Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

RORY

Did ya get excited about that chapter title thinking it was me and Sly? Nope, it was Rhianne and Susette, and it was as darling as you imagine.

Summer on a Saturday in the park. They kept it small; just their families from their home worlds and a few of us friends, and they wanted it to be simple and sweet. So, they came up with a picnic in the park wedding idea that we all adored.

We met at 11:30 AM at Nineton park where there was a gorgeous white marble arch that Borden Sloan had grown out of the ground. As you'd expect, it was carved with lacy vines and flowers like a beautiful work of art and was surrounded by evergreen trees. The day was as sunny and bright as my two friends, and I couldn't have been happier for them.

Susette was glowing in a pale pink babydoll dress with her blonde hair flowing, and Rhianne embraced her under the arch wearing an eggplant purple satin dress that set off her skin so well.

They caught us off guard when they giggled at each other and broke apart, Rhianne holding up a piece of paper and saying, "Surprise! This is a party, not an actual wedding! The courthouse already made it official, but we wanted to celebrate with you anyway, so thanks for coming to our unusual ceremony today!"

Then she turned to Susette, holding her hands and saying, "Susette, I'm so glad you didn't break your sweet ass when you slipped on that sidewalk, but I also will never regret that you fell. Because you weren't the only one falling that day, I fell so hard for you that I'll never recover, and I can't wait to love you for the rest of my life."

Susette bit her lip, holding in the emotion, and pulled herself together to say, "Rhianne, you are all I ever wanted. I love you. Forever and ever."

Then they turned to us, holding up their hands and laughing as we clapped. We weren't sitting in chairs; we were all just standing in front of them, so they pointed at the buffet tables and said, "Come on! It's lunch time!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

SLYDAR

"We should have lunch wedding picnics on the regular," I decided. It was awesome! Giant tables catered with sandwiches, dips, and lemonade (the adult and kid kinds) and a gorgeous array of cupcakes for dessert.

They'd told us in the invitations to bring picnic blankets, so everyone laid them out on the grass then piled plates full of an amazing spread of deliciousness. It was such a simple idea, and so casual that I thought Rory and I should do it too.

She caught the edge of it in my thoughts, though, and shook her head. "It's still too much work, Sly. They had to have those dresses made, and their families all traveled here. I mean, we had great fun making the cupcakes last night, but think about it. That took four hours! Yeah, it looks amazing seeing that tiered cupcake stand today, but it was an enormous project!"

I grinned at her; getting her all riled up was always so much fun. I decided to poke the bear some more, but that was a tricky business when your girl was a telepath.

"I think we should do it. Next weekend. What're we waitin' for, Rory? We don't have to make our own cake; we'd get one from a shop. Get a caterer to set everything up. Just wear whatever we want. It's a picnic, not an actual wedding. Brilliant idea, if you ask me."

"Alright, if that's what you really want, Slydar, we'll do it next weekend."

Busted. She totally didn't fall for it. I cracked up, and she joined me, tossing a grape at my face, which I managed to catch in my mouth. Moving objects, yeah, I dig 'em.

But seriously, the not-really-a-wedding in the park was the best one I ever went to, so Rhianne and Susette got extra points in my book for coming up with the idea. No, Rory and I didn't wind up copying them, we went for something even more simple which you'll read about later. This chapter's for our friends, so we'll leave it at that.

It was an awesome picnic, and once lunch was done, we played outdoor games and hung around a lot longer than Susette and Rhianne'd expected. When it was nearly dinner time, we all went separate ways, and Rory and I left to go to the cabin for a little getaway.

Yeah, it was as romantic and as sexy as you'd imagine, but like I said, this chapter was about our friends, so you'll have to use your imagination to fill in the details. Wink.