Rule 157: Never Let A Pregnant Woman Wield a Basket
Lyla's Point of View:
"I can't believe this place is all yours," Blair gushed as she placed one of the many boxes on the counter in the kitchen. "You and Remus are really starting to be a family." She gave me a smile and took off down the hallway to where James, Peter and Remus were doing 'safety inspection' as they called them, in the baby's room. James had apparently done some research and saw everything as a health hazard to the baby.
As I looked around my new house, I suddenly became overwhelmed and quickly found a chair to sit down in. This was all becoming so real and I hadn't really had time to just sit and let it all sink in. I was moving out of my parents' house and starting my own household, and even though I tried to act calm and collected, I wasn't sure if I could do it. Leaning forward onto the kitchen table, I heard the door open and saw Sirius and Alexa walk in. Alexa had a sour look on her face and Sirius just shook his head at her as he closed the door behind them. I gave them a warm smile and then looked to Alexa. "Blair is back in the baby's room with James, Remus and Peter," I told her. She gave me a noncommittal nod and then passed by with a slight mumble. For the last couple days Alexa had been acting weird and moody and I had no clue what her problem was. And any time I asked she just gave me some short bullshit response and stalked off.
Sirius and I both watch Alexa as she disappeared to the baby's room and then I let out a sigh when she was gone. Sirius took the seat next to me and gave me a comforting smile. "How're you doing, kid?" he asked.
"Fine," I partially lied. "I can't say the same for my dear sister. What's wrong with her?" I questioned.
He laughed slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "You think she tells me anything anymore? I'm lucky if she talks to me most days," he said. "I wouldn't worry about her too much. She will eventually want to talk about it." Easier said than done. I always worried about Alexa, whether I wanted to or not. "The place is looking great, Lyls." I looked around the warm yellow kitchen and nodded my head in agreement. We were pretty much all moved in, but I still felt a little uneasy about the whole thing.
"It's not too late to take it all back, you know," I told him. Part of me wanted him to take it back. Part of me wanted to move back into the room I had spent my childhood in and pretend that none of this was happening.
"Lyla, you deserve this," he tried to reassure me.
I just shook my head. "But, that's the thing, I don't deserve this," I told him. "I got pregnant at sixteen and I'm getting married in four weeks. I have done nothing to deserve any of this. I'm very grateful for all of this and I can't thank you enough, but this is supposed to be harder than it is. I just feel bad that everyone is cleaning up our mistake."
Sirius gave me a look and leaned forward so I couldn't avoid his gaze. "You know, at some point, you've got to stop blaming and punishing yourself," he told me. "You may have everyone else fooled, but I can tell that you're afraid to let yourself be happy. You're human; Lyla, and we all make mistakes. We learn from them and then move on. And you got something even more amazing out of all this—a little baby. You deserve to be happy, Lyla. You and Remus are the best people I know and you deserve a happy ending."
My eyes began to sting as tears threatened to spill forth. "I'm afraid that we made a mistake in choosing to keep her," I confessed quietly. I hadn't even shared this with Remus or Alexa, but there was something about Sirius that made me feel I could tell him these things without any judgment. "Every day I sit here and wonder if she would be better off with parents who are older and wiser and who know what they're doing. I don't want to mess this up."
He gave me a smile and cocked his head to the side. "Lyla, when have you ever failed at anything?" he asked. "You and Remus are going to be great parents. I mean, I had parents who were married and older when they had me and look how that turned out. Age and experience has nothing to do with it. You love that baby and you and Remus love each other; that's all that matters. And when times get rough, which they might, your friends will be here to help." I pulled Sirius into a hug and held onto him tightly for a few moments. "And if it makes you feel better about the apartment, I really gave it up because of James." He gave me a wink and laughed. "James couldn't bear the thought of living without me. I had the throw the poor kid a bone."
"Even though I know that that is not at all true, I appreciate the effort," I told him, patting him on the back.
"You're welcome," he said. "For the record, if I had had a mom like you, I know I would have turned out a hell of a lot better than I have. And I'll always be here for you, Lyls. No matter what and no judgment." I gave him another heartfelt smile and then voices slowly started to fill the kitchen.
