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Maya: Who knows, maybe it’ll make you want to wear a real one sooner rather than later?

Maya: No pressure. Just hoping here.

Doamne. (EN: Jesus.)

I can’t even be mad at her for sending me blindly into this madness.

Those last two messages send an entire swarm of butterflies through my stomach. My eyes linger on the screen for another second before I set my phone down, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through me.

I can’t deny it—the thought of Zayn seeing me dressed like this fills me with emotions I don’t even know how to describe.

It’s absolutely insane.

We’ve been together for less than three months. And I would never want him to feel pressured into anything, or pushed to take our relationship to another level.

Especially after our parents admitted they manipulated things a little to bring us together.

I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, beside exactly who I’m supposed to be with.

The realization settles deep in my chest, warm and certain, even as a tiny thread of doubt pulls at me.

I just hope he feels the same way.

“You have absolutely gorgeous hair,” one of the girls says as she holds the dress open in front of me. “This deep shade of purple is stunning.”

A few days ago, after finding my hair products buried in my luggage, I decided to go back to purple.

And when Zayn saw me…

Well, his reaction to my appearance left me unable to walk properly for quite a while afterward.

At some point, we both forgot he was injured and supposed to be careful with sudden movements, not putting strain on himself.

Even now, just remembering the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, sends heat rushing through my entire body.

My thighs instinctively press together, and I quickly force my attention back to the women surrounding me.

This is a very inappropriate place and time to be thinking about that.

Smiling politely, I thank her, though I can’t really manage anything else.

“We believe this dress is the centerpiece of the collection,” Melissa tells me, pointing proudly to the breathtaking creation in front of me. “But you can look through all of them and choose anything you want.”

“The other girls will get dressed after we finish your shots,” another woman announces, adjusting the camera in her hands. “And at the end, I want one big group picture…”

I nod to show I understand.

This is definitely not how I planned to spend today. And I really hope Zayn isn’t trapped in an atmosphere this hectic, because he’ll exhaust himself too much.

Still, after making it this far—after being styled, having my hair done, and getting my makeup finished before I even fully realized what was happening—I suppose the only thing left to do is see it through to the end.

I don’t need to look at the other dresses.

The one they chose for me is exactly what I imagine every single time I think about the day I’ll become a bride.

“The one you picked is perfect,” I tell them softly. “Let’s just hope it fits me.”

“I don’t understand why you think it wouldn’t,” Melissa says immediately, sounding genuinely offended. “You’re absolutely stunning, Selene. You’re feminine, and you’ve got curves in all the right places.”