The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 36

JUNIPER

Axel handed me a pile of dresses in all different shapes and styles and then guided me to the dressing room. I picked a champagne-colored dress to try on first. It was a slender fit all the way down my body. It pooled at my feet, making it clear the dress originally belonged to someone easily over six feet tall. The chest also hung loosely on me.

As I looked in the mirror, I hated how I looked. I felt like a child playing dress up.

"How's it going in there?" Axel's voice was muffled on the other side of the dressing room.

"Horrible. This dress doesn't fit me well at all." I turned in the mirror and cringed.

"But it's your size."

"There are other factors than just size that make clothing fit well."

"Show me. It can't be that bad." His voice was closer now.

I grimaced at the thought. I never wanted anyone to see me in something like this. It only emphasized my lacking features. "No way. I'm not going out there."

I reached behind me to pull at the zipper, but the sound of a chair dragging across the floor startled me. I squinted at the door, as if it would help me see what was going on outside of the dressing room. I jumped when Axel's head popped over the top of the door. "It doesn't look that bad," Axel said, but his tone didn't match his words. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the dress.

"Axel!" I put my hands over my chest, trying to hide how ill fitting the dress was, but I knew it was too late. "I told you I didn't want you to see."

He rested his arms on top of the door and smirked. "Actually, you told me you weren't going to come out, so I figured this was the only way."

"I could've been naked!" I felt vulnerable and exposed, knowing there was nowhere to hide in here.

"That would've been a nice treat."

My face heated from his comment, and I knew he was dipping his toe into dangerous waters. "Axel."

He lifted his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. I won't look over the top again as long as you promise to come out and show me the rest of your dresses. As your fairy godmother, I need to have input on all of your dresses so I can find the perfect fit." "You just want to make fun of me for some of the ridiculous dresses you picked out."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't make the other statement any less true."

"Fine, I promise I'll come out and show you all of the dresses. Now get down so I can get changed."

Axel hopped down from the chair, and I took a moment to catch my breath. It was easy to fall into a fun rhythm with him. He was playful and clever, and when his eyes settled on me... I shook my head, guilt making my stomach heavy. It was almost too easy to be around Axel, and it felt both wrong and right.

I changed into the next dress and took a moment to look in the mirror. It wasn't the right dress either, but it didn't look as ill fitting. It was something about the color that I didn't like. The red seemed to wash out my skin.

This time I willingly stepped out of the dressing room. Axel was sitting on the chair close by, and when he heard me walk up, he looked up from his phone. He stared at me for a moment before letting a puff of air escape in laughter.

I frowned at his reaction. While it wasn't my favorite dress, I didn't appreciate being laughed at. "If you're going to laugh at me every time I come out of the dressing room, I'm not going to show you any other dresses."

"But have you seen the back of that dress? It looks like you have a tail feather." He covered his mouth, trying to stop himself from chuckling more.

I walked over to a corner that had mirrors on every wall, making it easier to see every angle of the dress. I turned slightly and looked at the back of the dress. The bow at the back was huge compared to the rest of the dress, and it was made of shredded pieces of material. The weight of it made it hand low on my back. I shook my b**t, making the strings of fabric flutter like a tail.

I bent over and laughed, pressing my hands into my knees. I looked at Axel, who had a wide grin on his face. "What kind of dresses did you pick out for me? Do you want me to get bullied even more?"

I could only imagine Moira's reaction to a dress like this, and the idea of the cringe on her face made me laugh even more. It was almost enough to be tempted to buy a dress like this.

"Think of it as my form of payment for helping you out." Axel approached me slowly. He reached out and ruffled the bow again, making us both laugh.

"You volunteered to help me out. Volunteers aren't supposed to require payment," I said once the laughter died down.

Axel shrugged, taking a step back. "Guess I'm not a good volunteer then."

"Are any of the dresses you picked out actually suitable options?" I was having fun with Axel, but I didn't want to spend all day putting on ridiculous dresses.

He thought for a moment before answering. "Try on the purple one next."

I studied his face for any signs that he was messing with me, but his face was completely serious. "Okay, but if it makes me look like any animal, I'll make you regret it."

"It won't. I promise."

I went back into the dressing room and discarded the red dress as quickly as possible. I searched through the pile of material for the purple dress Axel mentioned. I looked it over, and it didn't have any obvious malformities or strange additions.

I pulled the dress up and reached behind me to pull the zipper up. It went up part way before getting stuck in the middle of my back. I tried tugging it, but it wouldn't budge. I bit my cheek, trying to hold in a groan of frustration.

"Everything okay in there?" Axel sounded like he was right outside of the door.

I bit my lip as I tried to pull up the zipper again. That time I failed to hold in my groan. Knowing I wouldn't be successful on my own, I pressed my left hand over the bodice to make sure the dress didn't fall down. With my other hand, I opened the door just a crack. My heart jumped when Axel's face was right in front of me, but I managed to stop my body from showing my startle.

"The zipper is stuck."

Axel raised his eyebrows and looked down at me. "Do you want help?" His voice was quiet, and he said each word with hesitancy.

"Please."

Axel slowly opened the door and slipped inside with me before shutting it behind him. "Turn around."

I followed his orders and turned, so I was facing the mirror. I pressed both of my hands against my chest to hold up my dress, and I watched him move in the mirror.

Axel's hands looked like they were about to shake, but he held them steady as he grabbed the zipper. He tugged on it gently, testing it out. When it didn't work, he pinched the fabric and pulled down while pulling up on the zipper again.

His forehead creased as he concentrated on the task. His breath hit the back of my neck, sending goosebumps along my spine. The zipper started to move, and his hand slid up my back as he zipped up my dress. He was able to completely zip up the dress, but when he was done, his fingers lingered at the back of my neck.

I watched him scan my shoulders as he ran his fingers over the hem of the dress, making sure it lay correctly against my body. He adjusted the sleeves of the dress, and then his fingers ran down my arms.

He looked up, catching my gaze in the mirror, and I couldn't breathe as he looked at me. There was a longing in his eyes, and his unspoken words filled the air. Thoughts of what if filled my own thoughts, and I swallowed hard, feeling a thrum in my skin, setting my nerves on fire. A part of me ached for the alternative, wondering how things would've turned out if I had picked Axel instead of Asher.

"Thank you," I whispered. My throat was dry, and I couldn't say another word.

"I'm happy to help."

We stared at each other through the mirror, and several moments passed before either of us spoke. It was as if we wanted to treasure this moment, knowing that these stolen moments were all we would ever get of each other. Axel cleared his throat and took a step back. "So what do you think? Is it everything you ever wanted?"

I looked away from him and turned my focus onto the dress instead. It was a royal purple that seemed to bring out the amber in my eyes. It had a sweetheart neckline that looked like it was tailored to my body. Small sleeves hung off my shoulders, and the bodice was tight.

The skirt flared at my hips with a few layers of cloth, but it wasn't too much to make my lower half look like a bell. The top layer of the skirt was sheer with silver sparkles inlaid throughout it. I twirled back and forth, making the skirt sparkle under the lights. Overall, the dress was simple enough to not draw unnecessary attention to myself, but it also made me feel prettier than I had in a long time.

"It's perfect."