The Winning Ticket (Circle of Friends #1)

25. Weekend Booty Calls

brIANNA

25

“What do you think of this one?” Annelisa steps out of the dressing room next to mine, smoothing out the skirt of the latest in a long line of blue dresses we’ve tried.

Morgan pulls a face. “Definitely not.”

I sigh, stepping backwards into the dressing room behind me and yanking the curtain closed.

“I’m beginning to think that Mum wasn’t the issue when you went wedding dress shopping, Morgan,” I say as I yank the zip on the side down and let the dress fall to the ground.

“I’ll know it when I see it,” Morgan says in response, and I hear Annelisa mumble something to herself on the other side of the wall, which sounds distinctly like ‘this is torture’.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s been two hours, and I’ve lost count of how many dresses we’ve tried on.

This is the third store we’ve been in. Kylie and Tara have wandered off because they aren’t ‘having fun anymore’, as Kylie had loudly declared, and are now checking out clothes in another department. I wish I were with them rather than here, watching my sister pull face after face at each outfit the poor attendant presented us with.

I stick my head out the door and glare at my sister. “Morgan, why don’t you go and look for whatever it is you’ve envisioned so that Lis and I don’t end up walking out of these rooms and strangling you?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll be back.” She grins at me and bounces to her feet before floating off toward the formal dress department.

“Thank god for you, Bri. I’m reaching the end of my patience now,” Annelisa’s voice drifts through the door.

“I’m just glad she gets no say in organising her hen’s party if this is the shit we have to deal with.” I step back into my sundress and put all the dresses back on their hangers before lugging them to the rack. Annelisa follows behind, looking exhausted.

“You okay? You’ve been pretty quiet this morning.”

She smiles at me, though the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, I just had a bit going on lately with work and home stuff. I hadn’t realised how difficult this dress excursion would be – otherwise, I would have been paying more attention to all those Pinterest links she’s been sending me.” She pulls her phone out of her handbag. “And, of course, the guys have finished suit shopping and are back at the apartment with beers.” She shows me a selfie that Will has sent her, with the three guys kicking back on the sun loungers in their boardies.

I groan. “So not fair.”

“Guys have it so much easier, right?”

We head back out onto the shop’s main floor, and I spy Morgan’s blonde head peeking over the racks in a completely different section from where I thought she’d be.

“Why aren’t you in the formal wear section?” Annelisa asks.

Morgan spins to face us, holding up two ice-blue dresses in different styles. Both are entirely different to anything else she’s had us try on.

“Because these are perfect! Here, these are the ones, I feel it.” She shoves them into our hands. “I promise, no more after this.”

Annelisa and I exchange a look before turning to face Morgan, who grins back at us with wide eyes.

“You swear it?” I eye her, not sure I trust her.

“I swear it,” Morgan replies, drawing a cross over her heart.

“Fine,” Annelisa says, and we head back to the changing rooms.

“Morgan, if this was your vision, why were we trying on all those other dresses?” I ask, slipping into the simple halter dress she picked for me.

I’m loathe to admit it, but it’s perfect. It’s made of a light, flowing material that floats over my curves without clinging to them, ending at the knee.

I step out of the dressing room at the same time as Annelisa. While the colour matches mine, hers is a single-shoulder maxi dress that hangs to her ankles and floats around her as she spins, a broad smile on her face.

“I knew it! These are the ones. Tara, Kylie, get in here!” Morgan sticks her head out of the dressing area, and moments later, the others join us, clapping excitedly when they see us.

“Oh, these are gorgeous,” Tara says, moving to her sister’s side to run her fingers over the soft fabric. “This is stunning on you, Lis.”

“All we need to find now are the silver shoes to match, and you ladies are done,” Morgan says.

I shake my head. “No, no, no. No more. Shoes can be something that Annelisa and I will do ourselves and send you photos when we find them, but I am not entering any more stores today.” I cross my arms and glare at my sister.

“Fine, I concede.” She sits back down, and I can tell she’s as over it all as we are, despite seemingly full of energy.

“Thank God,” Annelisa says with a groan. “All I want to do now is collapse on a couch. Movies at my place?”

Kylie interrupts before I can agree to an afternoon on Annelisa and Will’s couch. “Actually, we were hoping to steal Bri for a bit.”

“No worries. Let’s pay for these, and then we can head off,” Morgan says to Annelisa.

After undressing and handing Morgan the dress, she and Annelisa go to the counter to pay before heading to Annelisa’s house.

“So, what are you two stealing me away for?” I ask once it’s just me and my two best friends once again.

Kylie shoots me a cheeky grin. “So, Tara and I think you need to loosen up a bit. After the other night, we realised that everyone is being far too serious about you and Jake… So…” She is dragging me towards the section they’ve been in for the last half an hour. “Lingerie.”

They both grin at me when we stop in front of a sexy black number. I look back at them with raised eyebrows.

“What happened to ‘be careful, Bri’?” I ask, looking at Tara, who shrugs.

“I figured you are both grown-ups and can take care for yourselves. You’ve just come out of a shitty relationship, you deserve to let loose, and Jake is a great guy. So have fun… Wear the sexy lingerie and take full advantage of the weekend booty calls from a very hot, very giving man.” She waggles her eyebrows for added effect, and I laugh while I turn to survey the selection of lace and silk before me.

“You ladies are insane. And I love you both for it. Come on, let’s go find some outfits that will get me laid tonight.”

“I think you also need some new underwear just for yourself. One of the things I like to do after a break-up is to do a full underwear refresh. It helps remind me how sexy and badass I am without having to take a man’s opinion into account,” Tara says, holding up a particularly revealing bra and undies set.

“I agree wholeheartedly with this. And maybe we should get you a new outfit for when you walk into that meeting on Monday and hand that Cynthia bitch her ass,” Kylie says.

I laugh and shake my head as I look between them both. “So basically, you two want to play dress-ups, and I’m your doll?”

“Correct. Now, try this on.” Tara shoves the hanger into my hands before taking me by the shoulders and marching me back towards the dressing room. Kylie trails behind us, grabbing items as she passes.

And that is how I spend the rest of the day, parading around in underwear and random outfits with my two closest friends and wondering how I ever thought I was happy in Sydney when these two women weren’t there.