Grifter|| A Love Story||

11

"You're going to have to suck in!" Claire shrieked, pulling the back of my dress together. Attempting--or more like failing to zip me up, filling the room with her grunts and curses. I half expected her foot to find the middle of my back so she could get more leverage. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. 

"Yeah, if I could suck in I would!" I hissed, putting a hand on top of my stomach. As she sucked my breaths from me with every tug she gave. Making the material cling to my body even more. 

"You're too fat for this dress, Lex!" She gave up, releasing the dress, leaving me room to breathe again. Ahhh-- Claire and her wonderful bursts of bluntness. Smack her or love her, take it or leave it. You got what you got with that one. 

"I'm not fat! I'm pregnant!" I turned on my toes and slapped her hard on the arm. I pouted my lip as a smile spread across her glistening face. She cupped my cheeks in her sisterly wisdom and cocked her head to the side. 

"And I can't wait to meet my niece," I rolled my eyes at her insistence. 

"You think its a girl?" I absentmindedly rubbed my stomach as she shrugged.

"Or nephew! I mean I am going to be the coolest aunt on this planet!" She beamed with pride at the thought and I could only imagine what Claire would teach my child. 

"Please don't teach the baby how to hack. The last thing I need is them trying to get into bank accounts or trying to change their grades on the school's website." I whined and all she could do was laugh at me hysterically. Gleaming a hint of mischief in her eyes. 

"I'm not making any promises!" She tapped my cheeks and spun me back around towards the mirror. Forcing me to look at myself in my off-white, ankle-length, semi-formal wedding dress. With lace on the shoulders and lace covering my chest, I looked like I always wanted to. A queen. But not just any queen, Sebastian's queen. 

"We will just tuck these parts in," Claire said, tucking the edges into my dress. Securing them with pins so they wouldn't fall out, leaving half my back exposed. But to me, it wouldn't matter anyway. The wedding was so small, no one would notice and if they did, I'd punch them all in the face for mouthing off. Thank you aggressive pregnancy hormones! 

"You look beautiful. I can't believe you two are finally getting married." She said placing her chin on my shoulder, admiring ourselves in the floor-length mirror. 

"I can't believe I bought this dress a month ago and my belly is already showing. I wanted this to be so perfect," I tried to hold back the hormones leaking out of my eyes, but alas, I failed. Again. I barely kept myself together these days. Between the puking and crying, I don't know how Bastian has put up with me. Although, in an hour's time, he would have no choice but to keep me. I'm going to be his wife, his real-life wife. 

"You're stupid. Everything is already perfect! You and Sebastian are what I wish for every day. " she smiled. 

"What about Dave?" I raised a brow eyeing her reaction in the mirror.

"Meh, Dave is Dave. He loves me, but he doesn't shower me in it. Bas has always and will forever worship your feet, that's all I'm sayin'." She said through a smile. 

"I can see how he looks at you. Dave has admired and loved you since the beginning. He's your soulmate!" She quickly kissed my cheek and went back to pinning the side of my hair. 

"And one of these days he'll wise up and realize he needs to marry me."She said her voice cracking at the thought. 

"He will! Do I need to tell him what's up? Beat him up for you?" I teased, hoping to make her smile and I succeeded, but she shook her head.