Page 3
The ol’ bait-and-switch
I tense when I notice the mischievous smile on Gwen’s face. “What did you do?”
“We’re both trying on clothes today!” she declares.
I struggle to hide my distress. Although I appreciate Gwen wanting to include me, she has no idea the level of anxiety I suffer whenever I try on clothes. It’s the reason I order outfits online whenever I can—just so I can do it in the privacy of my own bedroom.
My scalp starts to tingle when I glance at all the attendants smiling at me. It’s bad enough trying on clothes in a department store, but to do it in front of people is a thousand times worse.
“I’d rather not,” I mutter.
Gwen grabs both my hands and pulls me to my feet. “If you’re going to ditch me on New Year’s Eve, don’t you think you owe it to me to try on a few stunning gowns?”
When I glance back at the dresses, my stomach churns. “But—”
“No buts allowed,” Gwen insists. “We’ll take turns, and I’ll go first.”
She points to one of the dresses from the first collection. I sit back down, feeling numb as I watch her waltz off to the changing area with an attendant following closely behind her.
I glance at the gowns Gwen selected for me to try. Although I love the way they shimmer, I seriously question her color choices. It’s like she doesn’t know me at all!
I prefer black. The color looks good for every occasion and is flattering with my generous curves. But these dresses are bold colors. One is canary yellow, one blood red, and then there’s the stark white one. All three of them scream, “Look at me!”
Gwen returns minutes later and promptly mounts the small stage, gushing with an inner confidence I do not possess. She twirls slowly in front of the mirrors to the approving smiles of the attending staff.
The gown she’s wearing is deep sapphire and has a plunging neckline. The dark shade sets off her platinum blond hair, while the sexy neckline showcases her perky breasts.
“You look amazing,” I say in honest admiration.
Gwen stares critically at her reflection, making several more flirtatious turns before announcing, “This is a definite no.”
I frown. “Are you kidding me, G? It looks gorgeous on you.”
She scrunches her nose as she glances back at her reflection. “Nope, I’m not feeling it.”
Lorelai nods and points to another dress. “I think this may be more to your liking.”
“Wonderful. I’ll try it on after Sophie tries on hers.” Looking at me with a cheeky grin, Gwen asks, “Which one do you want to try on first?”
I feel the heated gaze of the entire staff on me and shrink inside. Although I appreciate Gwen’s good intentions, I’m not prepared for this level of hell.
Staring at the selection, I physically shudder when I look at the yellow dress. Although the gown has a nice shape, it’s my least favorite color. Glancing at the red gown, I find it way too low-cut for me to feel comfortable wearing, so I have no other choice but to try on the white one. Even though the color is way too bright, I do think the glittery beading on the bodice is beautiful.
When I point to that dress, Gwen beams. “Excellent choice!”
I follow the attendant as she takes me to the private area to undress. When we’re alone, I tell her, “I can dress myself.”
“Oh no, Miss Lane. You’ll need help with this gown.”
Realizing there’s no way out of this, I silently beg for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Unlike Gwen, whose body is perfect, mine is completely normal with chubby fat rolls, cellulite, and a pronounced stomach. I’m definitely not the size that designers cater to.
To add to my increasing discomfort, I’m wearing “practical” underwear—the kind that isn’t decent for public viewing. This morning, I decided to wear my most comfortable bra and panty set, which also happens to be incredibly well-worn.
“Really…I can manage,” I insist.
She smiles warmly, explaining, “This gown needs a second pair of hands.”
I whimper inside, wanting to bolt out of this place as I stare at the glittery white dress. But as I’m standing there, I’m hit with a moment of clarity.
While I could run out of the dressing room—I refuse to fat shame myself like that. The truth is that I do way more of that than I like to admit…
Realizing that making a personal connection with the attendant might make me feel less awkward, I ask her, “What’s your name?”
The attendant looks a little startled by the question, but answers quietly, “Bethany.”
“Hello, Bethany. I’m Sophie.”
“Hi, Sophie,” she says kindly, gazing at me in the mirror.
Facing my reflection, I nod to myself. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s!” Bethany agrees.
It feels as if I’m having an out-of-body experience as I undress in front of her and gaze at the mirror again, trying hard not to note every imperfection.
I sigh uncomfortably when Bethany instructs me to hold up my arms as she lifts the dress over my head. When I slip my arms through the sleeves, she releases the material, and it cascades down my body. The inner lining must be made of silk because it glides over my skin effortlessly.
“Let me zip you up,” she announces excitedly.
My heart starts to race as I stare at the mirror, expecting the lovely silhouette of the dress to transform into a bunch of tight, unsightly bulges when she pulls up the zipper. To my surprise, however, it glides up effortlessly glides and the gentle caress of the gown becomes tight like a firm hug.
“Perfect,” Bethany states as she stands back. The fit of the dress is so good that she doesn’t need to use any of the cinch clips they used on Gwen’s dress.
Although the gown was beautiful sitting on a hanger, on me it’s truly breathtaking! The designer of this dress has created something amazing that accentuates my curvy body instead of shaming it.
Staring at my reflection, I realize that the white material contrasts nicely with my chestnut hair. Even more amazing, the jeweled beads sparkle like diamonds, giving the dress an almost rainbow-like brilliance under the lights.
Curious about the back of the dress, I slowly turn and grin when I see how fine my ass looks. “Wow…”
“Wow, indeed,” Bethany agrees.
“Sophie,” I hear Gwen complain. “Get out here already! What the heck can be taking you so long?”
