I had never allowed myself to be caught up in a situation that required me to feel so vulnerable. Shopping for clothes at a steady size was bad enough, but I wasn't happy with my weight loss, although the pounds were dropping off day by day. In truth, I was a bit of a sneaky snacker, and I too-often sabotaged my dieting efforts. But I wasn't about to give up on myself.

"Look guys, lets not spend too much money. I still have a lot left to lose."

I realized I would never blossom into a tall model-like build, and it was hard enough hanging around them all day. The girls at the studio were perfection, every angle of their faces a work of art, their bodies petite, tucked-in, in all the right places. I was the toad of the lily pond, but I refused to fall into despair at my imperfection, or their perfection.

"Here we are," said Jenna, directing Neil from the backseat to pull into the closest parking lot. "This street is the fashion hub of town. I'm taking you to a small avaunt-guard boutique." As she showed us into the store, she said to me, "We need to find you outfits that will enhance your hourglass figure, and of course the correct coloring for your cocoa-luscious skin is paramount. Mmmm... lets see..." She ran on ahead into the back of the shop, leaving Neil and I to browse the clothing alone.

I couldn't get her description of my skin color out of my mind. Cocoa-luscious? No way would I survive a day with her; she was insane. I lifted a silky, flowered sleeve, and wrinkled my nose. Upon glancing up, I found unfamiliar pairs of eyes on me, and grabbed hold of Neil.

"I don't want to be here. Everyone is staring at me."

"Look, don't be so paranoid. There's no one in here except the assistants, and they're only looking at us because they are interested in making a sale. This place is probably commission based. Really, this is not such a big deal."

"It's not a big deal to YOU. You get to keep your clothes on!"

"What do you think I do all day at the studio? Undress and redress hundreds of times. People staring at me from every angle."

"At least every one of your angles is perfect! Mine aren't."

He loosened my fingers from his shirt, amusement clear in his eyes. "You. Will. Be. Fine."

Jenna then came running towards us, engulfed in a wave of eagerness, almost tripping over a coat-hanger. Her arms were draped in such a large pile of clothing, she ran right past us in a blind frenzy.

"Neil... Chris... Hey, here, here. You gotta check out all this stuff!" Out of breath, she stumbled straight into the arms of a mannequin, and sent the clothes she was carrying, flying into the delicate front window display.

"Excuse me, miss. If you're in need of help, we would prefer if you'd ask us instead of bludgeoning the whole shop to pieces," a rude shop assistant said, advancing on us.

"Excuse me? Well, excuse you! Do you want to make a sale today, or would you prefer it if we went somewhere else?" Not waiting for an answer, and undeterred, Jenna stood up grabbing handfuls of crumpled clothing, and continued towards the dressing room. Neil and I just stared, her audacity astounding us both.

"Don't just stand there, you two. Lets get your future wardrobe on the make."

We ran after her, two kids trailing a drill sergeant.

"Let's get this magic started. Time to make you feel like a Cinderella, Christella."

I followed her into the dressing room as if being led to my execution, while she hung everything up on the rod provided.

"Well aren't you a bundle of excitement. Now get those grotty old clothes off that cute body!"

She expected me to undress while she was in the room? Had she smoked something before we picked her up?

"Jenna, I'm not going to take my clothes off while you're in here."

"Don't be silly; I can't help you from out there. Now get on unbuttoning that dreary cardigan."

I didn't move. "I'm not undressing in front of you. Get out."

Neil spoke from the area outside the dressing room. "Chris, come on, be nice. Jenna doesn't judge; there's nothing to be worried about."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he sounded smug. Happy as pie. Oblivious to the problems I faced. I turned away from Jenna to change.

"We've got to get you some new underwear, too," Jenna mused.

I wished someone would kill me.

"Alright, let's try this little number first. We need to find your size."

Why couldn't I implode and disappear without a trace?

I stepped into black dress, but it wouldn't go over my hips. Jenna nodded. "Okay, try this one. It's a size bigger."

