Chapter 2 - The Perfect Dress

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Chapter 2

VIVIENNE WAS never the type of girl to dream of wedding gown shopping. Perhaps that was why she had put it off for so long. She looked around for so long, with no success in finding the right dress. Finally, she accepted her friend Julian's offer to go to Manna City to find one.

As she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror in the public restroom, she saw the cameo necklace still hanging dull and lifeless around her neck. On her ring finger was Daniel's engagement ring. Soon, there would be a wedding band to follow.

She tried to force a smile onto her lips, but she hardly looked like a blushing bride. Janun, Allison, and Daniel's sister had all gone with her several times to try on wedding gowns. At some point, even the most patient of friends and family members threw their hands up at her demands. Not that she was terribly picky; the dresses just never felt right.

Vivienne met Julian outside the back entrance to the dock. He had a car waiting for them. He was wearing a black Balmain jacket with a gold pocket patch, matching Balmain jeans, and spiked men's Louboutins. Somehow, he made it all work. Vivienne smiled helplessly as she looked him up and down.

"I don't know if that is enough, Balmain," Vivienne said. "Maybe you need Balmain socks or something."

"No, socks are out this season," Julian informed her earnestly, as he held the door open for her. "And you, you seriously need some bling. I'm almost embarrassed to be seen with you. People will think I'm shopping with my housekeeper."

Vivienne had a feeling he was going to mock her simple t-shirt and jeans. She had brought something along for the occasion. Vivienne reached into her bag and pulled out the only piece of jewelry she still had from the pieces Blake had given her. It was a shimmering 30-carat yellow diamond, flanked by a halo of a diamond set on a ring. She had taken it by accident. It was in a pocket of a jacket she had absently packed during her flight from Manna City.

She slipped it onto her ring finger, and Julian whistled. "Wow, you know how to pack a punch, princess." Julian picked up her hand and studied the ring up close. "Present from Blake?"

Vivienne nodded. She hadn't worn it until now. Hearing his name just made her feel a wave of sadness again. As much as she once felt annoyed by Blake's effusive gift giving, now she felt a strange sense of affection for the gift. Perhaps, for the terrible soul-crushing cost of having a gift such as hers, she deserved a magnificent reward such as this.

"I should take it off; it doesn't feel right."

"No, don't you dare take it off!" Julian yelled. "He would have wanted you to wear it and enjoy it."

As Vivienne felt the cold, hard weight of the stone on her fingers, she realized Julian was probably right. Blake had given it to her to enjoy because he loved her. He would not want her to grieve for him for the rest of her life.

~*~

At the dress store, they greeted by several eager sales associates. They must have thought she was a celebrity, or an heiress based on her ring. Little did they know, she was just a college student marrying an accountant. They put her and Julian in a private fitting room and brought her their most expensive dresses. The first one they made her try on was a Cinderella ballgown with a million tiny crystals sewn into the dress and cathedral veil. Vivienne tried to protest, but they locked her in the fitting room until she put it on.

Vivienne sighed as she forced herself into the dress. They misunderstood. Vivienne didn't want a ballgown, just something modest. She and Daniel were planning to go to city hall and having a small dinner afterward. She probably couldn't even fit this monstrous dress through the entrance to the government building. Vivienne stormed out of the dressing room to see Julian's eyes widen at the sight of her in the dress.

"Wow, no, really. I'm speechless," Julian jumped up and walked up to her. He did a 360 walk around her and nodded to himself. "I think you're taking this one."

"No, absolutely not!" Vivienne snapped. "Are you crazy? Did you hear anything when I said I wanted a simple dress?"

Julian snapped his fingers at the saleswoman. "She loves this. Can you make this with more diamonds? Maybe off-shoulder sleeves? And a longer veil, she wants to rival the queen of England."

The saleswoman nodded eagerly at Julian's requests and jotted everything down. "We will make it different, so when you see her on your wedding day it will be a completely different dress," the saleswoman said coyly to Julian. She started taking measurements of Vivienne's waist. "We will have to charge extra to meet your deadline, though. I'm sure that is not a concern for you, sir. If only all our brides had such an involved groom."

"Oh, no," Vivienne snapped, trying to escape from her measuring tape. "He's not the groom. He's just a friend."

"Oh," the saleswoman said, patting Julian playfully on the shoulder. "Pardon my mistake; it's just that you two make a beautiful couple." Embarrassed, the saleswoman escaped the room to fetch more champagne.

Vivienne rolled her eyes at Julian. "I can't believe she thought we were together. Not in this lifetime." Vivienne struggled to reach the buttons at the back of her dress to take it off. The dress moved in dreamy lace ripples around her as she twirled. Vivienne had to admit; there was something magical in this dress. It just wasn't right for her, not for this wedding. "You are right; this is beautiful. But there's no way I can afford something like this on my salary."

"Don't worry, beautiful. I got it. Let me buy you something."

"Aren't you trying to save up for Victoria's college fund?" Vivienne wrinkled her nose at him. "Seriously, this dress must cost more than a year's tuition."

Julian came up from behind her and placed his hand on her bare shoulder. With his other hand, he caught her hand and twirled her around. He caught her by the waist and pulled her up against him. "Did anyone ever tell you, you ask too many questions, princess?" He leaned in close and pressed her body against his.

Vivienne chuckled as she allowed him to waltz her around the room. Then, as she caught sight of the two of them dancing in the mirror, she felt her mirth turn to sadness. It reminded her of the last night she had with Blake. They were going to spend a lifetime together. It should have been Blake, not Daniel, for whom she wore this dress.

Vivienne couldn't stop the tears from coming. She sobbed into Julian's shoulder, drenching his jacket. "I'm sorry," Vivienne said as she tried to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand. "It's been years. I don't know why I still do this."

Julian nodded and gently took her cheek in his palm. His hand grew warm as it contacted her skin. It was her power; her damned power. "I understand," Julian whispered. "I would never try to take his place. I loved him too."

Vivienne felt another sob well up in her throat. And then, she wasn't sure what happened next. Maybe he kissed her or she kissed him. Either way, they ended up in a terrible, violent embrace. Vivienne felt her knees grow weak, and she sat on the floor in Julian's arms. His beautiful lips continued to kiss her, tenderly quieting her sobs. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held him until her fingers left imprints under her death grip.

"You can never be him," Vivienne whispered as she angrily kissed him back.

"No, never," Julian promised as he unbuttoned the back of her dress.


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