"I think you look amazing," Wren told her with a genuine smile on his lips as his gaze traveled from her feet up to her face.
Diana instinctively clutched the fabric of her skirt with her knuckles whitening slightly.
She could feel his eyes roaming over her body, and the heat of his stare made her chest feel incredibly warm.
A deep, rosy blush crept up her neck, staining her cheeks. "D-do you really think so?"
"I do..." Wren said, though his eyes lingered on the bodice. "Though, doesn’t the chest feel a bit tight?"
Diana blinked, montarily snapped out of her flustered state, and looked down at herself.
The rich crimson fabric was stretched taut over her generous curves, her breasts were pushed upward by the structured tailoring but she didn’t feel constricted.
"Tight?" she asked, adjusting the neckline slightly. "It... well, they are pushed together quite a bit, but it’s fine. I actually feel very comfortable in this."
"If you like it, then I like it too," Wren said with a nod. He turned to the boutique assistant who was still hovering nearby, hoping for his digits. "Doesn’t she look beautiful?"
The woman nodded emphatically, her eyes wide with professional and perhaps slightly envious appreciation.
"Oh, absolutely. Honestly, sir, even the ugliest clothes in this shop would look like designer couture on her, She is just that charming."
Diana’s blush deepened until she looked as red as her dress. "Oh, please, that simply isn’t true! You’re being far too kind."
Wren stepped closer, his voice dropping an octave. "I have to agree with the lady, Diana. You’d look good in anything you wor—"
Swish!
The velvet curtain of the adjacent booth flew open with a sharp snap. Zoe stepped out, clearing her throat loudly to command the room’s attention.
She was wearing a sleek, lavender slip dress made of heavy silk. The color was a daring choice against her vibrant pink hair, but it worked perfectly. The dress was elegant and minimalist, skimming over her toned athletic fra.
It didn’t emphasize her curves with the sa intensity as Diana’s, but the way the fabric moved against her thighs and waist spoke of a subtle beauty.
"Well?" Zoe asked, smoothing the silk over her hips. "How do I look?"
Wren looked her up and down, his expression flattening into a mask of pure boredom. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh... You look like a caveman as usual."
A thick vein imdiately popped on Zoe’s forehead. Her hands balled into fists, and for a mont, it looked like she might take a swing at him right there among the mannequins.
"A caveman?! You absolute Neanderthal! I don’t even know why I bothered asking. I didn’t want to know what a brainless brute like you thought in the first place!"
She huffed and turned toward her mother with her expression softening instantly. "Mom? Ignoring the peanut gallery... what do you think?"
Diana clapped her hands together, her eyes shining with pride. "Oh, Zoe! You look absolutely stunning. It’s so sophisticated!"
Before Zoe could gloat, another curtain slid open.
Dani erged, wearing a playful, bright yellow sundress with a ruffled hem. Dani was petite, lacking the prominent curves of the other won, but the dress played to her strengths. It made her look energetic and lithe with the high waistline giving her the illusion of more height.
Wren blinked and a look of genuine surprise crossed his face. "Huh. Surprisingly, you actually look cute."
The vein on Dani’s forehead made its debut.
"What the hell is that supposed to an?! ’Surprisingly’? I’m cute regularly, you blind idiot!"
Wren leaned back against a pillar, crossing his arms. "h."
Dani’s face twisted in fury.
She looked like she was vibrating with the intense urge to leap across the room and sink her teeth into his shoulder. "I’m going to kill you. I’m actually going to eat you..."
"Good luck with that," Wren muttered.
The next curtain belonged to Priya.
She stepped out with a grace that silenced the bickering. She wore a deep erald-green gown that seed to glow against her skin.
The dress featured a halter neck that showed off her toned shoulders, and the fabric was encrusted with tiny, dark erald beads. Her black hair, peppered with those signature golden flecks, was swept to one side, catching the light. The dress hugged her hourglass figure perfectly, cinching at her waist before flowing into a small train.
She held the hem of the dress tentatively. "How do I look?"
"Oh, Priya!" Dani squealed, her anger at Wren montarily forgotten. "You look really, really pretty! Like a movie star!"
Diana smiled gently. "It’s a perfect choice, dear. It matches your eyes and that lovely hair of yours quite wonderfully."
Zoe nodded, though she couldn’t resist a small jab. "You look pretty cute. Honestly, it’s a total sha that you’re dating a man... Such a waste of a good outfit."
"Zoe... Seriously?" Dani snapped. "Do you have to make everything about n? Just give the girl a complint without the politics!"
Priya offered a small, appreciative nod to the girls, but her focus remained squarely on Wren. She felt a twinge of guilt in the back of her mind.
Derek had been incredibly against her coming here. He’d been skeptical, his jealousy flaring up at the ntion of Wren’s na.
She’d spent an hour denying she had any lingering feelings for him, eventually having to placate him with a kiss on the forehead just so he’d let her leave the house but standing here now, under Wren’s gaze, she wanted... no, she needed to know if he liked it.
Wren gave her a slow firm nod of approval. "It fits you a lot, Priya. You look great."
Priya felt a flutter in her stomach and she blushed with her composure wavering for a split second. "T-thank you, Wren."
Finally, the last curtain parted. Leah stepped out, a hand placed firmly on her waist. She wore a white cocktail dress with avant-garde architectural folds around the shoulders.
It was a high-fashion piece that emphasized her slender but defined figure, making her look like she had just stepped off a runway.
