Ch 11 Curling Cummerbunds

There was upbeat pop music playing in the background as Rita and Shane looked through racks of evening gowns. Rita had gone with red, white, and blue postal colors for her wedding, and they were looking for red or blue dresses for Shane.

"Rita are you positive you don't want to look for a wedding dress while we're out?" Rita was borrowing a dress from a colleague at work. Shane hadn't seen it, but the way Rita described it Shane wasn't too sure about the idea.

"Every time I've looked, they're so expensive. When I'd only be wearing it one day, I'd rather save the money for a house deposit. Norman and I would like to move into a house after the wedding. Both our apartments are really small."

Shane nodded understanding. She hadn't been inside Norman's apartment, but Rita's was barely bigger than a postage stamp. It would be a tight squeeze for two people. Shane held up a dress, but Rita shook her head. They had several dresses to try on already and were almost done looking through them. After picking up a couple more they moved towards the dressing rooms. Rita kept waiting for Shane to bring up whatever happened the night before, but she seemed fully focused on finding a dress. Every one of the dresses was a little too something and discarded. Shane was taken aback Rita was being so critical. It wasn't like her to not find the positive in everything.

Two stores later Shane tried on a red dress. As she turned around in the mirror Rita declared, "That's the one." Remembering the look on Oliver's face as he watched Shane dancing with Jordan at the Christmas Ball their first Christmas together Rita knew Oliver wouldn't be able to resist Shane in this red dress. She wanted them to be as happy as Norman and her were.

"Really?" Shane asked. She liked the dress, it was beautiful, but she was surprised Rita chose a red one for her maid of honor.

Rita smiled slightly before giggling a little, "It will definitely curl Oliver's cummerbund."

"Rita this is for your wedding not for Oliver," Shane said looking at Rita slightly reproachingly.

Rita twirled her finger in the air indicating Shane should turn around so she could get a look at the back again before looking at her pointedly, "Shane you're incredibly intelligent. Surely you can do two things at once. Are you going to get around to telling me what happened last night?"

"You really think this is the one?" Shane asked looking in the mirror.

"Oh yeah." Rita said with a grin.

"Then let's check out and I'll tell you over lunch." Shane said moving towards the dressing room to change out of the dress.

After they ordered Rita couldn't take it anymore, "Shane what happened?"

"Rita it was so romantic after I got over being completely mortified. Your dad texted me Oliver left but he must have waited a bit before he did. Oliver got home faster than I thought. I had Adele playing on my phone and was singing while I was cooking. He had everything to make honey ginger chicken stir fry."

"Oliver never eats that type of thing," Rita said interrupting.

"I know he must have found it for me. It was sweet but not the embarrassing point."

"Why were you embarrassed?" Rita asked trying to get Shane to circle back.

"Rita it was what I was singing when he arrived. Adele's One and Only." Shane said putting a hand over her face.

"But that's a great song it's…oooh. Yeah, I can see how that could have been awkward. What did he do?"

"He scared me to death. I had no idea he must have been standing there watching me sing. He put his arms around me and started swaying to the music. I tried to turn it off, but he turned it back on, turned dinner down, and danced me around the kitchen to the rest of the song. It was…"

Rita sighed, "So incredibly romantic."

"Incredibly and then on the last verse he stopped." Their food arrived interrupting the discussion.

"Why did he stop?" Rita asked completely ignoring the food just placed in front of her.

"To kiss me, Rita. The kind that you can't string two words together afterwards because you can't think and it takes your breath away kind of kiss," Shane said sighing.

Rita looked at her confused, "Those are the best kind. You say that as if it's a problem?"

"I got completely overwhelmed. The song, the dance, being at his place with his arms around me. It was one of those perfect moments that you both felt like someone should say something profound. Only I had no idea how he felt about walking in on me singing a song all but declaring I want to be his one and only. I stood there trying not to cry or blurt out 'By the way Oliver, I've loved you for what feels like a decade.' While he stood there not sure what to say."

"What did you do?" Rita asked hesitantly.

"I asked him if he wanted to get the plates down." Shane said shaking her head. "We both acted like nothing happened and ate dinner."

Rita looked at her sympathetically trying to reassure her while knowing all Shane really wanted was for Oliver to finally tell her how he felt, "Oliver cares about you Shane so much."

"I know he does. He's told me. Heck he's even told my mother." Shane sighed again. Rita laughed partly at Shane's attempt to tone down her language and partly at remembering the day Shane had told her about Oliver accidently facetiming her mother. "Rita I've loved him for so long. It took me awhile to even admit it to myself." Shane sighed, "I get impatient. Then he'll do something like with the key, and I realize all over again I'd wait forever as long as I get to be with him."

"You still haven't told me what happened." Rita said getting impatient herself.

"I left his key on his kitchen counter. When I went to leave, he handed me the key back saying I'd forgotten it. Well, it's Oliver I didn't want to assume it meant something if it didn't, so I asked him if he wanted me to keep it."

"What did he say?" Rita asked curiously.

"He told me that coming home to me felt right." Shane's voice wavered and she started tearing up again telling Rita. "That I was the one, the only one that it felt right."

Rita was quick to assess the situation, "But he lived there with Holly, the words, the song. Oh, Shane that's lovely and heartbreaking all at once."

"I know right. Rita, every time he says something like that, I fall more in love with him."

Rita gently tried to nudge Shane into thinking about things from a different perspective, "Oliver's experienced a lot of hurt. Would knowing he's loved really be that bad Shane."

"I don't want him to feel pressured into saying it back if he's not ready." Shane said uncomfortably playing with her food.

"Shane what was it that you told Norman and I when you tried to leave the DLO. 'Don't let nothing happen to you two.' Somebody always has to be the brave one to say it first."

"Rita are you really throwing my own advice back at me?" Shane asked laughing before saying fearfully, "I don't know if I can Rita."

Rita tried to reassure her, "I've never known you to back away from a challenge Shane. Maybe trust the timing a little more." Rita thought to herself between watching Norman and I get married and seeing you in that dress it won't be long before he tells you how he feels. Neither knew at that time it was going to be a different dress that jolted Oliver into declaring his feelings.