Page 81 of The Night We Met

“I see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours. Kamryn, I don’t want you to think the reason I haven’t painted has been because of us. Painting will always be there to welcome me back with open arms. But football became my main priority. It had to. One day, I do hope to get back to that creative place. Because the calm that rushed over me was more immense than anytime I stepped out onthat field.”

Our waitress brings our food out, halting my response. We tell her our thanks then she’s out of sight again.

“That makes me sad to hear. I’m hopeful that you’ll get back to it. You were too talented to stop.”

Mason busies himself with unrolling his silverware. It’s a stalling tactic I’ve learned to pick up from other people. Never did I think he’d need that kind of avoidance.

“Thank you. That means a lot. To answer your other question, I did end up finishing my degree. It took a couple of years but I managed to graduate. But enough about me. How did you wanting to be a psychologist now become you selling out fashion shows?”

“A loaded question for an extremely loaded answer.” I tell him as I push the food around my plate.

“Eat your food Kam. And we have time. I’m not going anywhere.”

His demand sends chills coursing through my body.

I take a bite of my food and then wash what’s left of my food down with a swig of wine. “It was the summer going into my junior year. Our breakup was hard and I’d spent the first month of my break wallowing in my room. Nothing helped. That was also the downfall of my friendship with Liam.” I ignore the furrow in his brow, not wanting to tell him how I used my best friend. Maybe someday I’ll tell him. But not now when we’re attempting to get back on equal footing.

“A friend of mine had dragged me out of my house and took me to a trunk show she was helping out at. Apparently it was the thing I needed. So after that, I went to the arts & crafts store on a whim and scoured the sketchpad aisle. After getting some advice I bought a couple of them and some pencils. As for how I got to designing clothes is kind ofsimple. Jax was watching something on TV and I got this idea seeing the outfits. I tried making them better as if they already weren’t. But even you can admit that sometimes the outfits TV show characters wear aren’t always the best.” Letting out a breath. “But somehow, my drawings went from sketches of clothes to us on the bridge. Drawing that moment became cathartic and torturous. I drew it so many times that I could’ve drawn that moment with my eyes closed.”

“Kam…” Mason starts.

I shake my head stopping him. “No. It’s okay. That pain of losing you was so present. It was this living thing that I used for inspiration. And that pain was the only thing that I could grasp. When summer ended, I went to my advisor and told her I wanted to make a switch. Of course she wasn’t pleased with me. But I was able to double up on my classes. The next summer I joined that same friend at some more small trunk shows and I just got that rush of calmness fall over me. It was at that moment I felt I was in the right space for the first time in a while.”

He nods at my food. A not so silent order to keep eating. He does the same and when our plates are almost cleared is when Mason asks the bigger question.

“So how did you get from college to now? I saw in a magazine on local talents and your story was in it.”

I blow out a breath that ruffles my lips and take a swallow of wine. “Oi. No one ever wants to take a chance on inexperienced designers. Especially right after college when I had no investor to help get my line off the ground. So I took a couple of teaching jobs. One at the local middle school and one at the local community college teaching fashion design part-time. It was good. It kept my skills sharp. The students I taught were…we all had a collaborative relationship. I actually still keep in touch with some of them and few work for me.”

He raises an eyebrow knowing I’m leaving out a huge chunk of why my brand faltered for a couple of years.

Our server comes to clear our plates and top off our glasses of wine.

“Before Liam passed, one of the professors at CSU told me an investor was looking to invest in up and coming brands. I remember dancing around my living room because this was what I needed. Once I gave her the okay, she sent the investor my number and email. Up until Liam had passed, we had been in contact every day. At that point, nothing mattered to me anymore. I did what I could to survive but I wasn’t living. The investor eventually moved on after no word from me. I mean I was grieving and clearly not in the headspace to communicate efficiently with anyone. So I don’t blame her.”

Most people learn to work through the pain. But I was not one of those people.

“It took me a long while to get back to me. I stumbled a lot. People don’t lie about the learning curves. The amount thrown at me threw me off course a handful of times. It was by pure luck that I was able to get my line started again. I had to do a complete re-brand and vision a completely new idea for my line.”

“So you got an investor?” Mason asks.

“Actually, no. Not at first. I did everything the organic way. Living in this city created completely new opportunities for me. I started out with tops, dresses, and skirts that I wore around the city. It wasn’t until I was out and about when a woman stopped me. Said she’s seen me around town and wouldn’t mind setting up a meeting. The way my line came to be wasn’t conventional in the slightest. I was almostlike a model getting discovered on the streets of London, but in this case it was for my clothes. In the first year, we doubled our profit and I was close to buying her out. It wasn’t until last year that I was able to buy her out completely. Making me the sole owner of my brand.”

“That’s incredible Kamryn!” Mason beams.

“It’s been a whirlwind for sure. I still keep in touch with Martha, the investor, as my brand really wouldn’t be where it is without her.” Martha was my guardian angel at a time when I needed something good. She mentored me the best way she could. She pushed me to be a better designer. She saw my potential when I was drowning in my despair. I owe her for more than anyone thinks I do.

That night at the club was full of hurt and this is the first chance we get to stare at each other. To take the other in without the nerves of this date taking over. I catalog the way he’s lost his boyish features and in his place are sharp lines. The tattoos that adorned his beautiful skin have me wanting to trace them to see where they begin and where they end. But I don’t think we’re at that place yet. Or maybe we are and I’m just fooling myself that he and I could take this slow.

The candle light and hush quiet of the restaurant has made talking with Mason easy. Never once has the conversation faltered. We haven’t been interrupted by football fans and the wait staff is known for their discretion. Sitting here with my hand in his and his thumb rubbing soft circles into my skin has amped up the kindling sexual tension between us.

“Let’s get out of here,” Mason says.

He pulls two 100 dollar bills out that covers way more than our bill with enough for a generous tip then wraps my hand in his to pull me out of the restaurant.

“How far away is your place from here?” Mason asks as he pulls me into his side. My body melts into him.

I wrap my arms around his waist and stare up at the man I met when I was eighteen years old. The hurt memories will probably always be a painful wedge between us. But not right here. No, right here is where our lives will change.

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