Coming Home to You

Abby awoke to the sound of her phone ringing beside her. She rubbed her eyes and felt her arm crack as she reached for the small device next to her pillow. A small smile appeared on her face as she saw her cousin, Annabeth's name. She slid the bar to unlock it and let out a yawn.
"Oi, you sneaky bastard. Where have you been?"
She heard Annabeth’s laugh on the other side and Abby started stretching her free arm and her legs that were still covered by her comfortable quilt.
"I'm sorry; just been so busy lately, you know? I just got back from Switzerland last night and thought I'd finally reappear into your life", she added with a giggle.
Abby playfully rolled her eyes and finally stood out of her bed and began her journey to her kitchen.
"You're lucky you're my favorite cousin or else I'd ex-communicate you."
"Well, thank you for that. What's on your agenda for today, anyway?"
Abby clicked the button on the coffee maker to start it up and ran a hand through her messy hair as she heard the amazing smelling liquid drip into the pot.
"I think Mum wanted to take me to start picking out dresses - just so I have an idea of what I want it to look like."
"Sounds fun. Do you know where the place is?"
Abby took a seat at her kitchen table and started fiddling with the place mat.
"No. Mum said it was the best and she's usually right about that kinda stuff so I have faith", she replied.
Annabeth let out a chuckle and she heard a dog barking in the background. It was most likely her Collie, Bandit. Abby smiled to herself at the thought of the dog that she hadn't seen in months.
"Do you wanna come? I need your opinion, you know."
"Of course!” her cousin exclaimed quickly. "What time do you want me to meet you?"
Abby stood up as she heard the coffee maker buzz quietly, signaling that it was finished. She shrugged to herself and remembered her and her mother's conversation the day before.
"Why don't you come to Mum's house and ride with us? It's just us three going, than."
Annabeth agreed and it was settled that they would be at Abby's parents' house at one o'clock. They hung up, and Abby looked at the large clock that hung above the kitchen sink. It read ten forty two - plenty of time to shower and get ready. She downed her black coffee and hopped under the warm water of her shower.
She heard her phone buzz, telling her that she had a text message. She furrowed her brows as she ran a towel through her wet, blonde hair. It was Jeremy. She slid the phone open and quickly read his text.

mornin babe. i know its early but how do you feel about dinner tonight? i want to do something before i leave tomorrow morning

Abby smiled at the thought but felt sad. Jeremy would be gone for a whole week starting tomorrow for a business trip and she knew she would miss him. He's been on a business trip once before, around the time they first started dating, and it was one of the most difficult weeks for Abby, seeing as she missed him and wanted to be with him so badly. He said it was just common stuff; getting more buyers and selling as much as his quota called for. She found it boring, but had to at least act excited since it was his career. She texted him back:

that would be wonderful. i'm going with my mum for the day to look for dresses. wish me luck xo

She hit the 'send' button and walked to her closet, picking out a dark red v neck, black jeans and her black flats. She quickly blow dried her hair and applied her small amount of makeup. She heard her phone beep on her bed and knew it was Jeremy again. She sent herself a satisfied smile in the mirror and walked back to her bedroom. Before she read the message, she saw that it was already a little after twelve, which meant that she would head to her mother's soon, just to hang out for a bit since her own flat got a little boring sometimes when she was by herself. She slid open her phone and felt her face warm up at her fiancée’s words.

