Brick POV
Brick was recapping the campaign pitch to Butch over the weekend while preparing for his meeting with Buttercup and Princess on Monday. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. At the beginning of his design career, he was arrogant. He put together whatever finances he had and started his own brand, which quickly went to shit with the fall of uniforms in the workplace. So he pivoted his designs trying to sell casual attire and accessories, but no one was willing to buy women's clothes from a man. He had spent the last few years staying afloat by letting his brother cut his hair, door dashing, flipping sneakers, and commission tailoring and alterations. No, life was not going so great for Brick Jojo.
He and Pinky had been broken up for two years now. Back then his lack of success in his career was the cause for the rift in his relationship. He didn't believe he could fully commit to her without being able to provide a future for them. Granted, she never asked for that. She tried to talk to him about the future he wanted and how they could better communicate their wants, needs, and desires but there was nothing Brick wanted more at the time than money in his pockets. Blossom was thriving in the job she had gotten after college. She loved it and loved the work. He'd go with her to luncheons or business events and all those empowered women had an equally powerful partner next to them. He was ashamed to admit he felt emasculated by others' success. He internalized that feeling, making him believe he was unworthy and Blossom too good for him. He's ashamed to admit he acted exactly that way. Unworthy. So when she walked out his apartment door one month before her birthday he let her. He couldn't even afford a gift for her and make rent, and she deserved better. He had nothing to offer her.
He had never stopped designing though, and was lucky he could scrape together a few interesting pieces to showcase on the rare interviews he got in his field. His style grew to be more sensual than sexual but still had an edge. Probably something that developed within his isolation. He liked the flow of fabric more than the extravagance of it. He leaned into the femme fatale.
When he landed his interview for Concrete Rose Streetwear he was shocked. They loved his designs and thought they'd be a great inclusion in a new bridal sector they were launching. This was his big break. Creative freedom with a brand he admired, financial freedom, and best of all a way back to her. With a stable career and some years of self-reflection, he was confident that he'd be able to make it work with her now. She may have not needed him to be any better than he was at the time, but he did. He needed to be better for her.
"Yeah, man BC loved the concept. This campaign is gonna go viral," Brick said to his brother on FaceTime with his phone propped on the desk.
"Of course she loved that shit, you fucking stole it," Butch joked.
Brick gave a sheepish smile to the camera. It was true. He stole that campaign with the little tidbit Pinky gave him. He told Butch all about it and begged him to keep it from Buttercup. He still wasn't sure how she ended up in his room on that day, or how he was able to touch her if she was "dreaming," but either way he was grateful. He had 30 minutes to stalk through Buttercup's socials and find her Pinterest board. Seriously, thank god for Pinterest, I see why the women are obsessed. He altered a few designs he wasn't so far off on, and she gave him the confidence to go into that interview like he had it. Well, she told him he kind of already did.
When his bosses came to him with questions on how they should launch he immediately volunteered Buttercup's firm and emailed them some reference photos for the vibe of the campaign. They liked her style. A fall wedding, with dark greens and roses for color, leather, and raw cut fabric on the tables. You can tell she used the grit and crime side of Townsville for her inspiration. She wore her heart on her sleeve in a dangerous city where everyone had something up theirs.
"Regardless of how I got the job, I got the fucking job." I deadpanned. "You're in this wedding right?"
"If BC keeps me out of this wedding I have no choice but to crash it the old-fashioned way." Butch declared.
Brick suddenly envisioned his brother crashing through the roof of his campaign covering everything in dust and debris. He'd be fired on the spot. "Please refrain."
"Tell me," Butch began taking a drag of his blunt. "Is this gonna be a fat ass wedding, or like a cheap ass broke ass-"
"It depends on what the bosses say about the budget and what the Utonium-Morbuck's would like to contribute." I interrupted.
Just as he finished his sentence he got an email from his bosses regarding materials for the gowns. BUDGET: URGENT! The email subject said.
'Hello,
After reviewing the potential costs for an all raw material
line it is in our best interest that we only incorporate some
of those materials. Please refer to our sustainable fabrics
vendor linked below, and discuss the matter with our
partners during your meeting on Monday.
This is non-negotiable.
Thank you,
Concrete Rose Streetwear. '
"Fuck," I muttered at the screen once I finished reading.
