I Know Your Scared Of The Unknown

Chapter 1

I sat in a corner at the Starbucks waiting for my best friend Lauren to arrive. I decided to call her first to share my big, and yes somewhat surprising, news. I wasn't quite sure I wanted to share this with my parents first, mainly because I wasn't sure how they were going to take it. 

Too be honest, I really wasn't sure how Lauren was going to take it either. We've been best friends since we were 5, and she always knew how spontaneous I could be. But even this I think would be too much for her. 

I absentmindedly reread the email the I received from the experts, hardly believing the news myself.  In two weeks my whole life was about to change, whether I was ready for it or not. 

"Hey Soph, what's up?" Lauren asked as she walked around the corner and sat down in the empty chair across from me. 

I looked up from my phone and pocketed it, giving Lauren my full attention. "Oh not much, same old same old here," I said avoiding making eye contact with her as a mixture of excitement and nerves began rolling through every limb of my body. 

I felt Lauren eyeing me cautiously. I could never hide anything from her so I don't even know why I tried. 

"Really? So you just called me to a Starbucks on my lunch because nothing is up? If that's the case we could've had this fun little exchange through text" she said as she sat back and took a sip of her coffee, her look becoming very intense. 

"Fine, what would you say if I told you that in two weeks I am going to be getting married?" 

She slowly put her coffee down on the table as she leaned forward. "Please tell me your joking?" 

I put my head in my hands. If Lauren was taking the news like this, I could only imagine how my parents were going to take this. "Uh, no actually I am not." I said looking up at her. 

"What? Why? How?" Lauren asked quickly as she ticked off each question on her fingers. 

"Well you see, I-" I started but was cut off. 

"It was that asshole Trent that you had a one night stand with at the bar last month wasn't it!? Oh my God did he knock you up!?" she asked as her eyes got wide. 

"It's no-" I started again only to be cut off by Lauren for the second time. 

"I am going to kill that idiot!" she said as she sat back, rage clearly showing on her face. "I knew that asshole would do something like that and now he is trying to trap you into marrying him. He's such a-" but this time I cut her off. 

"Lauren will you just shut the hell up for two fucking minutes so I can explain," I half laughed and half scoffed. I was getting slightly annoyed that I couldn't explain to her the truth and the last thing I needed was for her lunch break to end and her text my parents telling them I'm knocked up. 

"Okay first things first. I never had a one night stand with Trent, so if he is telling you something different then yes he is an asshole." 

"Oh," Lauren said taken aback. "I should've known you would never do that. Continue." 

"Second. You know how overly spontaneous I am and everything right?" 

Lauren nodded, "Well yeah you called me one day from the Keys because you were bored and wanted to get away for the week. Which by the way thanks for the invite." she rolled her eyes as she laughed. 

"Like you would've called off of work to come anyway," I chuckled. "Well I did a lot of thinking about a month ago. I'm 27 years old. I have a great job that I love, I have a great family, great friends there is only one thing missing.... a family of my own and someone to love me."

"After the whole break up thing with Derek four years ago, things just haven't worked out for me, so I filled out this survey and I was one of the 8 people chosen to be married at first sight." 

The both of us stood still for a what felt like an eternity. Lauren's jaw was slightly dropped, but she also had this laughter look in her eyes. 

"Okay wait wait wait. You mean to tell me that in two weeks, you are going to be marrying someone that you just met after only knowing them for 14 days?" she raised her eyebrow in question. 

I shook my head, "not exactly. More like our wedding day is the first time I will meet and see my husband..." I fiddled with the straw in my drink as I looked up at her. 

She let out a laugh, "Soph I'm sorry that I am laughing really, but are you serious? You want to go through with this? What if you turn that corner and the guy standing at the end is a 35 year old with no hair, glasses and bucked teeth," she laughed. 

I laughed at her comment, "I totally get the judgement, I really do. But I think it is more about learning to find true love in someone, learning to trust them, and physical attraction will come," I said. "But there is also the chance that I can turn the corner and meet my dream guy. Gorgeous blue eyes, brown hair, tall, handsome," I said in almost a dream like state. 

Lauren thought about it a moment and she shook her head, "okay your right there is that chance. Is there anything else or is the shock of a lifetime over?" 

"Well..." I said. "There is a catch." 

"What's the catch...." she eyed me curiously. 

"Apparently this is a celebrity married at first sight, so my future husband is someone well...famous" I shrugged placing my face on my hand and using my other to fidget with the lid to my drink. 

"That's just great Soph honestly. After the trust issues you have developed when that asshole Derek cheated on you, you decide that it would be cool to sign up for a reality show where you will be married to a fucking celebrity who, I don't think I need to remind you, are notorious for cheating on their girlfriends and boyfriends like it is a common and totally acceptable action!" Lauren said in what felt like one breath. 

I just looked at her. "Yeah I know I thought of that too, but I don't know. Maybe this won't be like a big time celebrity because I mean come on, super famous people can have whoever they want. So I'm sure it is a not really popular celebrity. It's probably someone who stared on one of those TV shows that only a handful of people watched and when it was done they never got an acting gig again," I laughed. 

Lauren laughed, "You'll probably end up with someone from like one of those cheesy Disney Channel TV shows that aired back in the early 2000's when we were just kids," she laughed uncontrollably. 

I finally relaxed as she was starting to come around to the idea of what was happening. "Exactly! It's not like I am going to be turning the corner to see Liam Hemsworth, Jason Momoa or Post Malone standing at the end of the isle." 

"Oh Soph, your taste in men is so scattered" she laughed as we both stood up. "None of them have remotely anything in common." 

I rolled my eyes, "well they all have tattoos! That's a start!" 

We both walked out to the parking lot and reached our cars, "okay so when are we meeting to go dress shopping!? I honestly can't believe I am asking you that" she laughed. 

"I was thinking this weekend if that is okay with you," I said shrugging my shoulders. 

"Perfect," she said pulling me in for a hug. "Oh, by the way what do Mom and Dad think of this?" she said as she reached for the handle of the door. 

I turned my key fob awkwardly in my hand. 

"Well.... they don't actually know yet." I looked up at Lauren who let out a sigh.