“I don’t want to get up.” I pouted, slinging my arm across Pete’s bare chest.

“Then don’t.” he murmured with a peck into my hair.

“I have too.” I whined. “I have to interview those interns today and choose one.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to do this whole program.” Pete chuckled.

A big reason I had been doing most of my work out of the London office was because I had this grand idea to start an internship program for students in fashion. They’d intern for me for free, and I’d help pay for their tuition for school. That’s what the whole “giving back” headline was about. I had been fortunate enough to pay my way through school without the help of loans or scholarships, but I knew everyone wasn’t as lucky as I had been. Pete and I discussed options for a way to help out struggling students in fashion/design/art school. I wanted at least one kid to know that they could make it, and if I changed at least one life, I would be happy.

I had put the program out to the public and it got crazy attention. The criteria to apply for the internship were as follows: be enrolled in a program pertaining to fashion and be fluent in English. I didn’t care if you were young or old, talented or not. I just wanted to help a dream come true for someone who wasn’t quite cutting it. I took applications from students all over the world. I had narrowed my huge stack of applicants down to 5. I had them flown in on the company’s expense, which in turn was my expense, to interview those remaining five today.

Sure, I could have just picked who I wanted from just the stack of papers, but you needed to feel the connection in this business. It’s hard to work day to day with someone who you just don’t click with. I had 3 girls and 2 guys coming in to interview today. 2 coming from America, 2 from England, and the last from Ireland. It wasn’t that I had planned for those countries to be the final 5, it just happened to work out that way, plus I needed English speakers. I didn’t speak another language.

Pete had been supportive and caring throughout the entire process. He wasn’t much of a fashion guru but he helped when he could. He went through the applications with me and even read some of the required essays. The prompt simply asking “Why are you the best candidate for this position?” I wasn’t the SAT’s or ACT’s or whatever it was kids all over the world took to get into college or university.

I knew he had a favorite in mind but wouldn’t tell me which. I was trying to keep a clear head going into these interviews, I didn’t want to favor anyone before meeting them all. Josh was in on the deciding process all along as well. He would actually be interviewing with me later today.

I couldn’t honestly be more excited about this. It was my little baby and I wanted to make sure everything went perfect. I groaned, knowing that the first step to making this go perfect, was getting out of bed.

“You always do this to yourself.” Pete laughed. “Plan something important after a crazy night.”

“I know. I suck.” I stuck my tongue out, poking Pete’s cheek with it, earning a soft chuckle from him before he turned his face to catch my lips with his.

My relationship with Pete felt more mature than the one I shared with he who must not be named, as my friends and I repeatedly referred to him. We still shared goofy, childish moments but in all actuality, everything about my life seemed more mature now. Pete and I were in stable relationship, nearing almost 2 years. We owned an apartment in Manhattan and a vacation home in the Hamptons together. We had recently bought the house in the Hamptons this past summer before I moved into my new flat here in England. I kept this one in my name alone because Pete really didn’t spend much time here. He had a pretty intense work schedule during most weeks and pulled in a lot of over time. I wasn’t complaining in the slightest because I was just as busy. He would come visit me from time to time when he could while I was in London.

I know a large reason me and him broke up was because of time spent apart. I did that with Pete now, but something about it was different. Pete was mature enough to call and he did, he listened. I had an easier time traveling now because I was my own boss. I owned the company, I made the rules. It was awesome having all the power. I had a fairly small, close knit team that worked in every office with me. I didn’t want them to have to be away from their families too long, so I tried to keep a pretty open schedule.

“I should really get up.” I frowned looking over at the clock on the bedside table. “10:03, I have to be in the office by noon. First interviews at 12:30.”

“In all seriousness, Happy Birthday babe, you’re catching up to me.” Pete joked.

“Thanks, you old fart.” I smirked.

“You love this old fart.” He smiled down at me. “Don’t deny it.”

“I could never.” I giggled, wrapping the sheet around me as I sat up.

“I do love you.” He smiled as I stretched my arms over my head with a yawn.

“Even looking hungover as hell on a Wednesday morning?” I rolled my eyes.

“Especially looking hungover as hell on Wednesday mornings.” He smirked, leaning over to place one last kiss on my lips before I disappeared into the bathroom.



