Planning
"There are so many venues to choose from," Lena sighs exasperatedly as she scrolls through pictures of dozens of wedding venues on her laptop.
"Well what kind of place do you want to get married?" Kelly asks, sipping her herbal tea. Anyone else might think that their fiance's ex-girlfriend helping plan their wedding would be weird, but Stef knows that Lena's stress is starting to get to her and that she needs all the help she can get. Unfortunately, Stef apparently wasn't as much help as she thought she would be. So far, Lena had vetoed all the ideas that she had brought up. Currently, Stef and Jenna were hanging out on the couch while Lena and Kelly poured over wedding planning books like crazy people.
"Well, I was kind of thinking about a beach wedding, since we got engaged on the beach." Lena says, smiling as she thinks back to the night that Stef proposed.
"Oh, that would be a lot of fun!" Jenna exclaims.
"Very romantic," Kelly agrees.
"Stef, what do you think?" Lena asks, looking expectantly to her wife-to-be.
"I think that a beach wedding would be fantastic," Stef says, her heart fluttering seeing Lena get so excited about their wedding. Lena shoots her a wink from across the room and her knees nearly buckle. How had she gotten so lucky to find a wonderful woman like Lena that wanted to spend the rest of her life with her crazy cop self?
A few hours and two bottles of wine later, Lena had a list of half a dozen venues she wanted to call during the week, to see if any of them still had an opening for June thirteenth. Lena had also decided that she wanted to use fake roses instead of real ones, both cutting down on expenses and in hopes of keeping them forever to remember the day by. Stef was glad that Kelly and Lena had been able to get so much done today, but she was even gladder to be lounging on the couch with Lena's head in her lap, her fingers playing with her fiance's gorgeous curls.
"I love you," Stef says, staring at Lena's face instead of the movie playing on the TV in front of them.
"I love you, too." Lena replies, turning her head to look into Stef's hazel green eyes.
"I cannot wait to marry you," Stef strokes Lena's cheek with her finger tips.
"The feeling is mutual, baby." Lena smiles back at the blonde woman.
The next several months go by in a flurry of wedding planning mixed in with holiday celebrations. Both Lena and Stef were feeling the pressure and stress of everything. Which is why, when they both came down with a ferocious cold, it was a huge inconvenience. Stuffy noses and scratchy throats didn't make their thousands of phone calls any easier. It was difficult to decide on a cake flavor when your taste buds had decided not to work. And trying to choose music for their playlist while both their heads were filled with so much sinus pressure was damn near impossible.
"I think I'm dying," Stef complains, face planting onto the couch after her shift.
"Do you think we should take a couple of days off?" Lena asks as she ladles them each a bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup.
"Oh god, that sounds like the best idea I've ever heard," Stef agrees, moving to sit at the kitchen table with Lena. The two women certainly looked like a pair; bags under their eyes, their noses red from blowing them too much, and their faces pale.
"After dinner I'll text Sanchez and you text Mike. We'll spend the whole day in bed together." Lena says, bringing a spoonful of soup up to her mouth and blowing on it gently. Stef smiles at her gorgeous fiance, surprised at the happiness she felt at the prospect of spending the day sick in bed with her.
After their soup, Lena pulls Stef into the steaming hot shower with her. Showering together was one of their favorite pastimes. Tonight, however, there was nothing sexual about their activity. The two women just wanted to feel close to one another, with nothing between them, as the hot water pours down around them. Once the water has grown lukewarm, the engaged couple dries one another off and retires to their bed, the hum of the humidifier filling up the small room. With the help of a healthy dose of NyQuil, Stef and Lena are passed out in no time at all. The humming of the humidifier is joined by their loud snores.
With a groan of both annoyance and pain, Stef wakes up to the sunlight streaming through the curtains and a pounding in her head. Thankful that she doesn't have to work today, the blonde woman swallows a few ibuprofen and turns around to spoon a still sleeping Lena. Lena snuggles into her embrace, a small smile playing on her sleeping lips. The gentle rise and fall of Lena's chest, along with the tiny wheeze that comes with her breath, lulls the blonde woman to sleep once more.
When Lena wakes up a few hours later, the sun is almost to the center of the sky. Stef is still snuggled up to her back, one arm thrown over her chest. The curly haired woman grimaces at the pressure behind her eyes from her sinuses. She gently shifts to her back, trying not to wake Stef. Closing her eyes again, Lena tries to relax as the throbbing in her head continues.
"Lena?" Stef says quietly, stroking Lena's cheek with her fingertips.
"Good morning," Lena says through the pain in her head.
"Are you okay, baby?" Stef asks with concern in her voice.
"I'm fine." Lena lies. "My head just hurts a little."
"Here," Stef says, grabbing the ibuprofen from her bedside table. The rattling of the pills sends spikes of pain through Lena's skull. "Take these." Lena takes the pills and the bottle of water from Stef. The two women rest in bed for a while longer, until Lena finally feels like her head won't explode if she opens her eyes.
"So, what's on our agenda for today, future Mrs. Adams Foster?" Stef asks, nuzzling Lena's neck with the tip of her stuffed up nose.
"More wedding planning," Lena chuckles, pressing a kiss to Stef's temple.
A/N: Again, not my best. I'm having a hard time with the lead up to the wedding. Hopefully you'll all stick through it with me. :)