"All I'm saying is that covering everything in rubber would be best. Everything is a deathtrap for a baby, and I don't want my goddaughter to die," James said as he, Peter and Remus entered the kitchen. "You can never be too careful with little ones," he continued to instruct. I smiled at the boys as they sat around the table discussing the best way to set everything up. I gave Remus's arm a squeeze and slid off my chair to leave them to their business.
I walked through the sunken living room, noticing the wonderfully soft feel of the carpet on my aching feet and headed toward the baby's room. I peered into the soft lavender room (Blair had thought that pink was too obvious a choice) that seemed to almost glow as the late afternoon sun streamed in through the window. Blair and Alexa must have gone into the master bedroom seeing as they were no longer in the baby's room. I took a step in and drifted over to the old crib that had once been Alexa's and mine. There was a small dresser and a twin bed that had already been here when we moved in and then the old crib on the wall next to the closet. Remus's mother had also given us a beautiful rocking chair that she had used and that was in the corner next to the bed.
"The color turned out great in here, didn't it?" I turned around and saw Blair and Alexa coming into the room. I nodded my head in agreement. Blair forged ahead over to the window but Alexa just stayed in the doorway. "Here are a few options for the curtains in here, which one do you guys like better?" she asked as she held fabric samples up to the window. There was one that was white with little butterflies all over it, one that was a light pink with sequins sporadically placed, and then a simple pastel green color. "What do you guys think? I'm partial to the green; I think it really goes well with the purple. Thoughts?"
"Yeah, the green looks great," I agreed. "Alexa, what do you think?" I asked.
Alexa just shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't care," she said. "It's your house, pick what you want." I raised my eyebrow at her and gave her a look. "What?" she asked.
"What's your problem?" I asked back. "I just want to know you're opinion on something."
"Pick whatever you want, Lyla," she said, raising her voice slightly. "Just make a decision. I no longer live with you, so I really shouldn't get a say. You've moved out, and that's that."
Suddenly, things started clicking in my head. "Is that why you've been in such a piss poor mood lately? Because I moved out?" I asked.
"No!" she exclaimed. "Despite popular belief, not everything revolves around you."
"Oh, please," I said, rolling my eyes. "What do you want me to do, Alexa? Live in our room with you forever? What about when the baby comes and after Remus and I get married? Are we all just going to live in that room?" I questioned. "I'm getting married, I'm growing up, and I'm starting a new life. It's not going to be just me and you anymore, I'm going to have a baby and a husband in the mix now."
"That's great, Lyls! Start your new life and be happy," she said, shifting back and forth on her feet. "There clearly isn't room for me in your new life anymore, so I wish you luck and I guess I'll see you around." She turned to leave and I couldn't believe what was happening.
"I wasn't saying I didn't have room for you in my life. I'll always have room for you. I'm just going to have other responsibilities that are going to take up my time and things aren't going to be the same," I told her. "I'm moving forward with my life, I don't have the luxury of living in the past anymore and pretending that everything is so easy and carefree."
"You think my life is so easy?" she asked, hurt in her voice. "I'm not at all saying that what you're going through isn't hard, and I'm not trying to make this about me, but never once have you asked how I'm doing with all this change. I'm losing my sister and you don't seem to care." Alexa was breathing heavily now as she spoke passionately. "You've always been one step ahead of me. Ever since we were little you were always just slightly more advanced, but you never moved on without me. You always made sure to take me along. That's what I loved most about you and why I looked up to you. But now, you're moving on again but this time you left me behind."
"Alexa, I can't hold your hand forever," I told her. "You're my sister, I love you and you will always be a part of my life. But, I'm at a point in my life where I can't put off moving forward to wait for you to catch up." I took a breath and paused to think if I should continue. Before I could stop myself, I started to talk. "You have a tendency to hold onto the past, Alexa, and you don't like things to change once you have them the way you like them."
"I do not hold onto the past!" she argued. "And I've changed so much this year that I don't even know who I originally was."
