“Look at you!” Corinne squealed, practically vibrating in her seat. “You look incredible! I can’t believe how good you look!”
“I feel like a walking marshmallow,” I giggled. “Everything’s soft and squishy.”
“Girl, you’re gorgeous.” She reached across the table, squeezing my hands. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you more,” I whispered. “You kept me sane, you know.”
She gave me a look. “Don’t you dare make me cry in public, Brits.”
I stuck my tongue out. “Too late.”
We both dissolved into giggles, wiping at our eyes.
“I can’t believe we’re doing the Victoria’s Secret show together,” I said, half in a daze. “I mean, me? In lingerie? On a runway?”
“You’ll be a star,” Corinne grinned. “We both will.”
“I’m nervous.” I bit my lip, rocking slightly in my seat. “What if I trip? Or what if I—”
Corinne reached over, pressing a finger to my lips. “No what-ifs. Just fun. We’ll practice. We’ll cheer each other on. And you’ve got your watching over you now. Nothing’s gonna hurt you.”
A warm flush spread through me.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay. We can do this.”
“Damn right we can,” Corinne said. “And when it’s over, we’re eating an entire cake.”
I burst out laughing, nearly spilling my cocoa.
We spent hours there—talking, laughing, reminiscing about the clinic. I confessed how sometimes, when I was alone at night, the childlike part of me still came out—the one that wanted to curl into a ball when things got hard, the one that wanted to hide under the covers. Corinne squeezed my hand again, looking me straight in the eyes.
“Hey. That part of you? She’s not a weakness. She’s a survivor.”
I blinked rapidly, feeling the burn of tears again.
By the time we left, the sun was dipping low, painting the sky in streaks of pink and gold. We hugged again on the sidewalk, promising to FaceTime that night.
“See you soon, runway queen,” Corinne grinned, waving as she walked away.
I walked back to the hotel with a lightness in my step, Tulip’s leash in hand. Jasper opened the door when I knocked, lifting an eyebrow at my giddy grin.
“Good coffee?” he teased.
“Best coffee ever,” I sighed happily, twirling into the room.
For the first time in years, the world felt wide open—and I was ready to step into it.
.
The next day,I curled up on the bed, scrolling through my phones, looking for business ideas.
My modeling career is going to end eventually, and I need to make it on my own, I have my trust fund with billions of dollars but I still want to make my own money.
“Jas, do you think I’ll ever be…normal?” I asked softly.
There was a pause.
“Brits… you are normal. You’re just you. And that’s better than normal.”
