Love, Emma

Chapter Fifty:

"Oooh, Emma you should buy this one!" I turn to face Luke, and instantly blush at the skanky, blood red, too-tiny bikini top in his hands.

"Luke, put that away! I'm not buying that." He has a knowing smile as he hangs it back on the rack, walking up behind me to see the swimsuits in front of me.

"Oh, no. Hell no, Emma you are not buying another one-piece swim suit, I refuse."

"What? Why not?"

He grips my shoulders softly, turning me to guide me away from the one-piece section and towards the bikini sets. I cringe at some of the more revealing ones; plunging necklines, numerous cuts in bikini bottoms, complicated wraps and ties to cross over your stomach. Who wears this stuff?

"Emma, sweetie, look in the mirror!" He spins me around to face one of the many floor length mirrors around the store. "Do you not see these to die for curves you have? Show them off- and not in a one piece."

I subconsciously reach for the ends of my cardigan, pulling it to cover my body as I look away.

"Nope, none of that hiding behind cardigan stuff, not today. Girl, look at how gorgeous you are! You should let other people see that too. If not other people, then at the very least Nathan. Which is why I refuse to let you buy a one-piece swim suit for your cottage weekend with him."

He walks back to the rack, and pulls off a few bikini tops at random.

"Now, you shouldn't buy anything you're uncomfortable with. It should still be you. But, to get us started, why not try these four on so we can eliminate style options, sound fair?"

I don't get to respond, Luke is already ushering me into a dressing room, and closing the door behind me. I have to smile at his excitement; of all my friends, Luke is the best one to take shopping. Not only does he love it, but he is tirelessly enthusiastic.

I pull on the first top, and cringe as I examine it in the mirror. The tiny blue cut outs over my chest look like they should be on a five-year old's swimsuit, and the string ties are so flimsy I'm afraid they're going to undo themselves.

I don't even show Luke, like he told me I had to when we arrived at the mall. Instead, I take it off and hang it over the door so he can take it back.

"Emmaaaaa," he whines as he grabs it, a frown obvious by the sound of his voice, "you said you would cooperate."

"I will, just not with that one."

The second one has no straps, which makes me very leery of it's durability, but the second I open the door and peak my head out Luke is squealing to run up and see.

"I don't like it." I throw my opinion out there before he can convince me to buy it. He rolls his eyes playfully, smiling at me.

"Fine, take it off and try the next one."

The third one is so bad I refuse to look at it in the mirror when I put it on. The triangular cut-outs just below my breast are so revealing they make me blush; I can only imagine what the matching bikini bottoms are like.

"Absolutely not." I barely peak the door open for Luke to offer his opinion. I know it's bad when he takes a quick glance and then immediately diverts his eyes to the wall beside him, awkwardly reaching up to scratch his neck.

"Um, don't get me wrong, I think you should show off how good you look. But the big brother in me is screaming to wrap you in a towel and never let a member of the male species look at you, so I don't think that, um, style is going to work." As soon as the words are out of his mouth his eyes fly wide open, nearly bugging out of his head as he turns back to me.