AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Coming, Gerald.” She grabs my bag from me and spins me around to hurry me back to the car.
“And stop calling me Miss Cooper, Gerald.” She winks at the old man. He nods at us with a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes before he closes the door.
We drive around Denver for a bit before we get to a little place calledSomething Bride. It’s a newer boutique designed for brides with a higher budget than most. Knowing Sterling, it wasn’t her first choice. I remember a time where we’d dream about shopping atWet Sealfor our wedding dresses or one of those crowded stores with too many prom dresses to choose from at theMills Mall.
I know that Callan probably insisted that she come here because he sponsors it or some shit.
“Where’s Callan?” I ask as Gerald holds the door open for us to get out.
We step out and stand on the sidewalk in front of the white-painted brick building. It’s so classic and chic. Just a simple wreath design painted on the windows with the wordsSomething Bridescripted inside of it.
For such a high-end shop, it’s giving lowkey vibes, which I love because I’m not one for super fancy things.
“He’s in the office today. A few deals to tie up, but he’ll meet us tomorrow for breakfast.” She grabs me by the elbow and pulls me eagerly into the store, but I have to stop her when I get a strong wave of what feels like a tornado in my head. The overwhelming feeling of spinning buzzes throughout my body and I almost feel like I’m going to faint.
“Whoa, are you okay?” she asks, holding me steady so that I don’t lose my footing or fall.
“I-I think so. I just got super dizzy. Probably got out of the car too fast.” I take a deep breath through my nose and force myself to smile at her.
“Or the altitude, you might not be used to it anymore.”
I shake it off and follow her into the dress shop, appreciating the cool air that greets me as we walk further into the lobby. Two, tall, beautiful, model-esque females walk over to us from a glass office off to the left. One is tanned with long brown hair down past her breast, the other is a blonde with her hair tied up into a tight ponytail and a wickedly pretty smile.
Despite being super excited to be here with my bestie, I try to keep a low profile because I’m still not feeling well.
Part of it from the dizzy spell, or whatever you wanna call it. But also, this would have been me and the way that idea forms in my head spins a heavy wave of longing in my gut.
I wouldn’t say I’m jealous of Sterling. But I am desirous. I’m glad I’m no longer with Asher, don’t get me wrong. It’s not about who I was going to marry more than about the fact that I had dreamed and yearned for this to be my reality for as long as I can remember. But what if Asher tainted my heart too deeply for me to recover from the cracks that formed in the vision I had for my future?
But no. I’d have to care as much about the person for that idea to have any tangible basis to it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Asher was just a placeholder, so what is it? What has me feeling like I’m not worthy enough of something that I dreamed of having for so long? Why does the idea of true happiness seem like a planet and a moon away?
Maybe it just seems too good to be true.
“Hello. Welcome toSomething Bride. I’m Farah, and that’s Brielle,” the brunette speaks as she points to her partner.
We both smile as Sterling reaches her hand out to shake their hands. “I’m Sterling, the Bride, and this is my Maid of Honor, Dakota.”
“Welcome in, you two. Are we dress shopping for both of you today?” Brielle asks.
As they chat, it gives me a moment of fresh air. I watch as they walk back toward the viewing area, Sterling looking over her shoulder at me and nodding for me to catch up.
I swear, I’m not one who can’t usually contain my emotions or keep my nervousness in check. But I think being back here in this state stirs up memories I’m not ready to face. Maybe I’ll never be ready to face them.
Maybe my heart hasn’t fully healed, and me being the natural Aries that I am, I’m impatient and don’t have time to sit around and figure out what I need to do to fix it. But there’s something wrong with me, because none of this overthinking shit is in my nature.
I catch up with the other girls, pushing down the consternation of watching my best friend pick out her wedding dress.
Please don’t fucking cry because I will lose it.
A few hours later, and I sluggishly make it into my hotel room—who knew dress fittings would be so fucking tiring.
My hotel room is not too big and fancy because, thankfully, I talked Sterling out of letting Callan pay for anything else for me. So I was able to choose a quaint, quiet little hotel outside of the city.
I walk over to the balcony. The sunset is a beautiful glow of pink and orange hues against the cobalt blue background of the horizon. It gives me a clear view of the mountains from where I’m at and something foreign creeps up as I stare out at how surreal it all looks.
Am I crying?
Gross.
