Trish smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She was absolutely, positively convinced that no one in the entire world was as happy as she was at that exact moment. She was almost delirious with joy and she surprised herself by starting to giggle like a little school girl. She clamped her hands over her mouth in an effort to shut herself up, but she took one look at her bright eyes and she started all over again. Trish, get a hold of yourself. Shea and Katherine are going to think you've gone mad.
Trish finally got herself under control after a few minutes of quietly controlled breathing. She smiled at her reflection once again and was pleased to see that she looked more like a proper young woman than the hysterical child she had been moments before. She just could not get over the fact that in just over two weeks, she would be most happily married to the man of her dreams and they would embark on a life full of bliss and joy together.
She blushed as she thought of Henry. He was her soulmate, her perfect match in every way. He made her laugh like no one else, he made her giddy (as was just witnessed, she thought wryly), he erased all of her fears, just by being there. They had had their ups and downs like any couple, but in the end, they always ended up together. They were just meant to be.
Trish frowned as she thought of another potential suitor from her past. She and Henry had been on a break a few years before and she had hooked up with Hunter Jennings, someone from her own social standing who floated in the same society as herself. Her father had long told her that she would be infinitely more happy with someone whose background was very similar to her own, so she had tried to test his parental wisdom. The aftereffects had blown up in her face. She had realized than that she didn't care that Henry wasn't as wealthy as her family. She didn't care that his family wasn't anywhere near her own on the social ladder. She didn't even care that he used to clean her father's yacht. All she knew was that he made her feel like no one else ever had. She felt safe when his arms were wrapped around her. She felt happy when he whispered sweet words into her ears. Her heart skipped multiple beats whenever he walked into the room.
"Trish, honey? Is everything alright in there?" Shea's voice floated through the door.
"Yeah," she called back. "It'll be just a moment." She tenderly fingered the delicate fabric of the dress she wore. She had tried on hundreds just like it, but none had fit her perfectly the way that this one had. She had been incredibly lucky to find it, since it was the last one in the city and it was exactly her size. When she had pulled the dress on over her figure, for the very first time, she had marveled at how it clung to every curve just right. It had no longer been just any dress, but had just become the dress. She had decided to go on a spur of the moment shopping spree, so none of her girlfriends had been there when she had stumbled across it. It was going to be an absolute surprise to them, but she had decided it might be a good idea to get the opinion of someone, just to make sure that the dress really was meant for her.
Trish smiled coyly at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't one to toot her own horn, but she looked beautiful, nay, downright gorgeous. Her eyes twinkled in absolute bliss as she smoothed her hands down over the delicate fabric of the most beautiful dress she had ever worn. Her fingers trailed over the bodice and she made a mental note to go shopping for some wedding lingerie, now that she had the dress, when she got to the island. She remembered a cute little boutique from her last trip there. She should be able to find something.
A knock came at the door. "Yes?" Trish queried, not taking her eyes from the mirror.
One of the bridal shop employees poked her head around the cracked open door. With amusement evident in her eyes, she whispered conspiratorially, "I think your family is itching to see you now. Are you almost ready?"
Trish rolled her eyes dramatically, before flashing the sales associate a broad grin through the mirror. "Almost," she replied. "Probably another couple of minutes."
"Alright." The associate disappeared, shutting the dressing room door firmly behind her, and Trish could hear faint voices outside as the associate relayed the message to the Wellington women.
Trish remembered when she had first tried the dress on...
She had been having a rough day and she had felt that an impromptu shopping spree by herself was exactly what the doctor ordered. She had bags filling both hands as she walked down the avenue towards her car, ready to head home. Then she spied the tiny bridal boutique, sitting back, away from the street, nestled snugly between two larger stores. She had paused, thinking. She still hadn't found the dress and she most definitely hadn't seen this boutique before. Dumping her bags into her car, she went back to the little storefront and admired the small window selection before opening the door and stepping inside.
The only associate in the store, an elderly woman who had to have been the store owner, had greeted her warmly and then left her free to shop, uninhibited by potentially overwhelming assistance. She had informed Trish to let her know if she needed help with anything. Trish had welcomed the peace and silence the store had to browse the limited selection of dresses on display. Considering the somewhat hidden location of the store, she wasn't at all surprised to see that she was the only client there.
After twenty minutes of browsing, she had resigned herself to the fact that the dress was not going to be found on the boutique. She was on her way back towards the door, when a dress hanging on a rack behind the sales counter had caught her attention. With each step that brought her closer, she found herself slowly falling in love with it. Quickly capturing the attention of the associate, she had inquired after the dress. Her heart sank within her when the elderly woman told her that the dress was on hold for another client who had placed a deposit a few months earlier. Trish immediately offered to pay double the price of the dress if the woman would sell it to her. The woman declined but continued on, to Trish's delight, to say that the other bride had not contacted the store in several weeks, so the dress was dangerously close to being sent back on the floor.
With a twinkle in her eyes, the woman reverently removed the dress from the rack and draped it carefully over her arm. She started walking towards the dressing room at the back of the store, whilst beckoning to Trish to follow. "It wouldn't hurt to try it on," she said secretly, as though fearful of being overheard.
"Go ahead, dear," the woman said, hanging the dress off of a peg just inside the door of the only dressing room. She backed out and Trish could hear her whistling as she went back towards the front of the store. She gazed at the dress once more, before slowly slipping it off of the hangar. Throughout the entire negotiation with the store owner, Trish had failed to even inquire after the size of the dress. It would have been tragic if she had spent so much time trying to get the dress only to find that it wasn't even her size, especially as it was also mentioned that it was a one of a kind dress. Eyeballing the garment tag hanging around the hangar's neck, Trish was delighted to see that it was marked as her size. She only prayed that too many alterations hadn't already been done.
Stripping down, she stepped into the dress and slid it up over her body. After struggling for several moments, she finally got the zipper zipped up, all the while reassuring herself that that was what bridesmaids were for. Finally she stood, resplendent in white, with her back facing the three way mirror. Her heart was racing frantically within her chest. The moment of truth. She could barely bring herself to look at her reflection, but she knew she couldn't stand in suspense forever. Taking a deep breath, she spun around.
She almost shrieked in ecstasy. It was the one! It fit so perfectly, clinging to every curve in all the right places! Trish could barely contain her excitement. She almost didn't want to take it off. She stood silently in front of the mirror, admiring the dress from every possible angle. She felt like such a fairytale princess in the dress. It would completely fit her fairytale wedding. She had to find some way to get this dress. She crossed her fingers and prayed with all her might that the dress could be hers, somehow.
Trish smiled in remembrance of that day. Everything had been put in order for the wedding, but she had had the worst luck in finding her wedding dress. Then, fate had brought her to the door of that bridal shop. Fate had also seen the dress into her possession, two weeks after she had first tried it on. Now it was the week before her wedding and she had come to pick it up to take it home. She had brought her stepmother, sister and niece with her to finally see the dress that she had been raving about for several weeks.
Giving herself one last glance, she opened the door and stepped out to gasps of surprise and exclamations of beauty.