Perhaps she too was head over heels.
“Are you having an epiphany Lilly? Have you realised that you adore him as well?” Olivia said and laughed as she tugged on Lilly’s arm to get her moving.
“I don’t know, I think I’m a bit stunned to be honest, the three of you are a breath of fresh air. I’m surrounded with bitter and miserable people and haven’t known anything different. I’ve always preferred to be a loner but perhaps I want to be something else.”
“So, yes, to the epiphany question then.” Olivia concluded on Lilly’s behalf.
“Maybe. It’s a lot to take in, one day fantasy and the next reality. Let’s change the subject, what shall we talk about next?” Lilly suggested.
“Not so fast sweetheart, how do you feel about Elijah? Because if you don’t feel the same then you need to back away now.” Olivia said.
“I feel the same,” Lilly said in almost a whisper. “I just didn’t think he did too.”
“Excellent news, we are here and we need to choose a fabulous dress to wow him. The first time I was here, she had an amazing purple silk dress, and it made me feel like a million pounds,” Olivia confessed.
Lilly decided she should live a little and enjoy the dress up session. She didn’t have a lot of girlfriends and hadn’t gone on a shopping trip before. Now was a good a time as any and she got the impression that Olivia wasn’t going to give her an option out. Following Olivia into the shop, she gave herself a pep talk for ten seconds. She decided not tobe a grump about choosing a dress. This shopping trip was about Olivia’s wedding day. If buying a new dress made her happy then so be it.
“Evelyn,” Olivia exclaimed, “it’s so lovely to see you again.”
Lilly spotted the elegant-looking woman behind the counter and smiled. There was an air of class about the place without being pretentious. Evelyn’s smile was warm and welcoming. Perhaps this wasn’t going to so bad after all. Lilly relaxed and introduced herself to Evelyn.
“Olivia dear, please go through to the changing room area, everything you asked for is waiting for you. The shop is yours until you leave.” Evelyn walked away and disappeared through a thick purple velvet curtain.
Lilly wandered around the room, trailing her fingers over the clothing that hung on thick wooden hangers. One type of clothing adorned the walls, rails full of colourful dresses, in fact as Lilly looked around all she saw were dresses. There was no other kind of clothes in the shop. She had never been in a shop that only sold dresses before.
“Olivia, is it just dresses here?”
“No, there are different rooms for different pieces of clothing. You can buy an entire outfit here, lingerie, shoes, jewellery, handbags, and pretty much anything else you need. Evelyn is a marvel, and this is her Aladdin’s cave. Now come through here and make yourself comfortable as we have work to do.”
“Work to do? I thought we were here to get me a dress for the wedding I haven’t been invited to,” Lilly asked.
“You’re hilarious Lilly, you’re going with Elijah to the wedding, and I thought we had discussed this in the hospital.”
“It would be nice to be asked.” Lilly muttered more to herself than Olivia as she went through to the next room.
It was vast, white and had high ceilings. The previous room was cosy and dark in comparison. On one side was a dressing room with a white cotton curtain pulled back and in the centre of the room sat a large sofa facing a six-inch high circular stage.
“He’ll ask you properly I’m sure. Now, stop whining as I need your help, but I need to set this thing up first. Take a seat on the sofa and smile.”
Olivia removed her tablet from her bag and placed it on the shelf on one side of the room opposite the sofa. Lilly smiled on command and watched with curiosity at what Olivia was up to. It all clicked into place when Olivia stepped back and she could see a woman grinning back at her.
“Is this the one?” Cecily said.
“Yes, isn’t she stunning?” replied Olivia
“She’s a beauty, I am so glad Elijah finally found her,” Cecily said and clapped her hands in excitement.
“Um, hello I can hear you,” Lilly interrupted them to say, feeling talked about and not talked to.
“Oh, we know, we like talking about you. Lilly, I’m Cecily, Olivia’s best friend and I am so happy you’re there to help her through this. If you weren’t, she would’ve run away to her sanctuary and start writing a book until the day of the wedding. Make sure she stays in public and doesn’t go back to being a recluse.”
“Ok, I can do that. Where are you exactly and when do you arrive?” Lilly asked.
“I’m in the US at the moment, at a gallery opening for my photographs. I should be arriving the day before the wedding, so no pressure, but it’s all on you,” Cecily said.
“Oh, ok, nothing like being thrown in the deep end, do you have any tips?” Lilly questioned.
“Hey, I can hear you, I’m just here.” Piped up Olivia smirking.
