Page 113 of Unstitch

I consider. ‘Not inadequate, because I’m not sure there’s room in that relationship for three workaholics and I think my carefree vibe is good for them, but thoughtful, maybe. The dancing gig is great, and I’ve been sponging off my sister with a nice rent-free pad.

‘But if Dex gets himself sorted out and we want to make this relationship work, then maybe it’s time I start thinking a bit more about the future, you know? Like what I want to do longer term.’

‘What are you thinking?’ Belle asks.

‘Well, I’ve always wanted to open a dance studio, especially one for kids. I love teaching them—remember how much fun I had with Zach’s girls at the wedding?’

‘You were amazing with them!’ Maddy says. ‘They’re still doing that TikTok dance you taught them.’

I laugh. ‘That makes me so happy. So yeah, that’s what I’m thinking about at the moment. I ran it past the guys, and they both said they’d invest and help me get it off the ground, which is so generous. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I’ll see how things go between us.’

‘Of course they’ll invest,’ Belle says. ‘It’d be a shrewd business decision on their part. Don’t feel like it’s a favour.’

‘I think it sounds amazing,’ Nat chimes in. ‘For what it’s worth, running your own business, especially when it involves real-life stuff like staff and physical space, is a lot. The stuff that goes wrong—you can’t make it up. I don’t want to put you off, because I think it’s a really cool idea, but if you have two men who love you and believe in you and want to be there to support you? Then honestly, don’t think twice. Say yes. Because it’ll make the world of difference.’

There’s something in her voice that gives me pause. It’s not bitter, but it’s guarded. ‘Do you have a business partner?’ I ask. ‘Or do you do it all yourself?’

She gives a self-deprecating laugh. ‘I do it all myself. And it’s ridiculous, and stressful, and lonely as hell.’

‘You poor thing, babes,’ Maddy says. ‘Let me get this straight. You run your own fashion brand by yourself all day and then work in Alchemy at night?’

‘I don’t do it all myself,’ Nat says. ‘I have a team—they’re amazing. But they’re all seamstresses and pattern cutters. And we outsource some of the really labour-intensive stuff to specialist houses like Lésage and Lemarié.’ At our blank looks, she clarifies, ‘They’re two of Chanel’s specialist ateliers. Lemarié does feathers. They’re fabulous.’

‘It sounds dreamy,’ Belle says.

Nat laughs again. ‘Dreamy… yeah, sure. But also backbreaking work and stresses and logistics. I promise you, you can’t make the shit that happens up. And the clients are… well, they’re practically couture clients, so you can imagine how exacting they are.’

‘How the hell do you do it all?’ Maddy wants to know.

‘Not much sleep. I try to stay very organised. And I don’t even have one boyfriend, let alone two, so that helps free up my time.’ She gives me a kind smile.

‘There’s so much more you can achieve when you’re not getting dicked down by two guys every night,’ Maddy muses, and I flick some of my cocktail at her.

‘Fuck off.’

‘Ooh, touchy.’

‘So you run it all alone?’ Belle asks, wide-eyed. ‘That makes me feel tired. I think you’re amazing. You must have to be so resilient.’

‘Yeah, well I had a tough time as a kid,’ Nat says, ‘and I think it’s given me some perspective. At the end of the day, we’re not saving lives. I’ll do my absolute best, but I’m in the fashion industry. It’s not life and death, and I have to remember that.’

‘Are we allowed to ask why you had a tough childhood?’ Maddy asks. Belle elbows her hard. ‘Ouch!’

‘We invited her out for some nice drinks,’ Belle says, glaring at her, ‘and she’s already told us how short on time she is. So don’t you think it would be nice if she could enjoy her cocktail without being interrogated?’

‘It’s okay,’ Nat says shyly. ‘I don’t mind. And it wasn’t that bad—I have an amazing family. We just went through some hard stuff, I suppose. My dad’s company went bust when I was ten, and things were pretty awful. We lost our home and had to move into a council house, and I swear my mum cried for the first year.

‘My brother and I got pulled out of our fancy schools and put in this really rough high school, and he got badly bullied for years. Like, really, really badly.’

‘How badly?’ Maddy asks, screwing up her face like she’s scared to hear the answer.

Nat swallows, and we all stare at her. She’s so lovely. So refined and impressive and hardworking. I bitch about my parents a lot, but God, my childhood was bliss compared to this shit.

‘It was a gang,’ she says. ‘They really had it in for him—like I said, he’s a D&D nerd. Really emo, and the sweetest guy on the planet. But they used to beat him up, and one day the gang leader attacked him with a broken bottle.’

She pauses, and we all stare at her in horror.

‘Was he okay?’ Belle asks in a tiny voice.

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