When Love’s In Fashion

Chapter 6

Elmira was surprised Sven had offered to take her out to breakfast. Maybe he was feeling guilty about last night’s shenanigans; though there was no need. She was nervous. She wondered what people thought of them. Did they think he was her sugar daddy? Did she care? They were an odd couple, except they weren’t really a couple; Elmira had to keep reminding herself. For all she knew last night was a onetime thing. This whole thing was probably a Fashion Week romance. Nothing serious. So all this musing was a waste of time.

She started wondering what, if anything, it had meant to the man sitting across from her, calmly looking at the menu. It felt like she’d been analyzing the situation for hours, when the waitress finally came and took their order. When she left, things were even tenser. They had no more menus to hide behind.

Elmira fiddled with her pearl bracelet that her father had given her on her seventeenth birthday – she cherished it. Sven was taking her somewhere after breakfast. Since the next show she was scheduled to attend wasn’t till night fall anyway… He was trying to make conversation, but Elmira was barely responsive and started tapping her hand on the table. She couldn’t look at Sven. She wanted to crawl out of her skin. She wanted it to be a real breakfast the morning after with her lover, not whatever the hell this was.

*****

Elmira wasn’t used to hanging out in Manhattan. Everything was different from the Lower East Side where she and Sascha shared an apartment, not to mention more expensive.

It was Fashion Week.

Crowds were expected, and all of the hotels gave a recommended list of places for visitors. It was for security purposes and for communication reasons. It could get a little crazy if you didn’t know where to go, but Elmira had Sven with her so she was good. She figured Starbucks was probably the best breakfast option if she wanted to save some of the money she was making. The coffee there was expensive compared to her usual haunts but it was on the lower side of coffee prices in the area. Of course Sven might offer to pay but she didn’t want to rely on that.

It was about seven thirty in the morning, and Elmira was still tired. She was supposed to be resting before regrouping with Sascha in readiness for the next show. It was difficult to sleep though what with Sven in her bed, when they were both sober. She and Sascha were used to sharing a room and Elmira rarely brought anyone to stay overnight. College wasn’t about those kinds of relationships. Oh well. She didn’t have to think about it today.

Sven was eyeing her across the table they were sitting at. Elmira leaned back in her chair, feet propped up onto the vacant third seat at the table. Her body faced sideways so that she could rest one of her arms on the table while she held up her phone in her other hand.

Sven snorted. A smile formed as he shook his head. “Did you sleep well?”

Elmira’s eyebrows raised in question when she looked up. “Hm?”

“You look like you could fall asleep where you sit,” Sven joked after taking a sip of his latte.

Elmira grinned. She wiggled her shoulders around in an exaggerated display of getting more comfortable in her seat. “Is that jealousy I hear?”

Elmira’s eyebrows twitched up twice in a lewd display, and Sven chuckled. Elmira finally asked, “So how did the ‘street party’ go last night?”

“I left early.” Sven shrugged. He picked a bagel off of the plate in front of him and bit off a chunk before saying, “Better things to do than hang out with people I didn’t really want to be with.”

“Oh.” The previous spirit faded from Elmira’s voice. “That kind of night.”

Sven lifted an eyebrow at him in amusement. “Yeah that kind of night. You know, loud music, drunk people; same old, same old.”

“Oh,” Elmira said again. She studied Sven for over for a minute, watching him play with the bagel in front of him before a smile resurfaced. “So… Better things to do like eat food you don’t even like?”

Sven paused. “I like the coffee.”

Elmira tilted her head down and lifted an eyebrow at him. The edge of her lips twitched as an incredulous grin started to take shape when she reminded, “It’s Starbucks. Everybody likes their coffee.”

“Yeah, and so I got up for the nice coffee at Starbucks in Manhattan while in a hotel which serves coffee!”

“Nobody likes coffee that much.”

“Pfft,” Sven pouted, slumping back into his seat. “You’re an idiot.”

Elmira’s mouth dropped open as if offended, but her eyes and slight dimpling of her cheeks gave her away. “I heard that buddy!”

Sven smiled but shook his head from side to side and ridiculed, “Well, good for you!”

The guy sitting at a nearby table lifted his head at their conversation, and an employee paused in their sweeping for a moment to glance over in their direction. Both Elmira and Sven turned their heads down. It wasn’t even eight o’ clock yet. It was still way too early for outbursts. Elmira took a quick bite of the muffin on her plate, and Sven looked back down at his phone.

Elmira cleared her throat. “Are you watching the show later today?”

Sven was still looking down at his phone when he shook his head. The vowel was drawn out when he replied, “Nooo.”

“You’re not?”

Sven frowned and placed his phone back on the table again. “Was I supposed to?”

Elmira huffed out a chuckle and shook her head at him in disbelief. “I guess not.”

“Just because Fashion Week is a client doesn’t mean I have to watch every show.” Sven sat up to lean over the table. He pressed both of his elbows against the surface after scooping up the remains of his bagel. He took a bite and affectionately mocked while chewing. “Do you need me there? Scared to go all by yourthelf?”

“Eat a dick Sven.” Elmira said nonchalantly staring casually around the café. She schooled her face, wanting to ask but embarrassed that she cared so much. “So what is it with you and Florica?”

“Yeah…” Sven’s eyes squinted across the table, catching the change in Elmira’s tone but not catching on. “She’s an acquaintance; we hang out in the same circles, attend the same functions…we socialize. Why, do you have a problem with that?”

Despite her best efforts to remain impassive, she couldn’t help the grimace that made its way onto Elmira’s face. “I just…I’ve never liked her, you know? Always so vaguely patronizing. Nothing you can call out; just enough to make you gnash your teeth.”

Sven’s laughed. “Yeah, she is kinda passive aggressive.”

“Huh. Yeah that’s one way to look at it.” Elmira shrugged a shoulder.

“—there’s more here than just an annoying ex school mate. What’d she do to you?” Sven asked watching Elmira keenly.

“Are you gonna think I’m a crazy bi*ch if I tell that I didn’t like you going out with her last night?”