1 YEAR LATER

The knock at the door was an unwanted intrusion on her relaxation, swinging her legs from Daniel's lap she left her place at the garden table; playfully swatting his head on the way past for making her get up. Daniel snickered and turned his face back up to the sun beating down on the garden.

She opened the door and was that used to seeing the person on the other side it took her a couple of seconds to realise he was out of place. "Marc? What are you doing here? I thought you were on vacation."

"I am." He grinned. "Just thought I would come and say hi."

"You came to Connecticut on your vacation to tell me hi?" She asked, not buying a word of it.

"No silly, I saw the car arrive earlier and thought I would come over."

"Come over? Why is this making some sort of sense that I'm not in on?" She leaned out the door and looked to where Marc had gestured when he said 'over'. Her eyebrows lifted when she saw Jesse waving back.

She looked back into Marc's smiling face. "Poor thing's been ever so upset since James left, I'm comforting him."

"I'm sure you are." She said sceptically. "So this is your vacation? Connecticut? Nice." She drawled.

"Says the woman who drops everything almost every Friday to speed here for a dirty weekend with her boyfriend."

"That's different; we hardly get any time for us in the city. In fact, I don't mean to be rude, oh who am I kidding I don't care, but just because you're up here with your new plaything it doesn't mean you two are going to be 'popping over' whenever the fancy takes you does it?"

"Aww don't want to be disturbed?"

"Marc, in New York, we have to constantly watch what we say, who we say it to, who we're seen with, there's too many people waiting to stick the knife in. Here? Here it's just us, this time is too short and it's...it's dear to me okay." She snapped at the end, still uncomfortable displaying her emotions.

"Wilhelmina Slater! Look at you! Shacked up with Daniel...feeling things."

"I don't feel things." She huffed and folded her arms. "I just feel when it comes to him."

Marc's wide eyes bored into hers and he tried to conceal a smile at her disgusted face. "That is the cheesiest thing you have ever said, I didn't even know you could do cheesy!"

The nauseated expression didn't change. "I didn't either, let's pretend I never said that shall we?"

"Gladly."

"Good, now mince back over to your boy toy and I'll see you Monday." She dismissed him; Marc started walking away and waved his hand behind him. "Oh and Marc?" He stopped and turned to her. "Jesse's one of the good ones...don't mess this up."

Marc smiled broadly. "Ditto."

She watched Marc begin to cross the road and pulled out her cell, Marc was almost across the road when she saw Jesse in the garden, looking at his phone and then over to her. He answered, still looking at her. "You're about to tell me that if I hurt him you'll hunt me down and kill me right?"

"Something like that." She smirked.

"I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Jesse you threw James out on the street in full view of everyone."

"Well he shouldn't have said the Tony's were meaningless. Anyway, you worry less about us and more about that man you left burning to a crisp in your yard. Gotta go, Amanda's mixing drinks, see you tonight."

"No you won-" She tried to answer, but he had disconnected. She pressed redial while walking back up to the garden but it went straight to voicemail.

She sat back down in the chair and reached for her glass, putting her legs back on Daniel's lap, his hands automatically returning to rub her calf muscles. "We have to lock the doors and keep the lights off tonight."

"Why?"

"Jesse's bagged himself a Modie of his very own. Marc, and for some reason but I'm not really surprised, Amanda, are over there and they think they're showing their faces over here."

"They are." Daniel answered simply.

Willie sat up, squinting under the sun's rays. "What? No they are not! Daniel we have to leave here tomorrow because your Mom wants both of us there for this dinner with Alexis and DJ. I'm not spending my one night here with people from work!"

"Okay, number one, they are not people from work, they are our friends...they are." He added after she tried to cut him off. "And number two, I spoke to my Mom and she, Alexis and DJ are coming up too, oh and their picking up Betty on the way."

She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing where this was going. "And we're playing host why?"

He grinned, all the while still rubbing her leg. "Because I think it's time to tell them."

"Fantastic, just what the neighbours up here will relish, yet another brawl in this garden."

Daniel scoffed. "Please, you think I haven't seen the $300 phone bill to France? Or noticed that I get relegated to the second row at fashion shows so you and my Mom sit up front?"

She squirmed. "I don't know what you mean." She adopted an indignant tone. "We hate each other and always will."

"Sure." He laughed and elevated his butt slightly, digging in his back pocket; he pulled out his wallet and opened it. "Now stop making me hide this and put it on your god damn finger."

Wilhelmina stared at it, then at him before taking a deep sigh and snatching the ring from him and shoving it on her finger. "I don't think there's gonna be much need to tell anyone, your mother could sniff out a rock this big from space."

"That's the idea." He folded his wallet back over and was about to put it back in his pocket when she stopped him.

"What's that?" Her eye caught the bit of glossy paper sticking out of the leather.

"Nothing." He said hastily and tried to shove it back in.

Wilhelmina made a grab for it and slid over, sitting in his lap and trying to snatch the wallet he held at arm's length. She dug him under the arm and he dropped it with a yelp. He tried to grab it back but she leaned forward and opened it before he could. He settled for resting his arms around her waist as she pulled out the paper. Daniel sighed when she unfolded it.

"Oh my god." She laughed. "You seriously carry this around with you?"

"I do."

"Look at the state of it, you must have read it a thousand times."

"I have."

She laughed again, turning on his lap to face him. "You're keeping it like it's some kind of love letter or something."

"It is."

"It's about clothes Daniel."

He smirked, turning red with embarrassment. "To the casual observer perhaps."

She looked at him colouring up and felt bad for mocking him, she ran her hand down the side of his face and leaned in to kiss him. Standing up, she took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Where are we going?"

Wilhelmina pressed herself to him and brought her lips up to his again, savouring their warmth. "I'm guessing we only have a couple of hours before the more annoying branches of the Meade tree come marching through that door, where do you think we're going?" Her eyebrow arched suggestively.

Daniel grinned, wide and unabashed, and kissed her again before allowing himself to be dragged towards the house.

The little, well read, sheet of glossy paper, the letter from the Editor Marc had watched her compose, was left resting on the very same table where it was written; flapping in the breeze.

Everyone has got one;

Everyone, from the woman sitting reading this in the salon while she waits for her nails to be done, to the teenage boy sneaking this out of his mothers purse when he thinks she's not looking. From the college fashion student, who is no doubt reading this in the store because their finances simply won't stretch to purchasing a copy, to the Editor in Chief of the publication itself. Everyone has one.

Everyone has that one item; that dress, that pair of shoes that you've hidden away at the back of your closet because as good as they look you just don't feel they're quite you. Or perhaps that one glorious outfit you've seen that looks so good on others but you don't think you could ever pull it off.

It might be ridiculously expensive and you don't want to wear it in case it gets ruined, or god forbid your family might find out what it cost. It might be old, vintage, a look you never think would come back into style and you worry you might be ridiculed to be seen in it; thanks to nefarious diva's like me declaring what is and isn't fashionable.

Well this month, I'm telling you not to listen; I'm telling you to break all the rules. I'm telling you to hell with what others might say or think and put it on. Wear it with pride and listen to no one but yourself. What you wear shouldn't always be about who says what's in and what's not. Sometimes, just sometimes, it has to be about being who you are and expressing your individuality.

So go on, have the month off from the rules and regulations I, and others like me, have dictated to you. Go ahead and put whatever the hell you want on, you might just surprise yourself.

You might find it's the perfect fit after all.