The Judge's Contract Bride

Chapter 2

Getting to the bridal shop, Paula is perched on a velvet chair like she owns the place, sipping an iced latte and critiquing every single dress the consultant brings out. "No, no, no. That one makes you look like you're going to a funeral. Try the ivory one. The one with the slit."

I step out of the dressing room in what must be my fifth option, and the tailor—a woman in her seventies with reading glasses hanging from a beaded chain, immediately gestures for me to step onto the fitting platform.

"This one is lovely," the tailor murmurs, pinning the fabric at my waist. "You have a beautiful frame, dear."

"She's had better dreams than this dress," Paula quips from her throne, and I shot her a look.

"What does that mean?" I ask, already knowing this is dangerous territory.

"The dream you told me you were having about this unknown man”.

The tailor coughs, a delicate sound that somehow manages to convey deep embarrassment.

I ignore Paula's observation and focus on the mirror, but my reflection betrays me. There's a flush creeping up my neck.

Suddenly my phone buzzed and it was a message from Tiago.

“Don't let Paula choose the dress. We both know her taste belongs in prison.”

I laughed.

"What's funny?" Paula asked.

"Thiago says your fashion sense sucks."

"Tell him my fashion sense is superior."

“Paula says her fashion sense is superior”. And his reply arrived instantly.

“Paula is exactly why warning labels exist.” I laughed aloud, making Paula squint her eyes in suspicion.

"So are you going to tell me about the dream or do I have to use my detective skills?" Paula leans forward, her dark eyes gleaming with the kind of intensity that means she's not going to let this go.

"It was nothing. Just a dream."

"That made you look guilty as hell when you woke up next to your fiancé."

The tailor adjusts the hem with her jaw tight.

"It was just a weird dream," I say carefully. "It didn't mean anything."

"That's what people always say right before their relationships implode," Paula sets down her latte. "Come on. Details. Was it Drake?"

"No."

Paula's eyebrows shoot up. "No? Okay, so you dreamed about another guy?"

"I don't know who it was. It was just a dream and the weirdest part wasn't the kiss."

Paula looked interested. "Then what was?"

"It felt real."

"Real how?"

"Like I knew him."

The tailor coughs again, louder this time, and I watch her face turn a delicate shade of pink.

Paula, completely unbothered by the woman's discomfort, pulls out her phone. "Okay, hold on. Let me search what it means to dream about cheating on your fiancé."

"I wasn't cheating. It's a dream. It's not real."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Paula scrolls, her lips moving slightly as she reads. Then she looks up, triumphant. "Okay, listen to this. 'If you dream about cheating, it doesn't actually mean you want to cheat on your partner or betray them."

"Great. I told you."

"But wait, there's more." Paula continues reading, and her tone shifts. "It's more likely that you are betraying yourself by making certain choices that you know deep down are wrong for you."

"That's..." I start, but nothing comes out.

Paula sets her phone down and studies me with an expression that's too perceptive for this early in the day. "Okay, real talk. You want to get married. It's a huge step for you. Are you actually sure about this?"

"I love Drake so why wouldn't I want to marry him?"

"Because love and marriage are two different things?" Paula tilts her head. "You haven't actually slept with many guys other than Drake. Maybe you have some repressed desires. Maybe your subconscious is saying 'hey girl, you're about to spend the rest of your life with one person, and you haven't even explored.'"

The tailor makes a strangled sound that might be a cough or might be her actively dying from secondhand embarrassment. She glares at Paula over the rim of her glasses but Paula doesn't even glance at her.

"I don't know how you can trust guys from dating apps,you are insane Paula" I say, trying to change the topic

"How is that more dangerous than literally sharing your entire life with someone?" Paula counters. "At least with a dating app, if he turns out to be a psychopath, I haven't already signed a legal contract with him."

"When you're in love, you'll understand it better."

"I'm not going to be in love. I'm going to be having fun." Paula grins, but there's something wistful in her eyes. "You're the romantic one. I'm the pragmatist. That's why we work."

The tailor finishes pinning the waist and steps back. "There. This dress fits you beautifully. The ivory is perfect for your skin tone. I'll need to bring in the waist just a bit, but it's a minor adjustment."

I look at myself in the mirror. The dress is stunning with a classic A-line with delicate beading along the bodice and a subtle train. This is the dress I'm supposed to want. The dress that says "bride."

"Actually, it's fine as is," I say. "I'll probably gain some weight before then anyway."

Paula shrugs from her chair. "Fair point."

The tailor nods and makes a note on her clipboard, but I catch her relieved expression. We're finally moving past the repressed desires discussion.

"You know what?" Paula stands up and walks over to me, linking her arm through mine. She looks at our reflections side by side."You look so f*****g beautiful. Whoever that guy was in your dream, he doesn't stand a chance against Drake."

"Hey, can I borrow your phone for a second?" I ask, needing a distraction.

Paula hands it over, and I navigate to the app store. Within minutes, I've downloaded a safety app that lets me track her location. It's something I've been meaning to do for months because Paula has a tendency to disappear into sketchy parts of the city with even sketchier people.

"Okay, what are you doing?" Paula asks, watching over my shoulder.

"Downloading a safety app. So I can make sure you're not getting murdered by any of your dating app dates."

Paula takes the phone back and hands it to me. "If you're downloading it on my phone, you need to have it on yours too. Fair is fair. That way I can monitor you and see when you finally decide to visit a swinger club."

"I'm never visiting a swinger club."

"Not with that attitude." Paula winks making me laugh.

"If I ever get kidnapped, you'll find me."

I laughed.

"Don't joke about that,no one is getting kidnapped."

"I'm serious. At least now somebody will know where my body is."

We download the app on both phones, and there's something grounding about it. Paula and I against the world, or at least against the world's ability to hurt us without warning.

My phone buzzes with a call.

Drake.

"Where are you babe?" His voice is clipped, stressed. "I'm at the courthouse and the hearing is starting in twenty minutes."

"I'm on my way now," I say, already moving toward the dressing room to change. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay. Drive safe. Love you."

"Love you too."

I change out of the dress quickly, and Paula walks me to the door of the shop. "See you tomorrow for the bachelorette party, yeah?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

She pulls me into a hug, and for a moment, I let myself just hold on. Let myself feel the safety of her presence, the realness of our friendship that doesn't require vows or contracts or the promise of forever.

"You're going to be fine," she whispers. "Whatever that dream meant, you're going to be fine."

I want to believe her.

I flag down a cab on the street, the afternoon sun beating down on my shoulders. As I settle into the back seat, I give the driver the courthouse address, and watch the city slide past the windows.

My phone buzzes. A notification. Paula's location pops up on my new safety app that she's walking toward the subway station, probably heading home.

The courthouse came into view through the cab window.

A strange unease settled in my stomach.

As though something important was waiting for me behind those doors that was about to change everything.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window.

For a second, I saw those unfamiliar gray eyes from my dream again.