Chapter 34
34
‘Okay,’ Lou says, holding up her wedding dress, giving it a nervous look, almost like she’s suspicious of it. ‘Moment of truth. Let’s make sure these all still fit.’
There is absolutely no reason to suspect that they don’t fit, because why wouldn’t they, nothing has changed. But I totally get why we’re checking. I’d probably be constantly checking, convinced something was going to go wrong. But I think we’d know from our day-to-day clothes if anything had changed, like a sudden growth spurt, or any of us shirking.
Dutifully, we all slip into our dresses while Lou wrestles herself into her bridal gown.
The bridesmaid dresses are perfect. They’re flattering, floor-length, a beautiful sage green, and even though they’re floaty, they have structure, which gives us all shape where we need it.
‘I really do love this dress,’ I say, smoothing my hands down the soft fabric.
‘We look hot,’ Nita adds, standing next to me to check her reflection. ‘Who says bridesmaids can’t steal the show?’
‘I do,’ Lou calls out as she puts on her shoes.
‘Well, there’s enough spotlight for all of us,’ Nita adds, smiling at herself.
‘There really isn’t,’ Lou adds with a laugh. ‘Okay, let’s see.’
Lou stands up, allowing the skirt of her white gown to fall to her ankles. She looks beautiful, with her lace bodice and subtle sequin detail. Honestly, even without the hair and make-up she has planned, she looks perfect.
‘Shit,’ she says, sounding disappointed.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.
‘Since I changed the shoes, to a smaller heel, the dress is too long,’ she says. ‘I thought it would be fine.’
‘I mean, I’d be worried, if you couldn’t sew, and hadn’t already told us you were bringing a sewing kit with you for situations like this,’ Nita points out.
‘Yeah, you can fix this,’ Willow reassures her.
‘I know, it’s just not what I needed,’ Lou replies with a sigh. ‘Molly, can you put it on for me?’
‘What?’ I blurt.
‘We’re the same size, same height… it will be easier if someone is wearing it,’ she explains. ‘I can’t exactly wear it and make my own adjustments.’
I mean, she’s got a point but obviously I’ve never worn a wedding dress before, and I didn’t think I would until I was actually getting married. Still, my friend needs me, so I need to step up.
‘Fair,’ I reply, carefully removing my bridesmaid dress. Lou takes off her wedding dress which I carefully put on, trying not to breathe too hard in case I do anything to damage it. It’s delicate, lacy, but way heavier than I expected it to be. When it’s finally on and fastened I take a look at myself in the mirror.
I suck in my stomach slightly, even though I probably don’t need to, and I know it’s probably not going to do much at this point. It’s just one of those things we grow up doing, because we think we’re supposed to. But I can relax here, with the girls, because I don’t have to impress them, they don’t care if I’m bloated and, crucially, this isn’t my dress, it’s Lou’s. It’s a beautiful dress, sure, but when I think about what kind of dress I’d like to get married in… I don’t know, my mind goes blank. I wonder what that means. If I’m not interested in getting married? If Dean has made me feel like I’m unmarriable? Both? I’m hoping, when and if I do decide to get married, that I’ll know the perfect dress when I see it. That everything will just click into place for me. Maybe one day I’ll find out.
‘Oh my God,’ Lou says softly. ‘Molly, you look incredible.’
‘I do not.’ I laugh.
‘You really do,’ Lou insists as she circles me, pins in her mouth as she crouches to check the hem.
‘You’re stunning,’ Nita adds, snapping a picture on her phone. ‘You’ll make someone a lovely little bride someday.’
‘Shut up,’ I insist, laughing it off.
There’s a knock on the door, followed by Harry’s voice.
‘Hey, are you lot decent? We need help,’ he calls out.
‘What kind of help?’ Nita calls back.
‘Harry’s suitcase has torn his trousers for the wedding,’ Travis calls back.
Oh, no. Travis.
‘Come in!’ Lou calls out.
‘Wait—’ I start, but it’s too late. The door swings open, and the boys spill in.
The room falls silent. I can’t help but notice that Travis is staring right at me.
His eyes go wide, and his mouth opens just slightly, like he wants to say something but can’t quite get there. He looks stunned – absolutely, genuinely stunned – and his gaze travels down the dress and back up to my face.
