Anna rolled her eyes. 揃eing manly isn抰 linked to what vehicle you drive. It抯 a practical choice.?
揥here抯 the fun in that??
揧ou抎 be surprised how much fun you could have doing the unexpected.?
Part of me was sad when Mom left Paris seven days after our arrival, but she was needed back in Chicago. But the other part was eager to finally experience the city on my own terms and be alone with Santino.
He抎 probably have preferred if my mom had stayed. He knew all bets would be off once we were alone, and he was worried. For good reason. His control was slipping, and I抎 make sure to crash through it like a wrecking ball.
But first I wanted to enjoy Paris on my own terms, really soak everything in. For the first time in my life, I was so far away from home without my parents, without the pressure of being a Capo抯 daughter resting on my shoulders. Santino knew my flaws. He certainly didn抰 expect me to act like the good girl everyone expected me to be梙e knew I wasn抰。 I could be good, but sometimes I just wanted to be bad, to enjoy life more than I should, to do all the things I wasn抰 supposed to do. One of them was of course Santino, but Paris first.
揕et抯 go out tonight. Fancy dinner, then drinks and a club afterward. I want to celebrate,?I said the moment we stepped into our apartment.
Santino抯 expression didn抰 exude excitement. If he realized how sexy the grim set of his jaw made him, he抎 probably try to smile more often around me.
揅ome on,?I said with a grin. 揧ou抳e had to be on your best behavior while my mom was here, don抰 tell me you wouldn抰 enjoy a night out.?
揧ou抮e overlooking something. I抣l have to watch you.?
I rolled my eyes. 揥e抣l have fun.?
Santino heaved a sigh but then he nodded. To be honest, I抎 expected more resistance from him. Either he was glad to be out in public with me or he really needed a bit of a break. No matter the reason, I was super excited. I pushed to my tiptoes and threw my arms around Santino抯 neck. 揟hank you! I promise I抣l behave!?
It felt good to be so close to him, especially as he didn抰 immediately try to push me off. When he grew tense, I pulled back.
A few hours later, I emerged from the bathroom, ready for the night, dressed in black hot pants and a short form-fitting black blazer with big golden buttons that made it look like a naval uniform. Beneath it, I wore a white bandeau top with narrow sleeves that left my shoulders bare. To make the look perfect, I wore a cute bonnet that rounded off the sailor look. Golden stilettos matching my buttons were the icing on the cake.
Santino抯 eyebrows rose when he spotted me. 揥hen are we setting sail??
I turned around myself to show him the look, knowing my butt looked spectacular in the hot pants. 揑抦 not someone who wants to follow a trend. I want to be the person who creates a trend. Clothes are more for me than a cover for my body. I want my looks to make a statement. They are a way to express myself.?
揂nd you抮e trying to express your interest in hooking up with a sailor and live on a boat??
Santino stood. He抎 put an effort into his clothes too. The black chinos ended above his ankle and created a nice contrast to his white sneakers. Thankfully, he was wearing sneaker socks like any person with a hint of fashion sense did. The white simple shirt hugged his muscled chest in a very pleasing way and his jacket just made it perfect.
揧ou can swear like a sailor,?I said with a shrug. 揗aybe it抯 a message for you.?
Santino ignored the comment but I knew it would float around in his brain for a while. We headed out to a small restaurant near Sacre Coeur. Once we抎 settled at the table, I felt a brief moment of worry that we wouldn抰 have anything to talk about and it might become awkward, but Santino nodded toward a guy who wore very form-fitting chinos and sandals with plush golden fur lining plus matching golden socks. I remembered the shoes and socks from the Balenciaga runway show in the fall.
揈xplain this to me.?
揥ell,?I said thoughtfully as I took a sip from the champagne. 揑t抯 bold.?
揌e抯 wearing sandals in winter, with socks. How can this be fashionable in anyone抯 mind??
揊ashion always tries to break rules, at least if it wants to be progressive. Not everything is there to last of course. But someone once said you only regret the things you didn抰 do, and I suppose that goes for fashion too. As a designer, you don抰 want to do what everyone has done before you. You want to be innovative and surprise people. That becomes harder and harder over the years, and especially with fashion being such a fast business.?
揑f something has worked for years, why change it? Why not reinvent old fashion trends and not create new completely insane ones.?