Chapter 14
Today was the day of decision-making.
I was a little tense.
From what we heard yesterday, it seemed like we had performed well.
But those comments weren't coming from Moon or Mr. Fernandez.
They weren't professional opinions.
I got up early, got ready, and headed to the venue.
This was the final stage.
I couldn't afford to be late.
The entire venue had transformed overnight into something almost unreal.
Assistants rushed past carrying garment bags and accessories. Stylists argued over fabrics. Models moved from station to station with practiced calm.
And somehow...
In the middle of all that chaos...
Our collection stood there quietly.
Waiting.
I stared at the necklace as the final stones were adjusted under the bright studio lights.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
It was beautiful.
No.
Beautiful wasn't enough.
It looked powerful.
Expensive.
Dangerous in the quietest way possible.
The fractures caught the light softly, barely noticeable unless someone looked closely.
Exactly how I imagined it.
Exactly how I wanted it.
"You're staring again."
I turned slightly.
Jules.
I smiled faintly.
"Can you blame me?"
He stepped beside me, his gaze settling on the necklace.
For once...
Even he looked impressed.
"We actually did it," he said quietly.
Something softened inside me at those words.
We.
I liked the sound of that more than I should have.
"You doubted us?" I teased lightly.
"No," he replied calmly.
Then, after a pause....
"I doubted time."
I laughed softly.
Fair enough.
...
I stepped outside for some air.
The balcony overlooked the city, lights stretching endlessly into the distance like stars scattered across the ground.
For the first time all day...
Everything felt quiet.
"You disappeared."
I turned.
Jules walked toward me slowly, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"I needed air," I replied.
He nodded slightly before stopping beside me.
For a while.....
Neither of us spoke.
And strangely...
It didn't feel awkward.
"You nervous?" he asked eventually.
"A little."
"That's normal."
I looked down over the railing.
"Today changes everything," I said.
His gaze stayed on me.
"It does, no doubt."
Then he smiled.
"But we're good. In fact, we're great."
"The compliments we got say it all, Kimmie."
"I know we got a lot of compliments, but they weren't from the judges," I replied.
He looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile.
"No need to worry, Kimmie. Our collection was beautiful. Consumer feedback is the best kind of feedback, and we got plenty of it."
The way he said it made something settle softly inside me.
Suddenly, I didn't feel scared anymore.
In fact, I felt lighter.
"What about you?" I asked quietly.
"Are you nervous?"
He let out a small breath.
"No."
I looked at him.
"Not even a little?"
He shook his head once.
"I've wanted this for too long to be scared now."
I smiled.
That was one thing I liked about Jules.
His confidence.
His voice came again.
"You know..." he said quietly, "meeting you changed a lot for me."
My eyes lifted to his.
The city lights reflected softly against his face, making everything feel strangely unreal.
"What does that mean?" I asked softly.
His gaze held mine for a second longer than usual.
Then...
"It means today would've felt empty without you in it."
The words settled somewhere deep inside me.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Dangerously.
I didn't even realize how close we had gotten until silence fell again.
Not empty silence.
The kind that feels full of something unspoken.
My eyes dropped briefly to his lips.....
Then immediately away again.
And somehow...
I knew he noticed.
He stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough to change the air between us.
"Kimmie."
The way he said my name made my stomach flutter.
"Hm?"
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Like he was thinking.
Or maybe gathering courage.
Then a small smile touched his lips.
"You know, for someone who's always confident about everything design-related..."
I raised a brow.
"What?"
"You're terrible at hiding what you're thinking."
Heat rushed to my face immediately.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You do."
I laughed nervously and looked away.
Unfortunately, that only made it worse.
Because when I looked back at him...
He was already looking at me.
Not at the city.
Not at the lights.
Me.
My pulse quickened.
The world around us suddenly felt quieter.
Further away.
And for the first time all evening, Jules looked uncertain.
Just for a second.
As if he wasn't sure what would happen next.
"Kimmie..." he said softly.
I swallowed.
"Yes?"
His eyes searched mine.
Waiting.
Giving me a chance to step back.
I didn't.
Neither of us moved.
And somehow, that felt like an answer.
His hand lifted slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair away from my face.
