Chapter 44: 37.𝐋𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦

"CADA DÍA ES UN DESFILE DE MODA Y EL MUNDO ES LA PASARELA" Professor Brooke speaks standing near the desk "Tell me, what did I just say?" She asks, her voice calm and clear. A chatter breaks among the students trying to figure out her words. If I am not wrong she said something in Spanish, but I can't understand

She waited patiently waiting for us to respond. I could notice a few students who were hesitating to answer.Our previous Professor is on leave and Professor Brooke is appointed as a substitute for the time being. She teaches us textile science, about different types of materials and fabrics used in designing. She isn't like our other professors who are strict and stern, her nature is mild and understanding

She picks up her pen and points towards us "No one?" Her eyes wander around the students, thinking who would reply. Suddenly a hand raises up making miss Brooke smile as someone finally decides to answer "Yes, Tell me what it means" she asks

I straightened up myself to look at the person who raised his hand.

"EVERY DAY IS A FASHION SHOW AND THE WORLD IS THE RUNWAY. Words of coco chanel" a familiar voice answers. Cami nudges my elbow and bobs her head towards the front. I shift my gaze and realize it's Julian who answered. My eyes widened in surprise, I didn't even know he was in the class, I look around and spot max far away from us who looked interested in Julian's answer

"That's right, it's a famous quote by Gabrielle Chanel. I don't have to give any introduction to her" the professor moves a bit forward while speaking.

"How does Julian know Spanish?" Cami whispers in my ear, keeping my head forward I lean towards her and whisper back "I don't know, maybe he learnt it in high school?" She just hums and resumes to focus on the lesson. Only max is the closest one to Julian, Camilia and I don't know much about him

The pen fidgets between her fingers when she continues "You know why I said her words in Spanish? Because even with different languages the meaning is still the same" she explains "Let me give you another example, you all are youngsters. How many of you use skincare?"

Gradually, more than half of the class raised their hands including me. Miss Brooke nods in approval "and you all spend a good time choosing which type of products suits your skin right?" She asks, everyone drops their hands and nods at her question. It's a fact, I spent a good amount of time selecting good products for my skin. It's not something random but important because skin is a sensitive part of our health

"In my opinion clothes are a type of skincare too. You guys spend time on your skincare but what about the material of clothes you wear every single day? It also affects your skin right? Not just your face but your whole body. Am I right?" Her words penetrate my brain. Whatever she said is something people overlook. Even myself, I don't buy clothes from their fabric but according to its quality and brand not caring about the fact how that material can affect my skin

"In fashion designing, the most basic and important thing is the material of the dress. The model or the customer first looks and then feels the fabric, if both the things satisfy their preferences that's when they look at the price" Miss Brooke continues to explain. Her teaching style is totally different from other teachers "You need to be really thoughtful while selecting the textile for your design, because not all fabrics are capable of being molded into your design."

"With current affairs, I hope you all are aware how fabrics obtained from animals are being boycotted. It's a very crucial topic, many brands and fashion shows are affected because their clothes were made from material produced by animals"

The whole class goes silent listening to her, our attention solely focused on her words. As she brought up the everyday examples and current affairs this lesson suddenly became so interesting to know and learn. I pull out my notes ready to write down any important information. My fellow classmates do the same thing

She takes a deep breath putting her pen down on the desk before turning back to us. Her posture showcasing her confidence and her words define her experience in this field"Most common examples? Silk and leather both come from animals and also come in different qualities and few of them are really expensive. While deciding the fabric suitable for your dressing keep this all in mind. Is it comfortable? For which season? Does it look good? Does it come in your budget? Will it be okay to use such material?"

