Johnny's POV
Eight months before the wedding.
"Ok, first things first, we need to know how many people we're going to be inviting."
"Well, obviously, our friends are coming; your mom and my mom are coming, and our relatives are also coming, so I don't know, maybe at least sixty-five people," I told Daniel.
"Sixty-five is quite a lot, and we have to send individual invitations. Will we be able to afford it?" Daniel asked.
"Don't worry about that sunshine; like I told you, I saved up and I'm going to be getting a new job, so it's fine," I said to him.
"You said you're getting a new job, but what actually is the job?"
"I'll tell you when we're married," I answered, giving him a peck on the lips.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Then we had to make our wedding invitations. My aunt is superb at writing calligraphy, so we handed that job over to her. She was thrilled to be a part of it.
"What do you want it to say?" She asked me during our phone call.
"I'll text you the details, but for now, just write our names and the date of September 19th, 1998, at 6:30," I told her.
"Ok, have you guys picked out the card you're going to be using?"
"We're still deciding on which one to choose, but when we do, I'll send it to you right away," I replied.
"Great! Call me if you need any help."
"Will do bye!"
I ended the call and yelled, "Daniel? Sunshine, where are you?"
"I'm in the kitchen."
I enter the kitchen and sit on a stool opposite him. "Have you decided on the card we're going to use for our invitations?" I asked him.
"No, I can't choose; they're just both so pretty."
I shook my head, chuckling. Daniel is a very tentative person, and when he's faced with decisions, he tends to not know what to do.
I looked at him. Yeah, this is the guy I'm going to marry.
"If you want, we can use both of them," I mumbled.
"Really?" He squealed.
"Yeah"
Daniel ran over to where I was sitting and hugged me before giving me a sloppy kiss on the lips.
"I love you so much."
"I sure hope you do." I joked, "You agreed to marry me."
He rolled his eyes and gave me a light punch on the shoulder.
I laughed and picked up both of the cards. "I'm going to go take these to my aunt; I'll be right back," I told him.
"Yeah, ok, I'll start making dinner."
**
Seven months before the wedding.
I was on the couch, and I just got off the phone with the wedding planner, Daniel, watching me from a corner of the living room, biting his nails in nervousness.
"Stop biting your nails." I huffed, "It's not good for you."
Daniel stopped and came closer to me on the couch. "So what did she say?"
"Say about what?" I asked, pretending to not know what he was talking about.
"What do you mean about what? The venue? Like the one we really want?"
I looked at him in confusion.
"You've been on the phone for like half an hour, and you're telling me you don't know what you were talking about?"
I couldn't help but crack a smile. "Give it up, Johnny, tell me what she said."
"Right, yeah, she said that the venue is ours if we want it, and I obviously said yes, so no need to worry about that anymore."
Daniel nodded his head in agreement, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank God, if we didn't get the venue, I don't think I would've lived."
"Well, not that many people want a beach wedding in the middle of autumn, so I think we had it in the bag."
"Whatever," Daniel responds, rolling his eyes. He stands up to get the checklist from one of the drawers.
"Ok," he starts, "we have invitations, venue, suits, and rings done now; we just need music; we have to do our cake testing; and we have to choose the food."
"You say only, but that's a lot of work."
Daniel rolls his eyes again. "Wait," Daniel starts. "Have you started writing your vows?"
"Of course I have," I said nervously.
To be honest, I haven't. It's not that I don't want to; I just can't seem to find the words to express my love for him. Is there a limit to how long your vows can be? Because I feel like mine is going to be at least 500 words.
"You haven't started writing them, haven't you?" Daniel asks, and I curse under my breath at how easy it is for him to read me.
"I haven't, but I promise I will."
"I know you will; it's ok," Daniel reassured, giving me a peck on the cheek.
**
The wedding planner placed five plates in front of us. On the plates were a variety of cakes, including red velvet, chocolate, and strawberry.
"Try a few bites of each and tell me what you think," the wedding planner said.
We nodded and took a bite from the first cake. I'm not going to lie, but it tasted like shit. Daniel seemed to think so too, as he immediately spit out the cake.
"I take that as you guys don't like that one." The wedding planner asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, but it's disgusting."
"It's fine; try the next one."
We took a smaller bite from the next one and looked at each other, smiling. The cake was amazing.
"What flavour cake is this?" I asked her.
"It's a vanilla cake, but try all the cakes before making a decision."
We tried all the rest of the cakes, but they just weren't as good as the vanilla cake. I told the wedding planner to get a four-layered cake. Daniel, of course, was protesting, but I reassured him that we had enough money. We've both been saving up money, not exactly for this event, but oh well, the more money, the better.
"Ok, I'll see you guys soon." The wedding planner chirped, and we wished her well before she left.
**
Six months before the wedding.
"Ok, we have to figure out what food we'll have at the reception. Are any of your relatives allergic to anything?" Daniel asked me.
"No, they're not allergic to anything, but my mom is not going to be eating food with a lot of calories or anything that has high cholesterol," I answered.
"Ok, I'm going to see what we can get. Do you want anything in particular?"
"If it's no hassle, can we have those little pancakes? I know the wedding is going to be at night, and it's going to be weird because pancakes are a breakfast food, but I love your pancakes so much and I can't get enough of them," I explained.
He laughs, "You can have whatever you want, mio tesoro."
I smiled at him. Daniel has been using that nickname recently, and I find it so cute.
I kiss him on the lips while I hug him. God, I love this man so much.
"Oh, I just remembered." Daniel began, "We have to choose what flowers we'll have at each table."
