Part 3:
Carter caught his breath. She looked exactly as he had thought she would. God she was beautiful.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked, giving him a little twirl. "They had these shoes as well but I'm not quite sure…"
He exhaled slowly, carefully watching his words so that he could convey exactly what he was thinking.
"You're beautiful, do you know that?"
"Well if I didn't you tell me often enough!"
"That dress looks exquisite on you. You have to buy it now, you know that? It was made for you."
"It is lovely," she said wistfully, "but I just can't afford it. It's a shame, because this would have really made Richard's mother choke on her crab cakes!"
"What if I lent you the money? We can call it rent seeing as I've been practically living in your apartment these last 4 months."
"That's sweet, John, but I don't need your money. This has been fun anyway, just you and me searching for a dress. We'll find something eventually, and even if we don't it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're going to be there."
She stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek, and then she turned around and headed back towards the fitting room. Looking at her as she turned something clicked inside Carter, just as it had that day last summer. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was the love of his life. They were soul mates. Why was he hanging around waiting for her to make the next move? What was he waiting for, period? He looked up just as she disappeared into the fitting room, so he called out to her: "What if we called it your wedding dress?"
There was complete silence for a few moments. Everybody in the shop was looking at him as Abby's head poked around the corner of the curtain.
"What?"
"I mean it, let's get married. Today. There's a jewellers down the road where we can get the rings, you've already got the perfect dress right there. We can go along to City Hall right now to get the license. Come on Abby, what do you say? Don't think about it, just say what you feel."
His voice had become even more excited as he had carried on. It was almost infectious. They had been together for a while now, and they had been friends forever. They already practically lived together and they were both deeply in love… She had been standing there for a while in a bit of a daze while these thoughts ran through her head. She came to and realised that Carter was still looking at her, as was everyone else in the shop, waiting for her answer with one word in his eyes: "Please."
Abby turned slightly and looked at herself in the mirror. She smoothed down the skirt, looked herself up and down one last time, and then gave a little smile at her appearance, and at the image that had just come into her mind of growing old with John Carter. She looked up and caught Carter's eyes with hers in the mirror.
"Well," she said, smiling even more, "I suppose it is a lovely dress!"
Carter caught his breath. She looked exactly as he had thought she would. God she was beautiful.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked, giving him a little twirl. "They had these shoes as well but I'm not quite sure…"
He exhaled slowly, carefully watching his words so that he could convey exactly what he was thinking.
"You're beautiful, do you know that?"
"Well if I didn't you tell me often enough!"
"That dress looks exquisite on you. You have to buy it now, you know that? It was made for you."
"It is lovely," she said wistfully, "but I just can't afford it. It's a shame, because this would have really made Richard's mother choke on her crab cakes!"
"What if I lent you the money? We can call it rent seeing as I've been practically living in your apartment these last 4 months."
"That's sweet, John, but I don't need your money. This has been fun anyway, just you and me searching for a dress. We'll find something eventually, and even if we don't it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're going to be there."
She stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek, and then she turned around and headed back towards the fitting room. Looking at her as she turned something clicked inside Carter, just as it had that day last summer. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was the love of his life. They were soul mates. Why was he hanging around waiting for her to make the next move? What was he waiting for, period? He looked up just as she disappeared into the fitting room, so he called out to her: "What if we called it your wedding dress?"
There was complete silence for a few moments. Everybody in the shop was looking at him as Abby's head poked around the corner of the curtain.
"What?"
"I mean it, let's get married. Today. There's a jewellers down the road where we can get the rings, you've already got the perfect dress right there. We can go along to City Hall right now to get the license. Come on Abby, what do you say? Don't think about it, just say what you feel."
His voice had become even more excited as he had carried on. It was almost infectious. They had been together for a while now, and they had been friends forever. They already practically lived together and they were both deeply in love… She had been standing there for a while in a bit of a daze while these thoughts ran through her head. She came to and realised that Carter was still looking at her, as was everyone else in the shop, waiting for her answer with one word in his eyes: "Please."
Abby turned slightly and looked at herself in the mirror. She smoothed down the skirt, looked herself up and down one last time, and then gave a little smile at her appearance, and at the image that had just come into her mind of growing old with John Carter. She looked up and caught Carter's eyes with hers in the mirror.
"Well," she said, smiling even more, "I suppose it is a lovely dress!"
