“Wow. I … you … Carly, that dress is gorgeous.” Carly stands in front of me, on a literal pedestal, in the dress shop. The white gown snakes around every curve of her body, a plunging neckline perfect for the diamond necklace she wears. Long bell sleeves flare at the wrists, and floral appliqués outline from the top to the bottom.

“I’m pulling my hair back and braiding it around the top, and I have a floral tiara that will fit in perfectly.”

“Oh, Carly, this wedding will be amazing. I’m so happy for you.” For the first time since she announced her engagement, I mean those words one hundred percent. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone glow more than she is in this moment.

I take her hand and help her down from the pedestal, one she’s suited for and deserves to be on. She twirls once she’s on flat ground. “I’m on cloud nine. I’ve waited for this day my entire life!” She hugs herself. “I can’t believe I’ve found the love of my life already. My worst nightmare was not finding him until I was almost forty or something.”

“Excuse me? I’m almost forty.” My Carly happiness scale drops from a ten to a five with her comment. Yes, I’ve only recently found Landon, but I didn’t spend my entire life searching for him, either. That’s the difference between me and Carly. My happily ever after doesn’t need to include a wedding. Though if it did, I think I’d want it to be with him.

“Whoops. Sorry. I’m just so excited. Sometimes I forget what I’m saying.”

I brush her hair back behind the dress. “I’ll forgive you, but only because you’re the bride, and that gives you permission to do pretty much anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Well, within reason. Do you have something in mind?”

“Hold on.” Carly steps over to a rack with a clearance sign. “Every dress here is ninety-nine dollars. Pick one.”

“Excuse me?”

“Pick one. I’m buying us each one, and we’re going ice skating.”

I scrunch my nose up. She’s crazy, yet I search through the rack for a long-sleeve dress. I pull one out, press it against my body, and shove it back on the rack. “You’re insane.”

“I’m not.” She undresses in the middle of the bridal shop. Her dress drops to the floor, and she randomly takes a dress off its hanger. She pulls it on and asks me to help with the buttons. “Come on. We’re wearing them out.” She grabs the one I put back and pushes it toward me. “What are you waiting for?”

For me to wake up from this nightmare. “This is the weirdest thing you’ve ever come up with. I’m not doing this.”

“I’m the bride. You said I can do anything I want.”

“Anything you want. Not me.”

“I want you to put this dress on and go ice skating with me.”

Carly keeps her eyes on me and refuses to look away. Though she’s smiling, there’s a touch of malice behind those lips. She means business, and she’s not giving up. Leave it to her to find a way around my words, to twist them so I have to listen to what she says.

I take the dress from her. “Fine, but I’m not changing out here. You have no modesty.”

I go into the dressing room and exhale a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. My button on my jeans almost breaks with the force I give it, and my shirt catches on my necklace. I pull harder on my shirt until it finally comes off. The dress hangs on the door. A wedding dress. A dress never in my life I intended to put on.

As I take it off the hanger, my roughness turns gentle. The top is all lace, swirls embroidered on it. I don’t want to puncture it. How do I put this on? Carly stepped into all the dresses she tried on, but this one has a much smaller area for the neck as it’s intended to surround the area. I bunch the tulle gown into my hands and toss it over my head. Darkness consumes me as I search for the waist area to pull the rest of it over me.

“Are you okay in there?” Carly knocks on the door.

“Yeah. Give me a minute.” She probably can’t make out what I’m saying beneath the layers. I see the light and push my body through, slide my arms through the sleeves, and catch my breath when I see myself in the mirror.

I look good.

No, I’m not bragging. Never in my life had I imagined myself in a flowing gown, ready to walk down the aisle, but as my reflection bounces off the mirror, I picture it. The flower girl, Abby, tossing petals as I walk down the aisle, Landon waiting on the other side in a tuxedo, his hair brushed back, enough hair on his face to tickle me when we kiss. I can see his smile as I make my way toward him, ready for us to vow our love to each other in front of our family and friends.

“Come on!”

Carly wakes me out of my daydream as she whips open the door.

“I love it!” She jumps up and down and stomps her feet on the ground. “Grab your clothes. Let’s go.”

The woman at the register isn’t shy about the curious look she gives us while we each pay for our dress. I can’t believe I’m purchasing a wedding dress, and I’m wearing it out of the store. We step out into the cold air, and I’m thankful the temperature increased to a warm thirty-three degrees today. I’m still cold, but nothing compared to the negative temps we experienced last week. We’re parked in the front of the store, but our short distance isn’t short enough for us to avoid the odd stares from other shoppers.

“Ignore them!” Carly opens the door for me. “Hop in.”

I finagle my way into the car, the dress a huddled mess as it overtakes the front seat. Carly finds a way to sit and drive with her huge gown on. She plays with the music app on her phone, and I recognize the song as soon as I hear the first bit of music. She’s chosen “Going to the Chapel” by the Dixie Cups to accompany us on our drive to the ice-skating rink.

“How do you even know this song? You’re way too young to know it.”

“You are, too.”

She’s trying to redeem herself from her comment before. “While I wasn’t born until many years later, my mom used to listen to this music all the time. That’s how I know it.”

“Well, I know it, too. Let’s sing.” She turns the dial and the volume up as she belts out the words. I laugh and join in. We’re driving down the highway in wedding dresses singing about getting married…on our way to go ice skating. This couldn’t be any crazier if we tried.

When we arrive at the rink, we’re welcomed by people pointing and whispering and a few take photos with their phone. “We’re going to make it online, aren’t we?”

“Maybe we’ll go viral!”

Carly may want to go viral but I don’t. The last thing I need is Landon finding a picture of me on the internet wearing a wedding dress. He’ll think I’m crazy, and I’ll lose any chance I had at a relationship. Though once we have the skates on and we’re spinning around on the ice, all my worries are thrown to the wayside. This is the craziest thing I have ever done, and I’m enjoying every minute, and I’m thankful I’m sharing it with my best friend.