Unable to cope with Fiona’s anger, Kelly let herself out.

She sadly wandered back to her studio, crying quietly, hardly able to lift her gaze off of the ground.

She was so sad, she even flipped her veil down.

She felt like she was going to a funeral, so she might as well look like it.

She felt that, by jumping the gun, she had ruined her whole future.

In the long time that she had lived, she had never got things so wrong or felt so depressed.

Back at her studio, she sat in a chair and stared out of the window, aimlessly.

Her ‘muse’ had gone; nothing made sense any more…

Walking into the studio, she took a look around.

From deep in her, a soundless cry started, that turned into a mournful wail.

She just started throwing things about the room, still wailing, not caring what she broke or smashed.

She then curled up in a corner and cried herself to sleep…

She was still curled there when there was a quiet knock on the door…

She had no idea how much time had passed. As she was feeling hungry, however, it must have been at least a few days. She stiffly uncurled herself from the floor, hobbled over to the door and opened it.

Fiona stood there.

“I’m hungry again…”, she moaned. “I’m sorry, I had no idea what you must be going through. I could only think what you’ve done to me…”

Her voice trailed off as she looked inside.

“Oh my god! What happened here? Your beautiful studio…!”

“That was me”, said Kelly. “I get very self-destructive when I screw something up…!”

“That’s just it”, Fiona said. “You didn’t screw anything up, except the way you went about it. I love you too…”

Fiona leaned in, took hold of Kelly and kissed her.

“I forgive you”, she said. “People have done a lot worse things for love…”

The two goths sat there for a long time, in each other’s arms, then Kelly got up and charged both of their backpacks.

After Fiona had helped Kelly tidy the studio, it turned out she hadn’t broken everything. Indeed, the only item damaged was her laptop, as she had managed to throw a mug clean through the screen.

The two women laughed at that, as it was so much a stress ‘meme’ on Facebook.

Kelly even took a picture of it for her gallery.

After they had tidied up, they sat down together and just sat there for a while, in each other’s arms, just enjoying each other’s company.

Kelly finally plucked up the courage to ask ‘the question…’

“Are you staying… with me…?”, she said hesitantly. All of her strength and bravado was gone; this was Kelly at her most fragile.

“Let me think about it…”, said Fiona.

She then squeezed Kelly as hard as she could and kissed her firmly on the lips.

“Course I am…”, she said.

Kelly squeaked with delight and kissed her back…

The next day, Fiona went into the dress shop to work as usual, still in her full goth outfit.

The manageress had been very understanding of Fiona taking time off, as she was one of her best salespeople and she didn’t want to lose her.

This was really strained, however, when Fiona walked through the door.

“What… are… you… wearing…?”, she said, looking down her nose at Fiona.

“Clothes”, was Fiona’s curt reply. “This is who I am, and I’ve been trying to hide it for too long. I’m sick of it!”

“Oh, well, there’s no time to get changed now, we open in five minutes. You’ll just have to serve like that”, she said, looking down her nose at her.

At the same time, the phone rang.

“Miss Peterson”, someone said, calling for the manageress. “The chief designer of the company is on the phone. She wants to visit today. Is that alright?”

“Oh, oh, of course!”, the manageress said. “We’d be glad to see her.”

There was a quick conversation on the phone, then the person answering said “She’ll be here about 2pm.”

The shop became a hive of activity.

Noone had ever met the chief designer. She was always shrouded in secrecy.

Immensely powerful in the company, with years of experience, she was also the majority shareholder.

Noone wanted to upset her…

Two o’clock came. Fiona had been very busy, with loads of people complimenting her on her outfit and asking her where they could get one.

Fiona told them it was a ‘custom set, made to special order’. She didn’t really want anyone else having to go through what she did.

Someone walked in through the main doors. Fiona looked up. She recognised that lace sunshade…!

Kelly walked in and looked around.

The manageress made the mistake of muttering “Oh God, another one…!”

Kelly was on her in an instant.

“Miss Peterson, I was told you were expecting me!”, she said, in a stern voice.

The manageress looked down her nose again, her face full of contempt.

“And who the hell might you be, that I need to show airs and graces for you…?”

Kelly just looked her straight in the eye, folding her sunshade as she did so.

“Oh Oh”, thought Fiona. She knew what Kelly’s temper was like. “Duck…”

“My name is Lady Kelly Cassandra Thompson”, Kelly said. “I am the chief designer of this establishment, and forty others like it, and the majority shareholder. And, for that attitude, you are now redundant. Pick your pay up from the office and leave now.”

“Judging by the comment you made as I walked in, you are the person that has been treating my fiancée, Fiona, abominably. You are incredibly lucky I don’t press charges.”

Fiona blushed when Kelly said this, and she still turned red even through her makeup.

“Fiona, come here”, Kelly said, as the manageress sadly walked off.

“Anyone got any objections if Fiona becomes branch manager?”, she called out.

No one said anything.

“I take it that means you all agree”, Kelly said.

There was some cheering and applause, and other staff came over and hugged Fiona.

“Good reward for a good person!”, one of them said. “You’re the best salesperson here by far, anyway.”

“Here Here!”, someone else chimed in.

The ‘event’ went on for a while.

Everyone wanted to talk to Kelly, and both women were complimented on their clothes.

Other customers had still been coming in and heard what had happened, and they all responded positively, saying that they had loved being served by Fiona.

Eventually, people left (but not before Fiona had had one of her best sales days ever) and just the staff were left.

The staff, once again, said how happy they were to meet Kelly and congratulated Fiona.

Everyone then helped lock up, and they all left, Kelly and Fiona together back to hers.

“Just a fashion designer…”, said Fiona, under her breath.

“I’m modest as well as in love”, said Kelly, kissing Fiona.

The party atmosphere carried on well into the night…