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Emilie Agreste wandered happily through the empty hall of the Agreste mansion, a silly grin plastered on her face and two embroidered envelopes on her hand. When she finally decided what course to take inside her own home, she ended up finding herself on the second floor, standing at the door of Gabriel’s atelier. She knocked gently on the door to announce her presence and without bothering for an answer, she opened the door and took the empty seat right next to his desk.
“Gabriel, darling! I am so sorry to interrupt you!” She said, her voice bubbly. Too much bubbly, even for her. “But I thought you would want to know about this! Audrey invited us again!”
“Don’t you mean she invited you again?” He asked accusingly. Even with his unique talent to express his motifs through his creations, his visionary look on things and even if his latest collections were becoming notorious thanks to Audrey’s help, he still wasn’t quite known in the fashion industry as he wanted to and consequentially, not known enough to join the greatest event of the East Coast. That being said, the only person who would have the chance to being invited for such event was Emilie and as much as he wanted to join her, he knew he couldn’t contradict the final veredict of the Style Queen and until she decided he was able to go, he would mark his presence with the astonishing dresses he would create for his wife. But once again, he knew Audrey was also known for offering tickets to some upcoming designers who didn’t have the chance to go on their own, so maybe there was still hope for him.
“No,” Emilie smiled smugly and shown her husband not only one but the two envelopes with their invitations for the upcoming Met Gala. The envelopes were white, decorated with golden details resembling some of the pope’s vests and each one had their names written in beautiful red letters. In the back, each envelope was sealed with a glitterish red seal with an “A” stamped. While Gabriel’s envelope was immaculately closed, Emilie’s was already open. “This time I really meant us . She wants you to go, Gabe! This is amazing! It means that she genuinely enjoys your work and is willing to set you off!”
Gabriel stared in awe at the invitation his wife handed him, not even bothering to open it. It felt like a dream come true; a proof that he was finally ready to show what he was worth to the world and that Audrey liked him indeed. He just hoped he could be up to the expectations and not let his mentor down because if he used this opportunity right, it would be the turning point of his career.
“What’s the theme this year?” He managed to ask slowly, not trusting his words, still shocked and surprised.
“Heavenly bodies. It has something to do with the relation between fashion and the catholic church, not that I can see any. I think it’s a bit risqué, even for Audrey but somehow I can understand her move. Many people use the church as a source of inspiration and criticism too, and as weird as it may seem, the fact that this year the Gala’s theme has to do with church… It is a very subliminal way to allure people into catholicism. Or at least notice its existence! I would definitively check it out if I saw all of my favourite celebrities dressed up with something related to the church on the biggest event of the East Coast! I would say it’s a win-win situation.”
“And did she mention anything specific about the dress code?”
“No? Not this time which it may be good, I guess. More space for creativity, or the lack of it. But! I think you already know by now it’s a crime not to dress accordingly to the theme.”
“And if I know you well…” He slurred mischievously, more confidently now, “You already have an idea of what you want us to wear.”
Emilie chuckled at his affirmation and gestured for him to hand over the small laptop that was in front of him. A few clicks later, she opened an online article about some biblical passages. “I thought it would be a good idea to recreate the annunciation! Besides being a great matching outfit and an hilarious pun between you and the angel, it would be a remarkable way to announce you to the world! And perhaps… someone else!” She sighed dreamily.
“Someone else? What do you mean with someone else, Em?” He asked clearly confused. Would the surprises ever end on that day?
“Oh, Gabriel! I’m…” Emilie couldn't hide her excitement any longer. Her eyes became watery and the brightest smile took over her previous silly grin. “I’m pregnant! We’re going to be parents!”
“Parents?” He whispered as if he was trying to convince himself of what he had just heard. “But how? How did it happen?”
“Obviously, it was a miracle!” She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and then placed her hands over his. “Look, Gabe, I know we didn't plan this or we didn't plan this to happen now , but-”
When the meaning of the words finally hit him, Gabriel threw his arms around Emilie, pulling her close and kissing her.
“It's perfect, Emilie! We’re going to be parents of a little one!” He pulled off, placing his hands on the top of hers and he cried tears of joy with her.
Being the extravagant man he was, Gabriel Agreste created two matching outfits that looked nothing below perfection, reflecting not only the characters that inspired him but also the luxury that would be lived that night. Emilie’s dress was a beautiful empire-waist with a sweetheart neckline and a long train. The royal blue fabric was velvety on the outer layer while the interior layer had a more silky fabric in shades of crimson. There were some golden damask patterns that marked the waistline and extended along the neckline and the edges of the train where were also seven hearts, carefully sewn, filling the blank spaces. Her hair was wrapped in a low bun that held in place a simple spiked halo and her makeup was all in golden tones, the most catchy thing being her iconic red lipstick. There was a marble rosary wrapped around her left wrist and her earrings were small crosses.
On the other hand, Gabriel’s suit was all in shades of baby blue with golden accents, the only white thing his shirt. The lapels were longer than usual and had golden feathers stitched to it, resembling a set of wings; the pants were embellished with damask patterns as well and his hair was slicked back (as always) and he wore a crown of lilies.
He put his heart and soul on those outfits and he hoped he would make his mentor proud, and a good way to provoke that feeling was to make the event she prepared stop at their arrival. And so it happened. As soon as they stepped on the red carpet, people turned their heads to stare in awe at the couple, the reporters covering the event tripped over each other trying to be the first ones reach them so they could ask a single question and the photographers were shouting desperately so they would could turn in their direction to get the perfect shot.