"What man, you were quiet for like five minutes," Butch inquired.
"I might get beat up on Monday…"
—
"The fuck do you mean we have to change dress materials?" Princess nearly launched across the table at our lunch meeting. This is why I wanted to meet in a public setting.
"All raw materials can be very pricey, and some productions are harmful to the environment," I began. "Our brand is eco-conscious, and using a sustainable fabric still works with our theme. If they aren't all raw or free of microplastics, then they'll be recycled fabrics. Would you not say your love is sustainable?" I flipped the concept on them.
Princess snarled but Buttercup placed a hand over hers to calm her nerves. "What did you have in mind?" BC asked.
"We can keep the wedding dress as true as possible, using silk for the majority of the bodice, leather piping and beading to accentuate, and chiffon for the neckline, skirt, and sleeves." He slid over his iPad to show her his design. The dress had a heart-shaped neckline with raw-cut chiffon at the edges a fitted silk body with pearl-beaded white leather piping and a belt that stopped at the waist before the fitted mermaid went asymmetrical with the raw-cut chiffon skirt.
"I love it," Princess said, "but can we change the leather piping and incorporate it somewhere else? I think the silk speaks for the dress enough without piping. Maybe fold it to shape and tuck it into the chiffon? Maybe long leather gloves instead of sleeves. Keep the pearls beaded at the edge of the leather though, I like that a lot."
"I like the way you think," I told Princess. She wasn't a Morbucks for nothing. I quickly adjusted the design to what Princess described, which was more her. Elegant and edgy.
"Now for your veil," I swiped to the next image in the portfolio. "We have a leather headband with pearl beading and the chiffon train with the white leather and pearls at the trim."
"The chiffon will have a sheen to it, right? Because that might look like a napkin on my head without it." She joked.
"Yes, it has a touch of luminescence. I thought the same thing," I laughed. She's going to be fun to work with. "I also designed this as a leather beret but you can choose just depending on your hair."
"Beret!" She didn't hesitate. "Oh my god I can see it now, Buttercup said you were good!"
I blushed at her compliment if only they knew this was my first real job. "Okay, so now shoes. You can wear whatever makes you comfortable, but since your dress has an asymmetrical slit, I designed these white leather pointed-toe knee-high boots with pearls along the toes and back of the heel. Your garter will be the chiffon to blend with the skirt, and the beaded white leather trim to match the veil."
"This is fucking perfect," Buttercup began. "Now what the fuck do you have for me?"
Brick went on to describe Buttercup's ensemble with minimal modifications. A leather bodice with a cropped tailored satin jacket with long, exaggerated slitted sleeves with pearl beading around the cuff and collar. The bottom of the bodice had the matching chiffon and married her satin wide-leg pants to the look. The sides of the pants had matching pearl beading, and he designed her shoes to be a leather pointed-toe kitten heel, with the chiffon just poking out from under the pant leg.
"Now did you want this to be white or?" Brick began not wanting to offend.
"Yeah, we'll both be in white. Feel free to put your brother in a suit though, I know you have to design at least one." BC informed.
"Perfect, now the bridesmaid's dresses will all be sustainable. Probably some leather accents since that's kind of the focus material of the wedding. Have you picked your bridesmaids, and how many dresses or suits will I need to make?" Brick opened his notes app.
The two main dresses were easy but the whole bridal party will be one for the books. According to his bosses, he still needs to design at least two more wedding gowns for this line. Actually, they want three of everything. Three suits. Three gowns, three maids, and three groomsmen. It'll go best if he knows who they are.
"Okay so," Princess pulls out her phone and starts reading off her maids and men. "Next to BC will be Blossom, Bubbles, and Butch. Next to me will be my best friend Kamari, Mitch, and well how about you?"
"I'm sorry, what?" I couldn't help but be shocked. "You don't have another maid or man?"
"Nope," she said popping the P at the end. "I keep a small circle. We were pretty cool back in high school, and they're your designs so why not? I'd suggest Boomer, but he's always traveling and these days I don't know if he and Bubs are going to fuck or fight so you'll have to do."
"Okay, I guess but only because I need this campaign to go well." And walking with Blossom would be nice.
