AllFreeNovel
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The couch was half-covered in pink, yellow, and white stripes, and half-draped in a mulberry silk. Cotton in a creamy ivory puddled in the seat of the armchair, its back wearing gray crushed velvet like a cape. Scraps in a cascade of shades and textures spotted the floor and area rug, fashion confetti. And at the center of the room, a dress form held court, blocking the television.
On it was a black dress spotted with large sunflowers, sleeveless with knotting at the chest over a small peekaboo hole. Beneath its metal legs, Monty snoozed, little bows of fabric tied around each of his paws.
“Soph?” Allison set her stuff down on the floor and glanced around. The room was quiet except for the low hum of the TV and Monty’s little scritches against the floor as he ran in his sleep.
Things with Allison and Sophie had been tense since their talk about Colin, though on the rare occasions they were both home, they pretended otherwise.
Feet drummed the stairs. “Hey.” Black fabric was thrown over Sophie’s head, more bunched in her arms, making her resemble a nun.
“You’ve outgrown your room, huh?” Allison joked.
Something clouded Sophie’s face. “Yeah. Sorry. I have to get a ton of stuff done before the weekend.” As she swept by, Allison’s nose filled with Sophie’s cinnamon scent. “I have an interview in Boston.”
She might as well have shoved Excalibur through Allison’s insides. “That’s great!” She tried hard to sound excited. “With whom?”
“Kisses and Hugs. They’re a relatively up-and-coming plus-sized label. Eric’s friends with one of their lead designers, and he gave them my sketches. They called me.”
Allison’s eyes widened. “The Viking has connections?”
“I know he can be a Neanderthal, but he’s fun. And he’s a model so he knowseveryone.”
Allison swallowed hard against the burn of loneliness that crawled up her throat. “It sounds like a fantastic opportunity.” She knelt in front of Monty and pulled the floppy animal into her lap. At least her puppy wouldn’t outgrow her. Allison had all the food.
Sophie watched her, fussing with the yard of mulberry silk. “Would you have time to model some things for me tomorrow?”
Allison’s head snapped her way. “Really?”
“I’ll be bringing the garments, obviously, but it’s always great to be able to show them on an actual body, too. And you’re an excellent model.”
She recognized the olive branch Sophie was extending, but the pettier, pretzel-levels-of-salty part of Allison didn’t want to do anything to help her friend leave her. An inner battle of biblical proportions commenced.
“How long do you think it would take? I have a big presentation in my TA class next week.” That was the truth, at least. Whether Colin showed up for his own lecture tomorrow or not, Allison’s would happen next week. She needed to review it at least three more times and give it some final tweaks.
Sophie frowned. “I thought we could make a night of it. Just the two of us. Order Chinese and Thai”—a long-standing tradition for them, since they could never decide which they wanted more—“watch swoony movies.”
Allison pressed her hands to her center, trying to quell the ache blooming there. It sounded perfect. Exactly what they needed.
“But we can make it quick if you’re too busy with school and Colin and whatever—”
“I’m not.” Allison’s voice squeaked.
“What did he do?”
The harshness in Sophie’s tone pulled Allison’s gaze to her face. “What?”
“I know that voice. The Colin-was-a-dick voice.”
Allison set Monty back in his bed of fabric beneath the dress form and rose to her feet. “He’s just got a lot going on and has been a little distant.”
Sophie surprised her by saying nothing. She only nodded.
Rubbing her palms against her legs, Allison made some excuse about craving her pajamas and headed for the stairs. Her mind was already writing a new WCS list.
WCS FOR YOUR BOYFRIEND IGNORING YOU DURING A CRISIS
He finds your presence stressful, not calming.
There’s someone else he’d rather be leaning on.
