Bleeding Love

1

Keep your passions in check, but beware of giving your reason free rein.(Karl Kraus)

.........

"Have you found anything for the rehearsal dinner yet?" Gianna asked as she looked through a rack of cocktail dresses. I bit my lip knowing that my answer would most likely bring on an unsolicited lecture like most lectures are with her.

"Gi, you know I don't really wanna go."

She stopped flipping through the dresses and looked up at me over the clothing rack. "Addy don't get me started. You know Tara will flip if you don't show up at the rehearsal dinner. You should be picking out a dress right now, not debating if you wanna send me off to a death by boredom or not."

I crossed my arms and leaned on the jewelry display table behind me. "Her in-laws aren't that bad and Tara has like 20 bridesmaids. She might not even notice."

I feel a twinge of guilt in my chest and I know it's well deserved. Tara is a great friend and she cares for each and every one of her bridesmaids. This late in the game I'm really just throwing whatever comes to mind out there, it's what usually happens when you're going up against a lawyer like Gianna.

"Okay, that's not fair. You said you would be a bridesmaid if I was one too. Now I'm stuck going along with what her in-laws want."

I struggled not to smile as I walked to another rack of dresses. "At least you won't have to see them for the holidays every year, and I'm not backing out. I wouldn't do that to her, and even if I did she would kill me. I'm just- I guess I'm not really looking forward to the dinner."

"Here, try this on" I say grabbing a chiffon fit and flare off the rack and added it to the pile of dresses she had been hauling around. She gave me a look, one that I tend to get from her. The look that meant she thought I was avoiding something and she wasn't going to let me get away with it. But I did my best to just stare right back and gave her my cheesiest smile.

She let out an exasperated breath, "Fine, but you have to try this on." She handed me a dress from her pile and walked away towards the dressing rooms.

"This isn't even going to fit me," I said walking into the dressing room next to hers. Standing at 5'10, Gianna's a good six inches taller than me and has a slim figure, while I'm more on the curvy side; which means clothes that fit her don't generally fit me too well and vice versa. But even as I held the dress to my body, it didn't seem like it would look too bad on me.

"Of course it'll fit you, I grabbed your size."

I wasn't even surprised; if anybody is going to make sure I'm taken care of it's going to be Gia. That can be a good thing or bad thing, but no matter what, I know she's my ride or die girl.

Plus, she knows how to pick a dress. It's form fitting to compliment my shape and has a sweetheart bust with beautiful lace shoulders and ¾ sleeves that make it more appropriate for the dinner. It's black like Tara wanted and covers enough to hopefully appease her in-laws, whom apparently thought the inch between the crop top and skirt I'd worn to the dress fitting had been distasteful. Or it's going to make them dislike me more, but I'm not the one marrying their daughter anyway.

Regardless of how great the dress might be, I never fall back easily.

"Just because I'm trying it on doesn't mean I'm buying it."

.................

"Oooh! Look there's shoes on sale."

My head snaps up from putting my receipt away. The receipt for the dress. The same dress I had claimed I wasn't going to buy. Sometimes going against Gia is just completely futile.