"It looks amazing!" Zoe exclaid. "The silhouette fits your figure perfectly, Leah."
"Very chic..." Dani added.
Leah soaked in the praise with a smirk, then turned to Wren, her eyebrows raised expectantly. "And the expert’s opinion?"
Wren shrugged. "h. It’s okay, I guess."
The won all stared at him as if he had just insulted a sacred monunt.
"Okay?!" Zoe yelled. "Are you blind? That dress costs more than your bank balance!"
Leah, however, didn’t look offended. She studied herself in the mirror, then smiled. "You know what? He’s right. I’m really not feeling this one. Thanks for the honesty, Wren."
She vanished back into the booth, only to erge monts later in a sleek, black lace number. "How about this one?"
Wren stroked his chin. "h."
Back in she went.
"Are you actually crazy?" Zoe hissed at him. "You’re just being difficult now."
Wren just shrugged.
"Wait for it... Leah always wears the best thing on the third try." he whispered.
The curtain opened a third ti. This ti, the room went quiet.
Leah was wearing a floor-length, sapphire-blue silk gown with a corseted bodice and a draped skirt. It was the perfect balance of elegance and allure, highlighting her curves while maintaining an air of untouchable class. She looked radiant with a confident smile on her lips.
"What about this one?" she asked.
Wren nodded slowly with a look of genuine approval on his face. "Now that... that one is good. I like it."
Leah let out a triumphant "Yes!" and pumped both fists into the air, abandoning her high-society grace for a mont of pure excitent.
She turned to the other girls with her eyes gleaming. "You all look dazzling! So, do we want to buy more? I think we need more."
"More?" Wren’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.
Leah looked at her fingers, counting them off. "Of course! We’re going to be on that cruise for eleven days, Wren. We need options! Formal nights, casual lunches, sunset cocktails... it’s nice to have assortnts."
"She’s right..." Dani said, her eyes wide. "We definitely need more."
Leah pointed toward the maid.
"Lead the way! Show us the new arrivals!" The assistant bowed low, practically glowing at the prospect of the commission, and led the pack deeper into the boutique.
...
"Ugh..."
Wren wanted to rub his face in exhaustion, but his hands were currently occupied by about fifteen different designer shopping bags. He was carrying the combined weight of Diana’s, Leah’s, Dani’s, and even Zoe’s purchases.
How had he ended up here? A devastatingly unlucky round of rock-paper-scissors.
"Oh, co on..." Leah teased, bumping her hip against his side as they navigated the sidewalk. "You can’t have all those muscles and not put them to work. Letting them go to waste would be a cri against the state."
"For your information," Wren grunted, shifting the weight of a particularly heavy bag from a leather goods store, "I work out every morning. This isn’t ’working them out,’ this is manual labor."
They were walking through the familiar slightly grimy but charming streets of Harlow. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the brick buildings. Diana, walking on his other side, looked at him with a pained expression and she reached out her hands.
"Wren, please... let help you. This is too much for one person."
Wren looked into her eyes and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about it, Diana. I’ve got it. Just enjoy the walk."
Diana’s face flushed instantly, she averted her gaze looking down at the pavent. "O-okay then. If you’re sure."
"So, Wren," Leah said, hopping over a puddle with effortless grace. "Does anything actually happen down here in Harlow? Any interesting spots?"
Dani didn’t give him a chance to answer. "Oh, you would love the nightlife here, Leah! It’s not like the city. We’ve even got a club!"
Leah’s face twisted into an expression of pure disgust. "Ugh, no thank you. I hate clubs. My last experience was just sweaty people, overpriced water, and terrible music. It was awful."
"It’s not like that!" Dani insisted. "It’s local. It’s got character. Wren, tell her! Tell her it’s good."
Leah raised an eyebrow, looking at Wren with genuine surprise.
"Wait. You actually go to a club here? You?"
Wren sighed.
"It’s... actually pretty nice. It’s got a different vibe." He looked at Leah, and a sudden, mischievous thought crossed his mind. ’If I don’t warn her about Old Man Jeff, she’s going to get the most ridiculous nickna...’
He knew Leah.
She wasn’t exactly a powerhouse... She wouldn’t survive the "Harlow Handshake" and she certainly couldn’t chug drinks fast enough to impress anyone.
She’d be a pri target for a useless, embarrassing nickna that would stick for the rest of her life. It was a golden opportunity to ss with her.
Wren cleared his throat.
"Actually, why don’t you follow , Diana, and Dani’s mom to the club tonight? Since we’re all dressed up anyway. It’d be worth your ti."
Leah considered it for a mont, then shrugged. "Fine. If you’re going, I guess I’ll see what the fuss is about."
Wren smirked.
’Perfect. Nothing can go wrong.’
...
Old Man Jeff held Leah’s delicate pale wrist firmly, hoisting her hand high into the air so the entire room could see her and they stopped moving instantly, it was a bit strange to get two new people in one day but they weren’t going to complain.
"Listen up, Harlow!" Jeff’s voice bellowed, cutting through the din and echoing off the exposed brick walls. "We’ve got another new one! Following in the footsteps of Diana the Goddess, we have another fresh face today!"
He shook Leah’s arm like a trophy.
"et our newest addition! From this day forward, she shall be known as... Leah, The Saint!"
’How the hell did this even happen?’ Wren felt like pulling his hair out.
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