Disclamier: I only wish I owned them.
One of the things Stacy loved about her job was that it was always something different. Today she was meeting with district managers from around the country. Gucci prided itself on having the best trained consultants in the industry. They couldn't train each one in LA but they could train the district managers and have them train their own consultants. It had been a business model that had served Gucci well over the years and Stacy loved it. She got to meet people from around the country, learn about trends in their regions, and then use that information to formulate the next collection.
This year was no different. The first three managers she met with were great. They were excited about the collection and seemed to love the company as much as she did. But after over four hours Stacy was happy it was lunch time.
"Hey Stacy we are just gonna order in some lunch. Thai ok with you?"
"Sounds good Tara. Just get me some Thai fried rice."
"That's all. It's only 12:30 and we still gave a lot of training sessions."
"Yeah. I have dinner plans with Ryan tonight so I don't want to eat too much."
"Oh nice. You guys seem to be reconnecting. Did he send you that package yesterday?"
"Yeah. It was a childhood memento."
"How sweet. Did you get any dish from him about Lucas or the Grammys?"
"Not really. Like I said he's not into gossip."
"Ok. Let me get the order in and I'll come by when it's here."
"Thanks Tara. I'll be in here. I need to check some work emails and go over some stuff for my next training."
The other girl waved to Stacy and closed the door. Tara really was a great girl and Stacy loved working with her. She was more into the rumor mill of the fashion world than Stacy was comfortable with but it was harmless fun for Tara. She didn't actively go out and try to find dirt on people.
Stacy started scrolling thru her emails and thankfully nothing was urgent or time consuming. Once she was thru all the work ones she switched to her personal email, most of which were all nonsense/spam but one did catch her eye. It was from Ryan and the subject was "Surprise". As weird as it was that he emailed and didn't text she figured it was about dinner that night. She opened it.
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Dear Stace,
I wanted you to always hear my voice when you listened to our song.
Later,
Ryan
Oh and Lucas said we should meet him around 8. I'll pick you up at 7.
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Stacy then noticed a music attachment. She quickly switched from the desk top computer she was working on to her phone to download it. When it was done she heard the opening chords of "Love Grows" but when it got to the lyrics it wasn't Lucas singing...it was Ryan. Stacy couldn't believe it. Did he do this today? Or was this a demo from a long time ago? It didn't matter Stacy loved it. In fact, she was so overwhelmed she didn't hear Tara walk in with lunch.
"Stacy you ok? Are you crying?"
"Oh Tara. I didn't hear you come in. No I'm fine, just…."
"Is that 'Love Grows' playing?"
"Ah ha" Stacy looked down at her phone. She still couldn't believe he did this.
"But that's not Lucas Paver singing."
"No it's not. It's Ryan."
"Oh right he wrote it. Why would he send you a copy of him singing...oh my God, oh my God. It's you. The song is about you!"
Stacy slowly looked up at Tara. Stacy could swear the girl was this close to actually jumping up and down.
"Turns out, yes the song is about me. I only just found out myself."
"How romantic! That's amazing Stacy. If you don't mind me asking, are you two together now?"
"Yes. But please don't say anything. I don't want to become the gossip of the office...especially an office in LA that's not my home office."
"I understand. Don't worry, my lips are sealed but I better meet this Ryan."
"You will thanks."
"Well here is your lunch. You have about 20 minutes before your next appointment."
"Great. Thanks again Tara."
The afternoon went even faster than the morning. With each training Stacy was feeling more and more confident that the new line was going to be a huge success. Stacy couldn't help but feel proud. She and her team had worked really hard and it looked like it was really going to pay off. To make her day even better she finished a whole hour early and was already heading back to the hotel. She had texted Ryan after the shock of his email had worn off and thanked him for his amazing gift. She wished she could call him but she knew he was in the studio so talking on the phone was not an option. Now in the car she texted him once more time to say she was heading back.
She couldn't wait to get to the room and lay down. While the day had been amazingly productive Stacy was tired. A nap sounded like a great idea. She dumped her stuff on the couch, kicked off her shoes and headed straight for the bedroom. Once her pajamas were on she threw herself into the bed. She sniffed the pillow in the hopes that Ryan's scent was still there. But this was a hotel and the sheets were not the same from last night so his deliciously sexy scent was gone. She turned back to her phone to set an alarm, played their song one last time and then drifted to sleep with Ryan's voice playing in her head.