Nora was my best friend, and even in the six years since I’d left New York, that status hadn't changed. We were used to talking to each other, so I knew no matter what was still my best friends. Even with the distance between us, we’d visited and talked often, but this was my first time back in New York since I left, and it was because Nora was getting married.
I knew she was dating, but when I heard her boyfriend proposed, I was surprised, seeing as they´d only dated for three months, and here I was, a couple months after the proposal, Nora’s appointed chief bridesmaid.
I was with him. The one whose name I try not to say out loud for years, part of me was envious when Nora said that she’d only been dating a few months before she got the magic ring.
As I walked into the bathroom and stripped to have a quick shower, my thoughts went back to six years ago. Back when Nora and I graduated, and I was the happiest woman in the world…only, it didn’t last.
Quickly finishing up with the shower, I grabbed a towel to wrap around my hair, and the other around my body, leaving the bathroom and leaving those thoughts behind as well.
It’s all in the past, I tried to tell myself. It was just being back in New York that was making my thoughts of the past stronger.
In the bedroom, Nora had made herself at home on the bed. She also had an outfit laid out for me, which meant she’d gone through my things. I looked at the dress she’d picked for me, and frowned.
“There’s no way I’m wearing a dress that short,” I said, eyeing her maxi dress clad body pointedly. “New York is far too cold for that.”
“If you weren’t planning on wearing it, then why did you even bring it?” she retorted.
“I packed that for special occasions, not for going out with you to pick your wedding dress. I have some jeans, I’ll just put on a pair.”
She purse
d her lips, but didn’t say anything as she watched me put the dress back in my suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans, a white top, and a leather jacket. I stared at her until she sighed and got off the bed to leave me to get dressed.
“What are you being so shy for? I’ve already seen all there is to see,” she complained.
“It’s been six years, what if something’s changed, huh?” I challenged. “I could have gotten a piercing or a tattoo or something.”
Nora paused and looked back at me. “Really?”
She looked curiously, but I pushed her out of the bedroom. Like hell I would do something so crazy. Not only was I very afraid of physical pain, even with all the emotional pain I left New York with, it was never enough to do something so reckless, no matter how drunk I got.
I dressed up quickly and met Nora in the living room. I wanted to go to the kitchen and whip up something to eat, but she just grabbed me and impatiently dragged me outside.
“Nora, I haven’t eaten anything,” I whined.
“Doesn’t matter, we can get something on the way.”
Her voice was a mix of anxiety and eagerness. So, I let her do as she pleased and smiled secretly behind her back.
The real reason I wasn’t staying with Nora, was because I knew she would need some time to herself. She was excited to be getting married, but she was just as equally anxious, which was why I’d had to take a couple weeks off work and come be with her as she finished the preparations for her hasty wedding. If I stayed with her, she’d keep me awake all night talking her anxiety and excitement out, and we wouldn’t get anything done.
There was also how she kept waking up too early and expecting me to follow her everywhere. It was my first time off from work in a while, yet looking after an overly excited Nora took more out of me than my job did.
We did stop by somewhere to have some coffee and muffins, then headed to the bridal store to look at wedding dresses. We were a bit early for the appointment, but since the store didn’t have any prior appointments, it wasn’t a problem. The attendant that met us led us to some seats that were situated around one of the platforms where women stood on display with their dresses, and handed us a portfolio.
“Since you didn’t make any special arrangements before,” the attendant explained. “Please look over these dresses and let me know which style works for you. We have these all on hand, though we might need to adjust the size for you…”
“No, it’s all right,” Nora said quickly. “I want the size I specified before.”
The attendant hesitated, but finally nodded and stepped aside.
Nora and I started looking through the portfolio.
“Hey, Brooklyn! Come look at this one, isn’t it pretty? Oh, this one, too! And this one!”
I rolled my eyes as she kept exclaiming at each photo, but I had to admit they all looked beautiful. After ten minutes of her gushing over everything, she picked out a few she liked, and from those, I helped her pick from those what she would look best in. When we were ready, we called the attendant back so Nora could show her the dresses we wanted.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” she said with a firm nod, and turned around to leave.