The gesture was gentle.
Careful.
My breath caught.
Then he leaned in.
Slowly enough for me to stop him.
Slowly enough for me to change my mind.
I didn't.
When his lips touched mine, the kiss was soft.
Tentative.
Like neither of us wanted to rush the moment.
For a second, everything else disappeared.
The fashion show.
The judges.
The noise.
The pressure.
It was just him.
Just us.
When we finally pulled apart, neither of us spoke immediately.
Jules let out a quiet laugh.
A nervous one.
And somehow, that made me smile.
"There goes my confidence," he murmured.
I laughed softly.
"Good."
His smile widened.
"Good?"
"It was getting annoying."
This time, he laughed properly.
And just like that, the tension broke.
But the feeling remained.
Warm.
New.
And impossible to ignore.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
The city stretched endlessly below us, lights glittering against the night sky.
And somehow, standing there beside him felt easier than anything else.
Then...
"Kimmie!"
I turned immediately.
Kelly was hurrying toward us from the entrance, a wide smile on her face.
"There you two are," she said. "I've been looking everywhere."
"What happened?" I asked.
Kelly's excitement only grew.
"Moon and Mr. Fernandez want to see you."
My stomach tightened.
Now?
"Now," she confirmed, as if reading my thoughts.
She looked between Jules and me before grinning.
"I think it's finally time."
Time.
The word settled heavily in my chest.
The showcase was over.
The waiting was over.
And for the first time since this journey began, it felt real.
This wasn't about a competition anymore.
This was about being seen.
About being introduced to the world.
Jules glanced at me and smiled.
"Ready?"
I took a deep breath.
Then nodded.
"Ready."
Kelly led us back inside.
The moment we stepped into the main hall, I felt the atmosphere immediately.
Something was different.
The show had ended.
The final model had already left the runway.
Yet nobody was leaving.
The audience remained seated.
Waiting.
A spotlight illuminated the center of the stage.
Moon stood there gracefully, microphone in hand.
Beside her was Mr. Fernandez.
The room gradually fell silent.
"Kimmie. Jules."
Moon's voice echoed through the hall.
Every head turned toward us.
My stomach twisted.
"Come up."
I looked at Jules.
He looked just as surprised as I felt.
Then together, we made our way toward the stage.
The applause started before we even reached it.
Polite at first.
Then louder.
Stronger.
By the time we stepped into the spotlight, the entire room was clapping.
I could barely process what was happening.
Moon smiled.
"Tonight, many of you had the opportunity to view one of the most talked-about collections presented during this showcase."
A large screen behind us displayed images of Vow of Silence.
The necklace.
The bracelet.
The earrings.
The ring.
"Our audience has spent the evening discussing its craftsmanship, symbolism, and execution."
She paused.
"And now it is time for you to meet the minds behind it."
The applause rose again.
I swallowed hard.
Mr. Fernandez stepped forward.
"Several months ago, we held a competition searching for emerging talent."
His gaze swept across the audience.
"What we found exceeded our expectations."
"The two designers standing beside us were selected from that competition and challenged to create a collaborative collection worthy of this stage."
He gestured toward the screen.
"This is the result."
The audience applauded once more.
Moon's smile widened.
"What impressed us most wasn't simply their talent."
"It was their ability to work together."
"To challenge each other."
"To elevate each other's ideas."
"To create something neither could have created alone."
For a moment, I glanced at Jules.
His expression had softened.
Just slightly.
"And because of that," Moon continued, "we are proud to introduce them as two of the most promising young designers of their generation."
A murmur spread through the audience.
Cameras flashed.
My pulse pounded in my ears.
"Please remember their names."
Moon looked directly at us before turning back to the crowd.
"Kimmie."
"Jules."
"I have a feeling this won't be the last time the fashion world hears of them."
The applause that followed was louder than anything I had heard all night.
People stood.
Not everyone.
But enough.
Enough to make my eyes sting.
For years, designing had been a dream.
A distant one.
Something that existed only in sketchbooks and imagination.
But standing beneath those lights...
Listening to the applause...
Watching my name appear on the screen behind me...
For the first time in my life, it felt real.
The world finally knew who we were.