The lesson goes on and I find myself engrossed in the topic. I couldn't help but think about my choice of fabric I selected for my design. Is it fine? Liam approved of it but I still couldn't give up on this uncertain feeling. I should discuss this with Liam again

The day was long as I had many classes, feeling exhausted I got inside my car. Leaning against the seat I try to relax a bit before leaving. It's been a while since I used my car because I didn't have any reason to travel much. Now, Liam couldn't always come to pick me up so I sometimes book a cab or drive there myself

Liam has been a bit grumpy because of what happened a few days ago. Well, I got a bit emotional listening to 'the tortured poet's department'. Well he can't blame me, it was stressful. I am a lover's girl and that album? has destroyed it so good

But looking at him panicking because of my outbreak made me realize how worried he was. I shouldn't have scared him that much, I did apologize after words but I should do something more. I quickly started my car and drove towards the café nearby. This place witnessed many parts of our story.

I park my car and make my way inside the café, with time this place has become more and more popular among the university students and also other citizens. As I step inside I am greeted with a fully packed place. Customers ranging from high schoolers to adults

This will take a while

I grab my phone and check the time, it's 4 pm right now and Liam might come back by 5? If I am not wrong. I could grab some snacks and sweets for him, but is it enough?

What else can I do?

Maybe dinner?

Oh yes! I could take him out for dinner, during this time we didn't have time to go out for a proper dinner date, it's a bit basic I guess but it's romantic. I browse through the restaurants to make a reservation beforehand.

I should inform Jasmine that I will be late today

"Stella?"

My head snaps at the call of my name, I turn around to find Miles standing a few steps away from me, with the same cheeky grin on his face

"Wow, it's been a while. How are you?" He asks, moving a step forward. My grip tightens around the phone, my eyes staring at him figuring out if I am seeing correctly or not. Miles stands in front of me with one hand in his pocket. It's been more than a year since I last saw him.

Why did he have to appear now?

That too here out of all places

I shake off my thoughts and put my phone inside my back and turn my attention to him "I am doing great, how are you?" I ask, my voice calm and collected. He gives me a slight nod scratching the back of his neck "Fine, the same old thing. So I guess fashion designing is working out for you huh?" He says with a hint of sarcasm

"Yeah it's working really well" I reply keeping myself calm

He raises his eyebrow in surprise but covers it up quickly "Better than law?" he questions. "Yeah way better than law" I answer. I could feel the building up awareness and tension between us.

That's what happens when you face your ex boyfriend randomly

Miles, he was my mom's student when she was a high school teacher. He used to come to our house often and we were friends, not close but still. When I decided to study law, we ended up in the same class and got closer, which led to dating.

I liked him, he was nice and caring too at first but I was too blind to realize his controlling behavior which was taking over my mental health

'stella don't wear heels, they don't suit you'

'focus on Studying instead of those shitty books of yours '

'you should dress up properly, you are not some model to wear fashionable clothes'

'you look bad with those spots on your face, cover them up'

'fashion designing is stupid, don't think about that shit'

Hell, that's what I felt like. I was already feeling low because of forcing myself into studying law. I thought he would understand me but he didn't, instead he mocked me and degraded me every chance he got.

Sometimes my clothes, my heels, my freckles

Constantly asking me to cover up, not to wear stylish clothes, not to eat my favorite food. I was in a black hole, surrounding myself with all the comments and slowly started to believe that he is right

After the first year, I scored well and got ranked but he couldn't. That's when everything went downhill, he was furious and accused me that my father had paid to help me get the rank and I couldn't tolerate it anymore. I broke up with him right then and there and quit law the same day.

I never said about Miles to anyone in my family, because he was still our family friend. I didn't want to ruin something my family had. Ethan once doubted Miles when he saw my change of behavior and dressing, he tried to ask me but I didn't say anything to him. We were on bad terms that time and I thought he would blame me again. Both Ethan and Henry never approved of Miles as my boyfriend but my parents trusted him so much that they didn't say anything

I was finally out

I didn't want to remember that past so I didn't recall it

I applied for a fashion designing course and got it because of my past grades. Decided to live in a dorm rather than with my family, it was the first time I made a decision myself. I felt relieved and free

But still felt a bit hollow

I was smiley and cheerful outside but still empty. That emptiness was filled with Liam's presence, he gave me the happiness I was separated from. He gave me a reason to shine, because he had trust in me when I was not confident in myself

After a while of silence, Miles decided to speak again "I heard you are dating someone?" He paused slightly, rethinking his words, "that fashion designer's son?"

