Prologue
None of these dresses is the one.
People always say that you'll figure it out; that you'll just know that the wedding dress you're wearing is the one. They say how you'll continue on rummaging through different boutiques and trying on a wide variety of dresses, standing in front of a mirror until you actually believe that this is the dress you're looking for- the perfect match. That you'll just know once your eyes start tearing up at how 'beautiful' you believe it made you look.
Well, let me tell you my complete, honest opinion about this: it's not even remotely true- at least, not for me. I wish finding a wedding dress was as easy as women on the ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ reality show made it seem to be.
I, for one, have been searching for my wedding dress for the past three weeks, and I didn't find anything that exceeds my expectations, not even anything that reaches it. Panic begins to crawl its way into my chest at the thought that the most important event of my life lays exactly a week from today: my wedding. It’s something that occurs to me involuntarily that whenever I start to become anxious about something, my palms start sweating.
Apparently Lexi notices because that’s Lexi we’re talking about- observant. She slides one of her hands into mine, lays a hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner and gives me that look with her hazel wide eyes, that only means ‘we’re in this together,’ as she whispers with a reassuring small smile, "Don't worry, you'll find it."
I offer my childhood best friend a grateful smile that doesn't quite reach my dark chocolate brown eyes and exit the boutique 'Karen Forte Bridal' along with my mom with a miserable feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. Not only do I feel misery at its peak, but I also feel nervous, anxious and this rush of thrill all at once.
For one, I'm worried that I won’t find my dress by the time of my wedding, and the second thing is even though I'm delighted that I'll get to spend the rest of my life with my one true love- Adrien, I'm nervous at the same time that this is not what I want. It's just the idea that you're getting a say on who you'll love, live and get to grow up with scares me. What if we are rushing into the wedding part? What if I am not ready?
"You okay there?" My mother Julie's worried tone snaps me out of my thoughts. "You've been silent for the past hour and a half."
I look at my mom's identical brown eyes and notice the tight and worry swirling in them, so I decide not to say anything related to my ridiculous thoughts and offer her a sad smile before replying, "Yeah, I'm fine. I’m just a little worried though."
"I understand, darling, but you don't have to be." My mom reaches out with her hands, planting them on my shoulder blades as she pulls me in for a hug. "You said it yourself: I'm a shopaholic, so trust me when I say that I'll find you what you're looking for. Same goes for you Lex- I'll find you the most beautiful maid's of honor dress."
You’ve been saying that for three weeks, mom.
My mother pulls us both for a hug in the middle of the street then pulls away and tugs Lexi, who looks at me wide-eyed at my mother's enthusiasm, causing a light chuckle to escape from my mouth, and I along with her as we wander around the streets of England in search for the dress.
As my mom tugs us along like lost puppies, I can't help but think of how Adrien and I first met. I had been studying medicine at the University of Oxford for almost two years when Adrien showed up as a transfer student from another Pharmacy college in Liverpool. His jade eyes were a definite catch to the entire female population as well as his olive perfectly structured jawline, his toned muscles and his charming character. Being my dorm neighbor at college and a classmate in most of my classes, it was impossible for us to avoid each other.
I am and always have been the ‘quiet’ and ‘shy’ type of girl, and this is why it only made sense that Adrien was the one who introduced himself to me as his neighbor even though it should’ve been the opposite way around. I, of course, had my jaw dropped to the floor at the thought of interacting with a ‘boy’ since that was my clear intentions since day one: focus on my studies and avoid any sources of ‘distraction’. Eventually, though, we started communicating, and he turned out to be my friend later on.
In the midst of our journey in college, our grades started taking a U-turn, so we both decided that we will talk , like we normally do, and still be friends, but we’ll also dedicate our lives in studying bio. That we'll not let any feelings get in the way of disrupting our hard work and possible future career. To aid our cause, I even moved back to my parents’ house, claiming that putting some distance between us might be for the better good.
Fate, apparently, had something else stored for the both of us because a week after this decision of ours, we were both picked up as partners for a medical research project. In spite of focusing on this project as we both aimed for high credit, our feelings for each other accelerated the more we got to see each other until we couldn't just hide nor ignore them anymore. What it truly felt like was that the harder we worked on avoiding each other, the more the attraction grew stronger. It
