The Best Man {h.s.}

20

The next morning, after yet another night of enjoying my time with you-know-who, he decides to go home and get some things done before having to meet the wedding party at Henry Todd this afternoon. As much as I didn't want him to go, I was actually looking forward to being on my own for a bit. I was worried that I was starting to get used to having him around all the time. Although he sounds completely different from the guy Chloe warned me about, I couldn't help but keep that thought in the back of my mind.

After running a few errands and cleaning the apartment, it was time to get ready to go to the fitting. I go to my closet and put on a dark blue sundress with some brown leather sandals. I quickly braid my hair, letting some loose strands fall around my face. I apply a small amount of eyeliner and mascara, but not too much. I've actually been really happy lately with the way my features look without makeup. I feel like I'm glowing, and I know who I have to thank for that.

My already sunburned shoulders scream at me as I step back out into the sun. I wince a little bit, but mostly suck it up for the sake of enjoying the fresh air. It seems as though the people around me wants to appreciate the same thing considering how busy it is outside today. I walk a couple of blocks, admiring the people passing by me before I spot the sign I'm looking for. Henry Todd is written in black, cursive letters with a silver background behind them. The all-white building looks as if it's been around for a long time, but it's still perfect, much more perfect looking than most buildings in this city. I walk up the marble steps and take a deep breath before grabbing the large handle for the door. As soon as I step inside, a familiar voice enters my ears.

"There you are." Chloe says coldly as she marches towards me. Her dark hair is stick-straight, falling all around her and her white dress. I wonder briefly if she's going to be wearing white for everything wedding related. I glance up at the clock and see that it's 1:53pm.

"Yeah...and I'm early." I look at her confused before looking back at the clock again to make sure I read it correctly.

"Everyone's already here." She says with her hands on her hips. The confused look on my face grows.

"And how was I supposed to know everyone would get here early? Besides, what the hell does it matter? Our appointment isn't until two." She steps closer and leans in.

"I wanted to talk to you about...you know." She gestures towards the group and I look over, trying to figure out who it is she's talking about. I already know it's Harry, but he's not standing with everyone. Come to think of it, I don't see him anywhere.

"Okay, talk." I back up slightly so we're even farther away from everyone. She follows and turns her back to them.

"When I said 'do what you want', I didn't mean take him home to meet the freaking parents!" Her eyes widen as her irritation grows, while mine seem to be narrowing.

"Chlo, if you haven't already noticed, I am an adult. It is my decision who I bring home with me." I cross my arms in front of my chest as she closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"You're getting in too deep, Em. I could see it when I watched you with him yesterday. How much time have you been spending together?" She asks and I freeze. I usually have no problem standing up to my sister, but every once in a while, a question of hers catches me off guard and I tense up like I'm trying to keep something from a parent. "Exactly."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

I let out a deep sigh and shrug.

"Think what you want, Chloe. I'm having a really great time with Harry and he's having a great time with me. I have no idea what the hell that means, but right now I'm not trying to think too much into it. I'm happy, and any judgmental comments you have to throw at me won't change that." I brush past her and walk towards the group. The guys seem to be in a heated debate about sports, so I give Ben a quick wave and move over to the girls to say hello. The with the clipboard from our first meeting pushes past everyone to come up to me.

"Hi. Um...Emma, right?" She asks and I nod. "I wanted to give you a list of ideas for the bachelor/bachelorette party. I know she left you in charge, but I thought you might want a little help since I was already looking into it anyways. Um..." She flips through the pages in her clipboard. "Here it is." She points to a list of venues. "I know Chloe will probably want something a little low-key, but not too low-key, you know? I especially liked the first place on the list because it has..." She stops mid sentence, as does her breathing. I look away from the list and up at her. Well, she's much, much shorter than me, so I guess I look down at her. Her eyes are wide and she's staring straight ahead. I can't tell exactly what expression she's making, but when I move my eyes to her target, I completely understand.

Harry.

He turns the corner, looking down to adjust his cufflinks. I take a second to admire every inch of him, the way his wavy hair falls in front of his face while makes sure everything else is in its place, the way his tattoos are still visible near his wrists any time he lifts his arms even slightly, the fact that his suit fits him perfectly, making him look even more incredible than he usually does which I didn't think was possible. Every girl in the room goes silent as they look at him. After a second or two, Ben goes up to him to check out the suit and the whispers start.

"Oh my god."

"So gorgeous."

"The things I would do to that man."

"Seriously."

"He can't be real."

Ben walks away and Harry's eyes instantly find mine.

"God, I would love to be the girl that gets to take him home." One of the girls says as I walk past her.

"I know, right?" I say to her with a wink before focusing back on the only person in this room that really matters. Within seconds, Harry's arms are around my waist and his lips are against mine. As much as I wanted to give my full attention to our contact, the gasps heard from the girls behind me were too amusing.

"Fancy seeing you here." He says into my ear before pulling away and weaving his finger through mine. I shoot him a grin before looking back at the girls, their jaws practically on the floor. I giggle slightly, enjoying every second of their reaction.

"Okay, guys, this is what yours will look like. It'll look great on everyone, but of course, not nearly as great as it'll to look on me." Ben jokes as the guys laugh. I look up at Harry who's laughing with them. No offense to Ben or anything, but there's no way anyone could look better than Harry does in this suit. Chloe swats Ben's arm, then looks at me.

"Em, you're up." She says dryly, nodding her head over to the dressing room. I take a deep breath before squeezing Harry's hand and turning around. The group starts talking again when I enter the dressing room. I close the door and notice a long, pale blue dress hanging up and a shoebox on the floor. I open it up and take out the nude heels before sliding out of my dress. I take the other dress off the hanger and step into it, struggling slightly to twist my arm and zip it up. Once it's on, I take a second to admire its simplicity. The V-Neck dips just low enough to be slightly revealing, yet still keep its elegance. A few waves of chiffon fall down the skirt of the dress and a satin belt wraps around up towards my ribcage, giving it a slight bit of detail, but not too much. I step into my heels before looking at myself one more time. I bring my braid to the front of my shoulder and take another deep breath before walking out to see everyone.

The second my heels hit the tile floor, silence fills the room. Everyone's eyes are on me. I can feel them, but I can't look at them, not when I've got Harry's undivided attention. His lips are parted slightly as he watches me, his chest rising and falling slowly through his suit. The corners of my mouth lift slightly at his reaction. Once I reach him, I grab his hand and he looks like he wants to say something, but he can't. It's almost like he's frozen.

"Fancy seeing you here." I give him a smirk before focusing on Chloe.

__________________________

Sorry if this one isn't very good, guys. I just wanted to get in a quick chapter before Thanksgiving. I've got some things happening in the next chapter, so be prepared ;)

I absolutely LOVE reading all of your comments. You guys make me smile so much!

Keep voting and commenting and being lovely :) xx