I heard nothing more from Paul. When I arrived at work Monday morning, I had a note on my desk detailing he was out for the day. I smirked, wondering if this was due to my rejection of him. I paid little attention to the thought since tomorrow I was dress shopping with Molly. I was excited and also dreading it a bit as she was a fiend when it came to clothes.
The next morning, with still no word from Paul overnight, I’d barely stepped out the shower before she was banging on my front door like a woman possessed—half an hour early.
After a rather speedy drive, which had me thanking my lucky stars I was still alive, we were stood in a rather exquisite shop being tended to by a lady who reminded me of my nan. Her five-foot height, glasses on a chain, and green tartan suit made me want to offer her cups of tea. Molly was working her way through the rails of dresses at a rate of knots.
“Ky, why don’t you find something you like?”
I did a double take. “What?”
“I can’t be the only one having fun. Come on, what harm could it do?”
I scratched my head, frowning. “I’m supposed to give you opinions on your dresses? Not only that but I think I’m missing the key ingredient that would require me to try on a wedding dress.”
She laughed. “Oh, come on. Stop being a spoilsport. We’re supposed to be having a girly day.”
I sighed, giving in. I picked my way through all the silky dresses, almost becoming swept up in the emotion of dress hunting. I stumbled across a lace dress, an off-white colour. It was off the shoulder and had two layers that crisscrossed each other. It trailed down to the floor in its simple style.
“That’s gorgeous,” Molly breathed from behind me. “Go try it on.”
I looked up to see her with a handful of varying dresses as she disappeared in her changing room. I nibbled my lip, wondering if it would be so wrong just to try it on. Joan, the shop assistant, had run off after Molly. I shot into the spare booth, feeling giddy with excitement at trying on my first wedding dress.
The smooth fabric slid over my body and I began to feel a sense of reality settling within me. I dared to look in the full-length mirror, admiring the fitted design hugging all my curves. A small amount of material pooled at my feet and the off the shoulder design drew attention to my bare neck and chest. I fiddled with my hair band, letting my hair loose. I scrunched some up and some down, becoming lost in my own reflection painting me as a picture of seductive elegance.
Molly’s screeching voice came from outside. “Are you done yet?”
I drew back the curtain, trying to hide my grin.
“Oh wow. Ky, you look absolutely amazing. You have to buy that dress.”
“Don’t be daft.”
“Why not? At least you’ll be all set ready.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Molly. I am not buying a dress before I’ve even got a boyfriend, let alone a proposal. Besides, by the time I get down the aisle, weddings will be out of fashion.”
She giggled and shook her head, motioning her hands over her own dress. “What do you think?”
The slinky dress clung to her tight body like a second skin. It was a light gold silk with a mermaid type fitting lower down. The sweetheart neckline accentuated her ample chest.
“It’s lovely. It really suits you.”
She nodded, grinning. “I can’t believe I’ve found it already. It’s the first dress.”
“So? If it’s the one, it’s the one.”
My mind served me images of Paul stood in a dark suit, waiting at an altar for me. I shook my head as if it would make the pesky images disappear.
“You’re right. I’m going to buy it.”
I sighed as she allowed Joan to fuss over her fitments for any alterations. Nearly an hour and just shy of two thousand pounds later, Molly was driving us back to hers with orders for us to enjoy a takeaway this evening. Chris was picking his brother up from the airport and wouldn’t be back until the early hours.
As we pulled into her driveway, Chris’s car was sat there. She frowned, throwing her seatbelt off and disappearing into the house before I could even blink. I followed her inside, only to be dragged into the lounge by a squealing Molly.
“Ky, this is Scott. Scott, this is my best friend, Kyra.”
My eyes fell upon a tall, broad, dark-haired man. His brown eyes settled on me with an amused expression creasing his handsome face. His bronzed skin told of his tale of sunny destinations whilst his white t-shirt clung to his incredible body.
I blushed. “Nice to meet you.”
He gave me a dazzling smile. “And you.”
Molly shoved me towards the sofa, declaring we were having pizza for tea. She grabbed Chris on her way out to “find the menus,” leaving Scott and me in an awkward silence.
He cleared his throat. “So, err, you had a good day?”
I smiled and dared to meet his dark eyes. My heart pounded from the intensity oozing from them—it left me with little doubt that his whole attention was on me. He had an aura about him that just hypnotised me instantly. Something about him drew me to him like a bee to honey.
“Not bad, thank you.”
“Did she find her dress?”
I nodded, giggling. “First one. Thank God.”
“That’s good. I gather she has rather a lot of energy.”
“You have no idea.” I wrung my hands together as I tried to calm my nerves. “So, where have you flown from?”
“America. My father owns an oil company out there.”
“Oh. Molly never mentioned Chris’s father owned something as huge as that.”
“We have the same mother, different fathers.”
I nodded, understanding a little better how two brothers could look so different. Chris was a good-looking guy in his own right but his thin frame, blond spiky hair, and nerdy glasses combined with his IT technician job did little to serve him up as a macho man. Compared to Scott here, they were like chalk and cheese.
As Molly and Chris reappeared, we relaxed into chitchat. He was so easy to get along with, I found myself wondering about him in ways I’d only ever thought about Paul. Whenever I stole a glance at him, I would catch him looking at me too, resulting in us both giggling from across the room.
As the early evening turned into night, Molly drove me home, bombarding me with questions about my thoughts on him. I let nothing on as I crawled up to bed thinking of someone other than Paul for a change.