your snoopy asses watching her.â Biancaâs voice cut through the clouds of Kameronâs anxiety, but still sounded like it was far away.
    âââââââ
Asia was fuming, she didnât know what to think. She was both hurt and touched at the same time by Kameronâs actions. She felt like she was being ripped apart inside.
How dare Kameron do something like this behind my back! What did she think she was playing at? I told her numerous times that I didnât want to enter that contest, and she got my roommate involved? When would MonĂŠt have even given Kameron the sketches? But then again she put so much thought into trying to make me happy. And it took a lot of nerve to do what she did, and God I love that girl. Asia leaned against the wall and slowly slid down as the anger that she was feeling started to dissipate. Remembering the look in Kameronâs eyes as she tried to explain everything, the way she could see her anxiety taking over. Part of her wanted to run back in there and wrap her arms around Kameron, tell her that it was okay and that she didnât need to worry. Another part of her knew that she needed to put herself first sometimes, and that she had a right to be angry with Kameron right now. She had violated her trust and gone behind her back.
Asia didnât know how long she had been sitting on the floor in the hallway, but suddenly there was the shadow of someone standing over her. As she looked up, she quickly realized that Kameron was standing there silently wiping tears from her eyes. Asia said nothing, unsure if she was ready to talk to Kameron yet.
âIâIâm sorry.â Kameronâs voice was barely more than a whisper. Kameron took a deep breath, like the ones Blair had taught her to take. Kameronâs anxiety must have been high, but she clearly needed to speak her feelings, so Asia silently patted the floor next to her. As Kameron sat down Asia reached out to grab her hand, hoping this would help ease some of the anxiety the other girl felt. Â
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, almost waiting to see who would speak first. Kameron decided that she should seize the chance to say something. âI know that youâre mad at me, and I can understand why. I just thought that no matter how much I begged you and told you how good your work was, youâd still never enter that contest.â Â
âYouâre damn right Iâm mad at you! I told you that I didnât want to enter that contest!â Asia snapped. âBut you went behind my back and did it anyway.â
âI know.â Kameron turned to face Asia. âAnd I should have just listened to you. I wish I would have listened to you. IâI just thoughtâthat maybe you didnât want to enterâbecause you didnât have enough confidence in your work.â
âWhether I had confidence in my work or not isnât the point right now Kameron. You betrayed my trustâ you AND MonĂŠt. You dragged my roommate into this, when you both knew my wishes and still you went against me. I thought of all people, I could trust you, but I guess I was wrong.â The fire in Asia was going out, now she only felt disappointed and heartbroken.
âYou can trust me! Iâm sorry. I promise Iâll never do anything like this again, Iâll never go against your wishes.â The desperation in her voice was so thick, she could feel it in her tears as they rolled down her cheeks.
âI donât want to hear it right now Kam. Iâm calling a Lyft and going home.â Â Asia got up off the cold hard floor.
âNoâ you paid for your seat in that class, at least stay to the end. You were so excited, remember? Iâll leave and call you a ride for when the class gets out.â Kameron gave a sad smile, getting up from her place on the floor. âThe Asia I know is no quitter.â Kameron said over her shoulder, walking back towards the classroom to gather her things, leaving Asia to cry alone on the floor.
As Kameron walked back into the classroom, Bianca looked up from where she was helping someone out, to see Kameron grabbing her things, a defeated expression painted on her face. She excused herself, so that she could have a word with the girl, before she left.
âI know I said that I donât want to get in the middle of a loversâ quarrel, but if those sketches meant enough to you to completely ruin your relationship, they must be good. Mind if I see them?â
Kameron nodded and pulled the folder from her bag, handing it to Bianca with a sad attempt at a smile. It took Bianca less than a minute to realize the sketches were amazing, and thought that if Asia would have entered them, they would have been a shoe-in to place high, possibly even to win.
Not wanting to give Kameron any false hopes, she only nodded and asked if she could borrow them, saying that she would give them back to their rightful owner, when she returned to class. Kameron agreed and left, looking broken-hearted.
âââ-
Asia had made sure that Kameron was gone before returning to class and sitting down in front of her almost finished project. Still overwhelmed by all that had just happened, all she could do was sit there staring at the machine, almost like she couldnât remember how it worked.
Her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat, next to her work station.
âI know that itâs none of my business, but why exactly did you decide not to enter the competition?â Bianca asked.
Asia realized she was holding the folder with her sketches. The sight of it made her grit her teeth.
âBecause I have to tell you,â Bianca continued. âThat these are really very good. And before you say anything, I asked your girlfriend for them before she left. I was curious to see if your talents were really as good as she seemed to think.â The woman eyed her up very seriously. âI donât compliment people often. So you know that Iâm not bullshitting you.â
Asia relaxed a little, knowing all too well that getting a compliment from The Bianca del Rio was something to celebrate. âThank you.â Asia blushed, and filed this moment away in her memory to tell Kameron, once things were hopefully resolved. âThe reason I didnât want to enter the contest is because, well, because the first time that people see my workâŚâ Asia looked down at the sewing project she had been working on, and unconsciously began playing with the edges. âI want it to be in my own show.â
Bianca nodded. âI can understand that. I was the same way when I was young, but everyone has to start somewhere. Not even I, the great Bianca del Rio, saw my own clothing in a showcase all my own right out of the gate.â This made Asia giggle a little and a small smile spread across her lips. âI know that it might be hard to believe, but I was an apprentice at one point in my career and my mentor is the one who finally gave me my big break. So just work hard and before you know it, youâll be showing off your very own clothing line soon enough.â Bianca playfully bumped Asiaâs shoulder. âAlso, this may just be my unasked for opinion, but you should forgive your girlfriend.â Bianca placed the folder on the table next to Asia. âI put my card in there, you know just in case you change your mind about entering the contest. Or if you ever need anything.â
âThank you so much!â Asia perked up, eyes lighting up with admiration for the woman standing in front of her. She knew that she had a lot to think about tonight.
With that, Asia placed the folder with Biancaâs card in her bag and went outside to call a Lyft. True to her word, Kameron had already called her one and it was waiting for her when she got out of class. Sitting in the back of her Lyft, phone still in her hand, she looked back at their most recent text conversation. Just a few hours ago, everything had been normal. Kameron was asking if Asia wanted her to pick up fries on her way over. Asia took a deep breath and closed out of their chat. She knew that she wanted to talk things out with Kameron, but she knew it would be best if she waited until the morning.



