"You haven't changed at all!" I told her, saying things that I had kept to myself for so long. "Pretending that you're okay when you're not is not moving on, pretending that you're over Sirius doesn't mean you are. You can't move on while you're still caught up on something." She knew what I was talking about and I could tell she wasn't happy about it. I knew after I said it, that I shouldn't have said what I did. I blame it on my hormones.
Alexa just shook her head and walked out of the room. Blair and I quickly took off after her. "Somebody apparate me home," she demanded, when she walked back into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" James asked, looking for answers.
"Nothing, I just need somebody to apparate me home, now," she repeated.
"Alex, what happened?" Sirius asked.
"Nothing!" she exclaimed. "Either apparate me home, or I'm going to walk home by myself and possibly be killed."
The boys all looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. "Okay, fine, I'll take you back," Sirius, said, moving to get up.
"No, I don't want you to do it," she said adamantly. "Anybody but you." She gave him a look and Sirius sat back down in his seat.
Silence filled the room as the tension built. "Um, I'll take you back, Al," Remus said. Alexa nodded her head and immediately headed out the door. Remus followed after her and they both disappeared. After a few more minutes, James, Blair, Sirius and Peter all left, deciding it was best if they went home.
When I was alone in the new apartment, I suddenly felt so lonely and sad. And it was made even worse when I realized I couldn't talk to Alexa about how I was feeling. I finally pulled myself up from the kitchen table and headed back to Remus's bedroom and mine. There were still unpacked boxes littering the floor but the bed was all set up, and for now, I just needed a place to lie down. I went into the bathroom, splashed some water on my face and slipped on my pale blue nightgown that draped over my body.
I flipped off the light in the bathroom and made my way over to the bed. Clicking on the fan next to the bed, I pulled back the soft covers and eased myself onto the mattress. Relief flooded my body as my body sunk into the mattress and the cool air brushed my face. I had been having hot flashes for the last couple of days and I never could manage to get comfortable.
As I sat there staring up at the ceiling, I heard the front door open and then close moments later. I could hear footsteps coming closer until I finally saw Remus's frame in the door to the bedroom. He leaned against the doorframe and just watched me. I leaned forward slightly and struggled with the pillows behind me. Seconds later, Remus was sitting next to me on the bed fixing the pillows for me. "Thank you," I muttered softly.
"Your parents say hello," he told me, eyeing me as if he was waiting for me to break. I just nodded my head with a slight smile. He hesitated for a moment and then decided to speak. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked, not wanting to push me.
I took in a sharp breath and looked down at my hands that were folded on top of my stomach. "I said some things that I'm not proud of," I confessed, still not making eye contact. "But she said some things too." At this point I think I was just trying to reason with myself. "I don't know what to do," I whispered to myself.
"Look," he started, shifting his body to face me and leaning his elbow against his pillows, "I don't pretend that I have the slightest clue how the relationship between you and Alexa works, but I know you both well enough to know that you guys not speaking is going to eat you both up inside. It might be best if one of you just apologizes."
At this I turned to meet him and gave him a look. "And by someone you mean me," I stated. "I don't know if I can face her; the things I said were much worse than what she said. I'm ashamed that I said anything."
Remus placed his arm around my shoulders and held me gently. "Alexa is your sister, I'm sure she will forgive you for whatever you said," he comforted. "And if you said something that you regret, own up to it and just apologize. She'll forgive you and you'll feel better about it."
I let out a 'humph' and snuggled closer to his body. "I'll think about it," I told him, undecided about what I was going to do. I felt his deep laugh quake throughout my body. I looked up at his face and jabbed him slightly in the ribs. "What are you laughing about?" I asked.
"You're cute when you're stubborn," he jested. As he continued to laugh, I pushed him away and crossed my arms across my stomach, all the while, pouting. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek; which I promptly swatted away like a child. Remus turned the lamp by his bedside on and then went to turn off the main light in the room and closed the door.
I situated myself in the bed and threw the blankets off me. Remus settled in next to me and let out a breath. "It's the first night in our new place," he thought out loud, shutting off the lamp and letting the darkness fill the room. "It's weird isn't it?"
