“This place is even bigger than I imagined. What hotel has stores in it?” Lucy asked as she walked together with Ella and Leon through their mall.
“More than you’d think,” Leon said. “But generally, they’re big hotels that have the extra space for it. Now, how about you two do more than window shopping?” He pulled out his credit card. “All of it is on me; you can buy as much as you want.”
“I’m not much of a spender…”
“I insist! I will be hurt and heartbroken if you leave here without spending money, because then it seems like I’ll need to make some changes to my shops. I want people to want what we’re selling, and if we can’t sell them even when it’s all-expenses-paid, then we’ve definitely failed.”
Her eyes widened, and she stopped walking. “But j-just because I don’t want to buy anything, doesn’t mean other people don’t.”
“It’s not a good sign, to say the least.” He waved the card around.
“He’s not going to give up until we’ve spent a large sum of money, you know?” Ella said.
“You should at least get a wedding dress.”
“Wait, what?”
“Why is that surprising? We’re engaged! And while you could shop with the girls and find one, I figured you’d prefer to be with your mother for this.”
“Won’t your mom complain?”
“She’s going to have control over the wedding itself with whatever planner she hires, but this, this is one hundred percent you. Of course, it’s not all I’m hoping you’ll buy, but it is a start.”
“Should you be here if we’re dress shopping, though?”
“Don’t worry; I’ll wait outside the shop.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Ella said.
“That’s sweet, but I’ll be fine.” He leaned in close to Ella. “I also got permission from the other girls for this first.”
He even thinks about them? How sweet can he be?
“They said to have fun with your mother.”
“Come on, mom; I’d love to shop for a wedding dress with you.” Ella linked arms with her.
“You didn’t seem to want to previously… so I thought it might be better for you to look with your friends.” She tried to pull away, but Ella wouldn’t let her.
“Things are different this time. I’m more mature, and more… certain.” There’s not much of a chance to run, anyway.
“I will admit you two seem a mix of nerves and happy.” Her mom looked at them.
Leon held his card up to Ella. “Let’s go, mom.” She took the credit card and thanked him.
“Anything for you, my love.” Leon winked at her.
“You’re going to have to be careful if he’s always such a flirt,” her mom whispered.
Leon held his hand over his heart. “I promise to keep the real flirting for Ella, and otherwise, it’s only harmless flirting to ease a situation and nothing more.”
“I suppose it’s the best we can ask for.”
Ella dragged her mom away to the wedding dress store nearby as Leon waited outside texting Zeke.
“These all look so gorgeous; how do we decide?” Lucy held her hands on her cheeks as she looked at the slew of dresses to choose from in every style she could imagine. They even had ones that weren’t white.
“Well… I don’t care for strapless ones, so that should trim it down a bit,” Ella said, not wanting to chance slipping out at all.
“And you want to keep to white, right?”
“Yup.”
They took their time picking a few dresses out before Ella tried any of them on. While all the dresses were beautiful, she wasn’t satisfied with a bunch of them, and got to find out more about her preferences.
“Nothing ‘super’ poofy or with a long train. How about this little bit of lace at the top here?” Ella pointed to the top of the chest part. “I think it looks pretty and elegant.”
“Agreed. How much are these, anyway?”
“Mom, don’t ask. I mean it.”
“That much?”
“It means I don’t want to know, because it’ll ruin it. Leon will pay for it, and he’s not taking out a loan or ripping apart his savings to do it, so that’s good enough, right?” It’s the only way I can get over it, too…
She sighed. “I suppose so… Rich people do things differently, don’t they?”
“Some definitely do.”
“Who doesn’t look at prices?”
“Mom… He might pay attention to that kind of thing otherwise, but it seems anything I want, he’ll just get it for me, regardless. Especially in this case; it’s our wedding.”
“I guess that makes sense, but I’d still prefer if you didn’t go crazy on it.”
“I’m not planning anything other than this, and I would assume who my bridesmaids are, so it’s not on me.” She shrugged.
“Did planning previous ones ruin it for you?”
Ouch… Ella glared at her. “More like his mother wants control of it all.”
“You’re going to have to be careful about them; they might want complete control of your life.”
“That won’t happen.” I know Leon wants to change how things work in his family. “Anyway, I’ll try on the next one.”
After trying on a dozen dresses, she found one that made her struggle to stop admiring it. It was a layered dress with straps and a sweetheart neckline.
“I guess you found the right one,” Lucy said, watching her as she stared into the mirror.
