Written 2015
Revised May 2021
*Demi's POV*
The last week and a half has flown by faster than expected. Little by little, Ellie and I have found a home for her belongings. Her DVDs mix with mine. A photo of her childhood dog sits perfectly next to a photo of my childhood dog. The blanket her grandmother knitted rests perfectly on the back of our couch. Her makeup is happily organized opposite to mine. Our stuff flows so perfectly together, no one would suspect that a week ago none of these things lived here. But now they do. And I couldn't be any happier.
I took the last week off to settle in with Ellie. No interviews. No promotional events. No social media. Thankfully my management team understood, but hinted that I should get back to writing music as soon as Ellie was settled comfortably.
As she left for work this morning, I kissed her goodbye. Instead of falling back to sleep for a few more hours, I decided to stay awake, brewing a much needed pot of coffee.
I walked into my studio, cup of coffee in my hands, inhaling the sweet hazelnut aroma. I take a seat at my desk, neatly stacking Ellie's lesson plans on top of each other. Most of them consisted of educational artistic exercises and I chuckled at the thought of once being so young we were taught how to count using raw macaroni.
I set my cup of coffee down next to me and stare at my blank music journal.
For each album, I like to use a different notebook. I'm not sure why, but it's something I've done since I started recording music a few years ago.
Two cups of coffee later and my notebook is as blank as it was when I first sat down. There are some scribbles and little doodles in the margins, but no real work. No lyrics.
I hear the vibration of my phone against the wooden desk. I pick it up with a smile on my lips as I see Ellie's name.
One of my students just threw a tantrum because I wouldn't let him eat a Lego. How's your day going?
I chuckle as I read her message. Not as entertaining as yours.
Oh yeah? I doubt it.
Wanna bet? I've stared at a blank notebook and drank three cups of coffee since you left.
Blank notebook? Are you writing again?
Writing. That's one way to put it.
You just need some inspiration. Ellie's text reads, followed by a smirking emoji.
I feel a lump form in the back of my throat. She can't be serious. A few seconds later, I hear a swoosh sound, followed by three attachments. I pause a second, collecting myself before opening them.
Attached are three, well lit, well angled photos of Ellie, naked, sprawled out with a clear view of everything. From the headboard in the background and the blue and white floral comforter, I can tell these photos were taken at her old place. When, I have no idea.
As I'm gawking over the photos, I hear the swoosh sound again. After appreciating the photos for a few more seconds I close them, reading her next message.
I knew there would be a day these photos would come in handy. xoxo. I hope they fuel some inspiration.
Oh they fueled something, all right.
And just like that, we end our conversation. I feel heat rise to my cheeks and between my thighs as I close my eyes, thinking about the photos I just received.
Without thinking, or even trying, I begin to lowly speak, words flowing off my lipse.
Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind.
Got a taste for the cherry, I just need to take a bite.
I pick up my pen as inspiration begins to flow through my pen and onto the notebook.
As another week goes by, Ellie and I begin to fall into a pretty consistent routine. As quiet as she tries to be in the morning, I always make sure to stay awake as she gets ready. I give her a kiss goodbye as she leaves for work and I fall back asleep for a few hours before starting my morning with a quick workout or steamy hot shower. Sometimes both.
While Ellie is at work, I spend my day working, planning the wedding, relaxing or anything in between. Sometimes she'll do her own thing when she gets home from work. Other times, we'll do something together. No matter what, we always try to eat dinner together.
She's even supported my new cooking hobby by buying me Joanna Gaines' Magnolia cookbook, promising we'll make at least one thing from the cookbook every week. Whether its as intricate as an entrée or as simple as a vegetable dip.
Right now we're on our way to a café downtown. After scouting almost a dozen wedding planners in the Los Angeles area, we settled on hiring Jillian Hall, a highly suggested wedding planner from some of my friends in the industry. Today is our first meeting with her after finally getting the confirmation email yesterday that she was on board with taking us on as clients on such short notice.
When we arrive at the café, Ellie ushers me to a round table in the corner as she orders us both a coffee. She comes back, tripping on her own two feet, almost sending both coffees flying in my direction.
"Be careful. Wouldn't want you to ruin my nice leather jacket." I say, holding it close to my body protectively. She lets out a fake laugh before handing me my coffee.
She takes a seat next to me as we wait for Mrs. Hall. Right on time, the door chime rings as the front door opens. A tall blonde with an exceptionally tight bun and black suit enters the café. She scans the crowd, eyes landing on us before walking over to us.
We stand up, extending our hand to properly introduce ourselves.
"Hi, I'm Demi. This is Ellie." I say, a little too excited.
Jillian shakes my hand, introducing herself. She excuses herself for a moment to grab a pre made coffee from the mobile order pickup station before returning to us, taking a seat across from us.
She takes a sip before reaching into her bag, pulling out a notebook and pen.