How does he know-

Oh those pictures!

"Liam, His name is Liam Williams" I corrected him. His expression drops and takes over with a cold and annoyed one "so, you are dating him? Seriously stella?" He scoffs. "Yeah I am dating him" I clarify, why is he even asking all that anyways

He chuckles, shaking his head before looking at me with a nocturnal expression "wow so you actually went for the rich huh? gold digger behavior" his voice dripping with sarcasm

Oh here he goes again

Did he forget about my family background or what?

"I don't even understand why you broke up, like come on. I am a nice guy with good looks and money too, you should be grateful for me and moreover my future is stable than your so called boyfriend-"

"There you have the reason" I cut him off "You think you are the best one, in your mind no one is better than you and that no one can suppress you" I point out, trying to keep myself under control and not lashing out. The amount of times he has insulted me and underestimated me comes back to my mind

"Oh please, you think you are any better than me? Don't tell me you think so highly of yourself because of getting a rank? You are Nothing without your family, and if you think you could succeed in that fashion designing it would only be because of your popular boyfriend" he steps forward towering over me not caring about all the eyes on us.

"You cannot survive without your family's name Stella" he says with a small smile on his face. He is too close to my comfort zone, I don't like this.My whole body tensed up with his words, my heart clenching down feeling vulnerable in front of him

Wrapping my arms around my waist I take slow breaths

Breath in

Breath out

Breath in

Breath out

It's okay, I am fine. His words aren't true. I am happy, I am doing well, everything is fine.

Giving myself some assurance taking a deep breath, I look back at him with a determined expression. No one can bring me down, especially him!

"Step back Miles" I warn, my voice stern thinking he would be affected but he doesn't move a bit, his eyes challenging me "What if I don't? What will you do?" He mocks moving closer

That's it, he crossed the limit

"Careful Miles, I hope you aren't forgetting the length of my heel, one kick there and you will see both heaven and hell at the same time" I say in a low and rough voice, not usually how I speak

His smile drops and gaze hardens, it seems like my words made him realize I am not joking. My boot linger around his shoe, they are high quality and the best part is that its heel is really hard one step on his foot and I could make him bleed.

He laughs out studying my face and glances at our feet before looking back at me again "You think you can win against me? You are really weak Stella Miller. I don't even understand why that guy even dated you? Oh maybe it's because of your body or something, that's how rich people are-"

He continues to ramble making my blood boil, I notice a lady passing by us holding a cup of milkshake, without thinking twice I grab the cup from her hand and flip it over Miles's head covering him in pink color. The ice rolls down on the floor while his face and hair are damp and claggy

Few people who witnessed this scene gasp in shock followed by some laughter. Few people in the café had witnessed this whereas others were not interested at all. Miles state has put on a good show, His rambling has stopped being taken over by embarrassment and anger but due to everyone's concentration

He opens his mouth to speak but I don't allow it "one more word about him and I will make you regret your entire existence" I crash the cup against his chest making him groan. He shoots a glare at me before striding off.