I found Remus's hand on the bed and took it in mine. "We're going to be okay," I told him, and myself. Remus lifted my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on my skin.
"Yeah, we're going to be okay," he replied. I don't know if I quite believed it yet, but each time it was said, I believed it a little bit more.
It had been nearly two days since I had talked to Alexa. We hadn't shared more than an angry glare and it didn't bother me in the slightest. At least that's what I told myself. Remus and I had pretty much settled into the new apartment and were starting to get used to our new life. Most of our boxes had been unpacked and the only room that still needed some work was the baby's room.
We had all gathered at my house, or my old house, to finish up the gift baskets and invitations and try to finalize the seating arrangement. We all were seated around the dining room table, I sat at one end and Alexa sat on the completely opposite side. As she angrily tied bows around the little bags of Jordan almonds and Blair delicately addressed the remaining invitations, the boys and me were figuring out where and how to seat all the guests.
"I guess we'll put the wedding party at the front table," I said as I looked at the sheet of paper with the layout of the tables.
Alexa cleared her throat and turned to Blair. "Blair," she said, "Don't you think seating the wedding party all together is a little old fashioned? If I were planning a wedding, I would just have the bride and groom sit together and have everybody else at a different table. The bride and groom won't have time for their wedding party anyways, so why even sit them together." I looked to Alexa and rolled my eyes. "And maybe there are certain members of the wedding party who don't even want to sit with the bride. But they wouldn't know that because the bride probably didn't even bother asking said members of the wedding party."
"Well, maybe if certain members of the wedding party were a little more understanding of the bride and groom's situation, there wouldn't be a problem," I said, looking down at the paper pretending to write something, "Wouldn't you say, Blair?"
"Lyla," Remus cautioned, giving me a look.
Alexa suddenly stood up from her spot, looking angry, and said, "I've got to go." Without another word, she turned and exited through the kitchen.
Everyone just sat there in silence and looked at each other, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "Let's just get back to work and get this finished," I suggested. They all nodded in agreement and set back in to what they had been doing. "We'll set my parents and your parents at the same table and then we'll put the rest of the Parkers together."
"Maybe you should go talk to your sister," Remus suggested to me in a whisper. I sighed and looked out the window. "I gave you your space and gave you time to come to the decision yourself, but it is time to make up with your sister. You've been miserable the last two days and from what Blair's told me, Alexa has been pretty miserable too. You just need to apologize so you two can move on from this."
"Do I have to?" I asked. Remus just placed a kiss on the top of my head and nodded. I slid out of my chair and reluctantly headed to the kitchen. I pushed open the door slowly and saw Alexa sitting at the bar stabbing a piece of pie my mother had made the night before. I went to the side of the island across from her and watched as she assaulted the flaky crust. "So…" I trailed off.
"I'm pretending that this is your face," she informed me dully.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that," I said, even though I deserved it. "I'm really sorry Alexa." She stopped stabbing with her fork and waited for me to continue. "You were right. I got so caught up in everything that was happening that I forgot about how others may be feeling. And for that I am truly sorry."
She looked up at me and looked sad. "For sixteen years you've been there for me, right by my side every step of the way, picking me up when I fell and protecting me along the way," she started. "Then, all of a sudden, you weren't there anymore. I got scared. I feel like I'm losing my best friend. For the first time, I'm on my own and I'm afraid I'm going to fail and fall flat on my face. I miss you."
"Alex, I will always be here for you, even if we don't share a room," I told her. "We're still sisters and nothing will ever change that. If you ever need anything, I will help you and you are always welcome our new place; just in case you need to escape mother." Alexa laughed and gave me a smile. "And you're not going to fall on your face. You've always been able to take of yourself; I just didn't let you prove that very often. You're the strongest person I know, and with your help, I know I'm going to be able to get through having this baby and the wedding."
"Let's never fight again," she said, getting up from her stool and pulling me into a hug. "Not talking to you for two days nearly killed me."
"No promises," I said, holding her tight, "But I'll sure try. And for the record, I want you to sit at the table with me at the wedding."
