A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Wedding dress shopping is hard. My mother and I had been to six different stores so far, but none of the 30 or so dresses I'd tried on had felt right.
"Was it this hard for you, mom?" I huff as I stand in front of the mirrors in yet another dress. The sleeves on this one were much more ruffled and puffier than I'd originally thought, making me grimace.
"No," My mother says, and I pout in the mirror. "It was much harder. You may think you're picky, but I am even more picky. Your grandmother was ready to sew a dress for me because we'd been searching for a week at that point."
"Oh," I laugh. "Yeah a week is a bit excessive."
"Don't worry too much, Aspen. Things like this can take time."
I knew she was right, but I was still beyond frustrated. It wasn't like I was going for anything crazy, either. I didn't care about a dress with endless lace or intricate designs or a long train. I just wanted something that I felt pretty in, and I wouldn't complain if it made Rylie's jaw drop. She already made me feel beautiful in whatever I wore, so I wasn't too worried about that. And don't even get me started on how excited I was to see her in her dress. She'd gotten it last week but hadn't spoiled anything, despite my best efforts.
"Are you going to be mad if I say I think I'm done for the day?" I ask my mom reluctantly. After all, she had driven all the way out here to help me, and I felt bad asking her to come back another day.
"Honey, why would I be mad? We can do whatever you need. If you need a break, that is more than okay. Besides, we've got more than enough time before the wedding."
"A little over three weeks isn't more than enough time, mom." I laugh. "But thank you. Let's go to one more store, and then call it a day."
"Sounds like a plan. Now go take off those pom poms." My mother replies, referring to the giant sleeves on the dress I was wearing. I laugh and shake my shoulders at her before stepping off the large round platform placed in front of the mirrors and heading back towards the dressing room.
This was one of the biggest stores we'd been to, and I try to remember which way I'd come from as I walk back down the long, confusing hallways. I finally find my room and giggle as I see the sleeves once more. The dress itself wasn't bad. Still not what I was looking for, but not bad. It was slim fitting at the waist, but spread out towards the bottom. It reminded me of something a princess would wear, minus the sleeves. Or with the sleeves, I don't know. Princesses might like that kind of thing.
I try to carefully slip out of the dress, but it's not an easy feat. Somehow, I manage to twist my arms enough to finally reach the zipper, and it's a wonder I don't pull a muscle or dislocate something.
Once the dress is hung back up with the seven others I'd tried on, I find my mother again and we thank the worker that helped us before heading out to the car.
A slight breeze wraps around us as we leave the building, and I unroll the sleeves of my flannel to cover my arms. Okay, it was Rylie's flannel, but that was irrelevant. She had so many different flannels, and now that it was fall, I couldn't help but borrow them every once in a while.
More like every day.
They smelled really good, too. Plus, I liked the way her eyes would travel over me every time I wore them.
"Okay, I know one store just down the street. Sound good?"
"Yep." I smile as I get buckled. The drive is quick, and I narrow my eyes as the store comes into view. "This... is it?" I question skeptically.
"Just trust me, Aspen. I have high hopes for this one." My mom says reassuringly.
"Whatever you say." I laugh before following her out of the car.
A small, light peach colored building stands in front of us, and I chuckle as we walk towards what we can see of the front door. The door is slightly hidden by vines that tickle our arms as we walk down the steps leading towards it.
Upon first glance, I would've guessed that it was an ice cream shop, or even a candy store. I wouldn't have guessed that it was actually a dress shop. My eyes widen as we open the door, and a little faded gold bell dings above us, announcing our arrival.
Rows and rows of dresses line the racks set up around the small shop. Not just wedding dresses, but also prom dresses, and even bridesmaids dresses. It seemed like they had every type of dress a girl could ever need in her lifetime.
"Hi, y'all! Can I direct you to anything specific today?" A sweet, small lady says from behind the short counter.
"Just your wedding dresses, please." My mother says with a warm smile, even though the wedding dresses were very visible. The lady points us in the right direction, and we find the rack of dresses in my size. The moment I begin looking through the dresses, my hopes instantly rise. These dresses were beautiful.
"These are..."
"Perfect." I finish as my mom pauses. "Here I was worried we wouldn't be able to find any that I liked, and now I'm worried I won't be able to choose between all of these." I laugh.
"That's definitely not a bad thing." My mom echoes my laugh.
"Okay," I say once I've got a good amount of dresses piled in my arms. "Time to try some of these on."
The first dress I try on is cute, but not quite what I'm looking for. The same goes for the next three. But on the fifth one, I feel a wave of excitement course through me.
This might be the one.
I try on the last three real fast, just to be sure, before putting back on the one I was quickly falling in love with. I grin at my reflection in the dressing room mirror before heading out to show my mom.
"Oh, wow!" She gasps as I come into view. "I don't care if there are others you want to try on, we're not leaving the shop without this dress."
"Good thing there aren't any others I want to try on." I reply with a laugh before stepping onto the small round platform and facing the mirrors.
The dress is long and slim fitting, with a small train trailing from the back. The top torso area is lace, with capped leaves, and a small circle is left open on the back, which I liked. The fit is nearly perfect, so hopefully it won't need too much tailoring.
"Is that the one?" My mom asks excitedly from her seat.
"This is the one." I grin.
When we get back to my apartment, I quickly say goodbye to my mother and hurry inside.
"Hey! How'd it go?" Rylie asks from the couch when I burst through the door. Her legs are curled beneath her and she holds a book in one hand. I'm momentarily stunned at her beauty in that moment, and have to shake my head slightly to clear it.
