Exile

The Perfect Dress

"Seriously? That's all you're going to wear at my wedding? A little black dress?"

One and a half hours into our shopping trip, I'm beginning to think that Alex coming with us wasn't so bad. He's been quiet and subdued, and my attempts to stop myself from staring at him have been successful. I'm beginning to wonder if Emily thinks herself to be a famous stylist or something. No only has insisted that we shop in the most expensive store at the mall, she's pretty much criticized everything I've picked out for the wedding. It's incredibly frustrating. I know she's always been the fashionista, the well dressed one, but this is too much. I'm not as stylish as her, but four years in Vancouver have honed my sense of style. I'm not a bum.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm still tense over Alex being here with us. It's just that Emily is proving to be an effective distraction.

"I'd like to take this time to remind you that I'm not supposed to upstage you," I tell her. "You're the bride, so all eyes will be on you. They are supposed to be on you. Plus, I'm just a reader, so I should wear something understated anyway."

"Yeah, but this is super-understated." I picked out a simple and elegant sleeveless tea-length black dress. The only thing flashy about it was the fabric – silk-georgette. I thought about finding a coordinating headband, but I thought better of it. "There's no flash, no personality. It's so dull."

I roll my eyes. "I don't mind being dull. After all, it's your wedding day."

"Yeah, but come on, can't we find something better?" She turns to Alex, eyes pleading. I suck in a deep breath. "Come on, Alex, what do you think? She could wear something flashier, right?"

"Actually…" He looks right at me, a soft smile on his face. "I think she looks really pretty. This dress really suits her."

"Ugh." Emily bristles. "Of course you'd say that, you're in love with her." Thankfully, she fails to notice our exchange of knowing, guilty glances. After all, she has no idea… "Anyway, I guess if you want to buy it, you can. It's your money."

"Gee, thanks," I reply flatly, heading back into the dressing room.

"Just so you know, the dress for your parent's party has to be flashier. You know how your mom is."

"Don't remind me. If I don't pick the right dress, she'll make me take it back, and even worse, she'll insist on coming with me so I don't screw up next time."

"Exactly. Your parents have been saving up for this for five years, and they're holding at the fanciest hotel in Chicago – the Drake. So we need to go big!"

"And by big, I hope you mean reasonably affordable. I am paying for this, after all."

Even though I'm the dressing room, I can still visualize Emily blowing me off. "Yeah, yeah, sure, sure."

I sigh heavily. "Right."

The dressing room may be out of Emily and Alex's line of sight, but that doesn't make me any less uneasy. I'm in various states of undress, and Alex isn't very far away. I can't believe I'm still conscious. It doesn't seem like I'll last for long. My breath is shallow, and my heart has no intention of slowing down. I'm glad he's a good distance away from the dressing room because if he'd saw me…

I can't stop shivering. I don't want to think about it.

It never got that far before. Alex made it a point to be a gentleman, and I wasn't ready for it. But that doesn't mean I felt nothing. After a certain point, my thoughts were anything but innocent. It frightened me to feel that way. I'd never felt a more potent feeling in my life – not even for Mike. I'd lost myself to Mike long ago. I thought I was passionate about him. But I was kidding myself.