𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐢'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

paris during fashion week was electric. the streets buzzed with excitement, filled with people from all over the world. i was thrilled to be here, especially with natalie and gio by my side. 

it was a much-needed escape after everything that had happened at chicago. the girls have been so supportive and i was happy that our busy schedules were synced so we could enjoy fashion week together.

we were staying in a gorgeous hotel right in the heart of the city, our rooms overlooking the eiffel tower. as soon as we arrived, we dropped our bags and headed out to explore. the first stop was a quaint little café for some much-needed caffeine and pastries. after grabbing some lunch, we walked around, our security staying close behind.

"why is that mannequin posing better than i do in photoshoots!" natalie called out, pointing at a window display of a high-end boutique. the mannequin was dressed in a ridiculously oversized coat with feathers and sequins, posing in an overly extravagant way. 

"oh my bitch's pose is nasty" gio says laughing as she takes a video with her phone. she was wearing a brown knitted vest with nothing under but her chains that showed off her tattoos, making her look effortlessly chic. 

"no but why is miss ma'am's elbow out like that." i laughed, shaking my head. 

"back in the medieval days, she would have been burned to the stake for that exposed elbow." natalie commenting, causing us all to fall into a fit of laughter. we probably sounded like a group of hungry seagulls.

that afternoon, we found ourselves at a dior event, where the air was thick with the scent of expensive perfumes and the soft hum of chic conversation. natalie and i performed for twenty minutes personally requested from the man himself bernard arnault. 

after the performance and a quick chat with bernard , i leaned casually against a window overlooking the city lights, feeling the cool glass contrast sharply with the warmth of the room. gio was buried in her phone, her expression turning from amused to concerned, while natalie, was energetically waving at someone across the room.

"uh oh, skai you're not going to like this." gio said suddenly, her voice laced with concern as she looked up from her phone, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"what?" I asked, taking a leisurely sip of champagne, savouring the crisp bubbles. "what happened now and with who?"

"dani and jasmine will be attending the tiffany and co pop up party together tomorrow." gio's words were like a splash of cold water. my relaxed smile vanished, replaced by a frown that I couldn't hide if i tried.

"urg, when was the last time we all saw jas?" natalie quips in, also showing her disgust. 

"like forever ago, i really am in no mood to see her in person." i muttered, the thought of dani and jasmine together making my chest tighten. 

just when things had started to smooth over between dani and me, another complication reared its head. i felt ultimately betrayed by jasmine since she and i have been friends for so many years. she knew how much i cared for dani, and she went behind my back not even giving my a heads up that she was going to start dating her.

i understand that at the end of the day, you can't own or claim anyone and we're all free to be do whatever we want, however, i personally wouldn't be caught dead with any of my girls exs, but that is just me. 

it's also the way jasmine went about the whole situation, it wasn't giving friend at all. she lied to my face during the entirety of my birthday trip to the maldives and when i asked her who she kept texting as a joke she didn't even use that opportunity to tell me.

"this situation is messy chile, aren't you buddy bud bud with dani now." gio sighed, glancing at me with a mix of sympathy and curiosity. i shrugged, my irritation making me feel a bit exposed.

"i don't know. it's weird." nati placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as if to ground me.

"just avoid them tomorrow." she suggests.

"i can help you make dani jealous if you like, i'm really good at those type of things." gio grinned, playfully twirling her ponytail.

why did i want to take up on her offer.

"i don't need to make her jealous, she's literally not mine and i don't want to be involved with her like that." i said, striving to sound resolute. gio's enthusiasm waned, and she let her ponytail fall back into place, clearly disappointed.

"okay miss mature adult, you no fun." she said with a dramatic roll of her eyes, eliciting a laugh from natalie.

"i told you this was not going to end well." natalie sang, her smug grin widening.

"i haven't even done anything bad." i replied, shaking my head with a half-smile, trying to brush off the growing knot of anxiety in my stomach.

as the night carried on, the room swirled with laughter and clinking glasses. i did my best to immerse myself in the lively atmosphere. despite the glitz and glamour surrounding us, my mind kept wandering. 

natalie and solána used to tell me that they felt that jasmine lowkey didn't like us, especially me and when i blocked her ass and unfollowed her on all socials, i reflected upon our friendship and saw the times where she really was in secret competition with me. from competing for the same endorsements, to the same love interest at times. 

i just assumed that because she was a nepo baby, she was used to getting things her own way and acted like a brat without realising. i looked past it since she was a vibe to be around and she had connections in all the right places so being friends with her made life in the entertainment industry easier. but the biggest reason why i let it slide was because i really didn't care like that. i never took it seriously, and let her do whatever since after dani i never really seriously dated anyone, so when she hooked up with someone i did in the past, i never really saw it as anything but a body.

however, the ultimate snakey and audacious thing she did was after a few months i cut her off, she asked a mutual friend to speak things out with me. i maturely called her to confront her and give her the opportunity to explain herself. i remember the call like it was yesterday, nati and gio were sat next to me on the coach as we all listened to what she had to say. at that time gio had just joined our friendship group and we were kind of in a talking stage. 

just when i thought we were hashing things out like civil people, jasmine overheard voices and asked who was listening in to the phone call. gio being her playful self, interrupted me and introduced herself as my girl as a joke. the next morning i woke up with my name all over the blogs and news with an exclusive that i was seeing a girl, essentially outing me since only my close family and friends knew about me being bi. 

i was devastated since i wasn't comfortable with sharing my sexuality with the world yet because it was too much pressure.

that was my last straw, already knowing that jas must have called her connections to leak the story and that day i saw her true colours and it was ugly.

