-1Meredith stood on the stool in the bridal shop, Ben picking up and trying on multiple veils. Meredith turned to the mirror, Ben looking like he was about to burst into tears, Chris the same.
'That is so perfect,' Meredith turned to the side, the fabric flowing down from her chest.
'Meredith, you look incredible,' Meredith looked over her shoulder at Chris and put her hand out to him.
'I am so nervous,'
'Running away nervous?'
'No, excited nervous,' Chris kissed her cheek gently as she stepped down.
'I am so happy for you,'
'Thank you. I think you had better go and get Ben before he starts planning another wedding for you and him,'
'That will make me bankrupt,' Meredith smiled and turned into the mirror again. The dress was light and airy, the material moving with her. The fabric came straight down from her chest, no frills, the thin straps holding it up but still allowing her back to be shown. The silk material hung straight but still seemed like it was light. The simple design of vines and stars entwined together on the bottom gradually making it's way up from the bottom, the tiny crystals shining through out.
'Are you wearing your hair up or down?' Meredith turned to Ben.
'I have no idea,'
'You need a veil,'
'No way. I am not looking like one of those women at funerals,' Ben started laughing before he lifted a folder, the multiple photographs of tiaras covering page after page.
'You need to pick on of these then,' Meredith nodded.
'Hey I'm Grace, can I help you?' Meredith smiled broadly at the young assistant.
'Yeah, I want to get this dress altered slightly. The top half, more fitted underneath the bust, showing more waist,' Grace opened a small pouch of needles, Meredith standing back up onto the stool. She pulled it in slightly under the bust, adding more fabric and pinning it in place. The silk sash ran down from Meredith's shoulder, giving the dress a bigger strap. It ran across her stomach, Meredith loving how the dress showed off her figure. The sash ran round her waist and along the bottom of her back, the fabric loose giving the impression of it being too big.
'Is that ok? Meredith nodded.
'It's perfect,' Chris came up behind Meredith and put his hands on her bare back, the sash coming down and stopping at the bottom of her spine. She smiled, Chris looking like he was gonna cry.
'He is the luckiest guy alive,'
'I need you to do me a huge favour. I want to get something done but I can't do it on my own,' Chris nodded, his face going white when Meredith told him what it was. He drew a line along the bottom of Meredith's back, where the dress started.
'Ok, I'll do it,' Meredith spent the next hour deciding wither cream or white shoes would go with her ivory dress, eventually deciding that Ivory shoes would work.
'Well, I have to love you and leave you,'
'Ben,'
'I'm sorry but I have a huge deal to close,' Meredith smiled.
'I'll see you at the flat later?'
'Of course you will,' Meredith squeezed his hand gently, Ben taking the boxes of shoes, tiara's, jewellery, and multiple bags of make up.
'So, you gonna get this done?' Meredith nodded her head nervously.
'You get that this is gonna hurt like hell,'
'Yeah but I know that it's gonna be worth it,' Meredith pushed the door open, the multiple people sitting around with big red eyes and dressings on various parts of their bodies.
'Hey, can I help you?' Meredith smiled, the young guy taking her through the back of the shop.
'So what kind of tat were you thinking of getting?' Chris flicked through the book, pointing out the various styles of writing to Meredith.
'You want lettering wrapped into another design. Yeah, we can do that. Where?'
'The bottom of my back, above the blue line,' the guy looked at Meredith's back and nodded his head.
'Ok, pick out your design, your lettering and I'll do it now,' Meredith sat and went through each design and lettering style, eventually picking a classy lettering style that slanted to the side, the letters all flowing down and flicking upwards. The letters would be surrounded by tiny stars and flowers, leafs and vines entwining with the letters. She lay on her stomach, Chris holding her hand as the needles went in and out. The tears streamed down her face, the pain something she had never experience before.
'Can you go and grab some coffee?' Chris nodded and escaped from the room quickly, hating to see Meredith in pain.
'I need you to do another tattoo for me, some where else,'
'Where?'
'on my shoulder,'
'What do you want me to do?'
'A star, with a letter inside it. The same style as the one on my back, the flowers and stars and vines around it,'
'Your wish is my command,' Meredith leaned down on the chair as he carefully put the letter inside the star. Chris came back in, Meredith getting a touch up done to her back, Chris oblivious to Meredith's shoulder.
'So make sure you take the dressing off in a couple of hours,'
'When can I put any weight on it?'
'Weight?'
'I'm a dancer,'
'Ah, give in an hour or two and it should be ok. If not, over night,'
'Thank you,' Derek watched Meredith as she eased herself down onto the couch, Chris laughing at her.
'What's wrong?' Meredith shook her head.
'Nothing,'
'Liar,'
'You'll find out. It's a present for you,'
'Me?'
'Yes you. Patience will get you everywhere,' Derek looked at Meredith sceptically and then to Chris who shrugged his shoulders, trying to look as innocent as possible but failing miserably.
'You had better not have some disease that means we have to cancel the wedding,'
'Why?' Derek leaned down on the back of the couch and kissed Meredith gently.
'Cause I plan on spending the rest of my life with you so having some disease would mean we would have to postpone the wedding and that is something I don't want to happen,'
'I promise I don't have some disease. It's a present for you that I know you're gonna love,'
'As long as you're ok,'
