The Wedding Plan

Chapter 26

Saturday came, and they were about to go dress shopping. Sebastian looked at the time as he parked his car in front of Eleanor's apartment. He got ready quickly and somehow managed to arrive earlier than he was supposed to. This was a first for him, and he could not be more excited about it.

As Eleanor walked through the door, he let out an amazing smile than she could not avoid.

'You're on time. This deserves a celebration.'

'Early actually, and on a Saturday morning, nonetheless. Have I finally earned your respect?' he teased as he was amused to see the effect that he had on her.

'Regarding time, yes. Now let's see about fashion.'

The boutique had vintage look it. It had amazing antique furniture painted white and with gold nobs. There were freshly cut flowers that added a pop of color and an amazing scent to the place. A crystal chandelier pended from the ceiling where the sunlight hit after crossing the huge windows, and the sun reflected off the crystal, creating a mesmerizing effect. The shop looked like a whole new world as the city stayed outside, as if it was so distant from them. Eleanor felt transported into a fairytale ballroom.

'This place is amazing,' she gasped. 'How did you find it?'

'It belongs to one of my mom's best friends. She's like an aunt to me and agreed to help us out. We have the entire place for ourselves for the day.'

'Then, won't it be a problem bringing me here? I thought no one was supposed to know.'

'That's true, but I thought it might be wise to have some close friends knowing about you, to make it seem more real.'

'I see.'

In all honesty, Sebastian just thought that Eleanor would enjoy the place. And even though none of this between them was real, part of him wanted to show off to the people around him how amazing his date was, and that oddly enough he was a lot happier than before. Just because of spending some time with her, the world did not seem such a lonely and cold place anymore.

An older lady appeared from the back of the store, dressed in soft pastel colors, and her aura could not have matched better with the boutique aesthetic.

'Sorry to keep you waiting. Today I was supposed to be closed, and technically I'm. But I made an exception,' she said with a motherly and tender smile, looking at the couple.

'Aunt Margaret, I'm the one who has to apologize for asking you this when you are about to take a few days off.'

'Don't you worry about that. I will forgive you if you give me a hug and introduce me to this lovely young lady.'

Sebastian tightly hugged his aunt and introduced Eleanor as his girlfriend. Eleanor froze as she heard Sebastian calling her his girlfriend, and her heart stopped for a few seconds. On the other hand, Sebastian didn't even flinch. He did not seem to be bothered by it at all.

Margaret guided the two of them to a dressing room. Sebastian sat on a comfortable velvet gray couch as the two women went through the door in front of him.

After carefully analyzing Eleanor's figure, Margaret looked for a few different styles of dresses that would suit her and hung them inside the dressing room.

'I'll be right back. I just have an email that really needs to be answered, so take your time,' the older woman said to the couple, leaving them alone to face each other.

'Then I'm going to try on the first one,' Eleanor said as she went through the door in front of the couch.

'Can't wait.' He smiled, teasing her, at which she responded by rolling her eyes.

Eleanor put on the first dress. It was a long dress without sleeves and a sweetheart neckline in an amazing shade of dark blue; the fabric was lightly weighted without being see-through.

'I don't think a long dress is the best choice for me. I'm too short. Margaret said that with heels the length won't,' — as she walked forward, she tripped on the dress and closed her eyes as she braced herself to the fall — 'be a problem.'

As she opened her eyes, she realized that she was in Sebastian's arms. He had gotten up in a second as soon as realized that she had tripped, and she ended up falling into his arms and against his chest.

He chuckled.

'So clumsy.'

She looked up at his smile, and his penetrating blue eyes, and something in her shifted. She started to wonder if love at first sight was possible. Well, maybe not at first sight, but after a few first looks. I think Larissa was right. I think it is too late. She thought at that moment. No, it can be too late. We are just confused. It's not possible, none of this real.

Her hands were on his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat. It wasn't just her heart that was racing. Even though Sebastian looked as confident and calm as he always did, his heart was beating fast and out of control, just like hers.

Eleanor blushed, but Sebastian didn't even move a single muscle. He was holding her in his arms and for a few seconds, nothing else mattered.

'I'm sorry.'

She stepped a few inches away from him, realizing she had been holding her breath. Margaret came back without neither one of them noticing it and saw them in each other's arms.

'Long dresses are a big no,' Eleanor said, quickly stepping away from him as she saw the older woman approaching them. 'I just tripped on this one.'

Margaret chuckled at Eleanor's nervousness and nodded. She came back with even more dresses for her to try, and Sebastian sighed as he saw his aunt drowning in a rainbow of fabric.