***

the tiffany & co. event rolled around, which i was invited to as their global ambassador. i did half expect to see jasmine there to be honest, since she is also an ambassador and we even did many campaigns together when we started out. i walked into the venue with gio who i brought along as my plus one, and natalie was already back in london. 

𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢🦋

greet dani and jas rudely for me yeah |

| youre wild for that😭

the air was filled with the sweet notes of a live string quartet, and every corner was decked out with their signature blue and silver décor. i was supposed to be here to enjoy myself, but seeing dani and jasmine stroll in together was like a punch to the gut. 

dani was dressed to impress in a sleek, black suit. the blazer had a sharp, clean cut, and she paired it with a crisp white shirt that peeked out from underneath. her trousers were slim-fit, tapering perfectly down to her black loafers. she completed the look with minimal accessories—a simple silver chain and understated watch. her hair was pulled back in a neat bun, accentuating the sharp angles of her face.

dani and jasmine were speaking to a few people at the other end of the hall, jas' hand firmly held onto dani's arm. 

she occasionally looked back up at dani who gave her a small smile and nod. the sight of them together twisted my stomach into knots. i had hoped to stay detached and dignified, but it was impossible to ignore the pang of jealousy and hurt.

gio must have noticed my stiff posture. she leaned in, her voice low as she whispered. "girl fuck them."

"period." i said, trying to sound nonchalant as i took a sip from my champagne flute. gio arched an eyebrow, following my gaze as i couldn't help but glance again towards jas and dani. dani's laughter seemed too carefree, too intimate. it was infuriating. it was pissing me the fuck off.

"why is jasmine holding onto the poor girl's arm like she bout to fly away?" she snorts and i couldn't help but put a hand in front of my mouth to stop me from laughing aloud.

"i was just thinking about that." i giggled as i hit gio playfully. "stop before i start laughing for this whole hall to hear my ghetto ass."

"i'm just saying." gio says holding her hands up. i smiled at her before holding her hand and guiding her further into the party, so dani and jas were not in our sight. 

 as the evening wore on, and the more champagne gio and i drank, we naturally grew increasingly playful, our flirtatious banter becoming more pronounced. her touch was light on my arm, her laughter infectious, and i could feel the tension in me slowly melting away—partially due to gio's charm and partially due to my deliberate effort to upstage dani in my own way, despite not wanting to admit it. 

but gio and i also had a playful and touchy friendship, i mean we did start out our friendship thinking we were going to date. of course with us having a preference of dating girls, it definitely must have looked a certain way to on lookers.

as the night drew on, the mood shifted at the party to something more relaxed. guests were lounging on plush velvet couches, and the clinking of glasses was punctuated by casual conversations. 

gio and i ended up in a corner of the room, our conversation flowing casually. her proximity was a comfort, and i found myself leaning in closer, enjoying the electric buzz of her presence.

"i knew you would finally take my offer in the end" gio said with a playful glint in her eye, her fingers brushing against mine as she reached for a canapé.

"huh?" I replied, acting obvious before flashing a teasing smile. "i'm kidding, it's not even about making anybody jealous, i'm in paris with my best friend!"

"now cheers to that honey!" she laughs and we clink our sixth glass together. me and gio alone at a party was the definition of brewing trouble, we really had no self control when we were together. "and cheers to a successful mission."

i made a confused face and gio lowkey nodded behind me. i turned my head slowly, trying to not be obvious to see dani across the room, her eyes narrowed in what i could only assume was annoyance. her whole demeanour was cold and her body language was back offish as she crossed her arms. 

jasmine a few times seemed to try and speak to her, but dani looked done with the whole event. i knew that these type of things wasn't her thing, but i couldn't help but feel some irritation being directed at me as i caught her dart a look towards our corner before looking away. at some point jasmine looked over at our corner, making it obvious as her face twisted into a scowl. 

i couldn't help but pull a face back at her, gio also doing the same as gio screwed her before kissing her teeth. jas could have broken her neck by the way she snapped her head away from us, dragging dani along with her to another part of the hall.

"what's her problem?" i giggled.

"dani blink three times if you need help." gio says causing me to let out an unruly laugh, pushing her playfully. 

gio and i couldn't help but crack up as we took turns to imitate the way she looked at us before she stormed off. we were definitely drunk and needed to get our asses back to the hotel.

i called up my driver and he pulled in front of the venue a few minutes later. i take gio's hand and we leave the event, still laughing about nothing. once we got into the car, i rested my head back and smiled to myself. i was grateful that i had my friends, they really made tense situations into nothing.

"this is my song!" gio slurs, getting her phone out to record a snap as she sings with the wrong lyrics to the song playing in the car.

"gio please, stop recording you're a mess!" i laughed, pushing her phone down only for it to drop loudly on the floor. gio lets out another howl of laughter as she struggles to find her phone in the darkness. 

yeah, we're out of it. in that instant my phone pinged with a message and i lazily lifted the bright screen to my eyes.

𝐥á𝐧𝐚🪐

heyy girl i just landed in paris |

dont forget u promised to come w me to travis' party |

| ofc see u tmwr

𓏲𝄢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝!