‘So what do you want to do today then?’ Daniel asked as he finished mashing up Darren’s breakfast.

‘Dunno, what did you have in mind?’

‘Wellllllll…,’ Dan said setting Darren’s bowl on the table and taking a straw out of the dispenser on the table. ‘I thought you might like to go and choose our suits for the wedding. A little bit of retail therapy?’

Darren’s eyes lit up at this suggestion. ‘Ooooohhhhhh yeah, sounds good to me.’

‘Thought it might.’

Dan stuck the straw into the hole in the top of Darren’s beaker and placed it within easy reach.

It had been four weeks since their had had their serious ‘talk’ and whilst Darren tended to have good days and bad days, just lately the bad ones were beginning to outweigh the good.

Making plans for their wedding seemed to Dan a good way to lift them both out of the doldrums they had unconsciously slipped into.

They had decided to have just a small ceremony at a local hotel, close friends and family only, followed by a wedding breakfast and then, if Darren felt well enough, spend the night up at their cabin about an hour’s drive away.

‘So what do you think?’ Darren asked. ‘should we go for the full works, tuxs and the such.?’

Dan smiled. Clothes, Darren’s favourite subject. ‘I don’t mind, I leave it entirely up to you.’

‘Yes, I think so. I rather fancy the idea of you in a tux. If I remember rightly it makes you look very dashing.’

They continued their breakfast with Darren talking nineteen to the dozen. Both of them ignoring the bits of his food that didn’t quite make it to his mouth, ending up instead down the front of his pyjamas.

‘If you like,’ Dan told him as he put the empty dishes into the sink, ‘we can stop off at the florists on the way back and sort out the flowers.’

‘Roses, red roses and lots of them.’ And Darren was off again.

‘Fuck!’ Darren cursed as he fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, his fingers refusing to do his bidding.

‘Here let me help you.’ Dan offered.

‘No,’ Darren said wearily, ‘I’ll just wear a T-shirt.’

The outfitters were fairly busy when they arrived so they spent some minutes just browsing, selecting various items, holding them up against each other. Finally Darren settled on a black tuxs for both of them with white dress shirts, a midnight blue cummerbund and bow tie for himself, deep green for Daniel.

‘Can I help you sirs?’ An assistant came over to them.

‘Yes,’ Darren announced gleefully, ‘we’d like to try these on.’

‘Very good. The changing rooms are this way if you would care to follow me.’

‘Jonesy, you’re going have help me.’ Darren hissed.

The assistant heard him and smiled. ‘Perhaps you will allow me to assist you?’

Daniel nodded at Darren and motioned for him to follow the assistant into one of the plush curtained cubicles whilst he went into another.

Dan had barely gotten his bow tie tied properly when Darren’s voice came floating over the partition. ‘Are you changed yet? Can I see?’

‘Darren, it’s bad luck.’

‘My luck is quite shitty enough already thank you. Come on give me a peek.’ Daniel could feel his pout from here.

‘Okay then, just because it’s you mind. I don’t do this for all my fiancés.’

Daniel drew back his curtain and stepped out into the main body of the room where he found Darren seated in an armchair.

‘Whoa.’ Darren’s jaw dropped.

‘Whoa yourself.’ Daniel smiled.

Darren pulled a face. ‘It will need altering,’ And he inserted two fingers into his waistband in demonstration.

‘A simple matter.’ The assistant assured him. ‘So when’s the happy day then?’

‘Christmas Eve.’ They replied simultaneously and burst out laughing.

The assistant tried to hide his surprise but wasn’t quite quick enough. Daniel caught the look on his face and knew exactly what he was thinking.

Christmas was still just over two months away. Would Darren make it until then?