Alexa laughed again and put her arm around my shoulder as we headed back to the dining room. "Well, I guess that will work," she said. "For the record, I don't think that's old fashion. I couldn't imagine sitting with anyone else. And let me make one for thing clear," she added, stopping short of the door, "I don't mind sharing you with Remus and eventually my precious goddaughter, but I want you to always remember that I'm your sister and I've known you longer." She threw me a wink and then we walked back into the dining room.
"Did you two make up?" Remus asked when he saw us.
"Indeed we did Remus," Alexa said as she took her seat at the table. "Now, Remus, I accept the fact that you are now number one in my dear sister's life, but I want you to know that I am a very close second. You get custody of her for now, but I do demand visitation rights."
"You are welcome to visit anytime you want," Remus said as I sat down next to him and he put his arm around me. Alexa nodded her head and went back to tying the ribbons, a smile on her face.
The next day, after having patched everything up with Alexa, we all gathered at Remus and mine's new abode to finish unpacking things and put the finishing touches on the place. We were lucky enough to get the apartment fully furnished, but it needed some personal touches that represented us. We began to hang photos and personal items and it was really starting to feel like our place. I grabbed a black frame out of one of the boxes in the living room and smiled as I saw what picture it was.
Enclosed within the dark wood was a black and white photo of Blair, Alexa, and me. We were laughing hysterically and holding each other closely. I remember when James took this picture. It was during a Hogsmeade outing this past winter. We all had warm hats on and you could see the snow falling around us, and occasionally a snowflake would land on our faces and disappear just as quickly as it had landed. We looked so happy and I could almost hear Blair's high-pitched breathy laugh and Alexa's strong dramatic chortle.
I went over to the fireplace and delicately placed the picture on the mantle next to a picture of Remus and I and one of all of us amidst a giant pile of leaves. As I looked at these pictures, I suddenly realized something that I should have known all along. Remus and I weren't in this alone, even thought it sometimes felt like we were. People kept telling me that we weren't alone in this, but it hadn't really resonated with me until this moment. Remus and I already had a family and that family would be with us through thick and thin. Our daughter was going to have three moms and four dads, and together we could do anything. Alexa and Blair were my sisters, James, Sirius and Peter, my brothers. We were bonded together forever. I grabbed another photo and placed it with the others on the mantel, completing the set. Adding a picture from a scan I had done recently, I now had my new family represented.
I heard a loud squeal come from back in the baby's room. No doubt it was Blair gushing about how cute this and that was. Everyone else was in the baby's room finishing up the room. Blair insisted that I didn't help so it could be a surprise. I already knew the colors of the baby's room but I was excited to see everything put together. Alexa had bought some bedding for the crib and I know Blair had gotten some things to make the room fit for a little princess, as she put it. I'm not really sure what the guys were doing, but I'm sure they were putting their two cents in whenever Blair stopped gushing long enough.
Tired from unpacking, I took a seat on the couch that was situated next to the window. I looked around the living room, trying to figure out if I was happy with the setup. I couldn't really put my finger on it but there was just something off about the room. I looked to the chair and ottoman over to the left, but that wasn't it. Next I looked at the coffee table before me and tilted my head to examine the vase of flowers. That wasn't it either. It suddenly hit me, the couch. Where the couch was situated just bugged me for some reason.
I pulled myself off the comfortable couch and stood in front of it for a moment looking at it skeptically. I moved to one end of the couch and grasped the arm of the couch firmly. I shifted it slightly forward and then moved to the others side to do the same. I kept this up until it was nearly in the perfect spot. Just as I was about to make the final adjustment, something made me jump back. "What the hell is this?" I turned to see James now standing in the living room looking at me with furious eyes.
"Bloody hell, James, you scared me to death," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"Step away from that couch, now," he said sternly. "You know you shouldn't be lifting that." I just waved James off and reached again for the couch. "If you touch that couch, we're going to have a problem." I gave James a look and then deliberately placed my hand on the couch. He let out a frustrated huff and turned back toward the bedrooms. "Remus, Lyla is trying to lift really heavy things and she won't stop!" he exclaimed.
