Perfect Disguise

Something was odd.

I lowered the HD pencil and squinted at the plain dull sketch of a complicated dress. It was meant to be breathtaking and irresistible—not mobbed and covered with multiple parallel lines—I thought to myself. I sighed and stretched out my hands exhaustedly. Sketching three dimensional clothes designs was easy, but creating unique designs was the hardest part of being a senior fashion designer of a famous fashion company like Modern mode.

I straightened up, my spine pricked my ribs due to the stress of sitting on a thick leather surface of an office chair. I stretched a few designs—actually it was a lot of it—most of the time.

I know what you are thinking. My life must definitely be boring and I needed to get a life. Well, you aren’t wrong. After experiencing a lot of heartbreaks and disappointment, I realized I was better off burying myself in my job.

I jolted out of my thoughts when a knock echoed from my door. Emily walked into my office. She wore a buttoned-down plain black body-fitting dress. Her short black hair curved at the edges, it parted at the middle and tumbled around her petite face. She walked steadily in her peachy heels and sat before me.

She was a textiles designer. We had gotten very close since the moment I started working at Modern mode.

She tilted to an angle and asked, “stretching a new design?”

“Yea,” I bit the bottom of my pen, “I just need to think of something very unique.”

Although I loved my job, it took most of my time, especially times like this when the company wanted to launch a new fashion collection.

“Yeah, you aren’t the only one who feels that way,” she rubbed her forehead. “I’ve been trying to come up with a new idea, but oh my, I can’t just get over that kiss!”

Her cheek tainted with crimson redness. She cupped her face, looking dreamy and excited.

I smiled as I rolled my eyes. Oh yeah, the kiss. Emily’s crush, Ivan, finally kissed her. So, all I had been hearing was Ivan this, Ivan that. She has been crushing on Ivan for a long time, but didn’t know how to tell him. So being the good friend that I was, I set a date between the two and encouraged Emily to confess her feelings to him and boom! They ended up kissing.

Emily’s phone beeped, she brought it out and her eyes moved through the screen. I could tell who sent those messages by the pleasant smile on her face.

“Ivan just sent me a love sticker, he asked about my night and added a love sticker to it,” her eyes sparkled, “oh my gosh, he is so romantic!”

I lowered my gaze, my mind traveling through my memories. I was once like her until… Nevermind, Liam was already my past. I took a deep breath and looked back at Emily. She was still smiling at her

phone.

“So, you have finally left the single ladies association,” I joked.

She looked up. “Diana, you know you are single because you want to be, right?” She continued with a pout, “I mean you can have any guy you admire without even lifting a finger.”

“Emily, I don’t have the energy for any serious relationship.”

I didn’t understand why she was pestering me, she definitely knew the reasons I was dodging being in a relationship.

She crossed her hands across her chest like a protective mother. “Is it because of that Jerk?”

I knew who she was talking about, but I didn’t reply. That Jerk reminded me of that night and I didn’t want to remember everything that happened that night.

She bit her lips like she usually does whenever she was displeased.

“He isn’t worth it, Diana.” She hissed and banged on the desk with so much force that I jolted in my seat. Her brows narrowed in concentration and she looked like she was about to solve a mystery. “You should forget about him and show him you are doing so great without him.”

“It’s not that easy,” I admitted.

Over a year, It became easy to forget about Liam, but hard to open my heart to love again. My heart was just glued and any sudden pull would make it crumble down; I wasn’t ready for another heartbreak. Besides, it was my fault that Liam broke up with me, I shouldn’t have done what I did.

Ignoring me, she continued. “I know what you should do,” she nodded. “You need to come up to him like an irresistible present, make him beg for mercy and then, you crush his little heart.”

“Emily, it’s been a year,” I sighed. “I’m sure he has moved on.”

“Then, you need to move on too.”

I sighed and glanced at the sketch pad on my desk. It wasn’t like I’d never dated a guy before Liam. I actually had, I’d dated so many men that I was beginning to lose count of the numbers, but Liam was the best. He used to treat me with so much care and everything just felt right with him or at least, it used to.

He’d broken up with me on a day I had thought he needed me the most. Yeah, that was how my love life sucked. After the break up, I’d asked for the reasons; he came up with a silly excuse that I was just too perfect for him. Too good and flawless.

I snorted as my mind and heart battled to bury the sour memories.

Most of my ex told me that, but I don’t understand what was wrong with being perfect. What was wrong in making no mistakes in public, or wearing the right clothes and saying the right words at the right time.

When I had asked Emily those questions, she had told me that people felt intimidated by my perfection. But I knew I wasn’t as perfect as people thought I was. I also felt insecure sometimes.

My life wasn’t so perfect either. I had good and bad days.

My bad days might not be as bad as others, but the feelings were almost the same.

“I’d rather just stay single for now,” I said.

Emily stood up and walked around my desk.

“Stop thinking about him,” she squeezed my shoulder a little. “You know what, we should hit the bar tonight.”

“I can’t, I’m busy.”

“No,” she pressed her lip into a thin line and shook her head. “You are going to the bar with me and we are going to have a hell of fun,” she added a wink and smirked. “And if you are lucky, you might even get a hot guy as an extra.”

There was no way I was going, but I knew better not to argue with Emily. She was like a dog with a juicy bone, she wouldn’t let it go once she had her fangs in it.

I checked my golden wristwatch and realized it was time for the meeting. “It is time for the meeting, we should go now.”

Emily slumped on my desk and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I’m getting tired of all these boring meetings.”

The meeting was about the summer collection that would be launched by July. Although It was already the early month of March yet most designers are still not able to provide a unique design, including me. Maybe, I should take a break and look for inspiration.

Suddenly, my phone beeped. I brought it out and checked the text message. My heart stopped beating after I read it.

Diana, I’m sorry. Let’s meet.

But what surprised me was the person who sent the message.

It was Liam.