Kayleigh took a quick sip of red wine before slipping the glass behind her laptop. Her pale face blinked back at her in the bottom right corner of an otherwise black screen.

"Mum? Mum, you have to switch on the camera," Kayleigh advised her computer.

"It is on!" her mother's frustrated voice called back.

"No, it is not. Ask Leon to help you."

"Give it here, Mum," her brother's voice offered. "There we go!"

Three disgruntled faces appeared on her screen and Kayleigh waved at them cheerfully. She had been in London for over a week and despite various phone calls, they hadn't found the time to do a proper video call. Seeing the whole family gathered in their cosy living room almost brought Kayleigh to tears. She could almost smell the burnt cookies mixed in the fresh sea breeze.

"I can see you! How are you?"

"We're good. How about you, Kay?" her father yelled as though he was on the other side of a football stadium.

"She's great, Dad," Leon answered with a cheeky glint in his eyes. "She's a big shot now, aren't you, Baby Sis?"

"Leon, dear, don't tease your sister," Mrs Moore scolded, not taking her eyes off the screen. Kayleigh noticed she was just as choked up as she was.

"I'm not teasing! She's designing the hottest wedding dress of the season," her brother said in a tone that sounded like the intro to a YouTube gossip feature. "She's going to be rich!"

"I am not going to-"

"Feet on the ground, Leon-"

"Will you let my daughter speak!" their father yelled again, looking at his baby girl eagerly through the screen. Leon and Anne Moore fell silent and turned back to the camera like scolded five-year-olds.

"Thanks, Dad," Kayleigh grinned. 

"Hey Sis, close your eyes! We have a surprise for you."

Kayleigh's eyes went wide. "You do? What is it?"

"Close your eyes!" he insisted.

She humoured him and placed her palms in front of her face. "Okay, they're-"

"Hello!"

A familiar, merry voice was accompanied by cheers and clapping. Kayleigh dropped her hands instantly and gasped at the bespectacled face that had joined the party

"Rosemary?" she exclaimed, not sure what to make of the fact that Rosemary Nicholson was in her living room. "Hey! Uhm... What are you doing here?"

Leon threw an arm around the beaming girl and squeezed into view again. "She's just hanging around, you know. As you would."

Rosemary rolled her eyes and slapped his arm away before turning back to the camera to explain. "My mum told me your mum told her that you were calling tonight and I wanted to talk to you. So, I told my mum that, and my mum told your mum. So your mum invited me over. Then Leon wanted to surprise you and made me hide behind the computer and, well, here I am! Are you surprised?"

Kayleigh struggled to keep up with Rosemary's thought process. Not only did the brunette talk fast naturally, so it was always a challenge to keep up with her explanations, but Kayleigh found herself distracted by her brother's arm snaking its way around her friend's shoulders again.

"I'm surprised," Kayleigh declared, the confusion evident in her tone.

Rosemary beamed at her and instantly launched a series of questions. "Tell me everything! How are you? Are you really going to be rich? Did you meet her? Abigail Kilton? What is she like? I bet she's a diva!"

Leon studied Rosemary, his expression growing more bewildered with every question. "Slow down, Rosie. Kayleigh needs a Porsche to keep up."

"Good. I doubt it. Yes. She's nice. Just a tiny bit," Kay answered briskly fixing her brother with a pointed glare.

"See?" Rosemary grinned back at Leon. "We are synergistic."

Synergistic wasn't exactly the word Kayleigh would have used to describe her relationship with Rosemary Nicholson, but if they both had to name one friend, she guessed they would name each other. It dawned on her that Rosemary didn't have anyone to spend her summer with since she'd left for London. She imagined her riding along the shore on her bike, eating ice cream on the beach and listening to The Beatles records on her Beats Solo3s.

"Are you eating enough, Kayleigh? You look a little tired."

Kayleigh smiled warmly. Of course, her mother would be concerned. And she didn't exactly look her best tonight. She was tired. She was exhausted actually. She didn't get much sleep the night before and her glass of vino was screaming out her name.

So much had happened, it felt like she'd been away for a lot more than eleven days, and Kay's heart tugged in her chest as home suddenly felt a long way away. "It was just a long day, Mum. But I'm fine. I'm eating. Don't worry."

Rosemary's eyes lit up again. "Tell us everything!"

"There's not that much to tell, really."

Where would she even start?

"Please, Kayleigh," Rosemary begged, her pink lips forming a sweet pout. "I need to live vicariously through you. You have no idea how boring it's been since you left."

"It was boring when she was here too, Rosie," Leon winked at her. Rosemary shrugged his arm away, causing his arrogant smile to slide off his face.

