Page 109 of Fear of Intimacy

I did warn Trevor about tonight. Warned him of the type of people he was going to have to interact with. I also had to caution him about the type of person I’d be tonight. I learned over the years I had to act a certain way around my parents’ friends or else they’d pick me apart.

I just wanted him to be prepared, even if he assured me none of it would drive him away.

“I still can’t believe two of my best friends are in love,”Josie swooned.“I knew the moment you two met this would happen.”

“No, you didn’t.” I laughed, entering my bathroom to getstarted on my makeup.“Uh, yes, I did. I even told Wyatt when we first met that you and Trevor would be good together.”

When I first met Trevor, I never once thought I’d be in love with the cocky hockey player who did everything in his power to annoy me. Obviously, there was an attraction there, but I hadn’t allowed myself to even think of anything more. And now here we were, spending almost every waking second together and in love.

Crazy how things turned out.

“Taking credit for my relationship.”

“Obviously. Without me, you wouldn’t have met.”I mean, she wasn’t wrong. If she hadn’t been stuck in that elevator with Wyatt none of us would be here right now.

“Also, I was thinking next week we could go check out some wedding venues.”Her voice echoed around my bathroom as I put her on speakerphone.

“Aren’t you supposed to look at venues with your fiancé?”

“Wyatt said he’s fine with anything. He’d be okay if we went to Vegas and eloped.”

Ever since we first met back in uni, the two of us talked about our dream weddings—a beautiful venue, big cake with the cute figurines on the top, and wearing a gorgeous gown and a veil with the perfect guy next to us.

“You are not eloping. I won’t have it. You two are going to have the prettiest wedding, and I’ll make sure of it.”

“That’s why you and I are going venue shopping.”Josie laughed.

“I better be there for the cake tasting as well.” The best part of weddings was trying tons of cakes for free.

“Oh, hell yeah. We will have to do multiple tastings just to be sure.”

“See, this is why I love you.”

The two of us talked on the phone for a bit longer as I got ready, helping to keep my mind off of tonight. As much as Iwanted to stay on the phone and postpone the night, the clock ticked closer to the time I had to leave.

With words of encouragement and a plan to hang out in two days, Josie and I said our goodbyes. While I hated knowing that I had to go, I was looking forward to the gorgeous gown I picked out.

Last week, I convinced all my girls to go shopping with me—took five stores and many,manydresses to find the perfect one— but if I was going to be forced into going to an event I didn’t want to attend, then I was going to go all out and turn heads.

Heading to my closet, I reached for the long black bag holding my gown. The thing was heavier than I would’ve ever expected, and so I struggled to pull it out. Maybe it was a good thing that I was working out with Trevor the last few weeks. It gave me the muscle I needed to carry this damn dress.

Laying it out on my bed, I slowly unzipped it, once again wonderstruck by its beauty. It wasstunning.

Stripping out of the PJ’s I’d been sitting around in all day, I grabbed my other new purchase. The burgundy thong had a matching bra but with the strapless dress I didn’t need it tonight. I wanted to give Trevor something fun to slip off later, and this one left little to the imagination.

I grabbed the heavy fabric and stepped into it before tugging it on. It took a lot of maneuvering and twisting to get the thing zipped on my own, but once it was on, the dress fit me like a glove.

Grabbing the sides, I walked over to my floor length mirror, the fabric of the dress swishing on the floor.

The gorgeous deep red color made my tan skin glow. I loved the off-the-shoulder style of it and the cinching at the waist before it flared down to the floor. It showed just enough cleavage to not be too revealing. No one wanted toget me started on the high slit on one side either, exposing my leg with each step.

It was honestly one of the prettiest gowns I'd ever worn.

Time flew by as I touched up my makeup and before I knew it, I was slipping on my heels, ready for the gala, the car my parents sent minutes away from pulling up downstairs.

Smoothing my hands down my dress, I looked at my reflection one last time. Even with the added height from my heels, my dress brushed along the ground, but in a way, it almost looked like I was floating. I felt powerful in this dress.

My blonde hair was curled, hanging around my shoulders with a few pieces pulled up. I matched my eyeshadow to the dress, going for a smokey appearance. I paired it with a dark red lipstick. Not to toot my own horn, but I looked pretty damn good.

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