Ben gives me a little smirk and I have this feeling of jumping him right then and there. I force those thoughts out. "Anyway, I should get going," Ben says. "It was nice meeting you, Casey." "I'll walk you out," I tell him. Casey waves while we walk to the door. I feel the mask tightening on my face and it's hard to speak after I shut the door behind us. "I'll call ahead next time," Ben laughs. I feel the mask cracking as I laugh with him. "It's fine. And thanks for the ice cream. That was really sweet of you." He scratches the back of his neck. "Don't worry about it." We stare at each other for a moment and he leans in closer to me. I back up against the wall as his lips meet mine. I want to deepen the kiss, but the dried mask stops me and I end up laughing. "This stupid face mask," I say as his hands rest on my waist. "Next time," he says, smirking and making the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. We say our goodbyes and I walk back into the apartment. I go straight for the bathroom to wash my face and when I come back out, Casey is already eating in the living room. I grab my food and meet her inside. Her face has been washed too and she's smirking at me. "Okay, tell me what you think," I say to her before she explodes. She grins widely. "He seems just as sweet as that ice cream he bought you." "He is," I say, leaning back into the couch. "You don't seem to happy about it," she observes. "I am, really," I assure her. "It just seems too good to be true. He swoops in like some prince charming and there hasn't been a flaw yet. I just want to have fun with him before his flaw shows itself because if there is one it's going to be a big one." She seems to wrestle with the thought. "I don't know, Lace. I think you're just afraid of losing someone again. Considering your track record, and I say this with love, but you do have shitty luck." "Exactly," I stress to her. Of course she understands. She got her degree in Psychology and I always joked about her being my personal therapist, but this time she really knows what she's saying. "I lost my parents, lost Jacob, lost Dylan, and I don't want to lose anyone else." Her face softens. "I know it's hard to see it right now, but you can't let that fear take over your life. You'll really lose the people you love because of it." I let that sink in for a moment. She's right, but it's hard. After the shit I've been through, I just want happiness and I'm afraid I won't ever be truly happy. "Lace, why didn't you tell me you were seeing a therapist?" she asks, glancing down at her lo mein. I avoided the conversation last weekend, but there's no avoiding it now. "I don't know. Just felt embarrassed, I guess." Casey gives me a sad expression. "You don't owe me an explanation or anything. We tell each other everything and I just got upset because you didn't tell me about this." I never told her what drove me to therapy besides the obvious. Dealing with my parents death has been hard, and being away from everyone has made it harder, but that was only part of the reason. Last year, the night before my graduation, I dreamt about being kidnapped by Xavier again. Before that I hadn't even thought about him. The dream hit me like a truck and when I woke up from it I was so shaken that I didn't feel like myself during graduation. It was something that affected me so deeply, without really realizing it, and that pushed me to seek out a therapist. Dr. Harrison and I have talked about it and I've gotten to the point where I don't dream about it and it doesn't affect me as much as it used to. And I don't want to tell Casey why I went to Dr. Harrison. I don't want to dig up those old memories right before the happiest day of her life. She shouldn't have to worry about that psychopath, and she shouldn't have to worry about me. "I'll talk to you about it someday," I tell her. "Just not today." She nods and we turn our attention to the TV. For the rest of the night we indulge in some Law and Order. ~ The next day I'm driving to the bridal shop and Casey can't seem to sit still in her seat. I know she's anxious to find a dress, and the right one. Our mission is to find a dress today, and also find a bridesmaid dress. It'll be difficult without Lauren and Casey's cousin Ivy, but we can't not find one today. Plus, Casey's mom will meet us at the shop to help. I pull into the parking lot of Vee's Bridal and Casey practically rushes out of the car. We walk into the shop together and Casey gives her name to the lady named Veronica in the front. Veronica is an older woman with black hair that's cut into a bob. Her stern face doesn't quite match her soft voice, so her demeanor confuses me. Around us are racks on racks of wedding dresses ranging from white to blush pink. Veronica takes us to a section in the back where more racks are set up. Veronica explains to Casey that because her wedding is so soon, she can only choose from a small selection, but the section is anything but small. Three walls are covered with dresses Casey can choose from and suddenly it feels overwhelming. Another woman brings us champagne just as Mrs. Taylor comes up to us. She hugs and kisses Casey before giving me a hug. "Lacey, it's so good to see you again," Mrs. Taylor tells me. Her blonde hair hangs around her shoulders. She's wearing white pants and a peach colored blouse, looking ever gorgeous. "You too, Mrs. Taylor," I smile at her. "I can't believe my baby is getting married already," she puts her hand over her heart. The woman from earlier brings Mrs. Taylor a champagne glass and she quickly takes a sip. She's probably more stressed out than I am.