Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin Page B

and matching lace bra,
    contemplating which suit she should try on first. I steal a look at
    her in the mirror. Her body is even better than it was last summer.
    Her long limbs are perfectly toned from her wedding workout
    regimen, her skin already bronzed by routine applications of
    tanning cream and an occasional trip to the tanning beds.
    I think of Dex. Surely he compared our bodies after (or even
    during, since he "wasn't that drunk") our night together.
    Mine
    isn't nearly as good. I am shorter, softer, whiter. And even though
    my boobs are bigger, hers are better. They are perkier, with the
    ideal nipple-to-areola-to-breast ratio.
    "Stop looking at my fat!" Darcy squeals, catching my glance in the
    mirror.
    Now I am forced to compliment her. "You're not fat, Darce. You
    look great. I can tell you've been working out."
    "You can? What body part has improved?" Darcy likes her praise
    to be specific.
    "Just everywhere. Your legs look thin good." That is all she is
    getting from me.
    She studies her legs, frowning at the reflection.
    I undress, noting my own cotton underwear and nonmatching,
    slightly dingier cotton bra. I quickly try on my first suit, a navyand-white tankini, revealing two inches of midriff. It is a compromise between Claire's one-piece edict and Darcy's
    preference for bikinis.
    "Omigod! That looks so awesome on you! You gotta get it!" Darcy
    says. "Are you getting it?"
    "I guess so," I say. It doesn't look awesome, but it's not bad. I have
    studied enough magazine articles about suits and body flaws over
    the years to know which suits will look decent on me.
    This one
    passes.
    Darcy puts on a tiny black bikini with a triangular top and bare
    coverage in the bottom. She looks straight-up hot. "You like?"
    "It's good," I say, thinking that Dex will love it.
    "Should I get it?"
    I tell her to try the others on before making a decision.
    She obeys,
    taking the next one off the hanger. Of course, every suit looks
    amazing on her. She falls into none of those categories of body
    flaws in the magazines. After much discussion, I settle on the
    tankini and Darcy decides on three tiny bikinis one red, one
    black, and one nude-colored number that is going to make her
    look naked from any kind of distance.
    As we go to pay for our suits, Darcy grabs my arm.
    "Oh! Shit! I
    almost forgot to tell you!"
    "What?" I ask, unnerved by her sudden outburst, even though I
    know she isn't going to say, "I forgot to tell you that I know you
    slept with Dex!"
    "Marcus likes you!" We might as well be in the tenth grade, from
    her tone and use of the word "likes."
    I am intentionally obtuse. "I like him too," I say. "He's a nice guy."
    And a hell of an alibi.
    "No, silly. I mean, he likes you. You must've done a good job at the
    party because he called Dex and got your number. I think he's
    going to ask you out for this weekend. Of course, I wanted it to be
    a double date, but Marcus said no, he doesn't want witnesses."
    She drops her bikinis onto the counter and fumbles in her purse
    for her wallet.
    "He got my number from Dex?" I ask, thinking that this is quite a
    development.
    "Yeah. Dex was cute when he told me about it. He was" She
    looks up, searching for the right word. "Sort of protective of you."
    "What do you mean by 'protective'?" I ask, way more interested in
    Dex's role in this exchange than in Marcus's intentions.
    "Well, he gave Marcus the number, but when he got off the phone
    he asked me all these questions, like were you seeing anyone and
    did I think you would like Marcus. And you know, was he smart
    enough for you. Stuff like that. It was really cute."
    I digest this information as the store clerk rings up Darcy's
    bikinis.
    "So what did you tell him?"
    "I just said that you were totally single, and that of course you'd be
    into Marcus. He's such a sweetie. Don't you think?"
    I shrug. Marcus moved to New York from San Francisco only a
    few months ago. I know very little about him, except that he and
    Dex