Chapter 565

Nina

“How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room.

“Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone.

“Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown we’re talking about!”

There was a pause, then Jessica sighed loudly. “Alright, alright. Just… give me a sec to get decent again and I’ll come out.”

Obediently, I backed away from the door and plopped down on the plush waiting couch, idly resting a hand on my round belly. Leave it to Jessica to be so shy about something as silly as a dress fitting.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open and she emerged, her cheeks flushed. “Honestly? I’m not sure about this one.” She gestured vaguely at the lacy white ball gown she had on. “It’s pretty, but I feel like… I don’t know, a kid playing dress up or something.”

I fixed her with an appraising look, taking in the delicate beading and elegant lines of the design. It was a beautiful dress. “I think it’s gorgeous, Jess. Very ‘woodland fairy princess’ chic.”

She made a face at me. “Gee, thanks. That’s exactly the vibe I was hoping wouldn’t come across.”

Before I could reply, a muffled shout came from the neighboring fitting room. “Everything okay over there?”

“Yeah babe, all good!” Jessica called back. “Just getting Nina’s opinion. Don’t come out!”

There was a loud hmph from the other side of the door. “It’s stuffy in here,” Lori complained. “And I don’t like this dress. Nina, can you come help?”

Rolling my eyes, I scooped up the small pile of discarded gown options from earlier. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Jessica’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she shot me a grateful smile. “Thanks for doing this, Nina. Seriously, picking out these gowns with my best friend? Even with the stress of wedding planning making me feel like a total basket case half the time… it means the world.”

“To both of us,” Lori added from behind the fitting room door.

I couldn’t help but smile at their words. Turning, I made my way into Lori’s fitting room next—only to find her sitting on the floor, her head in her hands.

“Lori?” I hissed as I quickly shut the door behind me before Jessica could see. “What’s wrong?”

Slowly, Lori looked up to reveal red-rimmed eyes and a pout on her face. “I hate it,” she muttered.

“What? The dress?” I helped her to her feet, taking in the gown she was wearing—lacey and puffy, just like Jessica’s.

Lori nodded. “It’s too… I don’t like dresses.”

“No one said you have to wear a dress. They have beautiful jumpsuits and matching sets here if you’d rather try that.”

For a moment, Lori bit her lip and looked in the mirror, considering this. Then, she let out a heavy sigh and sniffled. “It’s not even just the dress,” she whispered, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “It’s… Everything.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “I know we’re trying to follow the tradition of not seeing the bride in her gown before the wedding, and since we’re both brides, it’s a little more… complicated. But, dammit, we’re not traditional. I want to see Jessica. I want to pick out our outfits together.”

I frowned, watching Lori as I leaned against the wall. Jessica had been particularly adamant about the idea of not seeing each other in their wedding attire—but I knew it was getting to both of them.

“You know… we could break tradition just this once, if you want,” I said.

Lori sniffled again. “We can’t. Jessica would say no.”

Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest.

“Jess? You in there?”

There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the sounds of someone rustling around. Finally, the door cracked open to reveal one bewildered blue eye peeking out at me.

“What’s up?”

“You know this isn’t working, right?”

Jessica paused, her full face coming into view as she cracked the door open a little wider. I knew she had heard everything—and I knew, considering the fact that we had been here for hours already and that the frustration between the two of them was only mounting, that she felt the same way.

“But… tradition…”

“Since when are you two traditional?” I whispered, leaning close.

Jessica was silent for some time again. I knew that she was trying to fit into this role of the perfect bride, falling victim to old superstitions. But I also knew that she knew that I was right; she and Lori had never been ‘traditional’. In fact, when that arbitrary old tradition had been made, love like Lori’s and Jessica’s would have been punishable by death.

But not now. Now, they could pave their own way.

Finally, she sighed. “I know,” she whispered. “Do you think we should…”

“I’m not coming out!” Lori’s muffled voice called out. “Not in this awful gown!”

Jessica met my gaze and smirked. “Mine is awful, too, you know,” she called out. “Maybe we should just laugh about it together, like we always do.”

There was a silence, and I could practically hear the gears turning in Lori’s head. Then, Lori called out in a small voice, “No.”

“Lori, just get out here,” I said, unable to keep the laughter from my voice.

With an exaggerated sigh, Lori finally emerged, still clutching the skirt of her gown closed in the front. Her hair was a tousled mess of curls, escaped from its updo, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her flushed cheeks.

“Don’t laugh at me, okay? I know this dress isn’t… oh.” Her words trailed off as her eyes fell on Jessica standing there in her dress. Lori’s mouth dropped open, all hints of exasperation melting away into an expression of pure awe.

“Jess…” she breathed, seeming to drink in the sight of her fiancee as if she had been dying of thirst. “You look...wow.”

Jessica ducked her head shyly, but I could see the pleased smile tugging at her lips, the blush spreading across her cheeks.

In a few strides, Lori had crossed the space between them, cradling Jessica’s face in her hands. “Jess, you’re so… beautiful,” she murmured, punctuating the last word with a lingering kiss.

Tears burned in my own eyes as I watched them, a wave of pure happiness for my friends washing over me. I was happy for them, truly.

When they finally pulled apart, tears in their eyes, Jessica let out a laugh.

“I hate it, though,” she mused.

Lori chuckled. “And I hate mine. But I’m glad we got to see each other.”

With a collective sigh of relief, the two of them kissed again, then pulled each other into a tight hug across the sea of skirts between them. I watched, leaning against the wall with my arms folded across my chest until it felt as if an eternity had passed.

“Ahem… Are you two lovebirds about done over there?” I finally teased.

Jessica shot me a look over her shoulder, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Looping her arms around Lori’s neck, she simply shook her head at me with a content smile.

“Not a chance. I’m keeping this one right here for a while.”