great. yes, good luck, love, and i will pick you up at seven. love you x

She sent him an 'I love you, too' text and grabbed her purse that was hanging on the doorknob on her bedroom door. She grabbed her knit sweater that was strewn across the back of the couch, and grabbed her keys from the small glass dish that was on the table next to the front door.
As she got in her car, she decided to call her mother, whom was probably too excited for her own good. The phone barely rang before it was picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mum. I'm just leaving the house now. I should be there in less than a half hour."
Her mother practically squealed and it made Abby smile in delight. She was so happy that her mother was so active in the wedding planning. Yet, she hadn't expected anything else, so in all aspects, it was a win situation.
"Oh, how wonderful! Abigail, darling, we are going to have so much fun today, I promise. We are not going to call it a day until we find the absolute perfect dress, alright?"
"Absolutely, Mum. I hear ya loud and clear. I invited Annabeth to come with us, too, since she just got home from vacation last night. She's meeting us at yours", Abby explained as she pulled out of the back lot for her building.
"That's great! Just honk when you're outside and I'll be out", her mother said as Abby pulled onto the main road.
She agreed and the two hung up. Abby's thirty minute drive to herself was filled with her iPod that was plugged into her radio and feeling genuinely excited for her day. She would finally get the biggest task for her wedding taken care of, and she was going to have a romantic night out with Jeremy. It was refreshing, she thought to herself.
She finally got to her mother’s, and Annabeth’s car was already parked in the cobble stone driveway. It still amazed Abby that her parent’s still lived in the same house instead of going somewhere a little smaller. Now that their only child was all grown up, it made no sense to her that they stayed in the same place. The house was beautiful, though, and it still looked the same as it did when Abby was a child.
Before getting caught up in her nostalgic thoughts, Annabeth was departing from the house, Abby’s mother in tow. The two were smiling and giggling like school girls together as they crossed the street and hopped into Abby’s car.
“Mornin’, love. You excited?” her mother said as she buckled herself into the passenger seat.
Abby nodded and greeted Annabeth.
“Long time, no see, stranger! How was your trip?” she asked with a grin as she put the car in drive.
“Abby, it was amazing. You have to come with me next time I go. Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. It kills me that it’s so expensive to live there”, Annabeth replied with a whine as she looked out the window with a longing on her face.
Abby smiled and her mother spoke up.
“Well, Abby might too busy to go, seeing as she’s going to be a married woman with new responsibilities soon!”
Her mother could barely contain herself, and Abby tried to match her enthusiasm. Not that she wasn’t feeling excitement, but for some odd reason, getting married just didn’t seem like the biggest deal to her. She just thought it was something that almost everyone does at least once in their life, and they move on. Simple as that. She was now second guessing her assumptions. She looked in the rear view mirror at her cousin as she spoke.
“That’s true, Aunt Sophie. How does it feel, Abby? To call yourself a bride, I mean. You know, I still haven’t met this ‘Jeremy’ fellow. What’s he up to today?”
“I have an idea, Annabeth. How about one question at a time?” Abby replied with a smile. Her mother playfully scolded her for her sarcastic tone, and Abby was grateful that her cousin had the same sense of humor as herself.
“Alright, alright. Just answer them, you baby.”
Abby laughed and paused on her answer as her mother instructed her where to turn in order to get to the dress shop that was at least twenty minutes away. After she did what she was told, she looked in the rear view mirror at her cousin again.
“It is exciting. I mean, I’m going to be someone’s wife. It’s a brand new title and I can see why women look forward to it until it happens. And, yes, I know you haven’t met Jeremy yet, but that’s because every time I want you to, you’re always riding in first class somewhere hundreds of miles away, and a proper meeting doesn’t seem possible now, does it?”
Annabeth stuck her tongue out sneakily to her cousin as her mother rolled her eyes and mumbled about how the two acted like sisters.
“He has work today, but we’re meeting for dinner tonight since he’s going on a business trip tomorrow morning.”
Her mother turned towards her more and gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. How long will he be gone?”
Abby shrugged and agreed with her mother. “One week. When he gets back, though, he needs to get his own business together – his groomsmen and things of that sort. He says he’s been so busy with work that he hasn’t had time to just sit down and take a breath.”
Annabeth nodded, a sign that she was listening, as did Abby’s mother.
“At least he’s able to work and bring home a steady paycheck. That’s one of the most important factors, to be a provider. That’ll be handy in the long run”, her mother explained to the two girls.
“What will you be doing when he’s gone? Go out on the town, eh?” Annabeth said with her signature sneaky grin on her face.
Abby giggled and made another turn that her mother told her to take.
“Actually, I’m going to be doing some planning on my own time. Rory will be coming over and helping me map everything out that should be recognized now since it’s still early and –“
“Speaking of Rory, how are the boys?”
