“Is this designer?” she murmured when they broke apart.
The girls who had been surrounding them disappeared when they realized Trihn and Damon were together.
Damon laughed. “Straight to the point. I was told I had to dress up for this sort of thing, and I thought I’d surprise you.”
“Not sure if I’ve ever seen you out of jeans.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Now, we both know that’s not true.”
Trihn giggled. “All right. What are you doing backstage already? I thought you were out there with my parents and Lydia and the girls.”
“I brought you something.”
“Oh?”
Damon reached into his pocket and pulled out a Hershey’s Kiss.
Trihn dipped her head back and laughed. “You and your Kisses.”
“I said I would earn your kisses.”
“And you did,” she agreed. She took it out of his hand and popped it into her mouth.
“Well, I guess that was the warm-up. Let’s see if I do this right.” This time, he pulled out a medium-sized blue box. It was not just any blue. It was Tiffany blue.
Her stomach dropped.
He turned the box toward her and opened the top. Inside was a slender silver chain holding a crystal-clear diamond haloed in another circle of diamonds.
Trihn gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God…Damon,” she breathed.
“I saw the first deposit for my earnings from ‘We Never Met,’ and I couldn’t resist. It’s platinum. That was my only requirement. You’re my platinum girl after all. Rare and beautiful. You should be wearing it.”
Trihn laughed softly. Her eyes were wet. She couldn’t believe this.
“Allow me?”
She nodded and turned around. He removed the necklace from the box while she lifted her hair. He gently placed the diamonds around her neck where it rested against the center of her chest. Once he clicked the clasps together, he kissed her neck.
“Perfect. Just like you.”
“You’re incredible,” she said, moving into his arms. “Thank you. It’s too much.”
“Nah. It’ll never be enough for you.”
Trihn shook her head. How did I get so lucky?
“There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you before the madness happens back here.”
“Something else?” she asked, trailing her fingers over the new necklace.
“I got a call from my agent. They’ve been working to figure out what’s next for me while Chloe…heals.”
“That’s good. What’s the next big step for Damon Stone?”
“He thinks I should get a DJ contract in Las Vegas.”
“What does that mean?” Trihn asked. “Working clubs again?”
“Sort of. But instead of sporadically, I’d get a contract for a certain amount of time, and I’d be required to DJ there for so many shows a year. They think I could get a big club at one of the massive Vegas Strip hotels,” he told her. “More importantly, I’d be there with you and not away on tour unless I wanted to be.”
“That sounds incredible! When will you know if you’ll get a contract?”
Damon smirked. “Just got off the phone. It’s a done deal. I just have to sign the paperwork.”
“Oh my God!” Trihn shrieked. She jumped into his arms, and he held her there. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to make this day about me. I was just too excited that I would be back in Vegas with you that I couldn’t wait.”
“No, I’m so glad that you told me. It’s unbelievable.”
“It really is. And I can still write, record, and tour whenever I want as long as I meet the contractual agreements,” he said.
She kissed him and smiled. “The world is at your feet.”
“Just you. You’re what matters.”
“Attention, all designers, please report back to the stage,” a man said, walking around the room.
“That’s me,” Trihn told Damon.
“Knock ’em dead, love.”
Trihn got into line with the other designers and tried not to let the nerves get to her. She knew that most of the other students here had a lot more experience than her. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to win. She could only hope for the best at this point.
She walked onstage with the other girls and waited as the judges announced the winner. Her eyes were fixed on the crowd bathed in soft light.
“And the winner of the thirty-seventh annual National Fashion Show and the grand prize of a spotlight feature in Glitz magazine along with a contract with Bloomingdale’s goes to…Tiffany Ryu.”
A short Asian girl two people down from Trihn collapsed into tears as her name was called. Trihn felt a pang of disappointment and jealousy as the girl walked forward to collect her prize, but she let it pass. She had more time to get there.
The other girls were ushered offstage, and Trihn walked right into Damon’s arms.
“Sorry, love.”
“It’s okay,” she said, brushing it off. “You win some. You lose some. There’s always next year.”