2X The Heat (2X The Pleasure 1)

I supposed I could relax more now that I had a prospective dress. I decided to let the rest of my frustration out and then go for a run. I laced up my shoes, and went a few blocks and back. By the time I was back and showered, I had missed a few calls from Ivy.

“Hey, sorry I missed you.” I called her back.

“No worries, I was just on my way but I’m literally outside your door now.” On cue, there were four knocks.

I hung up and opened up the door to Ivy being swallowed up by a black dress bag.

“Oh, my goodness, there really is a dress!” I exclaimed.

She rushed in and set the dress on my bed, just a few paces from the door.

“Go ahead, open it.” She pressed. I looked the large bag over and then turned my attention to her.

“You look fancy.” She was in a tight skirt and pink blouse. She actually managed to get her hair in a bun.

“Yeah, it’s from the reveal we had. Open it up, I can’t wait for you to see it!”

Gently, I unzipped the bag as if I would break it or something. “You’re sure I can wear this?” I double checked before I looked even more.

“Yes. He won’t know it’s missing. I was supposed to bring it home anyway. Besides, he doesn’t remember half of the designs he has anyway.” She laughed, dropping herself onto my nicely dressed bed.

“Okay.”

I bit my lip nervously, pulling the dress from the bag. And my goodness, was it beautiful. The deep blue color was almost black, but the shine on it was amazing. The sweetheart neckline and shaped bodice would bring out my curves in a flattering way. I lifted it up, and was surprised by how light it was compared to how much fabric was cascading down.

“Try it on, I can hem it anywhere if you need it.”

I nodded, and stripped down to my underwear to put the dress on. She helped me zip it up. I didn’t have a full body mirror, so she took a picture and showed me. The look wasn’t even completed and I was already in love.

“You can borrow one of my heels. The length should be fine. It’s nice and dramatic anyway.” She giggled.

I nodded in agreement, looking down at the fabric. It glinted under the dim light as I moved around. I hadn’t noticed the bottom had intricate etchings on it, almost like flowers. It was so beautiful.

“This is so perfect, thank you Ivy!” I squealed.

“No problem, I can’t wait to do your hair too.”

She helped me out of it and then I hung it up and got dressed in my sweats again. It was like everything was coming together. I had figured it all out, it seemed.

The plans for the ball were all set up, and I actually had something to wear. I could get used to this relaxed feeling. Sure, it wasn’t over. Setup still had to happen and all that, but I could taste the success.

Ivy forced me into some jeans so we could go out to dinner. There was this amazing burger place nearby that we always went to, so we sat in there and had a few beers while we watched the soccer game.

“What the hell are we doing? We don’t watch soccer.” Ivy laughed.

“I know, but the guys are hot.” I giggled.

She nibbled on some fries.

“True. Maybe we should find men. Then we won’t have to use Groupons for dinner.” I laughed at her joke.

“I don’t care if I ever get rich, I will always coupon.” She clinked her bottle to mine in a cheer.

“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I never met Sasha.” I said over the noise of the crowd. It was starting to fill up, so I was glad we picked a seat in the corner.

“Do you think you wouldn’t have gotten the shop idea?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “maybe I would have worked with my dad or something. She showed me what selling the flowers would feel like. I love the feeling.” Ivy looked at me intently.