The next one slipped up with ease, and Jenna zipped the back for me. When she was silent, I assumed the dress looked terrible, and told her to unzip it, but she shook her head, grinning. "It looks great!"

"Let me see," Neil called through the door.

My heart tried it's best to pop out of my chest, and Jenna ran to throw the door open, despite my protests. Neil's grin faded into a smile at my look of pure despair. "Jenna, excuse us for a minute?"

She huffed, but the gleam in her eyes reappeared as she walked off. I assumed the worst, that she was looking for more clothes. Neil closed the door behind him, and came to me. I stepped back. I felt naked, though I wasn't; I wanted to put MY clothes back on.

"Christelle, I need you to calm down."

"I am calm. I told you I didn't want to be here-"

He reached out and took my hand, drawing me closer, and then turned me to face the mirror, positioning himself behind me. "Why don't you take a look at yourself?"

"Because I know I look hideous."

His hands rested on my waist. "How do you know that if you haven't looked? You've changed, and you've never worn something like this. Come on," he coaxed. "Just take a look. For me."

I breathed in deep, and looked up at the mirror. I was sure to avoid looking at Neil. The black dress Jenna had picked out had no room left for me to move, and I adjusted it without thinking. Despite the weight I'd lost, I still looked too big. Why didn't they understand that nothing was going to look right on me? Why did they keep trying so hard? There was no reason to-

"Chris!"

My eyes snapped up to Neil's. "Huh?"

"I've been talking to you."

"I'm sorry... I just... look, I looked, okay? Can you get out so I can change back?"

"What did you see?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "The same old me. Big, and disgusting. A dress can be model-worthy, Neil. That doesn't mean it can make ME look model-worthy."

When I tried to step out of his grasp, he gripped my waist tighter, pulling me back. I felt like breaking free and hitting him, I did, but the look on his face stopped me. Calm, serene, soothing, loving.

"Do you want to know what I see?"

"No."

He only smiled. "I see gorgeous curves here"-his hands slid to my hips-"here"-back up to my waist-"and here." His hands skimmed the sides of my breasts over the fabric of the dress. "It's frustrating sometimes, how you don't see how beautiful you are. But I have to remember that you've never been told that, have you? Everyone's been lying to you. You have curves, Chris. You know how many women I work with that model, and complain about not having curves? You have what most women wish for."

"I-"

"No, just listen. And look at yourself. Really look, and see the reasons why I haven't gone anywhere. James told me that you know my history with women. I figured that's the only reason you'd agree to do this today." At my startled glance, he smiled, and rested his chin on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I'm a little clueless, but not that much. You fought me every step of the way, so when you gave in, I knew something was up. I'm not going anywhere, baby. I think... I think you're good for me. You don't act like I'm the center of your universe, and you force me to pay attention to someone other than myself." He kissed my neck. "I have to say, I love focusing on you."

His eyes met mine in the mirror, and I smiled. He straightened, and rested his hands on my waist again. "You don't like this dress..."

"No."

"But will you let me buy it for you anyway? I think you look sexy in it, and you can wear it the next time we go out. But we'll have to double date; I wouldn't want to do anything I regret. Or more importantly, that you would regret, because I certainly wouldn't regret anything this dress makes me want to do to you."

The knock on the door made us both jump, but my rapid heartbeat had nothing to do with the scare. "You two better not be doing anything in there," Jenna sang. "I have more clothes for you, Chrissy."

I groaned, and Neil laughed. "Get used to it. You're modeling every last outfit before we leave this store."

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"Not enjoying this. Enjoying you. I'll enjoy you more when Jenna finds you some shoes."

He left the dressing room before I could protest, but I heard his laughter as Jenna said something I didn't catch. She shut the door behind her, and dumped another pile of clothes on the bench. "Prepare to witness the everyday magic of fashion, Christelle. I'm gonna hook you up."

This was going to take all day.