‘I’m just wearing this so Lou can make adjustments,’ I insist. ‘I’m not some crazy bridesmaid wearing a white gown. Hi, by the way.’
Smooth. So, so smooth.
‘Hi,’ he replies, still not saying much.
‘You okay, mate?’ Harry asks him, giving him a nudge.
Travis blinks like he’s snapping out of a trance.
‘Yeah. Yeah, fine.’
He scratches the back of his neck, eyes darting anywhere but at me now.
‘What’s happened to your trousers?’ Lou asks, cutting to the chase.
Harry holds them up in front of him.
‘My suitcase zip ate them. Some of the stitches popped. Can you fix it?’
Lou takes the trousers, inspecting the damage.
‘Yeah, I’ll sort it. Just let me finish this, then I’ll get right on it,’ she tells them.
‘That’s so good of you, thank you,’ Harry replies.
‘It’s sorted?’ Owen asks, joining us. Nolan is right behind him.
‘Yeah, Lou is going to fix them for me,’ Harry tells him.
‘Wow, look at you all in your dresses,’ Owen points out.
He pauses to stare at me, confused.
‘This is Lou’s dress,’ I say, bringing him up to speed. ‘She’s making adjustments.’
‘It suits you,’ he tells me. ‘Ten out of ten. Do you want us to give you all a rating?’
‘Only if we all get tens,’ Nita points out.
‘Okay, then let’s do this properly,’ Harry declares, stepping forward, pretending he has a microphone in hand. He clears his throat dramatically. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Villa Fashion Show. Introducing our first contestant… Willow! Representing elegance and grace, she’s serving us green silk today, ladies and gentlemen.’
I can’t help but laugh. It’s the way he’s doing it like a boxing ring announcer, rather than someone at an actual fashion show.
Willow laps it up, laughing as she twirls so hard her dress flares.
‘Up next, Nita, a solid ten out of ten,’ Harry continues. ‘Known for wit as sharp as her cheekbones, she’s a vision, also in green. Look at that pose. Slay, Nita. Slay.’
‘It’s all true,’ Nita says, flipping her hair and winking. ‘It’s all true.’
‘We’ll skip Lou, seeing as though she’s wearing a dressing gown, and working,’ Harry says in his normal voice, before switching back to ring-announcer mode. ‘And finally, our unexpected headliner of the evening…’
He pauses dramatically, gesturing towards me.
‘Molly! A vision in white, she’s stolen the spotlight – and probably a few hearts. Let’s go to one of our experts. Travis, your thoughts?’
I shoot Harry a glare, mortified, but my gaze flicks to Travis.
‘No words,’ Travis says simply, his voice low but clear as he smiles. ‘No notes. Ten out of ten.’
‘There you have it,’ Harry says, clapping his hands. ‘Ladies, take a bow!’
‘Don’t you bow,’ Lou says to me quickly. ‘You’ll make the hem wonky.’
We all hang out together, while Lou makes her alterations.
The boys can be so much fun, when they want to be. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much – and okay, fine, maybe because Travis’s eyes are on me the whole time. I can’t say I’m not happy about that.
‘I was thinking, to thank you for your hard work,’ Travis starts, as the chaos settles into chat, ‘I could make dinner for everyone tonight.’
‘I don’t know if you know this, but he’s an amazing chef,’ Harry points out. ‘He’s won awards and everything.’
‘It’s the least I can do,’ Travis says, moving the conversation on from Harry’s praise, clearly so modest about it all.
‘We’d love that,’ Nita says quickly. Maybe too quickly.
‘That would be great,’ Lou adds. ‘Harry, I’ll sort your trousers now, it won’t take long.’
‘Then I’ll go get started,’ Travis says. ‘I’ll shout when it’s ready.’
‘Do you need a hand?’ I ask him.
‘No, you relax,’ he says. ‘It’s all under control.’
The boys shuffle towards the door, Travis lingering just a second longer than the rest to give me a smile.
Then he’s gone, and I’m left standing in the wedding dress, my heart racing for reasons that have nothing to do with the tight bodice.
‘Actual dinner made by an actual chef,’ Nita says. ‘Result. Although presumably, Molly would rather eat the chef, than the dinner…’
‘Shut up,’ I insist, but I can’t stop smiling.
But she’s right, the thought of Travis cooking is almost as delicious as the idea of spending more time with him. Almost.