Lily

Lily pulled her rickety old Honda down the narrow one-way street downtown. It was Friday morning and she'd called in sick at her coffee shop job, just so that she could go to La Dress and buy an outfit for her date with Wyatt that night.

She knew right where she was headed. She'd walked by the shop a hundred times, but had only ever glanced in the window to gawk at the dresses they had displayed. The price tags started in the thousand dollar range, meaning she never ever considered actually walking into the store.

I can't believe Wyatt is buying me a dress, she thought. How sweet is this? No guy has ever done anything remotely like this for me.

After parking her car, she headed toward the shop. In an attempt to not look completely out of place in the expensive boutique, she'd dressed up the best she could. She had on a skirt suit that she normally saved for job interviews, but figured it would at least make her look like she could afford to be in the store.

As soon as she walked in, the young woman standing behind the counter looked up. She looked to be about Lily's age and was dressed in a beautiful green gown, which Lily was pretty sure must have come from the store's racks.

“Good morning,” the woman said. “I'm Allison. How can I help you?”

Lily shuffled her feet, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Each article of clothing that surrounded her was worth more than every possession she had combined. It was almost like she was afraid to touch anything, because of the fear of having to pay for it if she accidentally messed it up somehow.

“Hi there,” Lily said, approaching the counter. “I'm looking for a dress.”

The lady smiled. “Well, then you've obviously come to the right place.”

“Yeah, I suppose that's a good point,” Lily said. “I guess I'll just take a look around and see what I find.”

“Sounds great. I'm Bonnie, by the way,” she said. “Let me know if you need any help. I can get your measurements if you need me to, otherwise let me know if there's a dress that catches your eye and I'll unlock the fitting room for you.”

Lily nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Bonnie. I'm Lily.”

“Good to meet you,” Bonnie said, then brought her attention back down to her work, where she busily typed away at her computer.

Lily felt like she had just walked into a dream. Surrounding her on all sides were some of the most beautiful dresses she'd ever seen in her entire life. At just a glance, she could tell that they were of the finest quality. The material seemed to shine in the light. The stitching was clearly done with care. The attention to detail on all of them was something that she knew a factory couldn't have produced. It was as though each one was custom built by an artist.

This is incredible, she thought, letting her fingers slide over some dresses as she walked past. I had no idea this place was so big and had so many dresses. This is like a girl's dream come true. The best part, though, is that I'm actually going to be able to purchase one of these today. My friends would be so jealous if they knew where I was right now. They'd flip. Actually, I doubt they'd even believe me if I told them.

She walked through the maze of clothes racks, her eyes glazed over like a kid in a candy store. Each dress seemed like it was more elegant than the last. She wanted every one of them.

How on Earth am I supposed to pick out just a single dress to buy with all of these to choose from? She thought, continuing her stroll through the store.

Lily stopped at a clothes rack near the back. There were a few dresses hung on it, all made of different colors of silk. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that brought her attention to one of them, but suddenly her eyes focused and her heart leaped from her chest.

“This is beautiful,” she whispered, shaking her head in awe.

In her hands was a baby blue gown made of the smoothest silk she'd ever felt. The upper part was low cut, with a V-neck that plunged pretty far down. She carefully pulled the dress from the hangar and held it out in front of her, letting it flow elegantly just above the floor.

“It's nice, isn't it?” Bonnie's voice came from behind her.

Lily glanced over her shoulder, to see Bonnie approaching her with a long cloth tape measure in her hands.

“It's amazing,” Lily said. “This color. I've never seen anything like it.”

“It's the silk that brings out the color,” Bonnie explained. “This silk is from France. There's a special area there where they harvest it. The area is small, though, meaning only a certain amount of silk can be obtained every year. What you're holding in your hands right now is quite rare, but obviously quite beautiful.”

Lily suddenly felt like she was holding something as valuable as the Queen's crown. She carefully put it back on the hangar and hung it up.

“Let me get a few measurements on you,” Bonnie said. “If you like that dress, we can always tailor it if needed. It wouldn't be a problem.”

“How long would tailoring take?” Lily asked. “I need a dress for tonight.”

“Tonight?” Bonnie raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, I've got a date,” Lily replied, with a coy smile.

“Well then, I guess we'd better get to work,” Bonnie said, with a chuckle. “Let's get your measurements first. There's always a chance that we won't have to do too much tailoring to make the dress work for you.”

“I'll keep my fingers crossed,” Lily said.

“Good.” Bonnie unraveled the cloth tape measure and stretched it between her hands. “Alright, hold your hands up in the air and I'll get your waist measurement.”

Bonnie moved around Lily quickly, taking measurements and immediately jotting them down onto a small notepad. It was clear she had done this thousands of times before. She didn't even have to speak. She just went to work.

“You're fast,” Lily said.

Bonnie shrugged. “I've done this a time or two. That's really all it is. Practice, practice, practice.”

She continued to take some measurements and Lily stood still. Her mind was doing anything but resting, though. She was far too excited. Not only for her date with Wyatt, but for the chance to try on this amazing dress that hung in front of her.

“So what do you do, Lily?” Bonnie asked, without looking up from her clipboard.

