Page 103 of Barron's Second Chance
"Of course," he nodded. "I signed up for the streaming service. There's no way I was missing you do your thing."
"That's sweet," she smiled. "But you would've had to put up with a lot of fashion jargon. I hope you weren't too bored."
"No way," he insisted. Before pausing in thought. "Honestly? It was an eye-opener for me."
"What do you mean?" She frowned.
He looked uncomfortable briefly before answering. "I know you fell into this career because of my mistakes. I always wondered if you were truly happy doing what you were doing or if it was an escape from me. But I can see that you really enjoy it. It's in your body language and the way you talk.
She nodded, understanding. "Honestly? It did start that way. Obviously, modeling was never on my radar. At first, it was a way to get out of New Haven. Then the money was good for me, the parties..." she didn't need to repeat what her life was like in those early years. "But once I genuinely decided that this is what I wanted to do, I started to really focus on it. I had a great mentor. I got to travel and work with some awesome models and designers. And I had a good support system. Not only here in New York but back home as well."
Talking about it with Barron reignited the passion she had lacked this week. It reminded her why she had worked so hard in an industry that was sometimes tiresome and unforgiving. It challenged and inspired her. Sharing that finally with the man she had loved most of her life felt right.
"Anyway, enough about me," she sat back against her headboard. "What's new back home?"
Eden grinned as he started chatting about the upcoming soccer season. His adult league was starting again, but he wasn't going to play this season, instead choosing to focus his time on coaching the high school team.
She was thrilled to learn that Sofia and Ryan had invited him around for drinks and had started including him back into their small circle. She smothered a smile behind her hand when he told her that he was giving them 'mates rates' at The Homestead with one free drink and discounted prices. She didn't have the heart to tell him that Sofia might've manipulated him a bit because he had insisted that it was his idea. She was sure that if he thought back carefully, he could pinpoint the exact moment Sofia had planted the idea in his brain.
"You're tired," Barron softly said as she stifled a yawn.
"Exhausted now," she agreed, her eyes feeling heavy. "I need to get some food into me before I crash again."
"Okay, baby. I'll let you go. What time's your flight tomorrow?"
"Four a.m." Even saying it tired her out.
"Ouch," he flinched.
"Yeah, and I gotta get up even earlier to avoid traffic so I have time to check in."
"I'll message you later tonight and tomorrow morning before you leave. Don't worry about replying back."
Despite her tiredness, she squirmed uneasily. "The time difference -"
"They're six hours ahead," Barron finished. He leaned close and smiled. "I got this, baby. We'll figure it out. I'll let you go now. Eat something and rest up. I'll talk to you when you're free."
After saying farewell, Eden grabbed something to eat, her heart full of happiness. She then quickly packed for her trip before falling into a peaceful, deep sleep.
Once she arrived in Milan, she jumped straight into fittings and rehearsals before Fashion Week officially started. The good thing about Milan was that it was a tad more exclusive, which meant that her schedule was less packed than it had been in New York. Plus, she was only walking forFendiandVersace,so luckily, she was only based in one location - a private show space at the Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum.
It was a lot easier to keep in contact with Barron due to her ease of scheduling and the two weeks flew by. Usually, she would do a stopover in London for a few days but for the first time, she didn't. She took a flight straight back to New York. She had a few down days before a photoshoot and a showcase that she was participating in for a dear designer friend.
Her flight arrived back in New York at 3 pm local time. After a quick message to Barron, she cleaned the airplane smell off her before taking a walk to her local pizza joint for a couple of slices of her favorite Pizza Margherita. Well deserved after months of strict discipline, she thought.
As she made the short walk back to her apartment, she rechecked her phone.
No new messages.
Her heart sank a little. She had gotten so used to a slew of calls and voice messages from Barron. Seeing her phone silent for so long was disappointing, considering she was back in the same time zone as him.
As Eden drew closer to her building, a tall male standing outside the front doors caused her steps to falter. He was pressing the buzzer on the door, running his fingers through his dark blonde hair in apparent agitation.
She took a few steps closer. "Ba-Barron?" She stammered, unable to believe it was really him.
He spun around, and the frown on his face cleared at the sound of her voice.
He flashed her an uneasy smile, spreading his arms wide. "Err, surprise!"