"Great! I'll tell you about it in the car. You ready to go?" I ask hurriedly as I grab the cooler bag by the door.
"Oh, shit! I forgot!"
"Rylie!" I laugh. "I told you literally this morning!"
"Yeah, but I was distracted." She giggles. She's right, we were kind of in the middle of something when I'd reminded her. She jumps up from the couch and disappears into the bedroom before quickly reappearing. "Let's go." She laughs, taking my hand and pulling me out the door.
"So?" Rylie says once we're on the road.
"So, what?" I tease, knowing how much she really wants to know.
"Aspen." She says sternly. "You'd better tell me whether or not you got a dress."
"Or what?" I grin, sending a quick glance her way before focusing back on the road.
"Oh, don't play this game with me. You know what kind of teasing I'm capable of." She smirks, and I instantly back down. I definitely know what kind of teasing she was referring to.
"Okay, fine." I laugh. "Yes, I got a dress." I can't stop the grin that spreads over my face. "It only took like seven stores, but I fell in love with this dress the moment I tried it on!"
"Aspen, that's great! That was pretty much the last thing we had to worry about!" Rylie says excitedly.
"Well, and the cake tasting." I grin.
"I'm looking forward to that, not worrying about it." She laughs.
It's nearing sunset as we reach the parking lot of our destination, and we hurry out of the car and towards the hiking trail. I carry the blanket in my arms, and Rylie carries the cooler bag.
"It's a good thing this is a short trail." Rylie huffs after only five minutes of walking.
"Are you tired already? Maybe we should work out more." I tease.
"I do work out! That's why I'm angry, I shouldn't be tired yet!" Rylie nearly growls.
"Baby, I'm teasing. I know you work out. One of my favorite things is feeling your toned stomach and muscles when we're making..."
"Shush! Aspen!" Rylie cuts me off with a laugh and whirls around to place a hand over my mouth. "There might be other people here!"
"Doubtful." I say behind her hand, but it's so muffled I doubt she understands it.
"Huh?" She asks, proving my point. I take her hand and kiss it before repeating myself.
"Doubtful. I don't think anyone else will be here. At least, I hope no one else will, cause I wanna make out with you later."
Rylie grins before giving me a quick kiss. "I guess we'd better hurry, then!" She says excitedly, suddenly full of energy she didn't have moments ago.
"So that's all it takes for you to no longer be tired?" I giggle.
"A make out session with you is nothing to scoff at, Aspen. You could get me to do anything with the promise of a good make out session." Rylie smirks.
"Anything?" I echo with a raised eyebrow.
"Anything." Rylie confirms with a slow, heated look.
"Noted." I grin before grabbing her hand and pulling her up the rest of the trail.
'Okay, you're right," Rylie says once we reach the top. "This is the perfect time to come up here." We can see basically the whole city of Charlotte from our point, and the city lights glow warmly with the setting sun as their background. Trees surround the city, spreading in each direction and the fall leaves added even more color.
"Yep." I agree. "Nothing beats this view."
"Well, one thing does." Rylie says, and I look over to find her staring at me. The blush rises in my cheeks, and I quickly take the cooler bag from her arms and set it on the ground next to the blanket before pulling her towards me.
"You flatter me." I whisper as I brush a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I only speak the truth." She responds with a smile before leaning in to kiss me. When we break apart, I get to work setting up our small picnic as the sun begins setting, and the color fills the sky while we eat the little sandwiches and sliced fruit we'd prepared this morning.
"24 days." Rylie says as we clean up our things. "Can you believe it's almost here?"
"Ry, I still can't believe you said yes at all." I laugh.
"There's no one else I would've wanted to say yes to." She grins before laying down on the blanket and pulling me on top of her. Soft music plays from the speaker I brought, and I recognize Want You In My Room by Carly Rae Jepson.
I bring my head down slowly and brush my lips lightly against Rylie's teasing her. "Please kiss me." She breathes, and I obey immediately, pressing my lips firmly against hers. She grips the front of my flannel shirt to pull me closer.
"You look hot in my shirt. You should wear my stuff more often." Rylie whispers against my lips.
"They're comfy and smell good, so I will." I reply with a  giggle before kissing her again. God, I still couldn't get enough of her lips.
Rylie's hands trail down my back and under my shirt, and her nails dig softly into my skin. Her legs come up to my sides, and I run my hand up her calf to her thigh, suddenly wishing she wasn't wearing the pair of ripped jeans that prevented me from feeling more of her skin. She looked hot in the pants though, so I wasn't complaining too much.
I cup Rylie's cheek gently with my other hand, brushing my thumb along her cheekbone before kissing her harder than before. Her tongue presses against my lips and I part them, letting her in. Her soft moans enter my mouth, turning me on even more. She suddenly shifts, moving her hips upwards until she's pressed against me. I get the hint instantly and slip my thigh between her legs, moving slowly, enjoying the way she tries to hold back her moans.
I gently bite her bottom lip before kissing her neck, and with each breath in, my senses are filled with her delicious smell.
The sun completely sets and soon, only the glow on the horizon accompanies us as we finally break apart. "You have no idea how badly I want to take you, right here, right now." Rylie whispers against my ear.
"Later." I promise with a final kiss. "What do you say we catch a movie first?" I ask with a grin.
"Okay," Rylie says with a smirk. "But only if you promise to finish this later."
"Oh, we'll finish. I promise." I laugh, enjoying the look on her face.