"Alright, before we get down to business, I'd like to get to know you two beforehand. So-" She clicks her pen. "Tell me about you two lovebirds. Where did you meet? What do you like to do? Who proposed and how?" She asks.
Ellie and I look at each other, before she gives me the go ahead to answer.
And I do. I answer all three of Jillian's questions, with a little more enthusiasm than needed and far too much information.
Jillian doesn't seem to mind my rambling. She listens with open ears, scribbling a few notes as she pays attention.
"So, have you started planning the wedding at all yet?" She asks, drawing a line under her notes.
Ellie shakes her head, no. I decide to speak up. "I've always wanted an outdoor wedding. Very light and rustic. I like the color blue, so maybe blue flowers and bridesmaids dresses. However, blue is such a broad color. I'm not a big fan of fondant so I don't want the cake to have fondant on it." I begin to ramble again, until Jillian stops me, chuckling a bit.
"This is great, Demi. You're thinking of all the right things. However, let's slow down a bit on the specifics like fondant and colors. Let's focus on the most important elements. You can't have a wedding without a venue, and you can't book a venue without picking a day. So let's start there." Jillian suggests, reeling me back in.
I take a deep breathe, feeling heat rise to my cheeks in embarrassment. I nod my head.
"Have you two narrowed it down to at least a specific month you want the wedding?"
"Demi and I agree we want to get married by the end of this year. Because she also wants an outdoor wedding, I was thinking maybe October. That way it's enough months away to plan, but will still be decently nice weather." Ellie suggests, giving my hand a light squeeze.
"I'll be honest, October is a popular wedding month, and with only six months notice, we might not be able to find a venue and caterer that has the same availability until November or December. By then it might be too cold for an outdoor wedding." Jillian admits honestly.
Ellie and I knew that we would run into some bumps in the road because of the short time frame. However, it was a risk we were willing to take.
"What if we knew of an outdoor space that we could use for the wedding? What is the likelihood of finding a caterer in six months notice?" I ask, Ellie raising an eyebrow, curious to what outdoor space I'm referring to.
"I'm sure I can get in contact with a few catering companies I work closely with and see what their availability is for the month of October." Jillian says, making a note in the margin of her notebook.
"What outdoor space, Demi?" Ellie asks, turning to me.
"I was thinking we use your cabin. That is if we plan on having a smaller wedding." I suggest, hoping the idea isn't overstepping.
I watch as Ellie's eyes light up. "I hadn't even thought about that actually." She admits. "Yes of course. If that means we can have the wedding we want."
"Alright, I like what I'm hearing. Teamwork!" Jillian praises, making more notes in her notebook.
We plan the wedding for a little while longer before wrapping up the meeting. Jillian promises to send a list over of catering services within two days of catering companies she recommends with their availability for the month of October, along with a brief catering menu. Once she does, she wants us to book a tasting for us and one friend to go to.
She gives Ellie and I homework. Until we meet with her next week, she suggested Ellie and I create an online wedding board. That way we can dabble in different theme ideas, and save them for a future meeting.
She also wants us to reach out to photographers, DJ's and wedding officiates. We nod our head, understanding our assignment for the upcoming week.
Jillian followed through with her promise and two days later, an email appeared in my inbox from Jillian. Attached was a list of five different caterers available for selected dates in October, followed by a copy of their menu.
Ellie is sitting next to me on the sofa, as we read the email on my iPad. We immediately cross out the second caterer, as their only availability is Halloween day.
We know beggars can't be choosers, but we'd prefer to have the wedding on a day where everyone can attend. Not a holiday, in the middle of the week.
We cross out the fourth caterer as well because their menu consists of mostly seafood, something neither Ellie or I are a big fan of. We are left with three caterers left.
Looking at their availability, they each have about four or five days available. Not much, but more than the other two. We notice two of the three caterers are Italian based. A staple in our relationship.
"Should we call Jillian and tell her we'd like to taste test these two?" Ellie asks, pointing at the two Italian based caterers. "The vegetarian options also sound better."
I agree with her. I waste no time responding to Jillian's email, with our first and second choice for both caterers and potential dates. I click send with shaky hands, hearing a swoosh sound as the email sends.
"Are you nervous?" She asks, nuzzling into my neck. I feel heat rise to my cheeks.
"How could you tell?"
She giggles. "I've been with you long enough."
I sigh. "I just want everything to be perfect." I say, leaning my head back against the couch.
She runs her hand up and down my arm. "As long as you're standing there, next to me, saying I do, it will be perfect."
I can't help but let my lips curl into a smile at her cheesiness.
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A/N
Okay, I am a little too happy with how this chapter came out. I just really loved the idea of Demi getting inspiration from Ellie and as much as I wanted it to be a love song (Was gonna do kingdom come) I couldn't pass up this opportunity to pull inspiration from Ellie to wrote CFTS.
I hope you all liked this chapter! It's somewhat short (just over 2,000 words.)