"I'll need to meet with them to get measurements for these designs, plus since they aren't models I need to make something they'll feel comfortable in. If the dress isn't their style it'll show on camera and ruin the campaign. We're still okay with deep greens, black leather, roses, and pearls?" He asked packing his laptop, lunch was running long and he was eager to get to work.
"Umm yeah the pallet is fine," The two shot a worried look at each other. "You need to meet with them all at once or one on one?" Buttercup asked.
"However works for them, I just need to get that consultation done sooner rather than later. You guys are practically having a shotgun wedding due to the time constraint. Dealing with me is easy, but the venue, caterer, cake, etc? I say do yourself a favor and see if your company will let you dip into their budget to hire a planner who knows how to pull a lot of strings. You guys have my card, if anyone wants to reach out and schedule with me, let me know." With that, Brick raced back to his office. He was about to be late for his meeting.
—-
Brick was still awake stumped and hunched over his desk staring at his designs for this wedding. He flew through the suits with ease. A leather vest for Mitch, a classy take on the leather jacket for Butch, and he snuck the details of the material into a double-breasted tux for himself. The bridesmaids, however, he had no clue how to start.
He had an idea of who Kamari was. She was Princess's best friend throughout high school. She helped Princess connect with her culture and taught her how to do her hair since her mom was always traveling like her father. Bubbles he hadn't seen in a while. He knows she's filled out, but he usually only dropped by on his nephew's birthdays or Christmas. Once he was fully out of his rut he'd promise to be more present in the boy's lives. Then there was her. Blossom, was still Pinky. Not completely, but when you know someone the way they know each other no amount of change can really make you see them differently. She was still her. Freckled skin, full lips, red hair that was now shoulder length, 5'2, size 2. Pinky. What would I design for her?
Behind me, my master bathroom door opened, and in walked Blossom, dressed in what had to be the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. Blossom had on a cotton-silk holographic wine dress that just reached her knees. It draped at the neckline with flattering off-the-shoulder straps. Her bust was supported by an embroidered leather corset, and on her feet was a simple black strappy heel. Her curtain bangs were curled and her hair went down her back behind her. She looked like a rose.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she said putting a hand on her hip. "Haven't I seen enough of you today?"
I was still dragging my eyes down her body when it registered she was speaking to me. "Today?"
"Yeah, obviously this is another dream, but I might as well use it to my advantage. Are you going to make this dress floor-length or not?" She huffed flopping on the bed.
"What's wrong with the length?" He liked seeing her legs and as a shorter dress it seemed more… bridesmaid than… mayor's event.
"Huh funny you'd ask that considering we argued about it all day!" She threw her hands up. "Just make the dress longer, without the length I look like a fucking hooker!" She enunciated the two o's in hooker like a u.
Brick spun in his desk chair and stretched his legs in her direction. "You don't look like a hooker."
Blossom huffed and crossed her arms. "Tell that to the event manager at Townsville Centennial Hotel, he thought you and I had other business," she threw up quotations, "to attend to."
"Why were we at that old hotel?" Brick asked.
"It's where the wedding venue is," she rolled her eyes as if I should know this. "Where I would've just gone alone, but you held up my fitting, and now the manager—"
"Why are you handling the venue?" I don't even know what day of the week this Blossom is from.
"Because I'm the wedding planner! God, what fucking day is it? You're the one who suggested BC and Princess get one and now I'm busting my ass getting all this shit together, and I'm stuck doing all of it with you," she sneered.
Brick smiled and looked at her softly. She was a vision all worked up in that sinful red dress. They were working together, and I guess they had been for a while now that Blossom's hair was getting a bit longer. Maybe a month or two from when I last saw her a month or so ago? We still haven't even seen each other but here she was in my bedroom, looking so beyond fuck-able. He couldn't help how his eyes drooped and breathing deepened at the sight of her.
"Oh no, I know that look," She got up from the bed and began to walk back to the bathroom. "Fix the damn dress!" She called over her shoulder before slamming the door shut.
Brick quickly got up from his chair and flung open the bathroom door. Empty. Not even her ambrosial scent lingered in the room. He sighed and returned to his desk chair. At least he had one dress design now, and there was no way in hell he was going to make it floor-length.
I wasn't planning on writing Brick's POV but I think understanding his character will help progress the story along. I'll try not to do it too often, but maybe just for context. We'll get more into Blossom's growth, writing, and special power as we go along I promise!