Chapter 6

Lola's POV

Mia and I followed mom through the castle's hallways. I was quite irritated since I was the last to know about the ball. The whole castle was informed four days prior whereas I, the princess, was told about it yesterday.

Anyway, my mom went straight to the real deal; Dress hunting. Apparently, the designer was in one the east wings waiting for us. Gabrielle was one of the most talented designers in all four kingdoms and personally, my favorite. She knows what I like, from colors to fabric and most importantly, shape. She can transform any scribble I draw from scratch to a totally breathtaking outfit.

Mia was extremely excited to meet her, not believing that she's going to wear a Gabrielle Silas designer dress. I too was excited, eager to know what she has in store for me.

"Here we are." Mom stated looking at us before she opened the chamber's doors.

Walking in, my breath hitched. I stared at the scenery in front of me in awe. Loads and loads of dresses were neatly hung up on golden stands, all of different color shades. Gowns were placed on the left side of the room, the shorter dresses on the other.

Too overwhelmed, I didn't notice the person standing in the middle of the room, glancing at us through thin glasses.

"Your majesty." They said in unison.

Right away, her face spread out in a grin and so did mine.

"Gabrielle, it's so nice to see you again." My mom greeted, smiling broadly. Gabrielle and a girl next to her about my age, most probably her assistant, bowed their heads in respect.

Almost instantly, Gabrielle's expression changed from that of adoration to a serious upon setting her eyes on me. She took in my figure, eying me from top to bottom. I rolled my eyes seeing her look of disappointment.

I mean, my clothes weren't that appalling. Looking down at the light pair of jeans and the black tank top I wore, I knew my clothes weren't as bad as she made me feel.

Designers and their wicked dress code, I said to myself.

"Is that how I taught you to wear?" Came her stern voice. She put her hands on either sides of her waist, her brows pinching into a frown.

"Please Gabrielle, knock some sense into her. She needs to know that she should dress like an actual princess." My mom stressed on the actual part and crossed her arms staring at me with a matching look of disapproval. I was about to retort but my mom arched her brow in a don't think about it.

Grumbling under my breath, I took a glance at Mia who was frozen in place. I bit my lip to stifle my laugh. Her mouth hung open and her eyes wandered between Gabrielle and the dresses dumbstruck.

"Uh, Mia you okay?" I asked in amusement. She finally snapped out of her daze, squealing in delight as she clapped her hands once.

"Oh my gosh, I'm such a huge fan. I love your work." Mia gushed taking a few steps closer, her eyes wide in astonishment. Gabrielle chuckled smiling kindly at her like it's the most normal thing in the world.

Of course it is, she's famous and liked by tons.

"And who is this beauty?" Gabrielle said observing mia, her eyes focusing promptly on body taking in her measurements.

"This is Mia," Mom interjected putting a hand on Mia's shoulder,

"She's Lola's friend." Mia blushed under our gazes and twirled a strand of her hair.

That's something new, Mia blushing. I inwardly snorted.

"Come on now, let's get straight to work." Gabrielle clapped her hands together and I sighed knowing what was coming. That was her way of saying business has started.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted!" I slumped myself on the sofa. Mia sat on the chair in front of me, too drained to utter a word.

It was the longest dress fitting ever. Four hours, it took us four freaking hours to pick a darn dress.

I forgot how many gowns I tried on. I lost count at twenty. Mia's case wasn't much different.

I stared at the floral embossed walls of the living room, its light beige color emitting a sense of relaxation. The two medium sized sofas as well as the chairs were of a strong wine color, perfectly matching the lighter shade of the walls. A small wooden table was placed in the middle, its edges carved with beautiful floral engravings. On top of it rested a bunch of cup-shaped yellow tulips, engrained in an oval shaped glass vase.

"This is the first and last time I go dress fitting with you. Gabrielle's a sweetheart and all but it's too tiring." I nodded in agreement. My mom and her wanted us to be the most beautiful of all the ladies attending, hence why we took a lot in there.

"Trust me, it's the last time for me as well." I stated pulling my hair in a messy bun. Mia grabbed the remote going through the channels. After a while, she threw the remote on the table losing hope of finding a worth watching tv show.

"There's nothing good on tv." She complained and I hummed in response.

The door opened and in came Jake with Mark trailing right after him. Mia and I's jaw dropped. Both had a towel on their shoulders, sweat trickling down their faces. Not to mention the bulging veins of their arms.

With each move Jake took, his biceps flexed. Not wearing anything except for a dark grey training shorts, His perfectly toned chest was in full display. I practically drooled, my eyes instinctively wandering from his muscled chest to the V-cut of his lower abs.

I pried my eyes off of his body and darted my gaze onto his face. Catching sight of the smirk he held, my eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Like what you see?" He teased, eyes twinkling in mischievousness. Coming closer, he plumped himself down on the sofa, right beside me, and spread his arm on the top of it. Trying to hide the blush creeping onto my face, I looked away noticing the still dumbstruck expression on Mia's face.

Her eyes were glued on Mark, who was pouring himself some orange juice. The black tank top he wore covered his torso but the muscles of his arms and chest stood out. His body was well built, similar to Jake's. I had to admit, Mark looked hot as hell with his hair wet and messy. I couldn't blame Mia's for staring.

Jake cleared his throat catching my attention.

"You know, there's a ball tomorrow right?" His green orbs stared at me intensely, as if reading my soul. The playfulness of his voice now replaced by seriousness.

"Yeah, Mia and I spent the whole morning trying out dresses." I shuddered remembering the awful hours we spent as Barbie dolls.

"About that-" He stopped lowing his gaze in contemplation. My heart pounded against my chest, getting a hint of what he was about to say. He finally lifted his gaze to meet mine.

"Would you give me the privilege of being your escort tomorrow evening?" His eyes gave away his feelings, showing nervousness and uncertainty. Almost instantly, a smile made its way to my face. Upon seeing my smile, Jake's features relaxed and his lips twitched up turning into a grin.

"I would love too." I answered genuinely.

A sharp whistle echoed through the making my eyes snap to the irritating duo sitting in front of me. Mia and Mark, who sat next to each other, held a knowing smirk on their faces. Noting that they must have heard our conversation, I stuck my tongue out a smile tugging my lips.

Thankfully, things are getting better and better.

Hi 😊 lovesssssss hioe you are enjoying my story.....do you think Jake will eventually abandon his Mate if he happens to have one in the future for Lola, or if he will take his Mate and see Lola just like a Friend.