Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(66)
Trihn cracked up. “Yep. You did good.”
“One minute, I was talking about f*cking you, and the next, I’m meeting your father.” He shook his head. “At least I’ll have a warning when I meet your mother and the infamous Lydia.”
Trihn frowned and looked away. “Yeah, about that…you really don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I want to come with you.” He grabbed her by her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. “I have every intention of being there when you have to go through that situation. I know it’s not going to be easy or comfortable, but I’m not here just for the good. I’m here for everything.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too,” he said with a smile. “Now, go make your dreams come true.”
Trihn spent the next couple of hours working with the models, fixing minor issues on the designs, and basically running around like a madwoman. Her father was a professional, and with so many of the models having real-life experience, it made the process go by so much faster.
“That’s a wrap,” her father said some hours later.
The entire group cheered and congratulated Trihn on the success of her first official photo shoot. It felt incredible. All the models had photographed beautifully in her clothes. And with this, she hoped that she would have a fighting chance as a sophomore design major in such professional competition. If anything, she had put her heart and soul into it, and that showed through every product.
Her eyes sought out the one person she wanted to share this accomplishment with. But she didn’t see Damon.
“He’s out back,” Eric said, realizing who she was looking for.
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.”
“Hey, Trihn?”
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m happy for you. I know not everything has been smooth sailing, but I think he’s an infinitely better choice than Neal. He’s a good guy.”
She smiled. “I think so, too, but it means a lot to hear you say that.”
“Good job on all of this. Wish I could have been more help, but it seems like you have it all taken care of. I’m going to head out.”
“Thanks, E.”
He tipped his head at her and then started to leave with the models who had changed out of her one-of-a-kind designs.
Trihn headed out the back door and into the darkness beyond. She saw a silhouette of Damon with his hands in his pockets. He was staring out at the campus that was softly illuminated by streetlamps.
“We just finished,” she said.
He quickly turned around. “Hey. Sorry I wasn’t in there for the finale.”
She waved her hand and came to stand next to him. “Doesn’t matter. You were there for basically everything else.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath of the dry, dusty Vegas air.
“What’s up?” she asked, intuitively sensing a shift in him.
“I have some news.”
“Oh?” She swallowed hard. The way he’d said it didn’t make it sound good. “The stuff Chloe told you to keep your phone on for?”
“Yeah. Our song is going to be the opener for the new album.”
“Oh my God!” Trihn cried. “The opener?”
“It should release internationally in a week or two. Damon Stone featuring Chloe Avana,” he said wistfully.
“Your name is first?” she asked, confused.
“Yeah. The DJ’s name comes first and then the singer. That’s how it’s normally done, and Chloe insisted we keep it the same—not that it changes anything, except for the order.”
“Um…I think that changes a lot, Damon. You’re going to be the first artist listed on an internationally bestselling song. This isn’t just a couple of million YouTube views. This is it.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, when do I finally get to hear it?” she asked.
“As soon as I can play it for you, I will,” he softly told her, still looking out into the abyss.
“I’m so excited for you. Why aren’t you more excited?”
“They asked me to be in the music video for the song.”
“That’s incredible!” she said.
But he still looked sad.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “I guess I’ve just had such a great week with you that the thought of going back to LA is painful.”
“Oh.” She reached out for his hand, pulling it from his pocket. “But this is your dream. You want me to pursue my dream, and I want you to pursue yours.”
“I might have to miss the fashion show,” he said, wincing as he delivered the news.
Her stomach dropped, but she managed to hold it together. He had been there enough for her. She needed to be there for him.
“That’s okay, Damon.”
“It’s not.”
“Damon, look at me.”
He did as instructed.
“You are going to be in a music video for the debut single on Chloe Avana’s new album. You absolutely cannot be sad that you’re missing one fashion show to do that. I promise you, I will have other shows.”