In my ten years as a bra-wearing girl, I'm ashamed to say I've never actually gone into a store to be fitted. Not once. So when my bra I'd bought online almost a year ago started hurting me more than helping me, I decided it was about time I face my fears and get a decent fitting bra.
I'd chosen to go to the boutique in the mall that I frequently walked past whenever I went shopping. It was early on a Tuesday afternoon, while most people were at work and the kids were still in school. The less people I had to contend with, the better.
As soon as I walked into the store my nose was assaulted by the strong smell of perfumes hanging in the air. I almost gagged and turned around to walk right back out, when a bubbly salesgirl approached me.
"Hi there, my name is Kristyn. Can I help you with anything today, Hun?"
My mouth popped open shamefully as I gave the girl, Kristyn, a once over. She wore a long flowing black skirt with a slit running up the side from the floor to her waist, a black lacy bralette and a tight fitting blazer. But it wasn't her looks that caught my attention, it was the fact that she was barely five feet tall, the top of her messy blonde bun reached the top of my nose. She couldn't be more than fresh out of high school.
"Uh, yeah," I sputtered, baffled by the fact this girl was more than likely four or five years younger than me. "Actually I was hoping someone could help me find a decent fitting bra."
Kristyn smiled, white teeth gleaming in the dim light of the boutique. "I can definitely help you out. Now, do you know what size you wear?"
I bit back a grimace. "Well, you know, I've never actually been measured or anything. So..."
Kristyn dismissed my hesitation with a flock of her wrist. "Not a problem. Happens way more than you'd think!" Without another question she waved for me to follow her as she headed for the back of the store.
She lead me through the mostly empty store and back through a thick black curtain. Slipping a set of keys off of her wrist, she unlocked one of the many floor-to-ceiling doors to reveal a cozy little room with a lit full length mirror and what looked like an ottoman against the wall.
"Now, I didn't catch your name," Kristyn smiled as I squeezed past her into the fitting room.
"Sorry, yeah, my name's Leah," I told her as I set my purse down on the floor.
Kristyn closed the door behind her as she joined me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Leah. Now, if you don't mind my asking, are you currently wearing any kind of bra?"
I shook my head, my eyes flicking down to where my chest strained against my t-shirt. "No, just a tank top under this."
Kristyn's brown eyes assessed my chest as she took a measuring tape out of her pocket. "Alrighty. If you wouldn't mind taking off your jacket and lifting your arms up, I'll get your measurements."
I nodded, shrugging out of my denim jacket and tossing it down with my purse. When I lifted my arms, Kristyn wrapped her measuring tape around my ribs, just below my breasts. Noting the number, she made oved the tape, this time so that it was encircling the swell of my chest, her fingers brushing over my breasts as she overlapped the measuring tape.
When she was done, she rolled the tape back up and tucked it back into her jacket pocket. "Okay, Leah! It looks like you're a size 34D. Now, I'm going to go grab you a couple things to try on. Any preferences?"
Since hitting puberty, my bras had always been one of three colours: black, white, or beige. I was twenty-five, and I'd never added colour, or worn a push-up bra for fun in my entire life. How pitiful was that?
Feeling a moment of spontaneity, I shrugged my shoulders. "You know what? I'd kinda like something fun and sexy. Surprise me?"
Kristyn grinned as she turned to exit the change room. "You got it! I'll be right back!"
As the door shut behind her, I settled in on the ottoman to wait.
Never once had I ever thought of looking sexy in my underwear. I was a very closed off girl, always focusing on school and work. I never had too many friends, and I'd only had a couple of boyfriends in college. But I was never concerned with my looks.
A couple quick raps on the door let me know Kristyn had returned. "Come in!" I called as she unlocked the door with her key and slipped inside.
In her hands were three brilliantly coloured bras and matching pairs of panties. Kristyn held them up for me to see. One set was hot pink, another navy blue and the last a red lace covered in rhinestones. All of them were low cut and looked to be very well padded.
"These are some of our more popular styles. My personal favourite is the red, but it's entirely up to you what you chose," she smiled sheepishly and handed me the bras. "I also took a guess for your size and brought you some panties to match."
I took the merchandise from her hands. "Thanks. I think I'm going to try the red."
Kristyn backed towards the door and hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "We're not really busy right now, so I'll be hanging around just out there if you need any help."
"Awesome. Thanks," I smiled as she exited the change room. I quickly stripped out of my t-shirt and tank top and slipped on the red lacy bra. The gemstones glittered in the light from the mirror, drawing attention to my now ample breasts that were on display. I knew there were girls who would kill to have breasts like mine, but I never understood why. They served as more of a pain in my back than anything else. But now, standing in front of the mirror in the lacy red bra, I could admit that they looked kind of nice.
I shucked my leggings next, slipping the red lace panties on over my own white cotton ones. It was mostly out of curiosity as to how the pair looked together. Kristyn had guessed right, and gotten me the perfect size.
Looking in the mirror, I actually felt sexy. The only thing that was bugging me now was the straps on the bra that kept falling down over my shoulders.
"Kristyn?" I called hesitantly through the door.
Her answer was almost instantaneous. "How are you doing, Leah?"
"I'm loving this. I was just wondering if maybe you could help me fix these stupid straps."
"Absolutely," I heard her laugh lightly through the door before the lock clicked. When she stepped in and closed the door behind her, I noticed her eyes travel over my breasts before looking down at my panties. "You look super sexy, Leah. How does it feel?"