Mama Torres smiled warmly before embracing me. “You ready to find you a dress,mija?”
“Absolutely! Let’s go,” I replied excitedly, looping my arm through hers and following her to her car. I’d never owned a formal dress before so I was thrilled to finally have a reason to get one. And to spend more time with Mama Torres.
We drove to the nearby beachside mall that had several stores that sold formal attire. To my surprise, Alice had met up with us, saying I would need a second opinion on my dress, and to find one of her own. The guys thought I’d have more fun if my best friend was invited to the gala. Which was true.
The three of us had a blast going through the different stores looking at dresses. While Mama Torres was a motherly figure, she sure knew how to have fun as one of the girlfriends. Alice and her got along wonderfully and would take turns picking out different dresses they thought I should try on. I lost count of how many by the time we reached the fourth and final store that had formal attire.
“Okay if we don’t find you one here, I’m starting a revolt,” Alice said seriously.
“I’m sorry. I just want to find the right one is all,” I groaned, knowing I was probably being a bit too picky. But if she had three of the hottest dates to ever exist, she’d want to find the perfect dress too.
“You take all the time you need, Sophia. Alice is just hungry,” Mama Torres told me, patting my cheek lovingly.
“How do you know that?” Alice shot derisively.
Mama Torres chuckled and tapped her ear. “I have exceptional hearing,mija.Your stomach has been growling since we left the first store.”
I laughed and Alice huffed. “I skipped breakfast.”
“It’s okay. We’ll get some lunch after this store. I think we could all use a break if we have to go somewhere else,” Mama Torres soothed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her to one of the racks.
I wandered to another section that was in the far back corner of the boutique. These dresses were floor length and were separated by color. I loved any color blue, but in my mind, I kept picturing myself wearing red. I’d voiced that opinion early on in the dress search to the other two, but none of us had found one that fit my shape and just gave me that aha moment.
Alice had found a gorgeous emerald gown that had lace sleeves and a slightly puffy skirt in the third store we visited. It was stunning on her and really brought out the green in her eyes. But I was starting to lose hope I’d find the right one for me. And—like Alice—I was also starving and ready to grab some food. Who knew shopping could take so much out of you.
I’d just finished looking through another rack of disappointment, when a red dress that was stuck in the wrong section caught my eye. It was wedged between two sapphire blue gowns and barely peaked out. I wasn’t sure why I was pulled over to it, but curiosity to see what dress this was nagged at me.
Sliding my hand between the two blue gowns, I latched onto the hanger of the red one and gently tugged it out from between them. Splaying the dress out across my arms, I gasped.
This was my dress.
It was bright, blood red with an off the shoulder, sweetheart neckline and short sleeve cuffs. It had a flattering, yet relaxed bodice that cascaded into a mermaid style silhouette. And on one side was a high slit. The material was also beyond soft and had a bit of stretch to it, which would make it far more comfortable than it looked to wear. It was sexy, yet tame. And I wanted more than any dress I’d ever wanted in my life.
Shockingly enough, when I checked the tag the dress was in my size. Call it fate or just a happy coincidence, but I knew this was the dress I’d been waiting for.
“Sophia! We found some more options,” Alice called behind me.
I turned and held up the dress I’d found as her and Mama Torres approached. “No need. I’m pretty sure this is the one.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Alice sighed, slipping the couple of dresses she’d been holding onto a random rack.
“Ay dios mio,you have to try it on. It’s perfect,” Mama Torres insisted, grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me through the aisles toward the dressing room. Not like I needed the help, but I was glad she was just as excited as I was to see this dress on me.
It was a tornado of clothes flying off of me the moment the dressing room door was closed. I was in such a rush to put this thing on. And my God was it worth the hours spent looking through dress after dress.
It hugged all my curves in just the right places and the built in bra pushed my boobs up making them look much fuller and more perky than they normally were. It took my breath away seeing myself in something so exquisite.
I grinned broadly at my reflection, then announced to the others I was coming out to show them.
When I did, Mama Torres placed a hand over her heart and smiled warmly. Alice’s eyes practically bugged out of her head and her jaw skimmed the floor.
“Holy shit. You’re a knockout! That’s definitely the dress,” Alice stated not so eloquently. “I might kick your ass if you don’t choose it actually.”
“You look beautiful,mija,”Mama Torres declared emotionally. “Those boys aren’t going to know what to do with you.”
“I can think of a few things they’ll do to her,” Alice snarked in amusement, earning an elbow to the side from Mama Torres.
Laughing, I clapped my hands excitedly. “Okay this is the one then! I can’t wait to see the guys’ faces!”
