Storm, Meet Raine

Multi-date.

HER.

     "You look stunning," Karlo tells me, a big smile on her face. She takes her hands from off of my arms, and hugs me. "Thank you so much, again. I know it was last minute," she murmurs in my ear before backing away, smoothing the sides of my fitted dress down.

     "You don't have to thank me," I shrug my shoulders, absentmindedly looking into the opposite direction in search of Carson. "I'm always willing to help."

     "You'd make such a good daughter-in-law," she tsks before changing subject. "Speaking of daughters, where're mine?" She looks around, briefly walking away from me, leaving me to wander around the small area they pushed us into so that we couldn't come in contact with the groomsmen or the bride. Some older looking women come up to me, bright smiles on their faces. Smiles similar to Karlo's.

     "Hello!" A woman with teased, brown hair speaks up first, her eyebrows round and thin as she lifts them, looking me up and down. "Well I'll be damned, you are beautiful," she grips my arms, holding me at an arm's length to get a better view. I quickly change the frown on my face, remembering to be nice and not pull her strong hands away from my body. "I remember when I looked like that. Do you remember, Janet?" She asks her friend.

     The Janet lady rounds my figure, her fingers dancing around my hair before she stops beside the woman gripping my arms. "Oh yes, I remember."

     "Hey stop squeezing her to death, Teresa!" I turn around, watching as a girl with light brown hair and skater, black dress marches over in the highest heels I've ever seen in my life. Teresa, I guess her name is, let's go of me, apologizing.

     "We're a very affectionate family," she waves her hand, explaining to me her behavior.

     "That doesn't mean you get to strangle the guests," I recognize her as one of Carson's sisters. Her name, I don't remember. Korinne or Kennedy. "You're Raine, right?" Her silver eyes flicker from Teresa and Janet to me. "From the baseball team?"

     "Yes, hi," I say shyly. She seems like she's in big sister mode and the silly, teasing one I met wasn't anywhere to be found.

     "Hi. You look great," she gives me a reassuring smile before taking me by the arm. "Let's get away from these old hags," she whispers to me, giggling a bit.

     I don't laugh with her, but it didn't matter because she was on to the next thing. "So my mom got shooed away by the planner. I'm in charge of getting all the bridesmaids in the right place." She leads me out of the room, which leads to outside. Our hair flows in the light breeze of the late afternoon weather as we walk down the sidewalk. "Are you excited?"

     "About being a bridesmaid for someone I haven't met or...?" I trail off, looking at her from the corner of my eye. We turn to the right, following the curve of the sidewalk, which reveals a grand set of  white concrete steps for us to climb...in heels.

     She giggles, "Hell no! I know that has to be awkward. Don't worry, she's nice," she assures me. "I'm talking about my brother seeing you."

     My heart does a little flutter at the mention of him. I shrug for affect, not wanting to seem so intrigued by his reaction. Would he like how I look? I thought I looked pretty freaking cute in my mini dress and heels. The dress was shorter than I'd like to wear at a wedding, but what the bride wants, the bride gets, and she insisted on us wearing short dresses. I just hope she didn't dress us up so that we'd be pawned off to some filthy men during the reception. "Sure I guess."

     She doesn't comment until we reach the top of the steps, right in front of the big revolving door of the gigantic wedding venue. It looks like a mini mansion, with a mix of modern and Greek-style architecture. My eyes scan over the tall pillars on either side of the revolving door. Are we really in Florida?