When Love’s In Fashion

“I get to sit in the front row of fashion week, and then tell my readers about it…you’re asking if that’s something I would like? Let me think.” Elmira made an exaggerated thinking face complete with tapping her chin.

“Also you get some walking around money and of course, luxury accommodations for the duration.”

“Slow down dude…my heart can only take so much.” Elmira actually placed her hand on her heart. She really didn’t know how to process all of this…

Cliff leaned toward her, “Listen Elmira this is the deal. I need someone, well, let’s say, telegenic and relatable, who also has a strong point of view and a built in reader base. That’s you.”

“I don’t exactly have a model figure.”

“You’re the one we want. Look…” Cliff handed her a stapled legal document. “This is the contract, including benefits, and what’s expected of you. Realistically it’s a temporary gig, so, if you still want to bus tables…”

“Grad school. I’m going to grad school.”

“Okay, well if you still want to go to grad school, go ahead. But promise me you’ll think about it?”

Elmira finished her dinner and pushed her plate away. “Yeah, I’ll think about it. How long do I have?”

“Ideally, by the end of the week.”

Elmira nodded and left, not even bothering to shake Cliff’s hand.

*****

Back in his hotel room, Cliff poured himself a drink and sat back on the bed, flipping through the channels till he found Sports Center. He thumbed through his emails and finally hit Sven’s number.

“You’re calling me in the middle of Sports Center.”

“Should I call back?”

“No, I’ll TiVo it. What’s wrong?”

“Who said anything’s wrong.”

“Well, you sound wrecked, and you went to see the hot chick with the racy blog, right?”

“It’s not racy, she takes the…”

“I know, I know. So what’s wrong?”

“ I thought she’d jump at it. She didn’t.”

“So she’s cautious. That’s not a bad thing.”

“Yeah…I just. I wanted to get this win for you, y’know?”

“Cliff, I have faith in you. That’s why I gave you this assignment. I knew you’d choose the right people.”

“She’s hot though, really hot. Even if she is on the bigger side.”

“Which is a problem, how? It’s all about inclusivity these days, no? Is she as well spoken in person as she is in type?”

“More so.”

“And she’s hot. So telegenic and articulate. I’m failing to see the crisis.”

“She doesn’t want the job.”

“She’s playing hard to get.”

“Or she really doesn’t want the job.”

“You think she’s the only good looking girl with a personal take on this sh*t?”

“No, I just think…”

“Yeah, I know what you think. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve got scotch and some whiskey for later. I’ll be back late tomorrow. Deal or no.”

“You’ll come back with the deal, Greenberg, or I’ll personally kick your ass.”
Cliff laughed. “You only win because I’m not allowed to hit my boss.”

“Yeah, well I shouldn’t be hitting my underlings either but it never stops me from smacking you upside the head.”

“Goodnight Sven.”

“Night Cliff.”

*****

Elmira was sitting on the second story deck of the frat house, her feet resting on the last keg of her college career. Sascha sat down next to her and lit a cigarette, squinting at the sky and then at Elmira. “What are you looking at girlie?”

“Nothing, I was just… you know, thinking.”

“Girl you got through four years of college without doing that, why you gonna go start that kind of sh*t now?”

Elmira looked over at Sascha. “What are you doing next year?”

“What?”

“Where are you going? You got into like, fifty grad schools. You pick one?”
Sascha shrugged, flipped her cigarette butt over the ledge, and lit another. “I figured I’d go where you did. It’s not like you didn’t get into fifty schools your own damn self.”

“You’re…”

“Shhh, sh*t, don’t get all teary eyed on me. It’s good fiscal sense. I need a roommate wherever I go. You I can live with, and sixty five percent of the time, I don’t wanna kill you.”

“Only sixty five?”

“Yeah, sometimes you get a bit obsessive with the social media thing and don’t talk to me for days. Plus you leave your freakishly large shoes all the fu*k over the place to trip me up when I come home blind drunk.”

“Yeah. Which is different than you bringing a different girl, or group of them, up there nightly and purposely putting your gym socks under my pillow.”

“Damn straight it is. That sh*t doesn’t bother me.”

“So wherever I go, huh?”

“That was the plan.”

“Read this for me?”

Elmira held out Cliff’s offer. Sascha backed away. “Girl, are you like, suing me? I swear it wasn’t me that knocked you up.”

Elmira smiled. “I promise I won’t ask for child support. I just want your input.”

Sascha lit another cigarette. “You should see the wall in the great room. Those fu*kers did a crap ass job; we may have to get them back in here to fix it.”

“Or we could hang a picture over it.”

Sascha nodded, distracted by the document on her lap.

Elmira moved the lamp closer and went inside. “See ya.”

Four hours later Sascha walked into their room and dropped the sheaf of papers onto Elmira’s stomach.

Elmira was hunched over; absorbed in her phone, writing a thread on twitter about Kylie Jenner’s lip kit and the various ways it could be better. She sat up. “Well?”

“Everything’s covered from car service to make up; gifting of clothes, in your size, especially with brands looking to stand out in that way, backstage previewing – which I’m accompanying you on fyi, I don’t care how – a new iPhone to take pictures with; Instagram takeover with Just Jared; basically they’re treating you like a blog-ebrity; and the thing’s legit. I did some research.”

“So we’re…”

“We are going to NYFW girl! I always wanted to find out if that Hadid chick swings both ways.”

Elmira let out a long breath. “I’ll call the guy tomorrow.”