You and Me, Forever Young

"Shelby I need to call in a favor." I stated, smoothing the silky fabric clinging to my body.

She looked up from one of her many bridal magazines and tucked a strand of blonde behind her ear. "Shoot."

As the seamstress continued tucking here and there at the, thankfully last, bridesmaid dress fitting I cleared my throat.

"Well Will's birthday is in three days and I've got to pull some serious shit between then and now in planning. Think you can help?"

She smiled. "Well duh. After all the hours you've been putting into this wedding it's the least I can do."

"I'll help too, I kinda owe you for keeping me out of Ramen and in decent food." Madi interjected, taking out her headphones as she was fitted for her dress.

"You'll help too, right Jamie?" I called to her.

She stuck her head out from the dressing room she was in.

"Of course, and I'm whoring out Mike too. If you need him in your scheming he's yours."

"Ryan too. Besides, we're chicks with tits, if we need any of the other guys it won't be so hard." Shelby chuckled, turning another page.

I thanked them absentmindedly while my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Shelby.

"Hey hon, we're almost done with the planning, do still really need all those magazines?"

She shrugged awkwardly. "You know me, I have to plan all of this perfectly."

I looked at her oddly.

"That's just it, I do know you and I've never once seen you like this, all scary and perfection obsessed."

Nervously she fidgeted with the magazines.

"Everything has to be perfect Lilly. All my family is flying in for this and you know how high class their weddings were. My other sisters already look down on me for marrying a musician, I have to show them up."

Jamie walked out of the dressing room just then.

"It's starting to sound more like a high school reunion and less like the happiest day of your life." She said, slipping her hoodie on.

Shelby let out a loud sigh and buried her head in her hands.

"I'm just feeling so much pressure from them. It's not easy having three perfect sisters and a beauty queen for a mother. There's a reason I don't go to visit them but they will go out of their way to kill me if I didn’t invite them to the wedding." She muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"I kind of know what you mean." Madi said, breaking through the conversation.

We all looked over to her as she awkwardly continued.

"Well I mean I lived in Lilly's shadow for years before I finally got over myself. The thing is you need to stop thinking about them in your life and live it yourself." Madi explained before pausing. "At least that’s kind of what the fortune cookie said."

We all laughed a little at that.

Not long after I was released from my fitting and was ready to hang up my dress next to Shelby's wedding dress which was being safely hidden at my apartment.

While Jamie called Mike to check on Zoe and Madi changed out of her dress I cornered Shelby.

"So are you okay with all this wedding planning?"

She shrugged. "It's just one day, I should focus on the rest of my life with Ryan and not those stupid insecurities."

I nodded with a half smile. "You're right about that but this is the one day you get all to yourself. Don't settle because it's easier, I mean if you had settled with Damien you wouldn’t have met Ryan."

She shuddered a little at the mention of her ex.

"How did you get so wise?" Shelby asked with a smile.

I shrugged. "When you're on the road you have a lot of opportunities to read what's written on bathroom walls."

With a laugh she pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you're my friend Lilly."

"The feelings mutual Shelb's." I grinned, kissing her cheek.

Feeling content at least for the moment about Shelby, I now turned my attention to the planning I had to do now for Will's birthday.