------------


After showering, eating a quick breakfast and changing into my best interviewer clothes, I was ready to go. And all in a record time of 48 minutes. It took me about a 20 minutes to walk to the office, a quick 6 minute drive if it was raining, which it usually was in London. Luckily today, it was nice enough to take the walk. It was weird how in the states, paparazzi would bombard me constantly, but here, no one really seemed to take notice of me. I’d have the occasional paps follow me if I spent an evening out, or if someone large came into the office, and sometimes would get stopped by an adoring fan or two, but it was nothing compared to the craziness I endured in America. It was something I was grateful for here, and a large part of why I liked doing most of my work in the London office.

I came into the kitchen after making sure my outfit, hair and of course makeup was perfect. Pete was standing in front of the sink sipping his coffee as he looked out the window which overlooked the park below. He spun around at the sound of my heels clicking against the tile floor.

“Breath taking, as always.” He smiled, setting his mug down on the center island. “Come here.”

I clicked my way over to him, smiling the entire way. He wrapped me in a tight hug, kissing the top of my curled hair.

“I want you to know that I will still love you…” he started, taking a step back to look at me. “No matter who you choose today. Buuutttt…I really think that Brad kid would be a great addition to the Spencer McMichael design team.”

“And here I was thinking something was serious.” I swatted playfully at his chest. “I will keep that in mind.”

“Excellent, you know I’ve been known to make a good choice or two in my time.” He joked, referring to his successful brokerage firm.

“Yes dear, but this isn’t buying and selling stuff! This is changing an entire life!” I shouted as triumphantly as I could.

“I change lives.” He shrugged.

“Okay babe, whatever helps you sleep.” I smirked, leaning on my tiptoes to place a kiss to his lips.

“I’m practically the Wolf of Wall Street.” He chuckled as I pulled away.

“That would make you a fraud.” I pouted. “I surely hope my lovely boyfriend of 2 years is not a fraud.”

“Okay let me rephrase that…” I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m practically a LEGAL Wolf of Wall Street.”

“Ya better be.” I rolled my eyes, stepping out of his grip. “I can’t date men who steal from the pour. I’m Spencer McMichael, down to earth, charity supporting, giving back saint.”

He snorted at me. “If they only knew.”

“Hey! What is that supposed to mean?” I pouted again.

“Nothing babe, all I’m saying is you were no saint last night.” He winked.

“Fine, saint on the street, Satan in the sheets.” I giggled. “Happy?”

“Perfectly.” He wiggled his eyebrows, picking my purse up off the island, handing it to me. “Good luck today. I know you’ll choose the perfect fit, but remember. Brad. Seems. Awesome.”

“God. I get it!” I snickered. “You got a boner for Brad.”

“If you weren’t so undeniably beautiful, I’d resent you for that comment.”

“Gotta love me, am I right?”

“So right it scares me.” I brushed my lips against his one last time before turning towards the door.

“OH! I almost forgot, we’re still on for dinner tonight, right? You know since you leave tomorrow and everything?” I sighed. I hated when he left, or vice versa, but we made it work.

“Yes, 7 pm sharp and not a minute later.” He smiled at me. “Love you!”

“Love you too!” I smiled, shutting the door behind me.

I wore the same stupid smile the entire way into the office, not even bothering to care about the looks I received. It took someone special to make me smile like a goddamn idiot for 20 full minutes, alone, walking down the crowded streets, but Pete was special and I knew that.


----------------


“Okay, one venti chai tea for me and an iced white mocha with two extra expresso shots for the lovely lady.” Josh smiled sitting down in a chair in front of my desk.

“Oh my god! Thank you.” I looked up, instantly taking the plastic cup from him.

“I figured if you were half as hungover as I was earlier, you’d need it.” he laughed.

“Oh, I really had no intentions of leaving my super-hot boyfriend and our bed today, then I remembered this.” I motioned to the entire office space.

“You know, you always do this to us. Plan something huge for a day after a crazy ass night.” He flicked the pens in the cup on my desk.

“Pete said the same thing. Assholes. I don’t do it on purpose, I just forget.” I shrugged. “Besides, we look put together and polished enough to interview some teenagers.”

“They’ll think we have our lives together and won’t be able to wait to be like us one day…ha ha ha, if they only knew.” Josh snickered at himself. “My life is fucking mess. But at least I’m rich.”

“I’m not really concerned about the money but at least my life isn’t a mess anymore.” I joked.

“Yeah, even though he’s like the sexiest of the sexiest men, I’m glad you dumped his sorry ass. He did make you a mess.”

“Then why don’t you date him.” I stuck out my tongue.