I sigh in relief, people were still looking at me with a hint of surprise. My anger really took control of my actions today "I am really sorry about that" I say, apologizing politely. Luckily, the customers don't mind much about it, I receive a few smiles and nods and everyone resumes their activities

I turn back to the girl whose drink I just ruined, "I am really sorry for your drink, I will pay for a new one" I try to show my sincereness . I was too furious to even care about others. As I meet her gaze, I examine her. She looks in her 20s, black hair and green eyes but I have never seen her around here before

She gives me a friendly smile, making me confused. I just spoiled her drink and she is smiling? But her smile is genuine there's no sign of sarcasm "Oh it's totally alright, I saw what happened and that guy deserved it" she says, her voice sweet and gentle just like her smile

She checks her watch, her smile drops and she looks back at me "I gotta go now, don't worry about that drink" she assures, walking towards the door in a hurry, before making her exit she turns back and mouths "love the girl boss energy" and somehow I understand every word. She gives me a last wink and vanishes away leaving me with a storm of emotions her comment made me smile but the unsettling feeling is lingering in my mind

That guy has totally ruined my mood

"And that's all for today, you all may leave now" Alice announces, everyone stands up ready to leave the meeting room. Alice collects her files and approaches mom who's sitting right beside her.

I was supposed to leave early today but Alice informed me that mom suddenly decided to make an appearance to know about the progress of our next project. This meeting took two hours extra, well she is the founder of NYX and our boss so no one can question her.

Our firm doesn't have an official dressing code so everyone was in their casual attire. The moment this news broke out everyone rushed to switch their clothes. Few of us kept formal suits in our cabins and they came in use, it was for situations like these

I quickly changed into the suit and appeared in the meeting. Alice and I presented the current status of our firm and the profit and loss that happened in the past month. Mom was impressed I guess because we were working well.

During this period, I was suffocating in this suit. I don't have a problem with formal attire but neck ties always give me a hard time. The amount of times I have loosened it and then fixed it to stay professional is uncountable

Alice was busy with mom. So, Adam and I also made our exit walking back to our cabins. He has already removed his coat but I need to wait until I am alone. I grab my phone and look through my messages but there's none. I messaged Stella about this but she hasn't replied or called yet. She always calls me or at least texts me when she reaches my apartment.

What happened today?

Is she angry with me?

"I am leaving now, see you tomorrow" Adam says, his voice is low because of the tiredness. Giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder he walks away. I enter my cabin and fall on the chair relaxing my muscles. The phone is still in my hand.

I should call her first

As I was about to call her, the phone started ringing. Freckles flashing on the screen without wasting a second I received the call.

"Lemonnnn"

My body is stiff and I sit up straight on the chair listening to her drowsy voice. "Stella? Are you alright?" I ask with concern. I hear her giggle followed by a sudden hiccup "Am I alright lemon?"

Lemon? Since when did I become a fucking lemon

Seriously

She keeps mumbling through the phone about some random stuff, her words and it's unclear that I couldn't catch up. With her tone I doubt that she is under the influence of alcohol just to make sure "Freckles, are you drunk?" I ask slowly, hoping she says no and this is just a prank

"Drunk? Am I drunk? Maybe I am" she says, she voice is shaky and it covers up all my doubts, she is drunk and I feel she is extremely drunk

Oh God-

"Where are you?" I ask, my fingers tapping on the glass table continuously until she replies "I don't know! But it's so nice here. It has an air conditioner and you know there's a rack of bottles filled with colorful water? It's a rainbow!" Her voice sounds really childish making me chuckle

NO-

This is not funny

"Hm, do you know the name? Like when you entered the place was there any sign board or something?"

She hums some random song for a few seconds, my grip tightens around the table edge controlling myself to stay calm "oh yes! It said 'Gilded velvet' " she answers

Hell

She is at a restaurant, for now she is safe I guess but I don't know for how long

I got up and grabbed my tie, pulling it by force in an attempt to remove it but it wasn't coming off easily "Listen, I am coming there and you ain't gonna move from there. Understood?"

"Okay!" She squeaks and hangs up the call.

Without thinking twice I rushed off to the parking lot, my face tensed the sweat forming on my forehead. I get inside my car and yank off my tie in frustration and throw it on the passenger seat and do the same with my coat. I keep my phone in the passenger seat in case Stella calls again.

