Perspicuous (J.HALE)

02

The dress was rather nice.

It wasn't something that I would pick for myself, but Alice had good taste. Flattering but not overly glamorous—like a summer dress—with a ruched bodice and floaty skirt, the colour of lavender. Wearing it, though, made the wedding feel a lot more real. It was strange to think about Bella getting married. It was such a concrete concept, so defining and, honestly, unnecessary at such a young age. Although, with the intensity of their relationship, I wasn't exactly surprised when she said yes.

"What do you think?" Alice asked, voice muffled by the closed bathroom door.

"It's lovely," I said, pulling my hair out of its bun and fluffing it out over my shoulders.

"Can I come in?"

She opened the door before I could even respond, obviously having foreseen my reply. "Mm," she hummed, looking me over. "I thought so."

"What?"

"It just needs cinching in here," she said, pressing her fingertips to my waist. "Otherwise, it's good."

I assessed myself in the mirror for a moment, unsure.

"You look gorgeous," Alice said, placing her hands on my upper arms and resting her chin on my shoulder.

I attempted a smile.

"Would you like me to get Jasper up here for a second opinion?"

"No," I said quickly, meeting her eyes in the reflection. "It's fine."

She sighed. "Seriously, you two need to stop dancing around each other and get on with it."

I blinked, stunned. "What?"

Her brow wrinkled. "I said I'll take the dress in for you tonight."

I flushed a little and dropped my head. "Oh, right. Thanks."

I must have imagined it. I hadn't slept for more than three hours at a time for nearly a month, it was bound to be taking its toll.

She stepped back from me and tilted her head. "Are you okay, Imogen?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Just a little overtired."

"Well," she said, unimpressed, "you need to get a good amount of sleep the night before the wedding. I can only do so much with makeup."

I flinched. "Ouch."

She winced. "Sorry."

"I have a newborn baby, Alice," I sighed. "I won't be getting a good amount of sleep for the next eighteen years."

She pursed her lips. "You could stay here the night before the wedding. Rosalie wouldn't mind looking after Ethan—she doesn't need as much rest as you do."

I smiled. "I don't know, Alice..."

"Just think about it," she suggested, smiling softly. "Sleep will do you good."

I nodded.

I found myself looking in the mirror as I undressed once Alice left. I hadn't properly looked at my body since giving birth—standing upright for long enough in the first two weeks postpartum was impossible and standing still would have been even less likely. My stomach was streaked with wiggling stretch marks, all a blush pink, alongside the two circular burn scars causing my skin to look like a picture drawn in mark-making.