"Real mature," I scoffed. James just gave me an 'I warned you' look.
In a matter of seconds, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were next to James looking at me scandalously. "We can't leave you alone for few minutes without you trying to do something that you're not supposed to do," Remus said.
"I'm not impotent, Remus," I informed him. "I am perfectly capable of doing things for myself."
"You know you're not supposed to lift heavy things. The doctor told you to take it easy," he lectured.
"Well, you freak out every time I use magic because you're afraid I'm going to do too much and what happened on my birthday is going to happen again," I complained. "I can't do things by hand, I can't do things with magic, I can't do anything. I still have five months of being pregnant; if I can't do anything for five months, I'm going to go insane."
"You can boss everyone else around," Sirius offered. "See, we found a solution."
"Listen here," I said pointedly to all of them. "You all need to back off and give me a little freedom. I know my limits and I'll stop if I get too tired or start feeling weird. Can you guys do that for me?" Don't get me wrong, I loved having all these people care about me, but it was like by marrying Remus I was going to be getting all of the Marauders as my 'husbands'. Sometimes they just took the caring too far. They all mumbled noncommittally and nodded their heads. "Now, James, did you come out here for any particular reason?" I asked.
James racked his brain for a moment and then remembered. "Oh, yeah, we're finished in the baby's room," he said with a proud smile. I abandoned the couch, gladly, and followed after the four boys who led me back to the room. The door was closed and we all gathered outside it.
"Someone cover her eyes!" Blair shouted from inside the room. I started to protest but Blair quickly cut me off. "Just do it!" Remus quickly moved behind me and placed his hands delicately over my eyes. I heard the door open and then felt someone take my hand and led me forward. Remus moved with me smoothly until we finally came to a stop. Remus slowly removed his hands from my face and I was completely amazed by what I saw.
The room had been totally transformed and was absolutely perfect. I honestly couldn't even believe what I saw. The crib had soft purple sheets on it with a delicate green design and a beautiful white blanket covering that, with purple satin edges. At the bottom of the crib hung a billowing white bed skirt with a thick strip of purple satin dusting the floor. On the floor right by the crib was a purple, white and green carpet that was so soft.
The dresser was on the next wall, next to the window and it had a cute little lamp on it and a small vase of lavender that gave the room the most heavenly aroma. In one of the corners sat Remus's mother's rocking chair. I looked at all my friends and gave them a grateful smile. "This is amazing," I told them. I was nearly speechless.
"I'm glad you like it," Blair said giving me a hug. "And so the baby will have a part of all of us even when we aren't here, we each added something special to the room." Blair moved over to her bag sitting on the floor and reached for something. When she turned back around she was holding the prettiest silver music box I had ever seen. She held it out to me with a smile. "I got this when I was a little girl and I would always sit and listen to it. It plays Claire de Lune," she said. "I always listened to it when I went to bed and I want the baby to have it." I passed my fingers over the cool metal and lightly lifted the top. The calming sounds of Debussy spilled forth and I smiled.
Alexa cleared her throat, her hands behind her back. "I could only think of one thing that I wanted to give to my niece. It comes as a great sacrifice to myself, but I will part with it because I love her so much," she explained. From behind her back, Alexa revealed her blanket from when she was a baby. Alexa loved her blankie and hardly slept a night without it. It was slightly worn from time but I knew what it meant for Alexa to be giving it up. I took the white blanket and rubbed my finger over the spot that Alexa had worn a hole through it from rubbing it too much.
I turned to Peter next who looked nervous. He held out a really ornate night-light. "I… I was always scared of the dark," he said meekly. "I don't want the baby to be scared like I was."
"It's perfect, Peter," I told him. I pulled him into a hug and patted him on the back.
James turned to me and held a large bag in his hands. "Mine is kind of from my whole family but I think you'll like it." Out of the bag, he pulled a large quilt and unfolded it so we could see all of the designs. "My mum made it," he told me. "She used a bunch of old baby blankets to make it and she stitched all of our initials into it." He walked over to the rocking chair and draped it over the back of the chair. The quilt was absolutely beautiful and couldn't even imagine all the love and work that went into making it.