Abby looked at her cousin in the rear view mirror again, whom tilted her head and flashed a smile.
“Chris is doing great, Annabeth”, Abby said with a giggle and a nod of her head. Abby’s mother giggled, as well, and announced quietly that they were almost there.
“Okay, now what were you saying?” Annabeth asked sounding triumphant.
“Just that Rory is helping me with a little organization.”
“He’s a good boy. I’m so happy that he and the others have been so active in the planning. I wasn’t expecting it but it should give you a lot more comfort, no?” her mother thought aloud. Abby smiled at the thought of Rory and nodded.
“Yes, definitely. I’m surprised that they’re so eager. I thought they’d drag their feet and complain the whole time, but so far, they have been nothing short of perfect little angels”, Abby added with a chuckle.
“As they should be”, her mother started, “They have been like brothers to you since you were all in grade school together. You’re very lucky, Abigail.”
Abby looked over at her mother and nodded in agreement.
“Here we are!”
Abby looked out of the window and immediately saw the store that her mother had directed them to. The dresses that were displayed in the window were nothing short of breathtaking. Annabeth jumped out of the car before Abby could park it and was halfway across the street by the time Abby and her mother grabbed their purses and locked the car.
“Jesus, Annabeth, relax! We got all day! You’re not the one getting married!” Abby yelled from across the busy road, failing to hold in her laughter.
Annabeth reached the front of the store and started jumping in anticipation. The mother and daughter finally made it across the street, and when they did, Annabeth was dragging them inside.
The doors opened and the cool breeze of the store hit them in the face like a bucket of water. Sigur Ros played throughout the store, and Abby’s head quickly perked up at the sound of one of her favorite bands’ instruments. She liked this place already.
A woman in a very expensive looking dress and shawl approached the three and held her arms out to emphasize the store, as if the girls didn’t realize they were in it already.
“Good afternoon, ladies. Now which one of you beauties is getting married?”
Abby’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. This lady cut right to the chase and she was relieved. Her mother broke the silence that the subtle shock of the woman’s greeting brought on.
“My daughter, Abigail here is getting married in a few months and it’s that time to start looking for the right dress” her mother explained, her hands going on Abby’s shoulders for emphasis.
The woman, whom wore a small piece of plastic above her left breast that read ‘Pamela’ on it, smiled a big pearly smile and reached for Abby’s hand.
“Well, my dear, I can promise that you will find that dress right here. Do you know what you’re looking for?”
Abby bit her lip in thought while her mother’s eyes were scanning the elegant store.
“Something simple but elegant. Nothing too loud or flashy.”
Pamela nodded and raised Abby’s hand a bit in triumph.
“I’ll work my magic. Come!”
The woman pulled Abby along with her while her mother and Annabeth followed close behind.
“Elizabeth!” she bellowed as she raised her opposite hand in the air.
Soon, a young woman wearing an all-black ensemble joined the group with a clip board in hand and a polite smile on her face. Her dark brown hair was clipped up and her face held literally no mark or blemish of any kind. It was quite astounding.
“I need measurements done for Miss Abigail here, please, while I take these two lovely ladies for a small tour around the shop.”
Elizabeth nodded and reached into the pocket of her small waist coat, revealing red measuring tape decorated with white lines and numbers.
“Hello, Abigail. I’m just going to measure you and get an idea at your bust and waist size, alright?”
Abby smiled at the woman that couldn’t have been older than herself, and followed her near the lavish dressing rooms. Elizabeth held the tape up to Abby’s shoulders and pulled the end of it down to her waist.
“So, do you have a date yet?” Elizabeth asked as she was writing down the numbers onto the clip board that was resting on a small table beside them.
“No, not yet. I just know that he wants it soon since his job is a bit of a pain to get around” Abby explained.
Elizabeth just smiled and nodded as she wrapped the tape around Abby’s back until the ends met again at her bust.
“That’s not too bad. How did he ask you? Was it all romantic and fancy or unplanned?”
Abby smiled and blushed to herself at the memory. Her smile suddenly faded when she remembered the encounter that Jeremy and Rory had experienced just hours before Jeremy had asked her to marry him – the awkward and tense meeting that Abby had forgotten about until right now. She shook her head out of her thoughts as she saw that Elizabeth was waiting and gave another quick smile to excuse her lameness.
“Both, I guess. He asked me to go to dinner and pushed the box across the table to me and told me to open it. It was very sweet.”
Elizabeth tilted her head and released an “aw”. Abby just nodded in acknowledgement and after a few short moments, she was done with being measured.
“Oh, what perfect timing!’ Pamela exclaimed as she walked into the dressing area with Abby’s mother and cousin. Elizabeth nodded and handed her boss the clip board that held all of the numbers that defined Abby’s body.
“Wonderful, Elizabeth, thank you. Now that this is all done, what do you say that we try a few things on and see what you like, eh, Abigail?”
Abby smiled and giggled as her mother and Annabeth were bouncing around like children in an amusement park. She only wished she could have at least an ounce of their energy.

