3.0 The Chronicles of Us - Choas & Clarity

Chapter six

*♡ Ellie ♡*

Silver blue satin, round halter-neck, and a pleated mid-length skirt. Twirling in front of the mirror, I observe my maid of honor dress.

"What do you think?" Maggie asks.

"It's lovely!" I do another pirouette to make the light, supple fabric sway around my knees.

Maggie nods approvingly. "Honestly, I was gonna make you wear one of the awful poofy dresses, but this is much better."

I tug at the high waistband to straighten my boobs and laugh a little. "It's your day. I'll wear whatever atrocity you want me to."

She narrows one eye and looks me up and down. "This dress will do for the day, but you need something else for the evening."

"Why?" I look at myself again. "I can wear this at the party as well. It's comfortable enough."

Will Tex like this dress?

Stop it!

I'm given an eye-roll. "That's not the point. It will be the first time you'll see ... him again."

Stupid, untrustworthy butterflies!

I shrug, seemingly unbothered. "Yes, so?"

Wobbling on her heels, she steps, or rather, trips, closer to me. "You're gonna make him see what he has lost." Her head tips to the side. "Or what he might lose?"

Maggie's clearly curious about my next step, but I don't have an answer. Not yet. "I don't know. Maybe that's not a good idea."

She kicks off her shoes and drags me toward a rack of party dresses. "Obviously, it's a bad idea and that's exactly why it's a good idea."

Is it? The idea of Tex' scorching gaze all over my body sends a rush of arousal through my veins, causing my nipples to visibly poke through the fabric. I quickly fold an arm over my chest to hide my unwanted physical reaction.

I can't want him like that!

"Ladies," Jonathan begins, pulling my mind back to my friends, "any reason I am here?"

Maggie and I share a glance and then chuckle. "Of course, there is," she answers. "We need your opinion."

Jonathan remains seated in the fauteuil, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Why? Because I'm gay? I know nothing about fashion."

"Don't be so dramatic." I give him a quick wink. "We need you as our friend."

It only took one introduction for Maggie and Jonathan to become friends. I'm grateful for that. It was the cherry on top of my already perfect life.

Perfect until ...

"What about this one?" Maggie asks, showing me a rose red A-line dress.

"It's nice." I run my finger down the smooth fabric. "But it doesn't go well with the color of my hair."

Maggie shifts her gaze between me and the garment before hanging it back and grabbing another one. "Right. This one might work."

I stifle a laugh. "Sure, if I was ninety years old. It looks far too geriatric. My grandmother wore something like that all the time."

With a scrunched-up nose, she puts the formless, heavily floral-printed item back. We both search through all the options until I find one. "This will do," I say, holding up a cute sheath dress.

Jonathan sighs loudly before rising from his chair. "This is too painful to watch. Wait here."

Maggie and I shrug at each other and wait patiently. When he returns a short moment later, I gasp on the spot. Smirking smugly, he shows us the bounty of his hunt: A stunning black velvet dress that reaches the floor with off-shoulder straps and a not-so-sweet neckline. "Ohh, Johnny-Boy, you've outdone yourself! It's absolutely gorgeous, but maybe a little too much. It looks more like a sexy ball gown."