august 28

[youfeelluckypunk]

Wedding planning is more stressful than he or Luke had imagined. It's not that they're having second thoughts, no, there's no chance of that. It's not even that they're worried they'd picked too soon a date, it's really more that there are so many more options in terms of things like cakes and suits and venues and catering and color schemes that they hadn't really been prepared for it. That's not something he's used to, being unprepared, but Reid hasn't had much exposure to weddings in the past so he supposes he should be fair to himself and admit he wouldn't have had a reason to do much reading up on the subject.

Still, he's on a mission today to come to a more conclusive decision about where he and Luke are going to get married. They've been trying to decide between two options since the day they'd gone cake tasting, and they haven't found anything to trump either of them so far. Granted, neither of them have really been looking for anything else because the two places they already have in mind seem so perfect but that's the trouble right there. In their respective ways, Kagura and the library suit them in terms of what they mean to each other, of what's special about their relationship, and Reid is having trouble deciding. Luke has promised whatever he chooses is going to be just fine with him, so it seems Reid is the one in charge of making the final choice. Luke, on the other hand, has been tasked with finding the rings, so they're just about even.

Today, he's enlisted help from the only close friend of his who's actually been married. T.J.'s supposed to meet him soon, at a cafe they both like, and Reid taps his foot against the ground as he waits. His coffee has remained untouched but for one sip so far and for the first time in maybe ever, Reid wonders if maybe it's a better idea not to drink it.

Comments

[inablur]

"See, I was on the fence until you said it that was where you first talked about getting married," T.J. says, expression warm as his head tips to the side. "For me, at least, that would be the deciding factor. Obviously they're both places that are important to you, but... It's bringing it full circle, like you said. I think that would really make it special, even if the rest of the guests don't know the significance of it." Spencer and Luke would both know, and when it comes to something like a wedding, that's what really counts. At the end of the day, it's about the two of them anyway, and while Kagura may be a fairly common destination, both for events and weekend getaways and the like, it sounds like it's a place that holds a lot of meaning for the two of them. Besides, for a winter wedding, it really will be gorgeous.

"Plus, you know, having the staff there and all, it'd probably be helpful for planning the reception. I'm sure they've done stuff like that before, so you wouldn't have to bring in too many third-party people."

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Luke said the same thing," Reid tells him, nodding in agreement. "It would be awfully convenient, and I was thinking we could maybe even try to book the room we had for Valentine's Day." They're very familiar with it, after all, considering they'd barely left for the majority of the weekend. "And it'd be really beautiful up there in the snow. When I picture having our wedding there, it comes so easily, and you're right, it is like bringing it full circle."

Maybe he'd just needed to hear someone point out the things he'd already known. Getting married at the library would be unique, it'd be lovely, but Kagura is perfect for them. They don't want high maintenance, they don't want too much fuss or hassle, so having a one-stop shop for most of their wedding needs at the lodge would be perfect.

Taking a deep breath, he shakes his head then gives T.J. a shy smile. "Did you feel like this when you and Thomas were planning? Ridiculously excited yet overwhelmed all at once? I knew there'd be a lot to consider, I just didn't think I'd get so wrapped up in trying to make the decisions. But it's going to be one of the most important days of our lives so I guess it's not all that surprising."

[inablur]

"I felt exactly like that," T.J. says, letting out a laugh as he does. "And that's even knowing we wanted it to be small. It's still... There's more than you even think there's going to be, and you want to get everything just right. I never thought I'd have to learn so much about what flowers and colors were in season." He all but rolls his eyes as he speaks, though he's smiling as he does. In the long run, it had all paid off, and it still could have been a hell of a lot worse. He can only imagine what he would have been roped into if his mother were in Darrow, how big an event she would have tried to make the wedding. Not least because he never thought he'd want to get married at all, because it took him so long to come around to the idea in the first place, he's glad he didn't have to contend with any of that.

It doesn't make it any less surreal at times that this is actually something that's happened, that he's a married man. He feels that way about a lot of his life in Darrow, though — his relationship in the first place, his sobriety, some of the friends he has here. For all that he might have lost a hell of a lot, he's still better off here than he can remember having ever been. "But it sounds like you might have at least one thing out of the way now."