worlds pass by | dear evan hansen

Chapter 13

A little over two months until the wedding, and Kasey finally got Carleigh, Renee, and Maura's schedules to line up to go dress shopping.

She'd had to choose her advisers strategically. Obviously she'd never get away with excluding Maura from the group- as Jace's mother, her opinion bordered on the most important one of them all to Jace.

On the other hand, there was Carleigh. Kasey, whether she told Jace or not, probably would listen to Carleigh more than Maura. Although Maura was a lovely woman, she didn't know Kasey the way Carleigh did. There was a reason that Carleigh was Kasey's maid of honor.

And Renee had seemed like an obvious choice, to balance out Maura's taste in clothing and Carleigh's. Plus, Renee was like an older sister, or even a little bit of a mother, to Kasey. 

"So, what are we looking for?" Renee asked as they stepped inside the bridal boutique. "Fancy, lacy, ballgown?"

"Nothing too fancy. I want more of a skirt... I don't want it to be tight," Kasey said. "Simple. Lace is fine, just nothing too elaborate."

They split up, Carleigh sticking by Kasey. Kasey occasionally pulled out a dress that caught her eye, only to find something that didn't quite fit her vision right.

"I'm assuming you have something in mind?" Carleigh laughed after they'd gone through several racks and Kasey had turned down countless suggestions from her.

"I don't know. It's hard to explain, but when I see something, I'll know. If that makes sense."

Renee came over with an armful of gowns, holding each one up for Kasey's consideration. They were all beautiful, some with fuller skirts than others.

"The skirt shouldn't be as full as the Schuyler Sisters dresses, if that helps," Kasey said finally. "A little less wide."

Renee nodded and returned to her section of the store.

Maura approached, holding three dresses. Each were too gaudy and frilly for Kasey's taste, but she reluctantly agreed to try one of them on, just to see. 

They kept searching. They were almost at the end of the racks of dresses when Carleigh pulled something off the hanger. 

"Hey, what about this?" she asked. 

Kasey tilted her head to the side, considering the dress. It was simply cut- definitely not a tight dress, but not a full ballgown, either. It had intricate, lacy straps and had beading on the skirt.

"That looks amazing," Kasey decided. "I'll try it on, but I'm pretty sure it's the one I want."

After slipping into the dress, Kasey knew. It was what she'd been waiting for. 

"This is the one," she said, staring at herself in the mirror. 

"It's beautiful, Kasey," Renee agreed. "I think it suits you perfectly, and it looks wonderful on you."

"You're absolutely beautiful," Carleigh nodded. "I definitely think that's the one, if you think so."

Kasey took one last look. "This is it, then," she said decisively, turning to the seamstress. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Any chance I'll get to see your dress?" Jace asked jokingly that night, after Kasey had brought her dress to the loft. She'd wanted to make sure he wouldn't look.

"Absolutely not," Kasey rolled her eyes. "You know it's bad luck. Besides, it would ruin the surprise."

Jace held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine."

"It has your mother's approval, so you have nothing to worry about," Kasey laughed. "I think you'll love it."

"Well, you look fantastic in everything you wear, so I'm sure it'll be beautiful."

"It's strange to think that the wedding is only two months away. It seems like we just got engaged, you know? Have you been thinking about that?"

Jace shrugged. "I mean, we have planned the wedding quicker than most people. Most people wait a year before they get married."

"We made a good choice, though. Our schedules are only going to get busier as we get older," Kasey reminded him. "And why wait a year, anyway? It's not like anything would change."

"True," Jace agreed. 

They were silent for a little bit, Kasey staring at the flickering vanilla candle on the coffee table. 

"Have you thought about... what happens after DEH, and Spongebob?" Jace asked finally, his voice low. 

Kasey frowned, looking up at Jace. "What do you mean? What shows we'll do next?"

"No, like a family. Like kids."

That wasn't what Kasey was expecting him to ask. "I haven't thought about it. Do you want to have kids?"

"I've always pictured myself with kids. It's always been my vision. An amazing wife, kids, maybe a house in the country." Jace admitted. "But if you don't, we won't. I can understand that. I know your thoughts, I think."

"To be fair, I've never let myself think that far ahead. It's always been 'What's my next show?' or 'What am I doing next?' It's been about sustaining my life. I've never considered anything beyond show business. But it's not anything I'm going to rule out completely. Just right now, I don't think either of us are in the right place for that."

"I can agree with that, for sure," Jace nodded. "Just think about it, okay? We wouldn't have to do it right away."

Kasey gave him a smile. "I'll think about it. We'll talk again, after I start in DEH, deal?"

"Deal."