Royal Soulmates

12: Gown Fit for A Princess

Oh goodness, by the time I was done self-deprecating it was quarter after two. Rebecca must be set up and waiting for me. I had better get a move on, so I practically sprinted to my room because I was late and beyond excited. I have dreamed of designing and wearing the perfect wedding gown all my life. Except at this exact moment, I cannot begin to picture wearing the gown marrying Alex. Every time I see myself n the altar, a blond haired, blue-eyed Ashton is always standing next to me in a black tuxedo and a black mask.

Why, oh why must my brain torture itself like this . Even when I sleep, my dreams always contain Ashton, not Alex, not even Peter anymore. Coming back to reality, I realize I have been standing in front of my room for what must have been a century and a half. I open my room door to reveal racks of gowns , materials, and laces spread out and pushed back against the wall. A large three-panel mirror is in the center of the room. On my bed are a million designs, drawings, and patterns.

"Oh, Hello Anne," Rebecca says twirling around.

"Hello, Rebecca," I replied mocking her serious tone.

"Are you not the least bit excited?"

"Of course, I was just mocking your serious tone."

"Oh, you joker, so let’s get down to business. How do you want your hair to be?"

"So, the front to be curly and pulled back into a long, curly ponytail with the tiara in the center of my head." I said to Caroline and as I talked she styled. Her third style was exactly what I wanted. 

"I like it also, it is, very elegant." Caroline commented.

"Okay, so now on to the gown right?" 

"No, do not get ahead of yourself." Caroline chided. " Make-up and few other things first."

We did make-up, then reception outfit, then honeymoon outfit, which was rather embarrassing. I am still a virgin and I know what I will have to do on my honeymoon and I feel like it will be awkward. Then by the time we were done with everything besides the dress and shoes, it was after four o'clock pm. Caroline had me exhausted before we even designed the gown, shoes and other necessities. At least it was time to design the gown, my favorite part, and the one I have been waiting for, for the longest.

"You’re so impatient, Anne, all afternoon you moaned and grumbled, Caroline, can we just skip all this and go straight to the gown?" Caroline said mocking me with precision.

"Anne, you want to enjoy the long process, do not rush your one day." Caroline said. While what I was thinking, is that I did want to rush. The sooner I was married the better. I could not back out then and change my mind. I never knew getting married would be that hard probably because I expected to be in love with the person I was marrying. Oh well.

Caroline finally let me get on to the most exciting part, designing my gown. No one would know what it looked like until the wedding. To prevent the press from getting word of it. Only Caroline and I would know what it looked like. Because she was making the gown that, I helped her design. By the time, we were done with the design and fitting it was nearing six-thirty. I had almost forgotten that Alex was taking me on our very first official date tonight. We were going bowling at a place called the Corner Alley. 

You would think our very first date would be fun. Oh and usually, you date before getting engaged, I guess we did everything backwards. 

I went to get ready for my date and dressed casually in jeans and a black t-shirt. Before long, Alex was knocking on my door. He took my hand and led me downstairs and off we went to the bowling alley. The night was fun, we ate pizza and bowled like normal teenagers do. I just could not shake the feeling that every time Alex touched me, it felt like his father was touching me, cold and creepy. Finally, the night was over and I was thankful for that. Alex was the perfect gentleman and kissed me goodnight before going to his room.

Tomorrow we were choosing the cake and hopefully my replacement iphone would arrive tomorrow. I could re-sync my contact list and call Ashton. Whenever I felt down like now, I knew that I could call Ashton. I just needed his number. I still wonder how it would go down if I asked Alex if his Ashton was my Ashton. Would Alex get insanely jealous and protective like I want him to be or would he just be disappointed in me? Was it worth breaking the engagement and not receiving the crown? 

Probably not. Well I had to eventually meet him, I mean he was going to be in my wedding party. Finally, I drifted off to sleep and dreamt of Ashton all night long. I was comforted by thoughts of being held in his strong arms. Except when I looked at his face I always saw a masked face or it was blank except for his fierce blue eyes. I felt the need to rip off the mask and reveal the face hiding behind it. Some nights I wanted to rip more off then the mask too. 

Why did I feel so much devotion to a man I had met once and talked to of a maximum of three times. Yet I felt next to nothing for a man that I have spent almost every day with for three months. Maybe I was trying too hard to love Alex, maybe love could grow from like. I decided I would try less hard.

I got dressed and joined Alex for a private breakfast just for the two of us on the balcony that looked out over the gardens. It was very romantic and spontaneous of him. He had white roses and vanilla candles all over the balcony. We had scrambled eggs and orange juice. It was lovely, warm day out. After breakfast, we just sat on the porch swing until it was time to go cake choosing.

As we sat there, I just thought about us growing old together and our grandchildren surrounding us on this very porch swing. About the love, Alex shows me through his eyes every single day just for me. I leaned back against him and turned my head to kiss him. He must have been thinking the same thing. His eyes were closed and it was calm. Learning to love might be easier than I thought.