“Honey, trust me, I’ve tried. He apparently isn’t into men. Which honestly, I find quite shocking. I definitely thought he was bisexual. Like he just screams, I like tits but I also occasionally like a penis in and around my mouth.”

“As riveting as a conversation about my ex-fiancé’s sexuality would be right now, we need to go get everything ready.”

“But seriously, he never mentioned any guys he thought were cute or he had hooked up with?” josh asked, following me out of my office, tea in hand.

“For the love of Zayn Malik, I’m over one hundred percent sure, Harry Styles is straight.” I spat through gritted teeth.

“Okay two things. 1. Why Zayn Malik and not just say god? 2. Are you positive?” I laughed as Josh spoke. He was just a quirky dude. I could never really be angry at Josh for any reason, even if he did insist on talking about my ex.

“Because Zayn is actually a human god, created by Zeus and Hera themselves.” I stated. “And yes I’m positive. I think him being bisexual is something that would be brought up in a relationship as serious as ours was. But seriously, do we need to talk about this anymore? You’re giving me a migraine.”

“Okay, sorry. I’ll stop. I’ve just been lonely ever since Neil and I broke up. I don’t know. And with all the traveling we do, it’s been hard to find a new man.” Josh looked anywhere but at me.

“Josh.” I said softly. “I didn’t realize that’s what this was about. I’m sorry.” I brought him into a tight hug. “At any rate, you’re an amazing guy and someone would be lucky to call you theirs. You just have to have patience. The right guy will come along when you least expect it. I promise.”

“I know, I know. Sorry for being so melodramatic.” I watched the sadness instantly fade from Josh’s eyes, being replaced by pure excitement. “But let’s kick this interviews ass! We own this!”

“Dude, Josh…” I laughed. “We are doing the interviewing, and yeah I sort of do own this.”

“You know what I mean!” he nudged my side with his elbow. “Hey Karen, can you just forward all my calls straight to voicemail while I’m in there?” he said as we stopped at the reception desk.

“Of course!” she flashed us her pearly white smile.

“Our first applicant should be here any minute now.” I looked at clock on the wall. “Just bring them in when they get here. And if the others show up early, which they should because if you’re on time in fashion, you’re late…” I stated. “Just let them have a seat and offer them some coffee or a cookie or some shit. I don’t know. You’re better at that shit than I am.” I chuckled.

“Of course Miss McMichael.” Karen smiled. “And what should I do with your calls?”

“Voicemail, unless it’s important, then come get me right away.” I smiled.

“OH yeah! If something important happens, get me too!” Josh smiled down at Karen as well.

“Alright, I have everything set up like you wanted I think. Let me know if you guys need anything.” She smiled back at both of us.

Karen was a sweet girl I had hired back in New York a few months ago. She traveled with us, like everyone else. She was younger, just turning 21. She wasn’t interested in fashion in the least, but she was qualified for the job having just graduated college with a business degree. Even though her job really didn’t entail much work at all, she seemed to be pretty content with it. But I guess, who wouldn’t be? Working for and with celebrities, making more money than someone right out of college could ever hope too, and she got to travel the world for free. I really wouldn’t be complaining either.

I followed Josh into the conference room, looking at the various items spread across the table. There was a pitcher of water, 2 cups for Josh and myself, 5 for the applicants, all of the applications, 2 yellow notepads with 3 pens set on top of each, and a few patches of fabric in a perfect line above the notepads. Karen had outdone herself. Josh and I took our seats behind the notepads, placing our coffees next to the empty water glasses.

“You needed to hire her, like last year.” Josh chuckled.

“She’s great.” I smiled. “Now, as we were saying before, let’s kick some ass!”

The door opened just as I finished my sentence. Karen pushed it aside and let our first candidate in. josh and I both stood to greet the kid.

“Hello, I’m Brad Quinn. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Welcome, Brad.” I paused, thinking of Pete form earlier. I extended my hand for him to shake, followed by Josh. “Have a seat!” I motioned for him to follow our lead, taking my own seat.



----------

The interviews went smoothly for the most part. The one girl was a complete and total racket. She had obviously lied on her application, barely knowing the slightest thing about fashion. So needless to say, she was out of the question. Josh and I were reviewing our notes we took during each, trying to figure out who would fit best in the team. Unfortunately, Brad was not at the top of either of our lists. He was a nice kid, friendly and knew about fashion but he was just plan awkward in person. We had it narrowed down to 2 of the applicants.