“Oh, I work at a coffee shop at the edge of town,” Lily replied.

Bonnie lifted her gaze and she seemed a bit surprised by Lily's response. “Coffee shop?”

Lily nodded innocently. “Yeah. It's just a small, Mom and Pop type store. It gets pretty busy, though.”

“I don't want to sound rude, but you do know how much this dress costs, right?” Bonnie asked.

Suddenly, Lily felt really embarrassed and also, a little annoyed that Bonnie would say something like that.

Who cares that I work at a coffee shop? Lily wondered. Am I not allowed to shop here, just based on what I do for work? Maybe I'm really good at saving my pennies, or maybe my parents are rich. It's not like she would know one way or the other.

“Yes, I know how much it costs,” Lily said, although she didn't actually know the exact number. It didn't matter what it was, though, because this transaction would be on Wyatt's account. “My friend is buying it for me.”

Bonnie's face relaxed. “Oh, okay. Is Wyatt his name?”

Lily's jaw dropped a bit. “Yes, how did you know?”

Bonnie smiled. “He called earlier this morning and said someone would be in buying a dress. He gave me all of his credit card information.”

“Yeah, that's him,” she replied.

“Well then, you're all taken care of,” she said, jotting a few more notes down onto her pad. “As far as your measurements, I've got good news. That dress should actually fit perfectly, with the exception of the length. I may have to hem the bottom. Luckily, that's a quick job for me and you'll be able to get the dress in less than an hour. That is, of course, if you end up liking it after you try it on.”

“I can't imagine a world in which I wouldn't like a dress this beautiful,” Lily said.

Bonnie set her notepad down and then took the baby blue dress off of the hangar for Lily. She handed it to her, and Lily cradled it across her arms like it was the most valuable thing on the planet.

“Thank you,” Lily said. “I'll head back to the dressing rooms.”

“I unlocked Room Two for you,” Bonnie said. “Go ahead and try it on and let me know what you think. If you don't see me, I'm probably just up front at the cash register.”

“Sounds good.” Lily turned and head back toward Room Two. She stepped inside and closed the door, carefully laying the dress down onto the velvet bench that was against the back wall of the room.

She took off her skirt suit, which now felt cheap and flimsy compared everything she'd seen in the shop. Standing just in her underwear, she picked up the dress and pressed it against her front. She faced the mirror and cocked her head to the side, smiling wide. It was almost like she was practicing her smile, getting ready to put it to use later that evening when she saw Wyatt.

Alright, she thought, as she began to step into the dress. Time to put on the most expensive article of clothing I've ever had touch my body.

The silky material slid easily up her legs and her sides, as she pulled it all the way to her shoulders. The front rested perfect against her chest. It cradled her tits just right, exposing a fair amount but not enough to where she looked slutty. In fact, it looked more like she was about to take a stroll out on the red carpet.

Lily tied the string around the back of her neck, which held the dress in place. She almost cried when she looked at herself in the mirror.

It's beautiful, she thought, running her fingers down her sides. It's so perfect.

The baby blue silk was shining as it reflected the overhead light in the changing room. For the first time in her life, she felt just as beautiful as a movie star or a model. She slowly turned to side and placed a hand on her hip, flashing a flirtatious smile at herself in the mirror.

Wyatt's going to flip out when he sees me in this, she thought. He won't be able to keep his hands off of me. At least, I hope that's the case.

Lily was really looking forward to getting to spend some quality one-on-one time with Wyatt. The date was the perfect opportunity to get to know him better. More than that, though, she wanted to see what he was like outside of his house and his responsibilities. She wondered if there was a possibility that they'd get to resume what they had started the week before. There was no doubt that she still craved him physically.

As long as he's ready, then I'm ready, too, she thought. I don't want to overstep my bounds and I need to respect his emotions toward Caroline. But if what he said was true, that he was beginning to heal from that pain, then I think there's a chance he really does see some potential of a relationship with he and I.

She couldn't help but wonder what her parents and friends would think if she actually ended up dating him. They'd probably call her creepy or weird, but it wasn't like she hadn't heard that kind of thing before from them. They all thought it was strange that she even talked to Wyatt at all. She could only imagine their reaction if they found out she was dating him.

Whatever, though, she thought. This is my life. I can make my own decisions. I don't need their opinions. If Wyatt makes me happy, then that's all that should matter.

Lily spun around in front of the mirror as she thought to herself about the situation with Wyatt. She turned to the side again and pushed her butt out a bit. She was happy with the way the dress fit. It clung to her curves so perfectly that it was as though the dress had been stitched for her. Bonnie had been right, though, at least as far as the length of the dress was concerned. It was a little bit long and the bottom of it was touching the floor of the dressing room. Even if she wore heels, she knew that it would likely need to be shortened up a bit.

“Still, it's perfect,” she said to herself.

And I can't wait for Wyatt to see, she thought.

Then she slipped off the dress and got back into her skirt suit. She didn't have a second to waste. She needed to get the dress to Bonnie so that it could be shortened. As soon as that was done, she needed to head back home and get prettied up for the date.

This is going to be the best date ever, she thought, then headed back out into the maze of dresses to find Bonnie.