The Trouble With Falling

SEVENTEEN

Hartley

I turn sideways,checking out my reflection in the bathroom mirror. It’s the night of the wedding and I just finished getting dressed. The little black dress that was hanging in the back of my closet fits snugger than I remembered but it still looks good on me.

My bra is digging into me but it was the only strapless bra that I owned. I’m starting to see why I stopped wearing this dress. I try to adjust it, but the wire just digs into my skin more. I wince, studying myself in the mirror closer.

I bet I could go without a bra. This dress is so tight anyway. Who would even be able to tell?

I debate it for another second, but the clasp starts to dig into my back and makes up my mind for me. I have to wiggle and shimmy to get the bodice down enough for me to undo the bra and pull it out. A knock sounds at the door and I grunt, struggling with the dress.

“Just a second!” I call out.

More wiggling and dancing around ensues as I make my way toward the front door. I’ve just got my dress righted again when Eli walks in.

“Ready to go?” he asks, looking me over.

His eyes snag on my bodice and I glance down sharply.

“Is it obvious?” I ask, panicked.

I can’t see anything out of place, but then again, my vantage point isn’t great.

“Is what obvious?” Eli asks, stepping closer to me and closing the front door behind him.

“That I’m not wearing a bra! Can you tell?” I ask as I tug self-consciously on the bodice of my dress. “The strapless bra was killing me so I took it off. I didn’t think it was obvious.”

“Uh…” Eli stammers and he looks a bit like a deer trapped in headlights.

“Why were you staring at them?”

“I wasn’t!”

“I saw you!” I shout back, my cheeks flaming.

“You’ve got great tits. That’s it. It’s not obvious,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender.

His cheeks are a bright shade of pink and his eyes keep bouncing around the room, looking anywhere but at me.

“Really?” I ask, surprised but pleased.

“This feels like a trap,” he groans and I giggle.

“Can you really not tell? ‘Cause I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of your whole family.”

“You can’t tell,” he reassures me, grabbing my coat and holding it out to me.

I slip my arms into the sleeves and turn around to smile at him.

“Thanks. Are you going to zip it too?” I ask cheekily.

“Fuck,” Eli whispers a second before his lips land on mine.

“Not my hair,” I yell against his mouth and he jerks back. “No! Come back! Just don’t mess up my hair. It took me an hour.”

My fingers grab the collar of his coat and I tug him toward me, stepping on his boots to try to get closer to him. His lips mold against mine and I moan, opening for him.

He tastes like mint and the cold. His hands land on my hips and his fingers dig in there.