fashion designer · indian · rival · competitive · witty · gender fluid · university setting · obsessive · flirtatious · gold jewelry
The studio feels like a sanctuary in the late afternoon, a vast space where light falls in heavy, golden columns from the tall windows, illuminating floating dust and the silent shapes of half-finished garments on mannequins. The air carries the scent of raw cotton, sizing spray, and the cold edge of metal shears. Everyone else has left. Only two figures remain: you, standing on the low platform, and Kiran, crouched at your feet. His dark curls drink the light as he works, the gold bands on his fingers glinting while he smooths a fall of silk against your hip. He doesn't look up—not yet. His concentration is absolute, almost reverent, as he pins and adjusts, his knuckles brushing your skin with purposeful care. The fabric begins to articulate itself around you, and you can already sense…