Exile

The Date and the Proposal

Even after forty-eight hours, I'm still upset over snapping at Emily.

They say that confession is good for the soul. My soul feels anything but good right now. While I didn't tell her that it's Alex I'm in love with, I still feel like crap for admitting my weaknesses and remind myself of why I'm such an idiot to begin with.

At least I don't have to feel guilty about keeping this from her anymore.

Yay.

It's ten minutes to eleven in the morning and I'm still in my cute sweats. My sister Noelle is coming over to see my dress for our parents' anniversary party. I'm not looking forward to it. It's not that my sister will say anything. Despite being a fashion designer with killer style, she's always encouraged me to have my own style. It's my mom I'm worried about. She's so a perfectionist when it comes to this party. If that dress doesn't meet her approval, she'll insist that I take it back. If the dress looks so good that it threatens to outdo her custom-made marvel, she'll drive me back to the dress shop, and choose a more toned down (read: plain Jane) for me.

Yay.

Other than that, my sister and I are super tight. We're always writing, calling, or texting each other. She even came to visit me in Vancouver last year when she was up for Vancouver Fashion Week, supporting one of her friends. It's amazing the way she works an industrial sewing machine. Even before she went to fashion school, she was always prying apart bits and pieces of vintage clothing, sewing them together in creative and amazing ways. She made my prom dresses – both Junior and Senior – and probably would have made a dress for this occasion if I'd asked her to.

Why didn't I ask her to? Silly me.

In any case I look forward to seeing her – conflict and all.

"Elodie!" my mom calls from downstairs. "Your sister will be here in half an hour, so get ready, will you?"

Ugh. I guess I have no choice.

I take a quick shower and throw on a t-shirt, flares, and trainers. Just as run down the stairs, my sister arrives. My mother is all over her, crushing her with a Mama Bear hug.

"Ow…ow." Pain marks her face. "Hello to you too, Mom."

"Noelle, it's so lovely to see you!" my mother coos. "You look so good!"

"Thanks, Mom. I missed you, too." My mom is right – Noelle really does look good. Her outfit is simple enough – a blush v-neck sleeveless shirt, denim jeans, and heels. But because it's on her, it looks amazing. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. The business is really kicking into high gear. I'm showing at Chicago Fashion Week in August."

"I know and I'm so excited for you! I just hope you're not so busy that you aren't working on my party dress for next Saturday."

My sister laughs nervously. "Don't worry, mom, I'll have it ready. In fact, you can come to the studio on Sunday for your final fitting."

"All right! I'm looking forward to it."

Noelle looks over to see me walking up to our mom. A wide smile spreads across her face. "Oh my gosh…Elodie, is that you?"

I manage to smile. "Hey, sis. How are you?"

She squeals, embracing me in a bone-crushing hug that made my mom's look pretty tame. Lucky for her, I'm getting used to them. "I'm so, so happy that you're here for Mom and Dad's party. Look at you – you look so, so good! I can't get over how awesome your haircut is!"

"You think so?" I run my fingers through my hair nervously. I find it odd that I yearn for her approval. I guess that's the nature of the big sister-little sister relationship. "Even after four years, I'm still getting used to it."