Emilie laced her arm with her husband’s in a soothing manner and guided him through the hall towards the stairs. She knew he didn't like all these crowds but this was one of the most focal points of the event, so they had to go through it one way or another.
“ It will be overwhelming. ” Gabriel reminded his wife's words. “ That red carpet is almost like a shark tank. You won't see everyone you know at first. And please, don't forget to smile!” But as much tips he got, nothing in the world could have prepared him for that moment.
Somewhere along the way, they got interrupted by a lucky reporter that could reach them, breaking his train of thoughts.
“Excuse me! Can I ask you a few questions?” The reporter asked. Gabriel was about to raise his hand but Emilie grabbed it quickly and answered for both of them, a huge smile on her face.
“Sure!”
“Are you two happy to be at the event?”
“We are surely enjoying ourselves! It’s always an honour to be invited and present on this event, you know? The theme was perfectly picked as always and is great to see the spirit and everyone so invested into bringing this gala to life and, of course, the Met fashion department.”
The reporter quickly scribbled the answer on her notepad and proceeded to her next question. “I’m sure you two know you are two of the most waited guests of this year’s Gala. Have you seen the other guests? What do you think about their clothes?”
“I think most of them look good! Some people didn’t respect the theme but I think that’s becoming usual now and the ones who did are looking great so far. The creativity is high this year! It's gorgeous to see all the details on the dresses and the suits, and trying to understand what was the source of inspiration for them. I can’t wait to see the guests that already went upstairs!”
“That was harsh! But I have to agree with you.” The reporter chuckled nervoursly. But that didn’t stop her from keeping questioning. “And what about yours? What did inspired your astonishing outfits?
“The annunciation.” Gabriel replied stoically. “The idea was all Emilie’s, I only made it tangible. If you want to congratulate someone you should do it to her.”
“The annunciation like…”
“Like the Angel and the Virgin, yes!” Emilie said in bliss, clearly happy that someone got the theme of their outfits or at least tried to. “I thought it would be a funny pun because of Gabriel and the Angel and a great way to announce him, since it's his first time here and not everyone knows his name, if you know what I mean. Plus, the church theme leaves so much room to explore that instead of getting inspired on only one biblical figure or in some details from a famous church or in the vests of the clergy like so many did, why not raise the bar and bring a whole biblical passage to life! Besides, it’s a passage that’s dear to me.”
“I see, I see! Well, I won’t take any of your time but before you leave, can you take a picture?”
Both nodded and the reporter pointed to where they should look and gestured to the photographer so he could get closer to photograph them. A few flashes later, the photographer found another guests to nag and the reporter wished them a good evening.
When they were far enough from the crowd to not bothered or overheard, Gabriel looked disappointed.
“Were you dropping hints? About the baby? I thought you would do better than that, Em. In fact, I think I did way better than you did! I mean, look at us!”
“How dare you and that ridiculous ego of yours!” She smacked him playfully on the back, a coy smile taking over her features. “If it wasn't me, I bet you would have made something completely ordinary for tonight! Besides, they like this little hints! It’s going to be hilarious to watch them make the gears inside their heads work to make news. Come on darling, let’s find Audrey before she becomes unreachable.”
Not forgetting her words about the tabloids ability to create news, Gabriel had to check with his own eyes what they had came up with overnight. So when he woke up, he went to the hotel’s reception and instead of buying a newspaper as usual, he bought a magazine. More specifically the one they spoke with at the red carpet.
When he came back to their room, Emilie was still sleeping soundly on the bed. He joined her and opened the issue directly on the pages that interested him, reading it until the moment she woke up.
“Good morning!” Emilie yawned, rubbing her eyes.
“ ‘Morning” He mumbled, still focused on the article he was reading. “Did you sleep well?”
“Mhmm.” Even with a long night of sleep, Emilie was feeling exhausted. She was about to roll on her side to go back to sleep when she noticed that instead of reading a newspaper, her husband was reading a magazine.
“Wait, what are you reading?” She gasped when she understood what it was. “A tabloid!? I didn't know you had an interest on those!”
“Well, as much as I hate them, I had to make an exception for this one because…” He closed the issue, marking with his finger the page he was reading and turned the cover to Emilie. Alongside a remarkable shot of them last night, there was a more controversial title. “ ‘ Baby on the way? While this was the first appearance of both Agrestes at the Met Gala, their outfit choices may suggest something more. ’ Does this mean something to you?” He couldn't contain his laugh any longer, which was rare.
“Wow!” She said stupefied. “They work fast!”
“You bet they do. And the best part is the interview itself. The amount of ridiculous things they have written trying to bring a theory to life… I had to admit you're right, it's hilarious to try see them make news. Let me show you...” He opened the magazine back on the page he was marking and slightly turned the magazine to her and started reading a selection of his favorite parts of the article which made Emilie burst out laugh immediately. They laughed together until they cried. After going through the whole thing, the couple tried to calm down, cleaning their tears and taking some deep breaths to see if the laughter would go away. When he finally recomposed himself, Gabriel looked at his wife concerned, as if he wasn't sure of what to do now that they had set this tiny chaos last night.
“But now, are we going to confirm or?... I mean, it won't take long until we can't hide this anymore.”
“Now? You let them speculate darling.” Emilie said with a teasing smile. “The best thing about being famous is that you can either confirm the news right away or let the rumours spread and watch those vultures consume themselves over it. And personally I prefer to see them suffer.” She grabbed the issue with the tip of her fingers and tossed it to the ground, then kissing her husband passionately.