Page 41 of My Fake Fiancé

“I know you like pink and we just talked about the idea of pastels… but you look like a fairy, not a bride,” my mother says, much to my surprise. I try to stifle my laughter because she’s not wrong but I can’t believe she would make that comment in front of Mrs. Michaels. Merrin snorts at the comment and Tatyana lets out a laugh and nods in agreement.

“Shall we move on to the white dresses now?” Mrs. Micheals asks, not saying anything about the dress I am currently wearing. I let out a quiet sigh and let the stylist bring me back to the dressing room.

The stylist helps me into two more white dresses that have the group agreeing unanimously that they were not the ones for me. The next dress has my heart fluttering.

Oh no, I can’t get excited about a dress for a fake wedding.

The dress is a beautiful A-line gown with detailed lace on the bodice and the skirt. The straps match beautifully with the bodice and when the stylist helps me with the dress, it fits perfectly. It hugs all of my curves but not in a bad way. Not in the usual way where I want to get a size up or wear a sweatshirt or sweater to cover myself. This dress makes me look gorgeous.

“Are you ready to show everybody?” The stylist asks, smiling at me.

Chapter 38

Kurt

I check my phone for the fifth time. Why isn’t she answering me? I’ve texted her a few times but I haven’t heard back yet. I don’t want to come off as the annoying guy who needs to know where their girl is at all times, but I am stressing out thinking about Juliana alone with my mom and her mom and my sister and Juliana’s grandmother. That is a lot of people who want this wedding to be real and who think it is real. I hope they aren’t scaring her or pressuring her.

“Kurt, the second half is starting soon, you coming?” My dad calls from the living room. I make my way back into the room and drop onto the couch next to him.

“Any update on what the ladies are doing?” Juliana’s dad asks. He looks over at me from where he sits in the matching chair across from his dad. Everyone looks over at me but I shake my head.

“I haven’t heard anything,” I check my phone again as I say it.

“Your sister probably confiscated everyone’s phones.” My dad says and I look at him, confused and he nods and shrugs his shoulders.

“She’s gotten into this new thing where she wants everyone to be fully involved and off their phones when there is a planned event. I mean, I get it. You want someone’s full attention when you’re hanging out. It is a little dramatic to actually take away everyone’s phone.” My dad leans forward to grab some chips off the coffee table.

“Oh, I was wondering why Juliana wasn’t texting me back. That would explain it.” I set my phone down on the arm of the couch. Now I am very curious. “So no one was informed about where they are right now?”

“Nope,” Juliana’s dad says and his dad agrees. His wife, Juliana’s grandmother, didn’t say anything either.

“I’m sure wherever they are, they are having fun. I just hope your mom doesn’t scare Juliana off. Hopefully, there will still be a wedding after today.” My dad makes the comment and chuckles as he takes another chip. The comment should be funny and not too worrisome but it makes me feel guilty.

Sometimes, I feel fine with our situation but other times, when comments are made or happy feelings are expressed by those around us, I start to feel guilty. Guilty that we are getting everyone’s hopes up and making everyone happy when Juliana and I both know this isn’t going to have a happy ending. Then again, maybe one day it will. It obviously won’t be as soon as everyone is expecting but my feelings are real and growing stronger the more I get to know Juliana.

My dad looks over at me and I guess I didn’t hide my reaction as well as I should have because he leans forward and says quietly to me, “Hey, you okay? I didn’t mean anything by that.”

“No, no,” I shake my head. “It’s fine. I know Mom can be a bit overwhelming.” I smile and emphasize a bit and my dad smiles and nods his head, sitting back on the couch. He glances over at me, still concerned but I keep my attention on the TV.

They’ve only been gone a couple of hours, but anything could have happened in that time. I contemplate for a minute then decide to send a text to Mom to see if she has her phone.

Kurt: Are y’all still out for your girls’ day?

I send the text and set my phone on my knee so I can feel it vibrate if she responds to my text. A few minutes pass and I still don’t have a response from Mom. Normally she has her phone on her and responds quickly so I guess Merrin must have taken her phone away too.

“Relax,” I hear Juliana’s dad’s voice and I look up at him. He looks at me and gives a supportive smile. “Juliana is a strong young woman. She can handle a few hours of a girls’ day. I also heard her mother on the phone with Tatyana, so she will at least have one person in her corner.”

I sit back and give a quiet sigh of relief. Okay, she has Tatyana with her. Together they can handle the other four women, I hope.

The rest of the game isn’t bad but it doesn’t distract me from thinking about Juliana. The more time passes, the more I think about her. I catch myself glancing at my phone every so often and even though there are other people in the apartment with me, I feel lonely. The apartment just feels more like home with Juliana here.

“So, have you and Juliana started planning anything or even brainstorming ideas for the wedding yet?” Juliana’s grandfather asks me when the game goes to a commercial. My dad looks over at me for my answer but when I hesitate he gets up and goes to the kitchen.

“Uh,” I stutter a bit, trying to think of what to say. I clear my throat and try again. “Well, I know my mom wants us to have the wedding at the country club. Juliana and I both have agreed that we like that idea. It is something we are considering. We have good memories from when we were younger and hung out there so I think we are leaning towards that. Honestly, right now we both just have a lot going on so we haven’t discussed the wedding that much. I have a lot on my plate at work, with a few different open cases that I have coming to court soon. Juliana also has been quite busy. She has a lot of hours at work because she wanted to contribute to the bills around the apartment, which I told her she didn’t need to do but, of course, she insisted. She is quite stubborn, well, I don’t have to tell you that.”

I realize I’ve just gone on a long-winded rant and I pause to take a deep breath. I was trying to explain or rather make excuses for why we haven’t really discussed the wedding but I probably came off a little stressed. After spending so much time with Juliana, I’ve begun taking on more of her mannerisms. One of those being her constant ramblings. It’s a habit that I need to knock fast. It’s cute when Juliana does it but no one needs a rambling attorney in court.

“Well, there’s no rush. Some people stay engaged for a few months, they have a short engagement and then some couples stay engaged for a few years. It’s really up to you and Juliana. Don’t let anyone else’s opinions or preferences influence you one way or the other. If you two are both busy for the foreseeable future, just enjoy being engaged and spending time together.” Juliana’s grandfather smiles at me while offering his advice and I feel myself relaxing a bit. Even if this wedding isn’t real, I am just grateful that we have some support.

---