Reality And Romance

“Andrew, these are my friends, Diane and Chris…they’re…uh, big fans of the show…” She trailed off, gesturing to her star struck friends.

“Big fans is an understatement.” They said in unison.

“Libby, you do not understand how jealous I was when I saw you on the show!” Diane exclaimed.

“Although we didn’t realize you were such an ice-queen,” Chris added with a wink.

Now it was Libby’s turn to blush. Andrew noticing her discomfort, took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

“About that…” He began, but was swiftly cut off by Diane.

“You don’t have to explain it to us. We’re not idiots. Part of the fun of the show is the drama, we know a lot of it is set up. That’s what makes it so entertaining.” She gave Libby a bright smile.

“Although if I do say so myself, Libby, it would be far more entertaining just to watch you trying to be yourself.” Chris added laughing.

Andrew nodded in agreement. “Yea, I agree. Libby and I talked about it, and that’s not going to be happening anymore. Libby’s going to be herself from now on.”

On that final note, the four of them moved to the back room and sat down on the sofas. They chatted idly for a while, about Andrew and about the show. Andrew relayed to them his plans for New York fashion week, to which they responded with the utmost enthusiasm.

“Superheroes? That’s a great idea, especially with everything that happened.” Diane turned to Libby, “Well done by the way. On saving that guy…”

“Not that we’d expect anything less,” interjected Chris, before he added, “You’re such a bad ass, I’m surprised you didn’t take his head off.”

Libby stuck out her tongue, “I’ll take off yours if you’re not careful.”

Andrew smiled. He liked Libby’s friends, they seemed to mostly spend their time trying to tease each other, but it was fun and it was comfortable and when it came down to it, they were really very kind to one another. He was also endeared by how much they enjoyed the show, and he liked that they enjoyed the drama his mother staged and that they appreciated that a large proportion of it was an act. He wanted to do something nice for them.

“Hey guys,” he said with a smile. “I have a question for you…”
“Ask away Andrew,” Diane replied with a smile.

“I’ve got a few spare costume designs left over after I did the designs for Libby and my family…I was wondering if you two would like to participate as two of my models?”

There was a long silence, followed by an excited shriek from Chris.

“Are you kidding me?” He began shaking.
“Us? You want us to be your models?” Diane added, equally excited.

“That’s what I’m asking.” Andrew grinned before turning to Libby, who smiled at him.

“But why us? Why not actual models? Not that I wouldn’t love to…but I don’t want to get up there and embarrass myself,” Chris said.

“Models are great for most clothes, but superheroes aren’t supposed to be models. They’re supposed to be normal people, entrusted with a great responsibility. They’re not meant to be cookie-cutter perfect, they’re meant to be unique, to have character and life. I want to do something a little different this year. I don’t just want long legs and a strong pout, I want poses, and action and fun! I’ve dreamed of being able to do this for a while, so even if it’s a risk, I want to stand out. You two would definitely help that.”

There was a few moments silence, before Diane let out a long laugh. “Well when you put it like that, I suppose we have to.”
“In fact,” interjected Chris, “I would say that we’re the only ones who can.”