Invitation

Round 25: Winter 2022

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Olivia Nihill and Lia Novak are both 25.
(Gordon is 26, Steve is 27)

Narrated by Olivia Nihill

I think I've had it with renting. Our landlord is such a jerk.


And of course, we can't actually say anything because he's enough of a jerk that he'd probably evict us. We just have to grit our teeth and bear it.

I'd really miss having Lia as a room mate if I got my own place though. Even when she's being a nag or a prude, which is quite frequent, she's a great roomie!

I don't know how much longer we'll be living together though. Lia is dying to get married and I think Gordon will ask her soon, so eventually, she'll move out with him.

I guess it wouldn't be so different to how it is now though.

We're already kind of moving towards living separately anyway. I'm at Steve's place at least half the time. He lives in the units next door to us, so it's so easy to just pop over.

And Lia's never spent the night at Gordon's place but she's over there a lot too.

Gordon can't cook too well so Lia likes to make him dinner. She's so domestic already and she's not even married! She gets it from her mum.

The other night after work, Lia and I went out to check my friend Naomi's new boutique. I met Naomi at work but she's much further along in her career than I am. She started out in fashion later in life, so she's kind of inspiring to me. I'm 25 now, so imagine how far I could get in the next 20 years!

Anyway, I just loved it. I've always thought I'd like to have one of my own one day but I think that might be several years off yet.

I'm already imagining what I could do if I had my own space!

Note to self: learn to use a cash register before I open a boutique. Naomi took forever to ring me up! It can't be that hard, right?

Gordon finally proposed! Lia came rushing in to tell me once she got home, although she didn't really have to. I saw the ring on her finger as soon as she came through the door. The fact that she couldn't stop smiling might have given it away too.

I wanted to hear all the details, of course! Gordon took her to The Claudette, which is a very expensive restaurant in Exeter.

Lia didn't suspect a thing all through the meal, which I was kind of surprised about. Gordon doesn't make that much money, so dinner at The Claudette is something for a really special occasion!

Lia insists that she had no idea until she saw the ring. After she saw that, I imagine everyone in the restaurant would have known what was going on!

She's so happy. They've only been back together for two years but Lia talks about the time between getting back together and getting engaged like it was an eternity.

All that aside, it sounds like they had a really beautiful night.

Lia's parents and sister happened to be eating dinner in the same restaurant, so Gordon and Lia announced their engagement right away. That must have been so fun for Gordon, sitting right across from Lia's dad. I don't think Gordon is his favourite person in the world.

But Lia says deep down, he's happy if his daughters are happy and Lia is very happy!

I've never seen Lia so excited! I'm excited too. I'm excited for her, because I know how much she's wanted this but also, it means I get to make more dresses! I don't know what kind of dress Lia wants yet but I'm hoping she picks a big princessy one. I'd love to make one of those - I like a challenge!

It beats making curtains, which is my current project. Clothes are really my favourite thing to make.

Lia's likely been planning her wedding in her head since she was a little girl but she went shopping with her mother and her sisters Tessa and Maia anyway, so she could tell me what she wanted. She's just going to have her sisters as bridesmaids, which is fine by me! I've been a bridesmaid twice in the past few years and I'm ready for a break!

Ione is the first of my friends to have kids. It's harder for her to come out with us now but she brings Justin and Xavier over sometimes. We're still close but all our conversations now involve two little people who love to interrupt!

They're pretty cute, so we forgive them.

Lia's only too happy to entertain them when they start getting impatient, of course. She adores kids. Her parents already want grandkids and I have a feeling they'll probably get one approximately nine months after Lia and Gordon get married. Lia's really keen to start a family and from what she tells me, Gordon is too, so I don't think they're going to wait very long.

I think Steve and I will hold out for a while though. I'm not quite ready for motherhood.

I can see how happy it's made Ione but geez, twins! It must be so much work too! I want to enjoy being responsibility-free for a little while longer!

When Lia and Gordon announced their engagement, Steve and I started talking about moving in together. We've been together for six years now and we're feeling pretty secure as a couple now. If he proposed, I'd say yes and I think he'd do the same if I asked him - we're definitely ready - but neither of us really feels in any particular hurry to tie the knot.

We're just pleased with the ways thing are now. You know that couple everyone hates because they're always touching or kissing, or whatever? That's us. We've never really left that honeymoon phase.

When my dad was still alive, he and Mum were always like that. As disturbing as it sometimes is to see that kind of thing from your parents, it's better than the alternative and I always hoped I could find someone who made me as happy as they made each other.

And I think I have found that with Steve. I'm still a little bit sad to be losing Lia as a room mate but moving in with Steve is going to be really exciting too.

Notes:

• Title is from Invitation by Peter Walker.
• I visited Gordon to age him up the other night and noticed he'd rolled the marriage want, so I locked that sucker as soon as I saw it! I might have made them get engaged this round anyway, but I like it when both Sims have the want - it's sweet.
• I'm going to try something different for Lia and Gordon's wedding, because neither of them have much money. I have it scheduled for Winter 2023, so I want an indoor venue. I'll probably get them married in the church Eliot and Cordy got married in, throw a party there (just to get the wedding party memory and fulfill the want, if either of them happen to roll it) and then go to Lia's parents' house and hold a "reception" there. That will cost them $1000 for the venue and marriage license, plus the cost of the clothing. Then they might still have some money to take a honeymoon - Lia wants to go to the Far East and I'm hoping I'll be able to send them!
• Lia and Gordon have both had the baby want since they graduated college, so I'll probably let them start trying right away.
• Next round, I'll be moving Steve and Olivia in together, so he gets to graduate from playable NPC to real playable! Yay for Steve - he'll get a profile and everything. :D They will probably live in Steve's apartment, at least for next round, because I really like it. I spent far too long decorating it for a lot that I don't even use very often for updates!
• The poll in the side bar, which you are free to ignore or vote in as you choose, is just there to test how the polls work for when I do my election at the end of this round. I've almost got the candidates decided, so I might even put it up a little early. We'll see!