Hey guys! It's been a few days but here is an update full of NS cuteness. Let me know what you think!
...
"I want to use this veil and hang myself!"
"Come on, Serena. I'm sure it's not that bad."
"Are you kidding me? I can't even get a word in edge-wise." She was dress shopping with Blair, Lily, and Anne Archibald.
Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Patience is a virtue, my love."
"Easy for you to say."
"I have to go. Don't try to hang yourself. Walking down the aisle with a bruise around your neck would be so embarrassing."
Serena couldn't help but giggle. "You're so dumb. Wish me luck."
"Good luck, baby. I love you."
"Love you too. Bye!"
As soon as she hung up Anne knocked on the door. "Do you need help in there?"
"Uhh…no. I'll be out in a minute." Serena slipped on a white strapless Vera Wang gown. Underneath the heart-shaped cut was a lavender sash around the small of her waist then the gown continued to frame her hips and her legs perfectly and then let out at the bottom. She looked at herself in the mirror and her jaw dropped. She smiled at herself. This was it.
She walked out of the room and stood on the platform. She braced herself for the criticisms to come. She turned around when she heard nothing. The 3 of them sat with tears in there eyes.
Serena smiled at them. All three of them nodded in unison. Anne placed a lace veil on Serena's head. Serena nodded. "It's perfect."
…
When Serena got home Nate was already waiting for her. She smiled at him. "Baby, I found it. My perfect wedding dress. It's perfect." She handed him a box. "That's your tie."
Nate smiled at her. "I can't wait to see you in it." He opened the box. "Nice color. Purple?"
"Light lavender. The color of the satin sash on my dress." She corrected him and then sat on his lap.
He kissed her. "I'm glad you found it."
She was beaming. "It's all coming together."
He laughed. "Yeah I'm going to be able to call you my wife. I wish being able to cook was a requirement for being a wife."
She punched him playfully. "You're such an ass."
…
"I need more closet space."
Nate put the box he was carrying down. "Why can't you just put some of your clothes in the other room?"
Serena gave him a look. "Natie, I want to wake up and not have to walk to the other room to get dressed. You don't even wear most of these things! You only wear suits. Come on, this is the perfect opportunity to organize."
He rolled his eyes. "Only cause I have to for work. But fine. Do whatever you want, really. I have to go to work though. See you later." He kissed her forehead.
Nate got home to find everything spotlessly clean. It was surprisingly calming to see everything in place.
Serena popped her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, hey! Come here."
He gave her a kiss. "Mmm…that smells great. What is it?"
"Lasagna! You've never used this oven before, have you? It'll be ready in 10 minutes. In the mean time…Come."
Nate took her outstretched hand and followed her. She opened the closet. It was split evenly for both their clothes. His suits, ties and dress shirts were color-coordinated. She turned to his dresser. The top half drawers were his and the bottom drawers were hers.
"I called in some help." She led him to the other room. "And all of this closet is yours and the closet across the hall is all mine. Is it alright? You said I could whatever you want."
"Yeah it's perfected. I expected to be evicted. I'm still in shock that you know how to cook."
She giggled. "Well, don't get too excited. Lasagna is the only thing I can make. And cheesecake."
He sat on the couch after dinner and turned on ESPN. She lay on the couch and put her head on his lap. "I love you, Natie."
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I love you too."
…
"Serena. Serennaaaa, I have coffee. Wake up." Serena had an early morning photo shoot and asked Nate to wake her up when he got up.
She lazily sat up and took a sip. "Thanks." She reached in the night-stand drawer and pulled out a box for him. "I was supposed to be the one to wake you up. Happy birthday."
He opened the box to see a watch. He had mentioned he liked it about a month ago but forgot about it. "It's perfect. Thank you." He kissed her cheek. "I woke you up a little early because I wanted you to jump in the shower with me. I have another kind of present in mind."
She giggled then followed him to the bathroom and they both stripped. As soon as she felt the warm water on her face she felt wide-awake. She was so glad he had gotten another showerhead installed just for her.
When they were almost done he pinned her against the wall and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back and he pulled away and kissed her everywhere. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into her.
"Nate!" It was Anne Archibald's voice coming from right outside. "Are you in there?"
He pulled away instantly. "Mom? Uh….give me a sec."
"Shit. Don't tell her I'm in here!" She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself.
"It's fine. We're not kids anymore." He wrapped a towel around himself too. "Come on. She won't mind."
"I mind! I'll just sit in here. Go!" She stood in the corner of the bathroom. "Hurry!"
He laughed and opened the door. "Hey mom. What are you doing here?"
"You didn't wash off all the shampoo." She reached over and combed it out with her hand. "I came to drop off your birthday present. Where's Serena?"
"Still in bed. I'll say hi to her for you." He grabbed the box. "Thanks."
"Alright. I should get going. I just came to say happy birthday."
"Thanks mom. I'm sure I'll love whatever is in here." He found it strange his mom would show up just for his birthday.
"I wanted to talk to Serena about seating arrangements. I'm sure you're inviting your father. I don't want him near me. In fact, tell her I'd be happy to be in charge of the seating. Pass along the message, will you?"
Nate rolled his eyes. "Okay."
"Oh and your grandfather and I were talking about a possible name change. You wouldn't want the Vanderbilt name to end with you, right? I mean, you want your child to be a Vanderbilt not an Archibald, right?"
His mom ruined his mood. "Can we talk about this later? I have to go."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh and tell Serena we're going cake tasting at 4. Bye."
Serena walked out of the bathroom when she heard the door close. "Natie. Don't worry about it. Your mom can be in charge of the seating arrangement. That's not a big deal. As for the name change, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Nate nodded. "She just bugs me, you know? Anyway, I haven't even talked to my dad. I don't even know if he's in town or not. Fuck." He sat on the edge of his bed.
Serena hated seeing him so tense. "Don't worry about it. Just call your dad and invite him. Don't tell him anything about whatever else your mom is talking about." She kissed the back of his shoulder. "Get dressed. You don't want to be late."
…
"Spending the day with your mother is exhausting."
Nate smiled at her. "I know. Did you pick a cake?"
"It's chocolate mousse. You're gonna love it. Oh and we sent out the invitations." She turned to him. "A bunch of magazines have called. They want our wedding photos. I thought we could donate the money we get to a charity."
He nodded. "Sound delicious. That's a great idea." He put his arm around her. "I'm exhausted. Let's take a nap."
"I actually have something I want to tell you."
Nate sat up.
"Your dad called. He said he couldn't make it to our wedding."
He shrugged. "I don't care. My mom will probably be thrilled."
Serena knew Nate cared. "What about the other Archibalds? You have an aunt that…"
Nate shook his head. "Forget it. All I want is for you to be there. You're not getting cold feet, are you?" He kissed her nose.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Are you kidding me? My feet are practically on fire."