Small World

Thirty Three.

Planning a wedding is fun.

The words repeat in my head every time I picked out the color of napkins, the floral arrangement of every bouquet. The music should be a band or a DJ? Why do I have to pick out the food? Why can't there be a buffet? Now I have to pick out the food in the buffet.
I need to decide on a dress.
I was lucky to have my sister, Arizona. She has been an events planner for as long as I can remember. When we got engaged six months ago, I was already feeling overwhelmed with so many decisions. Ari stepped up right away. It was a giant weight lifted off my shoulders. I never thought I would be planning my wedding.
My dream wedding to the man of my dreams.
Chris helped whenever he could since he would be busy with releasing his website, A Starting Point, in a few weeks. Seeing his big smile every time he talked about how close they were to the launch date made the time apart worth it.
Chris and I decided on November 28th as our date. The weekend after Thanksgiving so we could spend the honeymoon at Disneyland. Disneyland would be decorated for Christmas at that time. My absolute favorite.
The wedding is nine months away and we still haven't decided on a venue. And I haven't decided on a dress. Chris flew back to LA after a phone call with Ari. I don't like stealing Chris away from his work but we needed to pick a venue.

"We can check out the two venues then I can fly to Boston with you tonight so you can work on ASP and we can look at this gorgeous venue I found." I held up my phone to Chris. He shook his head as I scrolled through the photos. "Babe, you can't say 'no' yet." He chuckled.
"There's another place I think we should look at."
"In Boston?" I perked up.
"No." He laughed. I sulked back into the seat. Arizona giggled from the passenger seat.
"You're going to love it, Sarah." She insisted, keeping her body facing forward.
"Don't encourage him." I barked. They both laughed at my pouting lip.
"How about you go dress shopping in Boston? I'll buy the tickets for you, your mom and Arizona tonight." Ari gasped at Chris' offer. I glared at her from behind my dark sunglasses. I shifted my eyes back to Chris.
"If I agree to dress shopping.." I began as I crossed my arms over my chest. "..you have to agree to see at least three venues in Boston."
"Deal." He nod his head sternly.
"'Getting married is so easy!'" I quoted him, only my tone was not as chipper as his when he first said it. I squeaked at Chris' arms wrapping around me and his lips kissing my face.

The first two venues we saw that day were too small and not secluded enough. However, the one Chris insisted we look at is absolutely gorgeous: a venue called The Estate on Second. Brick walls, majestic floor to ceiling windows, chandeliers, water fountains in every garden. The best part was that it was only 20 minutes from Disneyland.
But it was 20 minutes from Disneyland.
Our guide, Jane, finished the tour with the same cheesy smile plastered across her face. I shouldn't be so annoyed with her. She's only doing her job by trying to sell the place to someone that could afford it.

"Sarah?" Chris said. I spun around to his voice.
"Huh? What?" I forced a smile. Jane, Chris and Arizona laughed.
"I asked if you like this venue?"
"Oh..um..yes. It's nice." I nodded my head. Jane's shoulders dropped as fast as her smile.
"Can we have a minute, please?" Chris asked everyone. Ari smiled at me nervously. I assured her it was okay with more bobbing of my head and a squeeze of her hand. Chris kept his back to me, watching them walk outside. The door shut. "Are you hesitant on picking a venue because you don't want to marry me?" He spoke softly, still facing the other direction. The question gave me a sinking feeling in my chest.
"Of course I want to marry you." He turned around with a force that startled me into a jolt.
"Then why are you acting like this?" His voice wasn't calm anymore. I lowered my eyes to the ground.
"Like..what?"
"You're being indecisive and cold." The words stung my chest. "I'm 39 years old, Sarah. I'm too old for these games."

"I'm not playing games." My whole body felt hot and dampened by sweat. I kept my eyes to the ground, resisting the urge to cry. He angrily ran his fingers through his hair. "I just want everyone to be happy with where the wedding will be." I blubbered. I could barely speak with how badly I wanted to break down. His movements slowed. His eyes met mine, matching with the tears flooding them.
"Oh, baby." He cooed. I sobbed into my hands. His cologne flooded my nostrils as he wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry my mom—"
"And sisters." I interrupted, muffled by my hands and his chest.
"—and sisters are forcing you to choose Boston. Hey.." He whispered. His hands raised my head from his chest. "..I know it's not easy to say no to them. Trust me! I know!" He chuckled. I giggled softly. He wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. I held onto his biceps protruding from under his sleeves.
"Kiss me?" I asked, gently. We pressed our lips together. The saltiness from our tears flavored the kiss. His hands rubbed my arms as he brought me in front of him again.
"We have to send the invitations in a few months and we have seen so many venues. We need to decide." His voice calmed again, helping calm every tense muscle in my body. I raised my eyes to his. With a deep inhale, I smiled as I told him my decision.