Page 111 of Deeper

Zander eyed the sales floor and the clothing Angles sold curiously before returning to me. “But fashion is your niche, so itissomething. You could be workin’ anywhere, but you chose this shop.”

Outside of the discount, I did like my job at Angles because at least I got to be close to my dream of being a designer.

“Right,” I said as I focused on smelling the bouquet. “By the way, this is my coworker, Jaliyah. Jay, this is my boyfriend, Zander.”

Jaliyah blushed as Zander offered her a hand to shake. I should’ve expanded on who he was, but this was going so smoothly, I didn’t want to cause a scene.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Zander said to Jaliyah. His gaze shifted to me, a warmth inside it that made me feel entirely safe. “When can you leave?”

“Now,” Jaliyah spoke up for me. “Girl, clock out early. Holliston should be here in an hour, I’ll be good.”

We were given a courtesy to clock in seven minutes early as well as clock out seven minutes early. I clocked out five minutes before I was due to leave.

Zander was right behind me as I made my way to the employee portion of the parking lot. He saw me to my car and hung back.

“Don’t be embarrassed, okay?” He caressed my cheek. His soft touch cooled my nerves and I relaxed. “I should’ve called.”

“It’s okay,” I insisted.

It was nice to see him in this neck of the woods. Here in Hemingway Park, he wouldn’t need Terry or Dax to escort him around. A bunch of screaming fans weren’t about to jump out, film, or photograph him in the low-key settings of my neighborhood.

“You wanna see my new place?” I suggested.

“Definitely,” Zander agreed.

Ten minutes later we were inside my shared apartment and in my bedroom. Having Zander look around at each and everything I owned made me nervous all over again. He didn’t browse for long before turning and looking at me.

“You never showed me your sketches,” he pointed out.

Something like panic sent my heart beating hard in my chest. “Zander…they’re just a pipe dream.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Only if they’re not good.”

Breathe, Bia, breathe.

I’d never shown anyone my sketches or ideas before. Too afraid to be laughed at or mocked. I’d been obsessed with clothes ever since I was a little girl and would play dress-up. Ever since I owned my first Bratz doll.

With anyone else, I might’ve rejected the idea of sharing my work. But not with Zander. Not when he’d let down his walls and played me “Canvas” when he was afraid ofmythoughts.

He’d been nothing but open with me, so, tentatively, I extended him the same courtesy as I crossed over to my nightstand and dug my old sketchbook from the bottom drawer. With shaky hands I handed over the spiral-bound book and stood back to await his opinion.

Zander accepted the book and began sifting through it quietly. A seriousness covered his features as he stood back and leafed through page after page, lingering on each one to really study my detail. Slowly, a corner of his mouth curled up as he neared the middle.

“This stuff…is amazin’, Bi.” He lifted his head to speak to me. “I like it. I do. It’s…urban, it’s flirty, it’s classy, too, but with your own twist. You’d make a terrific designer.”

I bit my lip to keep my emotions in check. I could tell he wasn’t bullshitting me. That he really believed in my designs.

He turned the book and tapped at the sketch he’d stopped on. “I really love this idea.”

It was a trilogy of looks featuring a blazer dress. One with a mesh back, another that was all mesh with solid borders, and a third that was all solid.

Feeling too much, I crossed over to Zander and kissed him. Chaste, yet deep enough to where I knew it touched below the surface.

“I believe in you,” he whispered against my lips. “And if there’s anything I can do to help you, I will.”

Through a misty vision, I peered up at him, wanting to say those three words, even if they felt ridiculously fast.

But of course, that was the moment Victoria came home.

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