Kayleigh heaved a great sigh, deciding she might as well tell them something. It was surely an easier conversation than asking what the heck was going on between those two. Rosemary Nicholson and Leon Moore were a very unlikely pair, and yet, they seemed to be getting along just fine in her absence. 

"I sort of had a run-in with one of the Heads of Department."

Her friend's eyes grew as round as her spectacles. "You did?"

Her father, on the other hand, didn't look too happy. "Honey, you have to be careful. This internship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that young lady is depending on you for a wedding gown."

"I know, Dad," Kayleigh sighed, wondering if they would ever let her finish a sentence. "My manager got hold of the designs for the bridal party and, well they were meant to go with the first dress, not my dress. They're beautiful, of course, but they're not in the same style and the colour clashes horribly."

"So?" Leon shrugged as though Kayleigh hadn't just described a horror movie. "Different people will wear them, won't they?"

Rosemary slapped her forehead.

"It has nothing to do with that, Leon," Kay explained. "The photos will look horrible and the press will have a field day. Anyway, I asked the Head of Gala to consider making some amendments. He was not happy."

"Ouch," Rosemary grimaced. She was the perfect audience, which surprisingly made Kayleigh miss her.

"Ouch, indeed. He accused me of wanting to 'take over his pigeon just like I did with the bridal department.' I tried to explain that I had no intention of doing such a thing. I mean, I'm already struggling as it is."

Leon moved his head slowly from side to side thoughtfully. "I get why he'd think that though. Marcus tells me the fashion industry is really competitive."

He stopped talking abruptly, probably noticing his sister's face darkening at the mention of his best friend. "Not that we talk about that," he added nervously before clamming up.

"It is," Kayleigh answered dryly so as not to raise any questions. "But I can't risk KHF's reputation because of the man's insecurities."

"So, what did you do then?"

It was her mother this time.

"I told him that I promised my manager I'd fix this one way or another and that if he didn't alter the designs himself, I would have to draw something that goes with the new gown. Abigail Kilton changed her wedding gown. She wouldn't think twice about changing her bridesmaid dresses."

Rosemary was on the edge of her seat. "You didn't!"

Kayleigh gave in to a coy smile. It wasn't her proudest moment, and yet, it kind of was.

"You threatened to do exactly what he was afraid you'd do. Simple and effective," Leon added impressed.

"He was so convinced I was out to get him that half the work was done for me," Kay shrugged.

"City life suits you, Kayleigh," Rosemary declared in awe. "I am so jealous!"

But Kayleigh knew her parents weren't of the same sentiment. She saw the concern in their eyes. "I don't know about that," she said sheepishly. "But somehow I left the room on friendly terms with Herman Rolf. Apparently, he appreciates people who play dirty."

This time, Rosemary positively squealed. "Herman Rolf? Doesn't he work for Wang?"

Kayleigh grinned with pride at the girl's knowledge of fashion. "He used to before this gig."

Rosemary sighed looking absolutely starstruck and Leon's face contorted in confusion.

"It sounds a lot more exciting than it is in reality," Kayleigh lied, looking wistfully at her glass again.

#

Kayleigh sat on her couch, staring at the smart TV she hadn't figured out how to use yet, and let the buzz from the cheap, red wine muddle her mind. She hoped it would soften Marcus's hard face and his harsh words, but it only seemed to blur everything else and bring everything about him into sharp focus.

She wondered if he knew anything about Rosemary being so comfortable around her brother. She wondered why he was so angry at the club. He was the one who ghosted her for so long. He was the one getting married even after... after he knew how wild and wonderful and alive he made her feel. Whether they were fighting or laughing or just being in the same room, he always made her feel things nobody else could.

Why are you still angry at me...

Because she was at home alone, while he was with someone else. Because he still thought of her as the sixteen-year-old girl he could boss around and manipulate. Because he still made her feel like that sixteen-year-old girl even though she had come so far.

Kayleigh sat up and reached for her sketchbook. Her fingers caressed her pencil over the paper in a graceful arch. She drew flowers and pearls and delicate petals. She smiled sadly at her creation, pitying the fact that the beautiful headpiece would never be brought to life. It looked nothing like the tiara AK wanted.

Kayleigh groaned as she crumpled up the paper and downed the last of her wine. It was going to be a long, long weekend. 

👒👗👜

Kayleigh seems to be falling into her step at last. But what is going on back home? Is life in Southwold already moving on without her?

What did you think of the adorable Rosemary?

Let me know in the comments and please vote if you enjoyed this chapter :)