Chapter 1: Fresh Beginnings

Alex yawned and stretched upward languorously as she straightened up from her crouched position in front of one of the many boxes littering her new apartment. It was a small two-bedroom apartment in a nice building that she was renting while she decided if she wanted to make her move to this city permanent.

The fully furnished apartment didn't have much character, the walls were painted white and the furniture was all dark colors. The best part about it was the view of the city from her windows. She smiled to herself happily as she sauntered out of the living room and into her new kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fully stocked fridge.

She groaned as she heard a knock at the door before deciding to bring the bottle of water with her.

"Coming," she called out as she jogged to the door, unopened bottle in hand.

"Surprise!" Kit and Gemma cheered as Alex opened the door for them. They each had shopping bags in their arms.

Alex chuckled slightly as she stepped aside to let them into her home. She hadn't been expecting them to show up, but after so many years of friendship, she should have known better.

"I didn't know you guys were coming," Alex said as she followed behind Kit and Gemma as they walked into the living room. "I'm not exactly dressed for guests."

Kit laughed and rolled her eyes as she took in Alex's workout leggings and sports bra - her dark skin on display and her dreadlocks pulled back into a bun. "You know you look great in anything."

"I hate you for it a little bit," Gemma chimed in with a cheeky smile. "Welcome to New York!"

Alex laughed loudly as she walked into the center of the room and pulled the two of them into a tight hug. While she was surprised, she was really happy to see two of her closest friends. The fact that they lived here had been one of the reasons she'd decided to finally make the move.

"What did you bring me?" Alex asked with childish glee as she pulled away and started to investigate the shopping bags on her knees.

"A few treats and home essentials," Kit said with a smirk as she collapsed onto the couch. Gemma disappeared down the hall as she took a look at the rest of the apartment.

Alex laughed and looked up at Kit as she pulled a bottle of champagne out of one of the bags. "Treat or home essential?"

Kit gave Alex a naughty grin. "A little bit of both! We need to celebrate that you finally came over to the dark side."

Alex rolled her eyes and stood; handing the bottle to Kit she disappeared into the kitchen hoping there were champagne flutes in one of the cabinets. She smiled in victory as she found a variety of glasses in the first cabinet she tried.

"I haven't decided if I'm moving here forever," Alex cautioned as she walked back into the living room. "This is still just a test run."

"Why wouldn't you want to stay here?" Kit asked in confusion. "It's the best city in the world plus we live here, what more could a girl want?"

Alex shook her head with an amused smile as she uncorked the champagne casually and started pouring it out. The main reason she'd left Los Angeles was that she'd started to feel a little lonely with no friends and family around. New York was a fashion capital and her closest friends lived there - the choice hadn't been all that hard to make but she was still hesitant to make it official.

"You're making a strong case," Alex said as she handed Kit a flute of champagne. "Especially if you keep bringing me champagne. I could get used to this."

"Don't," Gemma said as she re-entered the room and claimed a flute for herself. "We drink tequila mostly."

"Is that supposed to be off-putting?" Alex asked with a laugh as she sipped her champagne.

"Oh, that's right," Kit said teasingly. "Supermodels party every night, a night full of shots is just a Tuesday for Alex."

"Hardly a supermodel," Alex muttered into her glass. "The other part is true though; people want models at parties. Who'd have thought?"

"Can we talk about this apartment?" Gemma asked with a concerned look on her face. "It's kind of…completely devoid of personality."

Alex laughed and looked around with a shrug. "The landlady is really cool, she said I can paint it if I want to."

"Well, it's a good thing that we brought a few things to make this place more homey," Kit said as she looked around with a slight frown.

Gemma nodded eagerly and pointed at the shopping bags. "We have scented candles, candy, a cute little throw blanket, wine, champagne, and a few framed photos."

Alex smiled gratefully at her friends and wondered which photos they'd chosen to have framed. They'd taken a lot of group shots over the years, including Veronica - who they hadn't managed to convince to move to New York. They'd all come a long way from the kids they'd been in college.

Alex was jolted out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Kit grinned at her and stood. "We have something else that we couldn't fit in the bag."

Alex watched after Kit curiously as she disappeared to answer the door before returning with a broad smile. As she entered the room, Alex noticed the woman following behind Kit who was weighed down by several black garment bags. She was much shorter than Kit and her long blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Alex offered her a warm smile as their eyes met, hoping she was making the stranger feel less out of place.

"This is Birdy," Kit announced as she reclaimed her spot on the couch. "She's a fashion guru. I asked her to bring you a few things you might like as a welcome gift. Pick whatever you want, it's on me."

Alex let out an impressed whistle and stood to help Birdy with her load. "Hi Birdy, I'm Alex, thanks for coming over."

"No problem," Birdy said in a slightly nervous tone as Alex took some of the bags from her. "Kit and Luca are pretty much my best clients."

"Pretty much?" Kit echoed with a teasing smile. "Has someone taken the spot you have in your heart for me?"

Birdy giggled. "You are still my all-time favorite Kit, don't you worry about that."

"Excellent answer," Kit said with a smug grin. "You deserve some champagne for that. I'll be right back."

Alex rolled her eyes as Kit disappeared into the kitchen before turning back to Birdy with a smile. "Can I open one of these up?"

Birdy nodded with a warm smile of her own. "Of course, I hope you like something. I picked a few things based on what Gemma and Kit said you preferred."

"I'm sure you did a great job," Alex said reassuringly as she opened the bag and started pulling clothes out.

"That is cute," Kit commented as she re-entered the room with an empty champagne flute, using it to point at the silk, peacock inspired top Alex was holding against her chest.

Alex nodded as she looked down at her body. "I'm definitely loving that it's basically backless, it's one of my best features."

"Your back?" Gemma asked incredulously. "What's so sexy about a back?"

Alex chuckled and winked at Gemma as she put the top down. "Wait until you see me wear this and you'll know."

"Show us what else you have in your magic bags," Kit said eagerly as she handed Birdy a glass. Birdy laughed as she accepted the glass gratefully, taking a quick sip before putting it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I have this great little black dress in here," Birdy said as she dug into the open bag before pulling it out triumphantly. "It's also backless."

Alex accepted the dress eagerly and examined it with sparkling eyes. "I know we just met, but I like you a lot."

"Are you talking to me or the dress?" Birdy asked with a laugh as she sipped her champagne again.

"Both," Alex answered with a wink. "You can just enjoy your champagne, I'm going to go through these and see what I like."

"I'll look at what you don't take," Kit answered as she eyed the bags.

"You're not the same size," Birdy answered with a chuckle. "You already got some new stuff earlier this week anyway."

Kit shrugged. "I can always buy new clothes; I have a lot of events to attend between me and Luca."

"I want to see Alex actually put something on!" Gemma cheered as she waved her empty champagne flute in the air.

Alex laughed and shook her head. "No way, I'm sure Birdy has better things to do with her evening."

Birdy laughed and shook her head. "You're the first model I've dressed, I'm happy to stick around."

"Come on supermodel," Kit said teasingly. "You could do this in your sleep, model a few things for us."

"Yeah!" Gemma agreed as she fell into Kit's lap laughing, already tipsy. "Show us that sexy back you're always bragging about."

Alex laughed in defeat and started grabbing a few things to try on. "Fine but if I'm going to model for you, you're buying me pizza. I don't work for free."