Her eyes looked deeper and her face was more visible as the shorter hair framed her face. Silje’s neck also looked longer. She thought she would look more boyish with short hair, but it only made her look more delicate. Somehow, she looked more feminine.
The hairdresser said to her, “Wow, it looks better than I expected. You should’ve done this a long time ago! Shorter hair suits you.”
The lady then smiled and added, “I swear, you look better with shorter hair. You look more modern.”
Another hairdresser, who was working nearby, nodded as well with a smile.
Silje looked at herself in the mirror silently. After cleaning up, she was guided to a sink for a wash. During the shampooing, Silje heard a few girls chatting loudly next to her while getting their nails done.
“So when did you arrive in New York?”
“Last night at JFK. It was such a long flight.”
“And you sat in first
Boom, boom.Loud music filled the stage and the models all came out at once. They started to dance as they walked one by one to the center and to the audience’s surprise, each model had a small vinyl record attached to her forehead.The models danced teasingly under the 80’s disco ball. They laughed and danced in colorful knitted t-shirts while walking confidently at the same time.[That’s all they really want…Some fun!]Silje danced as well excitedly as she walked. Her short black hair was curled, and bright eyeshadows adorned her eyes. She was also wearing very shiny lip gloss which made her look girly.The models looked at each other and laughed. They were having a lot of fun and the performance looked more like a party than a serious fashion show.Afterward, the audience applauded.“Wow!”“Bravo!”As the only Asian model in the show, Silje was cheered on as wel
“I apologize for not consulting with you and Father before deciding on my career. It wasn’t easy, but I finally am starting to become an established model in New York and I plan on keeping this career. I am sure you and Father will cheer for me. If you continue to disapprove, I will be sad, but I am an adult now, so…”Silje didn’t want this conversation to go down this path, so she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to change the subject and get to the point.“I know I did something terrible that can never be forgiven. I know you and my father will never forgive me, and I’m sure you are still very angry at me, but I don’t regret what I have done… I was so lonely and desperate back then. At that time, I thought I was all alone in the world… Then he came into my life… There is nothing I can do to reverse what already happened, and I don’t want to be trapped in the past and live an un
Unfortunately, Olga didn’t seem to like Nolita and Soho, the two areas Silje enjoyed the most for their vintage and free atmospheres.“Do you come here often, Silje?”“Yes. It’s close to home, so I come here sometimes to shop. For groceries, there is a big store near the apartment that I go to.”Olga still seemed unhappy as she listened. When she didn’t say anything, Silje became disappointed.She obviously made the wrong decision.The Italian restaurant Silje chose was a popular place, but Olga was a very picky eater. Silje’s adoptive mother was an excellent cook, so it was very hard to satisfy her.Olga may not have liked the place, but she must’ve appreciated Silje’s effort. Olga ate her tiramisu and asked, “Did you make a reservation in this restaurant for me?”“Yes. If we had more time, I could’ve taken you to a place in the Upper East Side&hellip
It had been so long since she heard that word. It made her smile.“Not Denmark. I’m from Norway.”“Oh, Norway.”Christian studied her slowly.“I see.”It was the strangest thing. Ever since she first arrived in New York, Silje rarely talked unless necessary, but with Christian, words came out easily for her. Was it because they were both from the same region?With his light brown eyes, he made her feel comfortable. When he asked her to go for a coffee with him, Silje felt glad to say yes.Soft light brown eyes.They looked friendly.Christian said, “There is a North European style café near here and I go there often. They also sell Ikea furniture. They don’t serve reindeer meat, but they still sell traditional Sweden drinks and brunch.”At Christian’s joke about the reindeer meat, Silje smiled faintly. Christian continued, “You can drin
Broadway and 99th street.It was the area often crowded with people leaving Times Square. It was a familiar place for Silje, but she realized that something was different.The place Christian took her was within New York, but Silje had never been here before. It seemed like a secret hidden place.Silje and Christian left the café and got into his limousine. Christian ordered casually, “Let’s go to Hemingway in lower Manhattan. I am taking this lady with me.”After fifteen minutes, they were there.‘It’s like Santa Claus’ reindeer sled,’ Silje thought as she watched the white limousine leave smoothly. Christian smiled at her.“Now, let’s go inside. Like I said, the night is just starting.”As he promised, Hemingway Bar was marvelous.Burgundy velvet curtains and black mahogany flooring greeted her. A 19th century grand piano and Spanish interior indeed made the p
Hans used work in a bank when he was given a job by Kail Bruntland. He had been doing a good job for the Bruntland family, but five years ago, Hans became afraid of Kail.Five years ago, Kail lost his smile and his face became a glass mask. People whispered that he changed into a completely different man, and Hans agreed. Every time he had to meet with Kail, he couldn’t relax.“Is there something you would like to tell me, sir?”Hans didn’t know what, but something wasn’t right. When he hesitantly asked Kail, a low voice replied, “No. Nothing.”So why was Kail not dismissing him?With a deep sigh, Kail poured himself a cup of tea. Hans didn’t know when it started, but Kail developed a habit of making himself tea. He was so elegant with his movement that Hans watched with fascination.Suddenly, Kail asked, “And is there anything else you would like to report?”More to report?
When Silje arrived in Milan, it was snowing hard. This was her second time participating in the Milan fashion week.She had been more involved in the New York fashion shows during her career, and as a model, walking on the runway in Milan was a special thing. The three biggest fashion stages in the world were New York, Paris, and Milan.When she first started out, it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. She never imagined she would come this far. Silje started from the bottom of New York, and finally, she was making it. Silje felt like she was the heroine of a tragic story who climbed one bloody step at a time to get to the top.And now, she was finally here.Looking at the beautiful but harsh snow, Silje felt like she was the Snow Queen. Her life had been like one giant winter storm, but a new phase was beginning and she was going to bloom as the model.Silje couldn’t stop looking at the white dust. She was only focused o
At first, Silje thought she was dreaming.There were rare times when she dreamt of those rich green eyes, the eyes that resembled the beautiful and mystic Greenland.Whenever she had those dreams, she would wake up and shiver in fear.“…Silje!”It was a gorgeous voice, but to her, it sounded like that of a grim reaper from hell.It was Kail, and he was back.As this fact finally registered in her shocked mind, Silje tried to get away to escape Kail once more.“Let me go! Let me go right now!”She screamed and when she tried to push him away, Kail’s expression turned cold. His face had been in dark so far, but now his face was visible in the streetlight and she could finally see him clearly.“…!”Silje flinched in shock.He was thin. He clearly had lost a lot of weight.Kail looked… ravaged. It looked like he barely survived a deadly storm