Sisterly Bonding

Sisterly Bonding
I followed Lucy around the store, listening to every word she said about the gorgeous gowns she showed me. She showed me a few gowns that fit Lauren’s description, and I was immediately floored by how stunning the design was. My sister definitely had a great eye for beautiful things, but I had also been correct about it being too fancy for me. After choosing the simplest Queen Anne fit and flare gown, we moved on to simple A-line dresses, which were much more to my taste. I couldn’t help the excitement that flowed through me at the thought of putting one of these stunning gowns on.

As we moved from room to room, exploring the different makers, materials, and colors available, we passed Lauren and Anna a few times. We didn’t stop to check in with each other. We didn’t have to. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was having the time of her life, which immediately made me come to the realization that my hope of getting her to realize that she wanted everything Mason and I had more than she knew was quite possibly on the way to actually happening. I was absolutely floored by how eagerly she flowed through the area, taking the highest joy possible in ‘shopping for me’. An hour later, we met by the dressing rooms with close to 20 dresses hung up outside.

“How’d it go, Lauren?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Oh my God, Laurel! This was so much fun! All these dresses are absolutely stunning! You are going to be the most beautiful bride ever!” she gushed.

“Great! I have 7 dresses. How many did you find?” I inquired.

“I found 11,” she answered, flushing a little. “I know I went overboard, and I’m sorry, I just…I was trying to help.”
“It’s okay, Lauren. I promise. How about this? You try on the dresses you found, and I’ll try on the ones I found?” I told her.

She hesitated, glancing at the dresses before asking, “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yes. Let’s each get a dress on and then we’ll go check ourselves out in the mirror together.”

“Okay!”

I smiled at Lucy as I pointed at the classic lace gown that was laying on the top of the others. “I want to try that one first, please.”

“You got it!”

After Lucy took it off the rack, she waved her hand toward a door to our left. “We’ll be in that one.”

I walked in and was instantly hesitant when she asked me to take everything off except for my bra and panties. When I didn’t move to strip, Lucy gave me a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay, Laurel. Take your time. I promise you that I’m right here with you,” she said softly.

I nodded, and after a deep breath, I started to take my clothes off. When my shirt and pants lay folded on a chair, she knelt at my feet with the dress for me to step into. Once I did, she slowly pulled it up my body before stepping around me to tie the back. After she moved the hem of the gown around, she stood back with the back hem gripped in her hands.

“When you’re ready, you can turn around and look into the mirror,” she instructed.

I closed my eyes before turning in a slow circle to face the mirror. After a long deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes. The moment I saw the way the dress laid on my body, my heart started to race. I ran my hands down the front of my body as tears filled my eyes. This dress was absolutely gorgeous, and I was feeling a lot of emotions that I wasn’t sure what to do with. I was stunned by how good this dress made me feel. It made me feel beautiful. It made me realize all my dreams were within reach. This dress made me feel like a princess, and I immediately knew that it was my dress. It was the one that I wanted to walk down the aisle in. It was the one that I wanted Mason to see me in as I took the last trip that I would ever have to take to him. Instead of him being the one that was always chasing me, I wanted to be the one to come to him.

I ran my hands down the front of the dress again as a tear trickled down my cheeks. “I love this,” I whispered. “This is my dress. This is the one that I want to get married in.”
“Let’s go show your sister, and when we get out there, we’ll jack you up, okay?” Lucy told me, smiling widely at me.

“I-I’d like that,” I murmured.

After one last look in the mirror, she helped me out of the room to the raised walkway where Lauren already stood, studying herself in the mirror. When I got to her side, I glanced at her, noting the way she was frowning deeply at herself as she studied her reflection.

“You don’t like it?” I asked her softly.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just not what I imagined for my–you. It’s not what I imagined for you.” She turned to look at me before gasping loudly. “Holy shit, Laurel! That gown is absolutely stunning! I love the way the lace looks against your skin.” She leaned closer to me. “Oh my God! Those little flower designs are absolutely perfect for you! And that skirt will be easy to move in! The only thing you’re missing is a little glitter! What do you think? Will you try on one of the diamond belts I saw in the other area?”

I nodded. “Lucy said that she would jack me up when we got out here.”

“Do you even know what that means?” Lauren laughed.

“Umm, not really. I thought it was like the full experience of trying on a dress,” I admitted sheepishly, making her laugh again.

“It means that they’re going to put a veil and accessories on you,” she informed me.

“Oh! Okay! So I was right.”
“Laurel? Which veil do you like more?” Lucy inquired as she approached us pushing a cart loaded with accessories while carrying a couple of veils over her shoulders.

After a few minutes of looking over the accessories, I had chosen a lace veil with little diamonds on the edges, and a glittering diamond belt for my waist. For accessories I chose simple gold and diamond tear drop earrings and necklace. For a bracelet, I chose an infinity looping gold and diamond one that wouldn’t take too much focus away from the dress itself. I swallowed hard as Lucy lowered the veil over my face before stepping back to let me look in the mirror. I looked at myself in the mirror, and immediately began to cry again.

“Awww, Laurel! Is this your dress?” Lauren asked.

I nodded. “This is my dress. This is what I want to marry the love of my life in.”

She clapped her hands together. “It’s absolutely stunning, Laurel. Mason is going to love it. Are you going to try any more dresses on?”

I shook my head. “No, but you should. Mason rented the place out for the entire afternoon. So, take your time and look at dresses.”

She hesitated before sighing. “I did want to try on the one dress.”

I took her hands and held them between us. “Do it, Lauren! What harm would it cause?”

“Thank you, Laurel! I love you!”

“I love you too.”

I was led back to the dressing room, where Lucy carefully helped me out of the dress before stepping out of the room to let me get dressed. After I was dressed, I closed my eyes for a long moment as I tried to finish getting my emotions under control. When I was sure that I wasn’t going to cry, I walked out of the room to find Lauren, who was standing in front of the same mirror that I had left her by. The only difference was that this time, she was standing on the raised platform in an intricate satin gown with a Queen Anne’s neckline. It was simpler than I thought she would go for, but the look in her eyes told me that she was having the same feelings for this dress that I had for the one I tried on.

I nodded my head toward her before quietly asking Lucy to jack Lauren up. I knew that it was exactly what she needed to see how much she wanted to find her person and get married. After seeing herself all jacked up, tears started pouring down her face and I immediately moved to her side to hug her tightly.

“You should get the dress, Lauren. Finding the perfect dress is one in a million just like finding your person,” I told her softly.

She looked up at me before nodding. “Okay, Laurel. I’ll get the dress.”