Always There

Chapter Fifty-Three

"White or black? I can't tell which Bryce'll like more," I say as Kennedy examines the underwear in my arms.

"Where do you buy all this stuff? I don't have any particular reason to buy lingerie because Jules is on a different continent, but you have such a nice collection of underwear, honestly," Kennedy says, crossing her arms over her chest.

I give her a shy smile, suddenly feeling a little bit awkward. "I just shop at regular underwear stores. I just really like fancy, lace things like this. I've never been very confident in my body, but wearing this sort of stuff helps me a lot."

Kennedy's eyebrows suddenly furrow, and she gets a sad look in her eye. Before I even comprehend what's happening, she pulls me into a firm hug and squeezes me tightly before letting go.

"This is a happy day for you. There's no need to be sad. You're perfect, Lexi. I really mean that," Kennedy says to me. "I think you should wear the black. Go get changed so that we don't run out of time."

I take a deep breath and nod at Kennedy. "Okay. You're right. I should be happy. I just genuinely can't believe that Bryce and I have been together for a year already. It feels like yesterday when he told me he loved me for the first time, but it simultaneously feels as though we've been together forever."

Kennedy smiles at me before she turns on her heel, skips towards my bed, picks up my dress, and then hurries back towards me. She yanks the white lingerie out of my arms before she hands me the dress, spins me around by gripping my shoulders, and then ushers me into the bathroom.

"Go change! I want to see!" she exclaims.

I beam at her over my shoulder. "Okay, okay! I will! I'll be quick, I promise."

At that, I disappear into the bathroom, shutting the bedroom door after myself.

I strip completely naked as quickly as possible. I then pull my underwear up my legs until the waist band is snug around my hips before I then fasten on my bra.

It's a little bit longer than a bra, with a little bit of lace underneath the the underwire that wraps around my rib cage. It matches the lace around the waistband of the underwear, but as I'm examining said lace, my eyes are drawn to my scars.

They've begun to fade the slightest bit. It's been so long since I hurt myself that I can't imagine why they hadn't started to fade before now, but I've had the same thin lines across the right side of my abdomen for ages.

I can't help but to raise my hand and gently trace over the scars. The red skin is slightly raised from the rest of my skin, but apart from that, the skin feels the same.

I don't understand how Bryce can kiss these scars and then look me in the eye and tell me how beautiful he thinks I am, but nonetheless, he's managed to make me feel just a little bit more okay with the marks on my body.

Honestly, it almost burns to touch the scars, and so quickly, I retract my hand. I give the scars one more glance before I meet my own eyes in the mirror, take a deep breath in, and reach for my dress.

I unzip the back of the dress before stepping into it, pulling it up my body. I slip my arms through the straps before adjusting the front of my dress so that the dark lace of my underthings is completely concealed.

I zip the back of my dress up as high as I can before I pick up my discarded clothes from the floor. I then head out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, where I find Kennedy sitting on the bed, her legs crossed underneath herself as she waits impatiently for me to return.

As soon as she sees me, she shoots up from the bed once again. "You look phenomenal."

I feel myself suddenly begin to blush the same colour as my dress. "Thank you. Can you zip up my dress for me?"