Coffee Stains ♥

Chapter 1 - Seven Years Later

"You are so not picking that one."

Lacey looked up to find her best friend giving her the stink eye, showing her obvious disapproval at the fabric in her grip. "What's wrong with this one?" Lacey rolled her eyes internally. It seemed as though Ali had vetoed every single fabric tossed in her direction much to Lacey’s (and the boutique clerk’s) exasperation.

Ali stomped over, huffing, pulling at the fabric. “This is cream. This is a freaking wedding we’re going to throw, and it’s once in a lifetime. I am not sending you down the aisle wearing a cream dress. It’s just so… dirty.”

“It’s cream. Not blue, for God’s sake.” Lacey grumbled. “And it’s my wedding, not yours.”

“Has to be white!”

“My wedding.”

“Why do I bother with you?” Ali walked back to the catalog of fabrics and flipped the pages frantically, her eyes darting over every piece of fabric on every single page. It was impossible to stay mad at Ali though, even if she was a total stickler when it came to planning. It was probably just an interior decorator thing. She had to have every single detail perfect, down to the color of the drapes.

"Whatever you say, Ali," Lacey mumbled, shooting an apologetic smile at the clerk. Her affable grin was not returned.

"If your friend wants a whiter color, she could try someplace else," the clerk said dryly. "We close early on weekends." She glanced at her watch. "We're closing in five minutes, in fact." 

"Wow, has it been that long? I could've sworn it's only been three hours." Ali called over her shoulder. She didn't bother turning around.

"Three hours only looking at fabric though, Al." Lacey said between gritted teeth, and tried to smile amiably at the clerk again, only to be shot down by a condescending glare. Annoyance clouded in the clerk's eyes.

"Ma'am. We're closing soon?"

A heat rose in Lacey's normally colorless cheeks. She stomped over to Ali, grabbing her by the elbow as she squealed in surprise. "Actually.” She paused. “You know what? I’ve changed my mind, Ali. The fabrics here are really not that great anyhow. The other places had much better quality fabrics. I want to look back on my wedding day when I’m eighty and pull out my wedding dress, and have it as beautiful as it was fifty years ago. I don’t want to pull out a dirtied kitchen rag.” The clerk looked uneasy, and Lacey took the opportunity to plow on. “And the last place I checked had much nicer employees anyhow. I should file a complaint.” The clerk looked downright terrified out of her mind, and Lacey smirked, finishing her statement with a dramatic, “Okay, thanks for serving us. Ciao!” 

Needless to say, Lacey walked out of the boutique, her best friend’s elbow linked around hers, a beam imprinted on her face. “Well, that felt amazing.”

Ali, who had been quite out of breath by Lacey’s spiel, released her breath, letting out a stream of giggles. “Oh my God, Lace. Her face though! I wish Adam was here to see that.”

At the sound of her fiancée, the smile on Lacey’s face vanished. "Oh crap though. Ali, what the hell were you thinking? We spent three hours in a boutique, looking for fabrics while Adam's expecting me at home. He's probably looking for me right now, since we were due back two hours ago."

Ali raised her hands in mock surrender. "Calm your pants, cowboy. You made me stop in the middle of..." She cut off abruptly, staring behind Lacey with a slight smirk. "You know, I think Adam may have found you."

Lacey's heart gave a joyous leap as she heard a familiar, throaty laugh that always made her insides lurch. That laugh she'd never get used to. "Adam." She whirled around, beaming, throwing her arms around his shoulders. The warm smell of mint and crisp linen filled her senses and she sank into the comforts of his cotton t-shirt. "Sorry we're late, babe."