Autumn's Embrace: The Wedding Season (WRITING IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 12: The First Big Argument

The farmhouse, which usually felt like a place of peace and comfort, was thick with tension. Papers were strewn across the kitchen table—vendor contracts, guest lists, seating charts, and last-minute to-do lists, all blending into an overwhelming mass of responsibilities. Lily sat at the table, her head in her hands, trying to suppress the mounting sense of panic that was bubbling just beneath the surface.

Across the room, Elliot paced, his phone in hand as he spoke with the caterer, his tone sharp with frustration. "What do you mean the menu still isn't finalized? We gave you the changes weeks ago!"

His voice, normally calm and steady, was strained, and Lily winced as she listened to him argue over the phone. She couldn't blame him. Every little thing seemed to be going wrong, and it felt like no matter how hard they tried to stay on top of things, the stress of planning their wedding had spiraled out of control.

Elliot finally ended the call, tossing his phone onto the counter with an exasperated sigh. "The caterer still hasn't confirmed the changes we made to the menu," he said, running a hand through his hair. "They're saying they're behind because of another event, and now we might not get the dishes we wanted."

Lily groaned, her head dropping to the table. "That's just great," she muttered. "What else could possibly go wrong?"

As if on cue, her phone buzzed with a new message, and she reluctantly picked it up, dreading whatever bad news awaited her. Sure enough, it was a message from the florist, informing her that the flowers she had ordered might not be available in time for the wedding due to an unexpected supply issue.

Lily felt her heart sink as she stared at the message. "The florist just told me that some of the flowers might not be available in time," she said quietly, her voice trembling with frustration. "This is ridiculous. Everything is falling apart."

Elliot frowned, his brow furrowed in concern as he came to stand beside her. "It's not falling apart, Lil. We'll figure it out."

But his words, meant to be reassuring, only made her frustration bubble over. "How can you say that?!" she snapped, looking up at him with teary eyes. "Everything is falling apart, Elliot! The caterer can't get the menu right, the flowers might not arrive on time, and I'm sure there are a dozen other things we haven't even thought of yet. I don't know how we're supposed to fix all of this in time for the wedding."

Elliot sighed, his own patience wearing thin. "I know it's stressful, but yelling at me isn't going to help."

His calm tone, usually a source of comfort, now felt infuriating to Lily. "I'm not yelling at you," she said, though her voice was rising with frustration. "I'm just— I don't know what else to do! Every time we fix one problem, another one pops up. It's like we're never going to catch a break."

The tension between them thickened, hanging in the air like a storm cloud about to break. Elliot's jaw tightened, and he crossed his arms, clearly struggling to keep his own frustration in check. "We've been working nonstop on this wedding, Lily. I'm doing everything I can to help, but we have to accept that not everything is going to go exactly the way we planned."

Lily stood up from the table, her hands shaking as she tried to hold back her tears. "But it's supposed to be our day, Elliot! I just want it to be perfect, and right now, it feels like everything is going wrong."

For a moment, the room was silent except for the ticking of the clock on the wall. The weight of her words hung in the air, and Lily could feel the distance growing between them, even though they were standing only a few feet apart. She hated the way the stress was making her feel—snappy, emotional, and disconnected from the man she loved. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be planning the happiest day of their lives, not fighting over flowers and catering issues.