One Night

Chapter 203

Audrey

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With one last flourish, I took a step back from the mannequin to admire the gown that I had spent countless hours creating over the past month.

Sunlight streamed through the large studio windows, catching on the beads and sequins I had painstakingly sewn by hand onto the bodice. The colorful fabric caught the light as well, so delicate that it was almost sheer with the sun behind it.

The gown was perfect-it was absolutely everything I had envisioned and then some.

But this wasn’t just any gown, nor was it just my thesis project. It was a tapestry of my journey throughout fashion school and throughout my life, each piece carefully chosen from projects I had completed over the years.

Swatches of silk from my first-year color theory project, intricate embroidery from a second-year assignment, even scraps from the disaster that was my attempt at avant-garde in third year-they were all there, woven together into something entirely new.

And soon, in just a couple of short weeks, I would be presenting this gown as my thesis project.

I hoped that the judges would like it.

“Audrey, you’ve outdone yourself yet again,” Tina sighed dreamily from her perch on a nearby stool. Her red curls caught the sunlight as she tilted her head, examining the gown from different angles. “I can’t believe it’s finally coming together.”

Avis, who had been circling the mannequin with a critical eye, suddenly piped up. “Can I buy it off of you for a bit when the semester is over? I’d like to display it in my shop window. I’ll return it.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at her eagerness. “You can have it for free, Avis. Consider it my gift to you for your business.”

“Audrey, you don’t-”

“I mean it, Avis. It’s yours.” I grinned at my friend.

Avis’s cheeks flushed pink as she checked her watch, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Oh wow, is that the time? Speaking of which, I’ve got some orders I need to work on. See you two later! Thank you so much, Audrey!” She hurried away, her blonde curls bouncing as she went, the rapid click of her heels fading down the hallway.

As soon as the studio door closed behind Avis, Tina and I exchanged knowing smirks. The silence hung between us for a moment before Tina broke it with a mischievous grin.

“I think by ‘orders to work on’ she really means that she has a sex appointment with Gavin,” Tina said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she sipped her coffee.

I felt my face heat up at the thought. “Ew, Tina! I don’t want to picture my two friends having… you know!” I protested, but I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me.

Tina’s laughter echoed through the studio, bouncing off the high ceilings and bare walls. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. They’re disgustingly cute together. The way they look at each other, it’s like they’re the only two people in the world.”

It was true; over the past month, Gavin and Avis had become even more head over heels for one another. We often joked that they would get married and start cranking out little blonde-haired babies as soon as we all graduated.

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Still, I shook my head in an attempt to banish the m**al image. “Let’s just focus on the gown, shall we? I still have some finishing touches to add.”

Turning back to the mannequin, I picked up a small container of seafoam green and sky blue beads. The tiny glass orbs clinked together as I poured a few into my palm, their iridescent surfaces catching the light. With careful precision, I began to create the shape of a luna moth on the front of the

“A moth?” Tina asked, leaning in for a closer look. Her breath tickled my ear as she peered over my shoulder. “Oh! A luna moth!”

I nodded, my fingers working deftly as I attached each bead. “The one from last summer hasn’t left my mind. I had to incorporate it.”

“Luna moths represent transformation, you know,” Tina said, waving her hand as she leaned back on her stool. “Very fitting for someone like you.” She jerked her chin toward the mannequin. “And very fitting for a project like this.”

I smiled softly as I worked. “That’s the plan. I’m calling it ‘Metamorphosis. I wanted the gown to represent everything that I am-my journey from human to werewolf. Both phases of my life are equally important, and I wanted to showcase that.” I paused, letting out a small sigh. “I just wish…”

“What?” Tina prompted gently.

My hands stilled in front of the bodice. “I just wish Edwin could see this, that’s all,” I admitted, my voice small. “His input would mean a lot right now.”

Tina’s breath caught. I set down my needle and thread on the desk, turning to look out the window.

“Audrey…” Tina whispered.

“It’s just been a long month, that’s all,” I said quietly.

A month-that was how long it had been since we had agreed to take a break. Edwin had stuck to his promise, not slipping up even once. It was both a relief and a bit of a disappointment, if I was being brutally honest.

“Has he tried to contact you even once?” Tina asked.

I shook my head, then paused. “Well, sort of. He sent me flowers a couple of times and sent me a few texts to check in. But we haven’t talked aside from that.”

“You’re disappointed,” Tina pointed out.

I shrugged and nodded and shook my head at the same time. “No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” I laughed ruefully and turned away from the window, dragging my gaze away from the springtime blossoms on the trees in the courtyard below and the gaggles of students laughing on the lawn. “I guess a little part of me sort of hoped he’d break his promise again.”

Tina chuckled. “You’re incorrigible. But I get it.”

“It’s for the best, though,” I said, offering her a small smile. “I really am feeling better lately, even though it’s been tough with my mom still in a coma.”

“And your wolf?”

I shuddered a bit. “Still just as quiet as the day we started our break. But like I said, it’s for the best. My grades are back up to straight A’s, and I’ve had time to really focus on this project.”

Tina nodded as she hopped down from her stool. She walked over to my mannequin and traced her finger across the beads

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on the gown. “Well, it shows, And you look a lot happier.”

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“I am,” I admitted. “Not that I don’t miss him. But I think this has been good for me. For us. I just hope he doesn’t resent me for it.”

“Of course he won’t resent you, Audrey,” Tina said, turning to look at me. “He understands why you needed this. And honestly, the fact that he’s respected your wishes says a lot about him.”

“Yeah.” I managed a small smile. “It does.”

As if on cue, my phone began to ring. The sudden sound startled me, piercing through the quiet atmosphere of the studio. I fumbled to pull it out of my pocket, my heart s**ng a beat when I saw the caller ID: the doctor from Silverbite General Hospital.

With shaking hands, I answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hello, Audrey,” the doctor’s voice came through the speaker-an increasingly familiar sound these days, seeing as how frequently I visited the hospital. “I have some news about your mother.”

I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. The world seemed to narrow down to this moment, everything else fading into the background. Please, let it be good news, I thought, gripping the phone tighter.

“Claudia has woken up,” the doctor continued. “Would you like to see her?”

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