156 Anticipation

ELIA

"Do you like it?" Candace asked, her eyes bright and curious.

Elia stood in her and Reth's bedroom, eyes wide, staring at the dress Candace had laid over her arms and was offering for Elia's approval. "Candace… it's beautiful," she breathed.

The dress was a halter neck made from the gorgeous, soft, and partly-sheer fabric she'd seen Candace weaving weeks earlier. It was a pale cream, almost white, that gathered from the neck to cover the bust, but from the ribs it had been embroidered in softly swirling shapes in multiple shades of gold and blue. The stitched pattern covered almost all the fabric at the stomach, but as the dress flared to the floor, the spaces between them widened, like petals falling from a blossom tree.

"I'm glad you like it," Candace said with a wide smile. "I knew the colors would suit your skin, but I'll admit, it is difficult not being familiar with your style."