The joyful anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures (n)

Ellie jumps up and down, her fingers itching to zip the back of the dress, her fifth dress here. She curses under her breath as she flattens and compresses her boobs flatter against her chest. Her arms ache from the muster of pulling and pinching the stretchy fabric with just too little give.

“Do you need help zipping?” Philip asks from the neighboring changing stall.

Ellie lets out as big of a breath the dress will allow. “I don’t think an army of sales associates could zip this thing.”

She gives up on getting the dress fully on and pulls the zipper down to her waist. She takes a free breath and rests the side of her head against the stall wall she shares with Philip. She can feel the light thud of him doing the same.

“I’m assuming this is another bust of a trip?”

Ellie sighs. “Three stores, twenty dresses, and far too many judgemental stares for absolutely no wins.”

“Oh come on,” Philip raps his knuckles against the wall. “You got to spend an entire day with nothing but my constant, lovely, entertaining company.”

Ellie laughs. She can imagine him posing to himself in the mirror as he spoke his own praises. She was beyond lucky to have Philip to unconditionally love her: her soulmate. Platonic soulmate, that is.

“I guess that’ll have to do,” she says with a smirk.

“Hey,” he whines, “not cool. I didn’t have to come.”

“I’m glad you did.” Ellie snaps her head away from the wall. “Speaking of, any luck with those suits?”

He groans. “No. I can’t tell if I have the least ideal body for any corporation or what, but I can’t fit well in anything.”

“I guess that makes two of us.”

Ellie tries again to zip the dress, just to see if she can. She exhales as deep as her lungs allow and pulls up. To her surprise, she gets it to her upper back.

“I made progress,” Ellie breathes.

Philip holds back a laugh. “Yeah, it sounds like Wheezy.”

Ellie laughs, or as close to laughing as she can get in her current position. She reaches for the zipper. Her fingers just miss it. She curses and leans back against the wall.

“What’s been wrong with all the suits?” She asks, stalling her embarrassment. “Are you just a bizarrely portioned man or what?”

Philip laughs. “You’re not going to believe me, but for some reason I don’t have the chest to fill anything.”

“You’re saying you need boobs to wear your men’s suit?” Ellie questions.

“Yup. I also always have either too large of a waist or not enough hips to fill the pants. What’s up with that?”

Ellie nods. “Yeah, that’s weird. I, as do many girls in my position, have the issue of too much chest.”

“That’s been the issue for every dress you tried on today.”

“No,” Ellie objects. “That one dress from the first store I didn’t have enough boob to fill.”

Philip slaps the wall. “Oh my God, you’re right! Those cups were insane.”

Ellie laughs. “Yeah, I don’t think anyone was fitting into that. It was a small.”

“You’re joking!”

She shakes her head in the mirror. “Nope. That dress was made for a toxic man’s ideal woman.”

“Imaginary?” He asks.

Ellie snorts. “Yup.” She steps closer to the mirror and looks closer at herself. “You want to know what’s even worse right now?”

“Hm.”

“I’m bursting out of the top of this dress, but I can’t fill the shoulder space.” Ellie slides her fingers into the gaped space.

“That has to be a weird shape then.”

She nods. “It is. I just wish there was a way to…”

“Hello? Earth to Ellie?” Philip calls.

Ellie smiles into the mirror. “Hey, are you changed and out?”

The door next to her flies open. “I am now.”

Ellie peaks her head out. His eyebrows come together.

“I have an idea,” she says before he can question the borderline crazy look on her face. “But first,” she turns around, “can you unzip this? I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

~~~

Ellie licks her thumb and leans forward. She rubs a smudge off the toe of her heel. As she stands, she hears a rap at the front door. She reapplies her black lipstick and listens to the shuffle of her mother’s slippers across the hardwood.

Her mom squeals. “Oh my goodness, Philip! You look amazing!”

There’s a click of a door while he laughs. “Hi Mrs. Parker.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? Please just call me Diane.”

Ellie laughs knowing he never will. She double-checks herself in the mirror, not an angel skipped over. She pulls a stray piece of her freshly curled hair off the black corset and brushes the back of her hand across the green fabric draped over her shoulders.

With a deep breath, Ellie throws open her bedroom door and runs as carefully and quickly as she can. She freezes two steps from the bottom, having caught eye of Philip. He stands frozen in her direction too.

They share a moment of quiet, stunned silence of them looking each other up and down. Ellie traces her eye down Philip from the soft pink tool top with puffy balloon sleeves to the full, arched curve of the dress’s skirt. She can see his eyes bouncing from the black lace of her corset, to the satin green of her suit jacket and pants, and to her bold back lip.

They burst into hysterical laughter. She finishes her descent and launches herself into a tight hug with him. He holds her tight, careful to avoid flattening her hair or allowing her makeup to transfer.

Philip pushes her far enough away to be able to look at her again. “Damn, okay. Do you just want to take over all my suits now? Because there’s no way I’ll ever look as good as you do right now.”

Ellie shoves his shoulder. “Says you! Have you seen yourself? Remind me to never wear a dress around you again.”

“You don’t wear dresses anyways,” he teases.

She puts her hands up. “And now I never will.” She gasps. “I have a skirt upstairs that I think you would look absolutely stunning in! You have to try it on.”

Philip laughs. “Later. We’re going to be late for dinner and pictures.”

Mrs. Parker claps and begins digging through her purse. “Wait, wait! I need to get one of you two before you go.”

Ellie groans. “Mom!”

She turns with her phone freshly in hand. “I’ll be quick. Get close together.”

They do as they’re told.

“Allison is going to kill us,” Ellie whispers to Philip through her smile.

“Thanks, you two.”

Philip relaxes his smile and shrugs. “I’d be the same if my partner was late to something this important to them, so I get it. That’s why we really need to go.”

She nods as she reaches for her bag on the stair railing. “We’re off Mom. We’ll be back late. Don’t stay up.”

“Bye hons! Have fun!”

Ellie opens the door and dramatically gestures for the princess of the two of them to exit first. Philip rolls his eyes and walks carefully out the door, Ellie close behind.