One was the other boy, Jason Wicker. He was from London, so wouldn’t have to move at al. He was a student at London College of Fashion, one of the best fashion schools in the world. He knew his shit. That was for sure. He was friendly, outgoing and very likeable. He was in his second year of school, ageing in at 19. He was a strong contender for sure.

On the other hand, the other choice still up for grabs was a sweet, girl named Lily Knope. She was in her first year at Parsons in New York. The same place I studied. She was quieter, but not so quiet she wouldn’t talk. She seemed shy but also like she could be outgoing when she needed to be. She was upbeat and positive about everything we had talked about. She just seemed nervous to me. She was slightly less knowledgeable than Jason but something about her just drew me in more. She was hardly 18 years old, but she had so much drive.

“So I like Jason, and you like Lily.” Josh said.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“But Jason was much more knowledgeable than Lily.” Josh added.

“Yeah, but Lily needs more financial help than Jason does. Besides, she goes to Parsons, can’t I be a little partial?” I sighed.

“I just think Jason would be better.” Josh said.

“Well I don’t like to pull this card, but it’s my name on the tags.”

He crinkled up a piece of scrap paper and tossed it at me. “I hate when you do that.”

“I’m sorry! But it’s true. I just think she was sweet and seemed like she would fit in. she was just nervous. But I mean I don’t blame her! I was nervous as fuck when I met Igor!” I smirked, knowing he was almost putty in my hands. “And anyway, Jason is already almost done with school. Lily is literally just starting, so she’ll have less of an opinion on things I’d assume, therefore making it easier to persuade her. Jason is going to have an opinion about everything. I can just tell.”

“I guess. Jason was more aware of actual fabrics and patterns and stitching and what not. But Lily actually seemed to know what real people, namely celebrities, want. And yeah, Jason did seem a little know-it-ally, damnit. How are you always right?” Josh ran a hand down his face. I knew I had worn him down.

“So tomorrow, I’m going to call Lily and offer her the internship. If she says no, then Jason gets it. So tomorrow you call the other 3 and I’ll call Lily and Jason.”

“Why do I have to be the bearer of bad news?” Josh pouted at me.

“Because my name is on the tags.” I stuck my tongue out, heading towards the door. My heels clicked almost the entire way back to my office before Josh caught up with me.

“I hate you but I love you.” Josh rolled his eyes as I gathered my belongings.

“I know, most people do.” I chuckled along with him.

“Want to go get drinks?” he asked.

“I actually have dinner plans with Pete. Raincheck?” I smiled.

“Of course. We can take Lily out tomorrow or something I guess. She’s old enough to get plastered here. Oh my god.” He said as if he had an idea. “Invite her out with the guys. She’ll never be disloyal to you ever.”

“I don’t think I’m going to dip her right into the pool that is One Direction.” I giggled. “But we can surely take her out for a celebratory drink.”

“Good. You’re a cool boss.”

“I know.” I tossed my hair dramatically off my shoulder, as I passed him.

“Love but hate.” He mumbled.

“Heard that!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Lock up for me! I gotta run, see you bright and early tomorrow dear, we’re back at it. No more birthday hangovers to sleep off!”

And I had to agree with what he said. I did feel like a cool boss. Hell, half the time I didn’t even feel like someone’s boss. But weirdly enough, I was. I walked quickly to the restaurant Pete and I were meeting at. I smiled at the hostess as I entered the building. She took me to the table Pete was already at. He got up, pulling my chair out for me, ever the gentleman. He already had wine ordered for us and I didn’t think I could fall anymore in love with him. We enjoyed our evening over a lovely dinner and entire bottle of wine. I had to sadly, break the news of Brad not getting the position but he was still happy with my choice in Lily. We laughed and carried on into the night before driving back to the flat in the car he brought to the restaurant. I was happy, he was happy. He made me happy, as Louis said the night before, in all aspects of my life. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my last with my handsome boyfriend. Life was perfect. And for once when I said that, I meant it.

Notes

HIIIII! So this is the first official chapter of the story! I know it's weird with Spencer and Pete but this is how it has to be for a while. Just wait!

And I know there was no sighting of Harry yet, but again just wait.

IDEA: I was thinking of writing a chapter or so in Spencer's perspective and then writing one in Harry's but I'm not sure yet. It's just an idea.

For now, just let me know what you think!

enjoy xx