After I Do

The narrative shifts into the past. Lauren and Ryan first meet during Lauren’s sophomore year at UCLA. Freshman year was lonely for her, and she often went home to visit her sister (Rachel), her mother (Leslie), and her brother (Charlie). She didn’t settle into college life until she got “a job in the mailroom” (5) and started meeting people.

In her second year, she and Ryan start running into each other on campus. One day, they introduce themselves and get lunch together in the dining hall, then make a date for the following evening. While getting ready, Lauren realizes that she is nervous. They go out for burgers and talk about their studies. After dinner, they kiss, and Lauren is overcome by emotion. They make plans to get breakfast the next morning. After parting ways, Lauren realizes that she and Ryan are starting something good and she doesn’t need to rush their relationship. She goes home and calls Rachel to share the news. A few months later, Lauren and Ryan have sex for the first time. Afterward, they discuss how perfect their relationship feels.

Lauren and Ryan part ways for the summer break. They miss each other when Ryan returns home to Kansas and Lauren stays in LA, so they decide to visit each other. After she visits him, Lauren invites Ryan to meet her family in LA. Her family immediately likes him.

During their senior year, Lauren and Ryan stay in LA for their spring break. Then Leslie calls and says she bought tickets for the whole family to go to Mexico, and she wants Ryan to come too. On the plane, Ryan and Charlie tease each other. Charlie isn’t usually open with people, but Lauren notices how well he and Ryan get along.

Lauren and Ryan graduate from UCLA. After graduation, they rent “a studio apartment in Hollywood” (22). They argue about getting the right furniture for the space, and when they move in, Lauren feels upset by how small the apartment is. The next morning, she feels better and is excited for her adult life to begin.

Lauren and Ryan go camping in Yosemite to celebrate their fourth anniversary. One day, they hike to Vernal Fall. During the hike, Lauren is certain that Ryan is going to propose at the top. She feels disappointed when he doesn’t, and they turn around and start their descent shortly after summiting. Then, partway down, Ryan gets on one knee and proposes in front of the waterfall. Lauren accepts, and her perspective on the difficult hike changes. She and Ryan discuss their future for the rest of the hike back.

Lauren and Ryan buy a new bed two months before their wedding. They consider getting a queen-sized bed, but Ryan insists that they splurge on the king-sized bed instead. Lauren is thrilled.

Lauren and Ryan get married in LA in July. They take a road trip to Big Sur for their honeymoon. Two hours before reaching their hotel, their tire blows out. They get into an argument on the side of the road because neither of them knows how to change a tire. Then they realize that they can solve the problem together. They flag down a driver who helps them to get back on the road. At the hotel, Lauren and Ryan have sex.

Lauren’s former coworker from the UCLA alumni department, Mila, helps her to get a job in Occidental College’s alumni department. Meanwhile, Lauren and Ryan start looking for a new place to live. Lauren falls in love with a house in Hancock Park, but they can’t afford it because Hancock Park is a historic neighborhood. While looking at the house, Lauren discovers a lemon tree in the yard. Later that night, Ryan makes a call and announces that he has secured the house, but he doesn’t reveal how he managed to do this. They move in shortly thereafter. On moving day, Lauren suggests that they get a dog. Ryan agrees, and they go to the shelter and adopt a Lab that they name Thumper.

Lauren finds a stain on the mattress pad while changing the sheets one night. She and Ryan laugh because Thumper made the stain while sleeping between them every night. They start talking about having a family. They always said that they would have kids when they were 30. Now they’re not sure, so they agree to wait and see what feels right as time passes. They profess their love for each other before falling asleep, but Lauren privately wonders if they’ll ever start a family.

One night, Ryan asks Lauren if she remembers when they last had sex, insisting that it is bad if they can’t remember. Then they recall when they used to have sex multiple times a day. They agree to try mixing things up in their sex life, but over time, nothing really changes.

One night, Lauren goes to IKEA to get a new coffee table while Ryan is out with friends. On her way home, a car hits her and drives away. She calls Ryan, but he doesn’t pick up the phone. When he finally calls her back, he is annoyed by her predicament and scolds her for not getting the other driver’s license plate. Lauren feels angry but doesn’t say what she wants to say.

When Ryan gets home late from work one night, he and Lauren argue about what to have for dinner. Lauren suggests that they go out to eat, but Ryan is too tired, so he tells Lauren to go out with Rachel instead. On the phone, Rachel is surprised that Lauren isn’t having dinner with Ryan because it’s Valentine’s Day. Lauren realizes that she and Ryan forgot about the holiday entirely.

Ryan makes plans to travel for work, and Lauren looks forward to spending the week alone. She is disappointed when Ryan informs her the trip is canceled.

Lauren loses her wallet while she and Ryan are at the store. She doesn’t realize that it is missing until they return home. She suggests that he accompany her back to the store to find it and then grab dinner afterward. Ryan is annoyed and dismisses the idea. Lauren reminds him of the times when he used to find her forgetfulness endearing, but Ryan says he’s tired of it after 11 years. Hurt, Lauren cries in the car even after finding her wallet under the seat.

Lauren and Ryan go bar-hopping with Ryan’s friends for his 30th birthday. Back at home, Ryan wants to have sex, but Lauren isn’t in the mood and insists that she doesn’t owe Ryan sex just because it’s his birthday.

Ryan gets angry at Lauren when he discovers that she fed his leftover burger to Thumper. He insists that she doesn’t understand what he wants.

The narrative returns to the present moment as Lauren and Ryan ride home in silence from Dodger Stadium. Lauren is relieved to get away from Ryan when they return home. Inside, Ryan apologizes. Lauren reciprocates the apology but silently wonders if she is lying. She has known that something is wrong in her marriage for a while, but she doesn’t know how to fix it.

Ryan dismisses himself and gets a shower, but he emerges moments later, furious that there is still no hot water and that Lauren has neglected to call the landlord about the issue. They get into an argument, and Ryan tries leaving, but Lauren insists that he stay and talk about their relationship because they’ve been fighting for months and have yet to discuss it. Lauren starts to get angry when Ryan tells her he hasn’t wanted to be around her in months. She picks up a vase and throws it at him. It shatters, and Ryan leaves. Lauren cleans up the broken glass, wondering what happened to her marriage. Lying in bed afterward, she realizes that she and Ryan don’t love each other anymore.

Lauren and Ryan wake up together. Lauren is surprised that they can still sleep side by side despite their fight. Lauren tells Ryan that they don’t love each other anymore. Ryan admits that he realized this a few weeks ago when he started looking at other women. They sit together and admit that they don’t know what to do next.

Lauren and Ryan share ideas of what to do about their future. They consider opening their relationship, but instead, they decide to take a year-long separation. After making this decision, Ryan goes out, and Lauren lies on the couch, trying to imagine her life without him. When he returns later, he and Lauren hold each other. Lauren is relieved that they’re not fighting. However, they start arguing again when they realize that they don’t know who should keep Thumper.

Ryan lets Lauren stay in the house. Lauren is upset as she watches him pack his things. She decides that after he is done, she will visit Rachel. She has told Mila about the separation, but now, she needs her sister. She finds Ryan in the bathroom, and they admit how upset they are. Lauren wonders if they should stay together and suggests that Ryan stay. Ryan insists that he needs to go and that they must follow through with the separation in order to determine whether their marriage is worth saving. Devastated, Lauren takes Thumper and drives to Rachel’s.