Starting the car, I drove to Gilded velvet as fast as I could. Gilded velvet is a famous restaurant, the best one for dinner dates and celebrations, the first choice for many celebrities and well-known people. One thing I am sure of is that she is safe there because it has good security but if she leaves then there will be a problem

That place is huge, people come there to shop for branded clothing. But where will I find her? If she was drinking she is most probably in the dining area or the private lounge.

Finally I arrive at the place and stop.the car in front of the entrance, grabbing my phone, I get out of the car. The valet takes the car away and I rush inside towards the private lounge first. The door opens revealing a luxurious place, the dim lights and slow melodious music playing in the background making me relax a bit

My eyes wander around the people trying to search for her. Finally I spot Stella sitting at the bar at a corner seat, her head hung low. I walk towards her and take a seat beside her. She looks at me noticing my presence, a small smile forms on her red face.

Yeah, totally drunk

"Lemonnnn you are here!" She sings wrapping her arms around my neck burying her face in my chest. I sigh in relief wrapping my arms around her "Why did you drink?" I lift her head up holding her chin gently, she blinks her eyes a few times having a hard time keeping them open "I am suwd" she rests her head on my chest again. I think she meant 'she is sad'

I Chuckle, she looks cute but why is she sad?

I turn my head towards the bartender and ask her to bring the bill, I try to hold Stella still as she keeps wiggling from my grip. I quickly pay for her drinks and make her stand up. She is really unstable right now, I would carry her but there are too many people and she is wearing a skirt.

I walk her out of the lounge towards the elevator, while she is still rambling stuff with unrecognizable language, once we get inside I make her lean against the wall. There's no one in the elevator right now. I quickly remove my coat and wrap it around her waist , once done I look at her

Her drowsy eyes meet mine, the blue color has turned something into a deeper color. She starts giggling again "where are we going?"

"I am taking you to your dorm" I reply holding her arms preventing her from moving. "Dorm? No! I wanna go to your home" she whines with a slight pout on her lips

I had to turn my head away from her, even while being drunk she is irresistible

"Because you are drunk, that's why" I reply, glancing at her. She leans forward and points her finger at my nose "You know what being drunk reminds me of?" She asks. I think for a second and shake my head denying

She pinches my cheeks and shakes my head like a child and suddenly starts singing

"I'm drunk in the back of the car

And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar

Said, I'm fine but it wasn't true"

I should keep her away from Alcohol from now on

The elevator door opens and I try to walk her out but she doesn't move, holding onto the sides of the door. "Stella, leave it" I say in a slightly stern tone. She huffs, shaking her head.

I sigh and leave her hand. She looks at me surprised when I do that but her eyes go wide when I pick her up in my arms not caring about the people around making her giggle.

"I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

And I snuck in through the garden gate"

She continues to sing while I carry her towards the exit making sure her legs are covered properly with the coat

"Every night that summer just to seal my fate

And I screamed for whatever it's worth"

Her singing becomes low when we step outside, the valet quickly brings the car and opens the door to the passenger seat knowing the situation. I make her seat at the passenger seat when she leans closer to my ear and whispers

" I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"

A rush of emotions crosses my heart hearing those words. My head snaps in her direction, she looks at me confused. Her eyes were so soft and innocent, I know she was singing the lyrics and did not mean it. I could feel myself being disappointed but hearing those three words from her lips were eternal for me

I smile caressing her head "No, that would be the best thing, I will ever hear" I replied to her, I could do anything to hear those words from her. No matter what

I fasten her seatbelt securing her safety while her soft giggles fills the car, her finger tips caress my cheek gently

"he looks up smiling like an angel" she mumbles softly making my heart skip a beat, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks

She changed the lyrics

➠

I park the car in front of her dorm and glace at Stella, who fell asleep snuggling into my coat. I get out of the car and go towards the passenger door when I notice Jasmine coming towards me with a worried expression "is she okay?" Jasmine asks

I nod and open the door revealing Stella who is fast asleep. Looking at her Jasmine sighs in relief. While coming here I called her and I formed about Stella's state.