Two hours and at least fifteen dresses had passed and Abby was feeling discouraged. Annabeth was off looking for a dress as her mother was sitting across from her, running her manicured fingers over the soft silk of a dress that her daughter had just taken off.
“Don’t be so glum, Abigail. We’ll find one, I promise” her mother spoke in a quiet tone as she saw her daughter sitting with a frown.
Abby looked up and nodded, running a hand through her long hair. She was just tired of trying on one scratchy dress after another and just wanted to go home and relax until Jeremy picked her up.
“Would you like to take another look around, dear? Maybe get you out of these dressing rooms for a while?” Pamela suggested as she poked her head into the dressing section of the large store.
Abby just nodded with a reassuring smile and stood up. Pamela walked past her and sat with her mother and she heard them start to talk as she made her way back into the main area of the store. She walked around, thinking to herself as she ran her hands over the ivory gowns. They were all beautiful in their own way but none of them were ‘the one’. She really did not think it would be this difficult to find a bloody dress.
She kept her mother’s words in her mind and just wished that Rory, Rou, Chris, and Rob were there with her. Their presence would no doubt make this outing a lot less painful and definitely a lot more entertaining.
Abby found herself farther back in the store and was practically in a haze until she stopped dead in her tracks. In a clear dress bag was the dress. It was simple, yet elegant, and definitely not too loud or flashy. She felt like she was going to cry and could do nothing except stare at it.
After a few minutes, Annabeth had come up behind her, sounding like she was out of breath.
“There you are! The store is a lot bigger than it looks, for fuck’s sake.”
Annabeth noticed that Abby was staring straight ahead, and followed her eyes. Her own eyes widened and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around her cousin’s neck.
“It’s beautiful, Abby. Try it on.”
Abby broke out of her trance and walked towards the dress. She grabbed the hanger and the two made their way back to the dressing rooms, where Pamela and Abby’s mother were still talking, but were now joined with Elizabeth. They stopped abruptly when they saw that Abby was standing there with a dress in her arms, holding it like it was an infant. Her mother smiled, and Pamela stood up.
“Where did you find that one?”
Abby looked at the owner and motioned her head towards where she had just come from.
“It was towards the back. It stood out and I couldn’t help myself.”
Pamela nodded at the girl and walked closer to her.
“Is that the one?”
Abby smiled back and nodded, “I think so.”
She made her way inside the dressing room and Annabeth joined her. She soon stood in nothing but her panties and strapless bra and waited for Annabeth to take the dress out of the bag as gently as possible.
She stepped into it and it easily slid up her body. She slipped her arms through the thin lace sleeves and Annabeth zipped it up the back. It hugged her in all of the right places and definitely accented her chest and ass.
“Damn, Abby. I would kill for an arse like yours.”
Abby giggled and turned again in the mirror.
“Step out, Abigail!” her mother yelled from outside of the dressing rooms.
Annabeth gave her a reassuring nod and opened the door for her.
“Get ready for this stunner”, she added before stepping out of the way.
Abby came out of the dressing room and the eyes belonging to Pamela and her mother widened. Her mother stood up and immediately enveloped her in a hug. She heard her mother trying not to whimper and hugged her back. She sniffled and all Abby could do was smile.
“You look beautiful, perfectly beautiful.”
Abby hugged her mother tighter as she smiled. When she was released, Pamela was grinning like the Chesire Cat.
“It might have taken a while, but the dress does indeed pick the bride.”
Abby agreed with the woman and did another spin.
“I’ll take it.”