Last up, but never least, was Sirius. He had a smirk on his face. "Like Alexa, I chose something that means a lot to me and I hope the baby loves it as much as I do," he told me. He pointed behind me to a shelf on the wall. Sitting on the shelf was Captain Awesome.
I looked back at Sirius in disbelief. "Sirius, you don't have to do this," I told him. I knew how much he loved that bear.
"Lyls, I want to," he assured me. "Captain Awesome deserves to be with someone who will play with him and appreciate him all over again. He got me through some rough times and I know that he wants to be there for your little girl just like he was there for me." I gave Sirius a smile and shook my head.
"I don't even know how to thank you guys," I confessed. "This is beyond anything that I could imagine. Thank you so much." James grabbed everyone and pulled us into a large group hug. It was official; I had the best friends in the entire world.
"Look, I am going to have to literally kick your ass if you don't get your little pregnant butt into that dressing room," Alexa said as she and Blair blocked my escape from the dress shop. "Now, I know that we've really had some duds the last times we've tried, but Blair and I personally have selected a dress that we think will be the one."
"Just trust us, Lyls," Blair said, encouragingly. "It can't possibly be as bad as the others," she joked. I nodded unwillingly and went into the dressing room to put on the dress that my dear friend and sister had picked out.
I looked at the elegant dress that was hanging on a hanger and let my fingers run down the fabric that was so soft and delicate. The design was undoubtedly beautiful and any bride would be lucky to have this dress. From experience, dresses and clothes in general these days for me always looked better on the rack than they did actually on me.
I slipped the dress on and an attendant came in to help me zip up the back, which surprisingly closed with ease. The dress felt great and seemed to fit me rather well. I smoothed the fabric over my stomach and situated the dress before I stepped out of the dressing room to show Alexa and Blair.
When I rounded the corner to where Blair and Alexa were seated, there was a collective gasp from my two friends as I came into view. I stood before them and gave them a smile. "What do you think?" I asked.
Blair and Alexa got up from their spots and moved toward me. Alexa gave me a wide smile and Blair looked like she was fighting back the tears. They turned me toward the mirror and we all assessed the dress. The dress was covered in lace and the design was beautiful. It had thin lace sleeves that went down to my elbows and the dress flowed gently to the floor. The fabric covered my stomach nicely and it was loose enough to allow room if my stomach got much bigger by wedding day.
"You look absolutely beautiful," Alexa said, giving me a hug. "Remus is going to die when he sees you in this dress."
"You really think it's the one?" I questioned.
"If you don't get this dress, you might as well just not get married," Blair said dramatically. "This is perfect and you look perfect. I couldn't imagine you in any other dress." I gave her a smile and looked at myself in the mirror again. I really did feel great in this dress and it was the first one that I didn't feel was way to big or way too tight.
Blair moved behind me and pulled my hair back into a messy bun. With my hair pulled back, the neckline of the dress was more prominent and it really accentuated and elongated my neck. I had decided that I wasn't going to wear a veil so Blair was going to do something special with my hair. "This is it," I told them.
It felt like a giant weight was lifted off my chest. With everything going on, it was nice to have everything falling into place. I now had one less thing to worry about and that anxiety about how I was going to look on my wedding day was gone.
The shop owner took the dress after I changed out of it and went to wrap it up for me. She also offered to tailor it for free if I needed any slight alterations come wedding day. The dress was a little more than I wanted to pay, but Alexa told me that I shouldn't think about it. If it's what I really wanted and the dress I really loved, that's all that mattered. The price didn't matter nearly as much as making me completely happy on my wedding day.
Author's Note: So, I know it's been a long, long time since we last updated, but seeing as my lovely co-author who wrote this lovely chapter is up at her school and I'm being all cool down at my school, it's taken us longer than usual to get ourselves in gear and to outline (me) and write (her) this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it and are not totally mad at us. Drop us a line if you want to express your feelings towards this chapter; I promise we won't be mad. :)
Disclaimer: We don't own it. Obviously. :)