Summertime & Butterflies

Twenty-Nine

"Oh, gosh!" Gemma exclaimed, pressing her hands together with enthusiasm. "That is perfect!"

Olivia stepped out of the dressing room, facing the full-length mirror. The lighting in the room was enough to make even the nastiest troll look like a runway model, and Olivia was certain the mirror had magical powers, as it made her appear more slender than the Ikea clearance model hung on her bathroom door at home. She ran her hands down her hips, touching the slimming ruching against her curves.

"Wow..." she commented, turning and admiring how the bodycon Versace hugged her bottom. The sequined embellishment across the front of the dress helped draw attention to her breasts and also hide her stomach. The under layer of the dress fell to her mid-thighs, but the sheer outer layer hung to her knees, embodying the more-is-more glamour while still with an element of sex appeal. Gemma was right – it was perfect. But...

"Jesus..." she breathed, peering at the price tag hanging by her wrist. "I... I can't buy this..." she lamented, realising the Little Black Dress she was falling in love would pay her mortgage for at least two months, and then some.

Gemma stepped over, nudging Olivia's hand from the price tag. "Don't!" she told her. "Harry told you to buy whatever you wanted, right? And this dress fits like a glove! I think you have to buy it."

Yeah, but an hour ago you thought I was after your brother just for his money, Olivia thought, keeping her words to herself. While it was nice she and Gemma were getting on now, it would take more than a few minutes and a department store for Olivia to warm to Harry's sister. She still wasn't certain that Gemma wasn't judging Olivia for falling in love with a few thousand dollar dress.

But Lord, did she feel like Kate Middleton.

"Maybe..." Olivia pondered, turning again. She sighed after a few more turns, letting her arms fall to her side. "I need to get out of this, otherwise I never will," she told Gemma, allowing herself one more peek in the mirror before stepping back into the dressing room to put on her boring, non-Versace clothes.

"Then don't!" Gemma called out. "I'm making you buy it," she said with determination. Olivia rolled her eyes as she peeled off the dress before returning it to the hanger and looking at it thoughtfully. She knew exactly what Harry would say about the dress, but she had to text him.

Olivia dug through her purse for her phone, the text message notification chiming as soon as she clasped her hand around the phone. She looked at the screen, her eyes rolling as the message scrolled across the screen. Two simple words from Harry – "buy it."

"You texted your brother, eh?" Olivia called out, pulling her original dress back on. It was an overstep on Gemma's part, but Olivia realised she didn't care. It was reassuring to have Harry's approval before buying the dress she'd already decided she was bringing home with her.

"I had to!" Gemma told her, shrugging sheepishly as Olivia emerged from the fitting room. "You wouldn't have bought it otherwise," she pointed out.

Olivia matched Gemma's shrug. "Well... thanks..." she commented, still surprised by Gemma's change in opinion. She handed the dress to the attendant. "I'll take it, I guess..." she told her, a wave of exhilaration rushing over her. She was about to own a real Versace piece that wasn't hand-sewn by a bunch of Chinese and sold via the internet for ten dollars, plus shipping.

~*~*~*~

After Gemma convinced Olivia to purchase the dress, she decided they also needed new shoes and accessories. Olivia decided she needed a ton of shapewhere. She nearly fell over when she saw the final total, but she couldn't deny how excited she was to wear her new dress. She wondered if it was appropriate attire for grocery shopping, but dejectedly decided it would not be.