Amused, I call out to her, “Coming, dear…”
Before I leave the private dressing area, however, Bethany stops me. “Put these on first.”
I look down to see that she’s holding a pair of silver high heels.
“It will complete the look,” she assures me.
I shake my head and laugh. “There’s no possible way I can get heels on in this dress.”
She grins as she crouches down. “That’s why I’m here.”
Instructing me to lean against her for balance, Bethany takes my foot and slips the sexy shoes on. I swear I feel just like Cinderella.
Standing up, she states confidently, “Now the dress looks even better.”
I glance back at my reflection, amazed at how much the added height adds to the gown. “I love it…”
Bethany smiles as she opens the velvet curtain.
Heading back to Gwen, I’m overcome with confidence. The love I have for this dress only increases when Gwen catches her first glimpse of me.
She jumps to her feet, letting out an audible sigh. “Get on the stage right now and turn for me.”
I gleefully oblige as I take the stage. The tri-fold mirror doesn’t intimidate me. Instead, I’m grateful that I can admire this dress from every angle.
“Oh, Sophie…you look absolutely stunning!” Gwen gushes as she whips out her camera to take a picture.
I smile at her, overflowing with gratitude. “I’ve never felt so beautiful.”
“You’re always beautiful, but this dress doesn’t let you hide it,” she says, just before snapping another shot.
Embarrassed that everyone in the room heard her remark, I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right…”
Gwen grins when she tells me, “I knew you would pick the white one.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, admiring myself in the mirror.
“Because you hate yellow and red has never been your jam.”
I turn around to face her. “You set me up?”
She nods proudly. “As soon as I saw this gown, I knew it was meant for you. But, I also knew you would never try it on.”
I glance back at the mirror again, thoroughly entranced by my reflection. However, my smile fades when I casually take a peek at the price tag and see that it costs eight thousand dollars.
That’s a shit ton of money!
Taking one last twirl in the dress of my dreams, I force myself to step off the stage and return to the private area to change. Eight thousand is an insane amount for any piece of clothing. I’m not surprised, of course, considering I’m frequenting an “appointment only” boutique in New York.
Still…
“Can you give me a moment alone?” I ask Bethany.
She nods politely and closes the curtain behind her.
I gaze longingly at my reflection. I know Gwen would buy me the gown if I asked. She’s always been generous with her money. But I don’t like owing others, and I would hate our friendship to ever be tainted by it.
The reality is that I would never have an occasion to wear it. All this gorgeous dress would ever do is languish at the back of my closet. I run my hands over the beautiful bodice covered in iridescent beads. I want someone who has ample opportunities to wear this beauty to own it. The gown deserves no less.
Making peace with myself, I call out to Bethany, “You can come in now.”
She promptly returns to help me out of the gown. I slip back into my dark, shapeless clothes as she carefully puts the gown back on the hanger.
“Thank you,” I tell her, sincerely grateful for her assistance today.
“It was my pleasure.”
Taking one last look at the gown, I return to Gwen with a grateful heart. I’m glad that she was cunning enough to force me to try it on. I’ve never seen my body from that perspective before.
I spend the next hour watching Gwen try on a slew of dresses, only to decide on the initial sapphire dress I liked best. She shrugs when I give her a hard time about it.
Playfully tugging on a lock of my hair, she tells me, “I guess we both know each other better than we know ourselves.”
Although Gwen decides to wear the sapphire dress to the party, she buys two other gowns, along with their matching accessories, before we leave.
I bump shoulders with her while the three assistants place her numerous purchases in the trunk of the waiting cab. “I suppose you’re headed back home to catch up on some shuteye before rehearsal.”
“Don’t I wish! While you were trying on your dress, I got a text from the director and was told to head straight to rehearsal.”
She nods to a second taxi pulling up. “That’s why I ordered this one for you.”
Sad to learn our time together is over, I give her a hug. “I loved getting to spend this morning with you.”
“Me, too!” She throws her arms around me and whispers in my ear, “Are you one hundred percent sure you don’t want to go to this party with me?”
I chuckle, appreciating her dogged tenacity. “Yes. As tempting as it sounds, I’m looking forward to spending a romantic evening with Noah.”
She pouts as she gets into the cab. “That boy better show you the time of your life!”
My cab driver honks his horn repeatedly. Taking the hint, I wave to Gwen and start toward the taxi. But before I can reach it, a man strides up and opens the door, preparing to jump in.
“Wait!” I shout, rushing over to stop him. “That’s my cab.”
When the man turns around and our eyes meet, the intensity of his gaze renders me speechless.
“I apologize. I thought the cab was free.” The deep tone of his voice stirs something inside me. Stepping away from the vehicle, he nods to me.
Unused to such polite treatment on the streets of New York, I fail to move.
It seems the power of his presence has momentarily short-circuited my brain.
“Please,” he states, gesturing toward the cab.
I scoot inside meekly and look up at him as he shuts the door and taps on the roof.
“Where to, lady?” the cabbie grumbles as he pulls away from the curb.
I find my voice again and rattle off my address, before looking back at the gentleman standing on the curb. My stomach does a little flip when we share a lingering glance.
Convinced he’s someone famous, I pull out my phone to take a picture of him, but I’m a second too late. Settling back in the seat, I stare out the window in pleasant disbelief.
I never would have guessed when I woke up at three this morning, this would be how my day would play out—and it’s not even ten yet! After such a whirlwind of a morning, I wonder what other surprises today might hold for me.
Anything is possible when you live in New York!