“Hmm?” Ella turned to her in a bit of a daze.
“When you look at it like that, it’s definitely the one.”
She thought for a moment and nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“Of course, I am; I’d know that look anywhere.” She smiled at her daughter and then held onto her shoulders. “That fantastical look means you love the dress, honey. Were you imagining wearing it as you said your vows to Leon?”
“Ha ha, no; I’m not sure I had any thoughts when I looked at it. I was just stunned, I guess.”
“It doesn’t look like it needs any altering, or at least not much, so let’s buy it and meet back up with Leon. He’s been out there a while, so I feel a bit sorry for him,” her mom said.
Ella and her mom came out of the shop to find Leon sitting on a bench with a red bag from a nearby store.
“How’d it go?” He stood, smiling, as he picked the bag up.
“It was a success,” Ella said.
“She looked gorgeous in it,” her mom said.
“Of course she does; she’s always gorgeous.” He winked at Ella.
“Ahem… Anyway…” Ella blushed as she averted her gaze. “Looks like you did some shopping, too.”
“Yes, I did.” He pulled out a small velvet box from the bag. “I didn’t know if people these days still did the whole something new, blue, and borrowed, so I got these just in case.” He opened it to reveal sapphire drop earrings.
“Wow…” Both the ladies leaned in close to look at them.
“Those are so pretty, and both new and blue.” Ella reached out. “Can I touch it?”
“Of course you can; it’s yours. Oh, and in case you two wanted to match something on the big day, I got you a pair, too.” Leon held another velvet box out to Ella’s mother.
She teared up instantly. “Matching with Ella?” She covered her face with her hands. “That’s so sweet. I’d love to do something like that.”
“Aw, mom.” Ella hugged her.
“I knew you two were close, but getting to see you two together like this… it’s like you’re best friends.” Leon smiled as he watched them.
Her mom stroked her hair. “It’s because it’s always been the two of us, so we are friends and family. I always had to rely on her way too much, and I know she missed out on being a child sometimes…”
“Mom.” Ella snuggled up closer to her. “I didn’t miss out. I only tried to help and carry the extra load you couldn’t.”
“But I was the adult; I shouldn’t have put so much weight on your shoulders.”
“Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you don’t need help.”
“But being a kid means you shouldn’t have the burden.”
“Did I end up opening something up I shouldn’t have?” Leon asked, not sure how to process how their conversation was continuing.
“Oh, no, no.” Her mom reached up and patted his head. “You’ve been so sweet, and we just get trapped thinking about the past sometimes. So many things I wish I did differently.”
“I was happy, mom.” Ella pouted, wishing she would listen to her. “And I’m happy now.” She glanced at Leon.
Leon held his hand over his heart. “And I’ll do my best to keep you happy. Now, how about we keep shopping? And I insist you two spend some money here; I’ll be sad if there’s nothing else here that catches your eye.”
“Onetime opportunity?” Ella nudged her mom’s elbow.
“I wouldn’t say one time… I won’t mind if you go on shopping sprees as long as it makes you happy,” Leon thought out loud, and then noticed Ella’s glare. “Sorry, I’m not big on lying or hiding things; had to say it.”
“I’m liking him more and more,” her mother whispered.
Me too…
Eventually, Leon ended up carrying a slew of bags filled with clothes, accessories, and trinkets.
“You don’t have to carry all the bags, you know?” Ella tried to take one from him, and he held it away from her.
“Yes, I do. It is my duty to carry these for you, and I am determined to do so.”
“He’s so stubborn…”
Lucy chuckled. “He’ll have to be to deal with you.”
“Mom! What are you insinuating?”
She laughed more. “Well, you need someone persistent to a point of being stubborn, alongside being kind and understanding. Leon seems to be all those things. And while looks aren’t what we’re supposed to base things on, he’s definitely a catch there…”
“Thank you.” Leon smiled and held his chin up high. “I’m glad I’ve made a good impression.”
“I don’t think you should praise him anymore; you’ll give him a big head,” Ella warned her.
“Okay, okay. How about we finish with shopping for the day? Leon’s holding quite a bit, and I can’t imagine it’s light.”
“I’m fine,” Leon said. “Keep going if you want.”
“My feet are tired, and I could use some rest. Let’s go back.”
“Wait, that sounds like a perfect time for a massage! Time to test out other things,” Leon suggested.
Continued in chapter 30.
Christina Maharaj 