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Andy called Emily that weekend.
“Are you busy?” Andy asked. “Because I thought I would drop the clothes off myself.”
“You know who I work for, right?” Emily said.
Andy rolled her eyes but didn’t respond.
“Fine, fine,” Emily said, after a moment of silence. “Come by Saturday at 8 pm. I will give up my Saturday night plans for you.”
“You are hardly giving up your plans for me,” Andy said. “I am pretty sure you are giving up your plans for Dior and Valentino.”
“I was merely trying to spare your feelings,” Emily said.
“Oh,” said Andy, “that is the unfamiliar feeling I was having.”
Andy took a cab to Emily’s house on Saturday night, as she was carrying ten thousand dollars worth of Armani, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier and didn’t think the subway was a good option.
She rang the buzzer for Emily’s door, feeling suddenly like running home, when she saw Emily’s Valentino pumps on the stairs. Emily held the door open for Andy.
“I live on the fifth floor,” Emily said. “Oh, I see you dressed for the occasion.” Andy was wearing a denim skirt and a black sweater. She had gone back to her old wardrobe once she had returned all the samples to the Runway closet.
Emily unlocked her apartment. “I suppose you would like to see me try these on,” she said.
“Thank you, Emily. I am touched by your gracious invitation,” Andy said.
“It’s good to know there is a little bit of Runway in you still,” Emily said.
Emily hung the garment bags up in the hall closet and placed the shoe boxes carefully on the floor. She went to her room and came out several minutes later wearing a robe.
“Shape wear?” Andy said.
“For clothes tailored for you?” Emily said.
Emily unzipped the first garment bag to reveal a camel colored, knee length Jean-Paul Gaultier trench. Emily made a high pitched noise that she would forever deny making. She walked back to the bedroom to try it on as Andy sprawled on the couch, shoes off, of course.
Emily came back wearing the trench and a pair of peach colored YSL heels. Andy smiled at the heels.
“Heels and a trench, very you,” Andy said.
“If you had any fashion sense that Nigel had not had to pound into your head, I would take your critique of my process much more seriously,” Emily said.
“I know, I know,” Andy said. “Silhouette.”
Emily smiled at that. She unzipped the next garment bag to reveal a moss green embroidered Dior cocktail dress. She didn’t even bother heading to her bedroom this time, though.
“I’m already tired of running back and forth to my bedroom,” Emily said. She carefully hung the trench and zipped the garment bag back up.
“I see shape wear,” Andy said.
Emily turned around, her hands on her hips, emphasizing the smallness of her waist and giving Andy a good view of the lace on her shapewear camisole. She looked at Andy. Andy looked back. Abruptly, Emily turned back around to her closet. She tried the Dior dress on, examining the dress from every angle.
“What do you think?” Emily said.
“I love it,” Andy said honestly.
Emily unzipped the next garment bag.
“Givenchy,” she breathed. Emily even held up the double breasted, embroidered military style jacket for Andy to see.
“I’ve already seen it,” Andy said.
Emily got a look on her face. She took off the Dior dress with a delicacy that did nothing to hide her desire to try on the Givenchy.
Emily put her arms in the sleeves and carefully buttoned the buttons. She had never put pants on after taking her trench off. Wearing only her camisole, heels and the jacketshe turned to Andy, an assessing look on her face.
“What do you think,” Emily said, running her hands down the sleeves. “Do you think it fits in the back?”
Emily walked over to Andy and, taking her hand, pulled her to a standing position. Emily’s hand, and Andy’s, held above Emily’s head as she turned around.
Andy ran her hand down Emily’s back. She hesitated at the small of Emily’s back and then continued to stroke the fabric to the hem of the garment. Andy quickly pulled her hand back when she reached the hem.
“It needs to be taken in, a little,” Andy said.
“You may be right,” Emily pursed her lips.
She walked back to the closet and opened the garment bag containing a patterned LaCroix dress.
“This is what you picked out,” Emily said.
“I like it,” Andy said.
“Try it on,” Emily said.
Andy quickly peeled off her sweater and stepped out of jeans. Unlike Emily, her clothes were no longer cherished possessions. Emily handed Andy the dress and Andy slipped it over her head.
“Zip me up?” Andy said.
Emily started to zip Andy up. When the zipper was halfway up Andy’s back, Emily laid her hand right below the zipper. Andy knew it was to keep the garment from wrinkling or the zipper from pulling but that knowledge did not change the feel of warmth of Emily’s hand through the dress.
“Let me put your hair up,” Emily said. She carefully took off her Givenchy jacket, no sense in risking a tear, Andy could almost hear Emily thinking, and hung it up.
Emily stood behind Andy and pulled Andy’s hair into a quick bun.
“It’s not exactly runway ready,” Emily said. “But it suits the dress better.”
“So I get to keep it,” Andy said.
“Depends on what else you brought me,” Emily said.
“Brought?” Andy said. “Try generously gifted.”
Emily smiled. She headed back to the closet. Emily unzipped the last garment bag, the one that Andy had hoped she would save for last. Emily looked at her, excitement in her eyes when she saw there was another, thinner garment bag beneath the outer one.
Andy walked over, feeling the closeness of the fabric of her dress and the slight constriction at her waist. She didn’t want to risk Emily accidently dropping the piece from shock. Andy held the hanger up while Emily slowly unzipped the inner garment back to reveal a white Armani floor length gown with a plunging keyhole neckline and an embroidered peach overlay.
Emily turned around, lifting her arms up. Carefully gathering the garment, Andy draped it over Emily’s head and zipped it up. Emily turned toward Andy and Andy, who made her living off of words, could only think of one.
“Wow,” Andy said. “I mean, wow.”
Emily smiled. “Do you think it moves even better than it looks?”
Andy nodded. Her eyes kept drifting to the skin exposed by the keyhole.
“You could walk down the hallway, see what it feels like,” Andy said.
“I have a better idea,” Emily said. She held her hand out. “Dance with me.”
Andy put her hand in Emily’s. As she got closer, Emily put one arm around Andy’s waist and Andy copied Emily’s movement. They swayed that way until Andy lost count of the seconds.
Emily turned her face towards Andy’s.
“Unzip me?” Emily said.
Andy nodded.