"How did this happen? She never drinks" Jasmine crosses her arms looking at me suspiciously "Even I don't know, I was at work when I got her call" I explain but she doesn't seem to believe me fully. Taking a deep breath I narrate the whole thing that happened. How I was stuck in a meeting, got her call, found her drunk and till now excluding the part where she did an exclusive concert for me

She listens to everything silently without interrupting me, when I finish she looks at me with a frown "Wait- you guys didn't go for dinner?" I raise my eyebrow in confusion "dinner? I don't know anything about it"

"Stella said she would come late because she is taking you out. You didn't know?"

Her revelation leaves me speechless, she was planning a dinner? But she didn't tell me anything. I glace at Stella, did she drink because of me?

Jasmine's voice brings me out of my thoughts"I don't think she drank because of that, Stella hates alcohol. There might be some different reason, we shouldn't assume before her answers us" I nod acknowledging her point. I shouldn't assume anything unless she explains

"But Liam, if she was drunk why didn't you take her to your apartment? She was spending most of her time there right?" Jasmine asks another question, I look at her and shake my head

"That's different, right now she is unconscious and unaware of her surroundings. I don't think it's a good idea to take her with me" I reply

For a minute I did think about this, but when Stella would wake up tomorrow morning and find herself in a different environment than her it would affect her especially after the heavy Alcohol influence

Jasmine smiles "Thank you, I am glad Stella has someone like you in her life" she pauses and step forward to unbuckle Stella's seatbelt but stops and look at me again, with a slight hesitation "actually you gotta carry her inside, I mean inside the dorm"

My eyes widened and I take a step back because of her words. She sighs "Well, the elevator isn't working and our dorm is a few levels high and I can't carry her okay? You gotta do the job" she orders, her friendly nature has vanished

"I don't have a problem carrying her but I can't go inside the girl's dorm! What if someone sees?" I say slightly worried thinking about the consequences. Others would assume something wrong happening

"No one will know, we can take the fire exit stairs, there's no one around and the lights are also dim. So please help me" she tries to convince me. But I still think it's a bad idea, I glance at the entrance and back at her again.

Her expression shifts to a detirmined one "look, there's a high chance of us falling down the stairs if I try to carry her and I don't think other girls would help. So if you don't want your girlfriend to get hurt. DO.IT"

"But" she hold her hand in air stopping me mid-way "you are doing it for your woman, so be a gentleman you are" she says with a forced smile

I nod giving up to the situation, I walk carrying Stella inside, while Jasmine guides me towards the emergency stairs, which are at a corner away from anyone's eyes. She walks forward to make sure there's no one around, while I follow her carefully not to make any noise. Stella stays in her deep slumber not knowing the amount of afforts we are putting in this

To our luck, we arrive at her room without anyone noticing. Jasmine opens the door for me and gestures me to walk inside. I try to keep my eyes on my step avoiding to look around respecting the girls privacy. Jasmine notices this and chuckles

I lay Stella on the bed hoping she wouldn't wake up and cover her with the sheets

"Hm don't wake her up for the classes tomorrow, let her rest" I request Jasmine

"Don't worry about it" she assures, as I walk towards the door to get out of here as soon as possible she speaks again "you will come here tomorrow, won't you?"

My hand stay on the doornob as I glance at Jasmine and nod. She shakes her head in disbelief "Remember to bring her medicines" she reminds, okay I will keep that in mind

"Got it" I give her a thumbs up and rush back downstairs

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Author's Note

I am so sorry for late update 😭 I am writing long chapters now a days so it's taking this. This chapter alone is 5k words. Hope y'all understand 🥹

And I read your theories, you all are going in a very wrong direction 🫢 only a few of the readers predicted the stalker but not the correct reason. Keep trying 😀

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