I didn't really know that much about flowers, so I gave Daniel the reins.
"You can choose," I told him.
"Y'know that I'm literally the worst person to ask to make a decision; I literally can't choose anything," Daniel exasperated.
"You can have as many as you like," I grinned.
"Really?" Daniel smiled.
"Yeah really"
"I'll go look then!" Daniel beamed and walked to the computer in the living room.
**
A few hours later, yes, it took that long, Daniel came out of the living room while I was making dinner. He looked very excited.
"I finally found the flowers I want," Daniel squealed.
"Wait, scratch, I don't want them; we literally need them at our wedding," he adds.
"Um ok? Can I see-"
"You don't understand Johnny; they're literally so pretty, I can't believe I was able to find them in our favourite colours," he interjects.
"Daniel," I said, trying to get his attention, but to no avail. "Daniel." I tried again. "Can I see the flowers?"
"Oh yeah, sure," Daniel answered. "When we're finished eating dinner, I'll show you them."
That just made me even more nervous. Look, I know I said Daniel is a tentative person, but when he is able to choose something, it's how do I say this in a not-mean way? It's not everyone's favourite, and when I say everyone's, I mean mine, but I hoped it would be at least tolerable to look at.
For dinner, I made spaghetti bolognese, one of Daniel's favourite foods, not because he's half Italian but because he loves my cooking.
When we finished our dinner, he showed me the flowers, and they were outstanding. It was a mixture of cherry blossoms and purple roses. It looked so pretty.
"Sunshine..."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"These are beautiful."
"I know right, I love them so much," Daniel replied.
"Now all we need is the music!"
That's the hardest part.
**
Five months before the wedding.
"We've been over this like a million times, Johnny. We're not going to have only rock music at the wedding."
"Why not? Rock music is great," I argued.
"It's alright, but we have to play normal music too."
"So rock music is not normal music?" I was a bit annoyed.
"That's not what I said, Mio Tesoro. I just mean that we should have different genres of music," Daniel reassured me.
"Yeah, ok, what do you have?"
"Listen to this."
Daniel played a song called "Love is in the Air." It wasn't rock music, but it was good.
I rose from where I was seated and placed my hand out for Daniel to take it. He took it, of course, and we started dancing.
Daniel's arms around my neck and his head on my chest while I had my arms around his waist.
Love is in the air everywhere I look around.
Love is in the air, in every sight and every sound.
And I don't know if I'm being foolish. I don't know if I'm being wise.
But it's something that I must believe in.
And it's there when I look into your eyes.
"Ok, this song is alright," I murmured.
"You love it," Daniel purred.
"I love you, and if you like it, I guess I like it too."
"Great, I have another one that I think you'll like, and if you don't, you can play one of your songs."
Daniel took his hands off my neck and turned around to play a song I didn't know the name of.
He reconnected himself with me, and the song began to play.
Give a little bit.
Oh, give a little bit of your love to me.
I'll give a little bit.
I'll give a little bit of my love to you.
There's so much that we need to share.
So send a smile and show you care.
"Let me guess this song is called Give a Little Bit." I laughed.
"Yeah, it's good, right?" questioned Daniel.
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah, it's good."
"Can I choose a song now?" I asked.
"Of course"
**
Three months before the wedding.
"So, why did you call us here?"
"I need help," I told them.
"Help with what?" Dutch asked.
"My vows"
"How are we supposed to help you with your vows?" questioned Tommy.
"Yeah, no offence, but we don't know Daniel the way you know him, if you know what I mean," Jimmy commented.
"I know that you idiots." I said, "I just want to run my vows with you."
"Ok, what do you have?" Bobby asked.
"Just remember that it's not finished yet," I clarified.
"We know, just go on."
I took a deep breath. "Daniel, my sunshine, as I stand before you today, I am reminded of the very first day fate decided our paths should cross. A day as unexpected as the story it began. Who could have known that a moment of misunderstanding, a fleeting threat born out of confusion, would be the brushstroke that painted our future together? It's been four years since that day, and every moment, every challenge, and every laugh has brought us closer, weaving our lives together in the most unexpected and beautiful way.
You, my love, are truly beautiful, both inside and out. Your empathy and compassion are the lights that guide me, the anchors that hold me steady in life's most turbulent seas. Your affection and care have been my solace and my home. On days when the world seemed too heavy to bear, you were my refuge. When my mom was battling cancer, you stood by me like a pillar of strength and hope. With your support, we navigated one of the darkest times of my life. Your generosity, your love, and your unwavering presence helped us through, and I can't thank you enough for being my partner through it all."
"That's all I have so far; how is it?"
"Johnny, oh my God, it's amazing, and you're not even finished?" complimented Tommy.
They all agreed, and I blushed. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, of course," praised Jimmy.
I thanked the guys, and they left before I pulled Bobby back to talk to him.
"Hey Bobby, I've been thinking about something for a long time."
"Yeah? What is it?" questioned Bobby.
"I was wondering if you would be my best man." I asked.
"Really? Oh my God, Johnny, I would love to be your best man," Bobby said.
I was so happy that I've been friends with Bobby for the longest, and I'm glad he'll be beside me when I'm starting the next chapter in my life.
The next chapter in my life... God, I'm so excited for my wedding.
------------------
Author's Note!
Hello, my Luvs! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write. You are all invited to the wedding, of course! By the way, I'm really grateful for your support and thrilled that you're enjoying the novel so far! I'm really excited to write the rest of the chapters, especially the following one, which is their wedding! Thank you again for reading, and have a wonderful rest of the day!
ns 15.158.61.12da2
