Compositions of Us

12 · The Ideal and The Unexpected

© an affiniteas 2013-2014 ink on Wattpad

12 · The Ideal and The Unexpected

The moment I stepped into the posh boutique with Belinda, I felt despair that I had agreed to do this in the first place. 

Rows of elegant dresses that ranged in different colors were splashed before my very eyes. As fancy as this place was with the imported leather waiting couches and full scale mirrors to show off, I was dreading every second. 

The drive was already cringe-worthy because of the thick cloud of awkward over our heads. Nigel was the only one who managed to keep me sane while I sat in the back with Belinda. The smell of her lavender perfume was getting to my head. Belinda wore a long, tan trench coat with fitted black pants and brown leather boots. Her burgundy bob was pulled back into an up-do, making her look like she just came out of a fashion magazine. 

Once the ladies who worked in this high end store noticed our presence, two of them immediately approached us with inviting smiles. It was either because we were their first customers of the year, or they knew Belinda quite well.  

One of them with bright blue eyes and bouncy blonde hair spoke up. "Mrs. Summers, what a pleasure to see you here! How can we help you?" 

Belinda then held her hand out towards me like I was a treasured object. "Hello girls. Olivia needs a stunning dress for an upcoming father-daughter dance. Show us your best dresses." 

Trying to hide my disinterest for the most part, I wished that it was my mom and I shopping together instead.  

The two girls followed Belinda like she was their cherished dictator and quickly showed us around the store. Dress after dress, I was starting to grow dizzy by all the options. Belinda kept nodding in excitement as the workers pulled out multiple short and long length dresses from the racks. My eyes widened when I noticed how the pile was becoming taller than me.  

I had to put an end to this. "I'm not going to try those all on. Most of those aren't even my type." 

The three of them finally snapped out of their dress hunting craze and turned around to look at me.  

When they caught my serious expression, Belinda's lips formed into a tight line. "I'm sorry. I must have gotten out of hand. Does anything in this store appeal to you?" 

Looking through their pile of dresses for me, I made it clear, "No unnecessary sparkles and glitter, no low cut dresses that shows off parts I want to keep to myself, nothing fluffy nor too tight, and no immensely bright colors that will blind not only me, but everyone else around me. I just want comfort and a calm color." 

That cut down the pile to three dresses. 

When they all anxiously instructed me to go inside the dressing room to try on the chosen three dresses, I exhaled slowly as I shut the door behind me. Hanging the three dresses on the metal rack, the first one was a sky blue dress that grazed gracefully along the floor. What I liked was the one shoulder look. As I was trying to zip the back up, I needed someone to close it for me since my arm couldn't go up any further. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. 

"Olivia?" Belinda called. "Did you want to come out and show us the dress?" 

In the midst of a struggle, I had no choice but to ask, "Hold on. Can you help me zip this up?" 

Opening the door for Belinda to come in, a bright smile emitted from her once she saw me wearing the elegant piece. She stepped in closer and pulled the troublesome zipper up in an instance.