Page 111 of Praising Haru

“Soon.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The kiss we share is far too passionate for the middle of a busy train station, but I don’t care. His lips glisten with my saliva as we break apart. He picks his art folder up and walks backwards a few steps before turning and going through the barriers to the platform. He’s swallowed up in the surge of passengers rushing to catch their trains, but I stay where I am, watching until the board tells me his train has gone.

CHAPTER21

HARU

After texting Kyle, I meet Hayley at the restaurant she works at between my interviews.

“How did it go?” she asks the moment I arrive at the table.

I sit. “Great, I think. It’s hard to tell, but it seemed positive. They said they’d let me know.” I do my best to sound peppy and upbeat, but my voice is flat.

“Then why do you look miserable?” She hands me a menu.

“I don’t.”

She arches an eyebrow. “You do.”

I run my finger up and down the edge of the menu, staring at it rather than making eye contact with my friend. “Working for either of these companies would be a dream come true.”

“But?”

“I’ve met someone.”

“In Leeds?”

“Yes. He says he’ll move here to be with me. Not right away, but in a few months, once we’re sure that it’s going to last.”

“I sense another but.”

I toss the menu onto the table. “Leeds is where his family is. It’s where his heart is. I don’t think he’d be happy here. I wish there were a way I could stay in Leeds and work in fashion.”

Hayley tilts her head. “Who says there isn’t?”

“All the fashion houses are here.”

“All the big and famous ones are, yes. But do you have any idea how many independent brands there are?”

I shake my head.

“How many Internet-only brands?”

“No.”

“Tons. You could freelance for some of them.”

I blink. “Freelance?”

“Yeah. Design a clothing collection for one brand and then move on to the next. The work would be varied, and best of all, you could do it from wherever home is.”

I drum my fingers against the table. “You’ve looked into it?”

“Yes. I got myself a design gig. Nothing big. I’m designing a summer dress for an inclusive online brand. My brief is that it has to be cute, practical, and have pockets and that I need to design it to fit multiple sizes, not scale it as most clothing companies do. It’s not a huge earner, but every little bit helps, right? Plus, it’s something else to add to my portfolio until I get a permanent job.”