"Come in and see," she called from inside the fitting room.
He looked up from his phone at the door. This shopping trip had extended way past what she'd promised. There was already 5 or 6 bags at his feet, full of dresses and accessories she would potentially wear to a wedding with her boyfriend.
The two of them had been friends all their lives. Their mothers best friends themselves.
She had convinced him that this would be a quick detour to "find a dress real quick" but it didn't seem like they were going to get to the movie today.
He sighed as he gathered up the bags and walked over to the door.
The first glimpse made him take a half step backward. He played it cool and dropped the bags as he collapsed onto the bench.
"Well?" She asked.
"Well what?" He replied with a smirk.
"Please stop playing," She was a bit exasperated. It had been a long day for her also. "How does this one look?"
He almost shot back with his usual, a flippant, sarcastic remark that would draw her ire. Instead, he was honest. "You look good."
The smile she returned made his heart flutter slightly. Actually, she looked better than good. She was beautiful. Always had been he admitted. Their relationship precluded him thinking of her in that way though. So why did his heart just do that thing?
"I don't know. I have a few more to try on. Thank you so much for coming with me."
"Don't mention it," he replied a touch sarcastically as he rose to go back out into the store.
"Where you going?" She asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"Back outside. You said you had more to try on."
"Boy sit down. You shy?"
He sucked his teeth and parked himself back on the bench arms folded.
She turned away from him back toward the mirror and began to shimmy out of the dress. He had seen her in a bathing suit before, so there was nothing exposed that he hadn't previously seen. But this felt different, almost as if he was seeing her, really seeing her, for the first time.
He took in every inch of her as she reached for the next dress to try on. The curve of her legs to where it met her butt. He studied her stomach up to her breasts; reflected back at him in the mirror. No, it wasn't just his heart fluttering.
"What?" She asked snapping him from his reveries.
"What? Nothing. Hurry up." He responded, definitely not meaning it. He was really enjoying the view.
This went on for 3 more changes. Her modeling, the stripping down to her bra and panties before trying on the next. Him taking in every jiggle and quiver of flesh as she moved about the room.
"Can you zip me up?" She was trying on the last dress and he could barely contain himself. She lifted her ponytail and leaned her head forward. He stood and walked over to her, again looking at her reflection in the mirror.
He stopped just short of her and took the zipper in his fingers, and let it fall.
"Are you teasing me?" He asked, eyes narrowed.
"Huh?"
He took another step toward her. Close enough to smell her perfume and note her quickened breath.
He leaned closer, lips inches from her ear.
