The Perfect Stranger

Chapter Fourteen

It was a day most girls dreamed of for me; I was going wedding dress shopping in Paris. I could barely believe it, as I boarded the jet along with Ava, Tatiana, and Kendall, who had flown in this morning specifically to go shopping in person. My mom hadn't been able to get anyone to watch Sasha and didn't want to bring her halfway across the world and back. Kendall should have been tired and jetlagged, but she was her usual bubbly, bouncing self. She'd arrived at the airport earlier this morning, and Alex had picked her up and brought her back to our house, so I could sleep in for a little while. I loved that they got along - I had been worried when they first met.

"This is so exciting!" Kendall squealed as she followed me up the jet's stairs. "Asodoria and France in the same day!"

"It's actually like, not unusual to go to different countries on the same day in Europe," I told her, wide-eyed.

"You act like that's so strange," Tatiana laughed. "I'm dating someone who lives in a different country." She said to Kendall.

"Texas is like ten hours long driving through it," I said.

"I don't even know where Texas is," Tatiana said.

"Don't worry, I didn't know where Asodoria was until this morning." Kendall giggled.

Ava glanced at Kendall as she boarded the plane - I wondered what she thought of my loud, boisterous friends - they were nothing like me.

"Are you from North Carolina too, Kendall?" Ava asked as she sat primly down in the jet across from us on the bench-like seat. Kendall and Tatiana had squished in on either side of me.

"South Carolina," Kendall corrected. "And yes, we met in middle school and went to college together. We were roommates."

"And they were roommates," I whispered to her - a classic inside joke. She grinned at me.

"How sweet," Ava said. She smiled at me. "Sofia, what kind of dress are you thinking?" She asked.

"I honestly have no idea," I replied. "I used to think I wanted a huge princess dress but I'm just not sure what will look good on me."

"Everything will look good on you," Tatiana laughed.

"Have you seen her in corduroy? I had to talk her out of some questionable outfits during our senior year of high school." Kendall giggled.

Our plane took off and it was a quick flight to Paris - it only took an hour or so. When we arrived, a limo was waiting outside the airport and we got in. We had made a few appointments at Bridal boutiques across the city. The first stop, though, was brunch at a well-known cafe. Ava and Tatiana both spoke flawless French, and I helped Kendall order, although I tripped over a few words. Ava and Tatiana had exchanged a smile as I messed up our order. The waiter had laughed and corrected my pronunciation with a wink before he left.

Tatiana teased me endlessly about it throughout brunch, Ava sat with a thin-lipped smile. I was engaged to her son, after all, and Tatiana was making jokes about how much he liked me. When we were done, we were all a bit tipsy from a few mimosas and everyone was enjoying the company, however odd the mix of people was.

Our first stop was a bridal boutique that was rated 5 stars online. Within 10 minutes, we were back on the sidewalk, crowding into the limo. The saleswomen watched us through the front windows wistfully. There was nothing that attracted me in that store - everything about it felt wrong the second I stepped through the door.

We ended up going to four different places, spending a few minutes in each before leaving. The only fun we would have would be taking selfies in the mirror with each other, or looking at accessories while they tried to find a dress that matched my vision. By lunchtime, I was feeling pretty discouraged. There had only been one dress I'd tried on so far, and I hated it so much I cried when I saw myself. The saleswoman had been ecstatic until she realized why I was crying and got me out of the dress quickly.