Through the Dark (Sequel to Taking Chances)

Chapter Fifty-Three: "Church Bells"

10 Hours Earlier 

The smell of Niall's cologne was welcoming as he emerged from the bathroom in his tux. He looked so nice, so handsome. And of course I had to tell him that.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his softly.

"You look wildly good, Mr. Horan," I whispered.

He smirked. "And you look wildly sexy, Miss Payne. Do tell me what your morning routine consists of?"

My lips fell upon his again, and I savored the way he could still make me shiver. "Well, it's a little bit of this. And also putting myself together, but I like this part the most."

Soft laugher fell from his lips. It sounded so nice to hear it what with how little there were opportunities to do so. It relaxed me just slightly, considering I'd stayed up all night fretting over whether Judie would try to ruin this day by making an appearance.

It didn't seem too surprising when it came to the fact that my family had a habit of ruining good moments. And lives.

"Today will be a good day," he whispered, his forehead against mine and his eyes half closed.

I'd liked to think so, so I said, "Yeah."

I wished I could believe it.

Nervousness kicked in once Niall had locked the door and grabbed my hand to pull me away from the safety of the apartment. I couldn't help feeling so anxious about the wedding, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it would be alright, just the one day, to celebrate Claire and Harry. I also, however, realized that I could ruin everything by being so paranoid, despite the fact that I had a perfectly good reason to be.

"Is Claire nervous?" Niall asked as we got into the car. I could tell he was attempting to derail my nerves, and I was beyond grateful.

"Yes. She was texting me in paragraphs last night, every five seconds. I couldn't respond to anything because there would be a new topic she brought up."

"I'd say the same but Harry hasn't really gotten a hold of me recently. I don't know what he's feeling." He frowned as he said this, reminding me how much he missed his friend. So much had changed from the moment they'd become close to now, and I realized that I hadn't ever really asked him how he and Harry had been doing.

It saddened me.

"Well, hey," I said softly, bringing his up to meet mine. "Let's get going so you can talk to him. Sound okay?"

He smiled. "Yeah, babe. It sounds lovely."

And so we headed out, full of hopes that today would be great. After all, everything that had happened made it nearly impossible to believe in happy endings. Maybe, just maybe, Claire and Harry could have theirs. God, I hoped they would.

What was once only a half-decorated service hall stood a room marked with white lights carefully framed around the room to provide the right amount of lighting. It was dim, but beautiful and light enough to see the alter. It was not an entirely traditional wedding, despite Claire's parents' wishes, but they conceded when Claire explained how important this night was her. If it wasn't going to go the way she wanted, it was not going to be as special. Besides, she was the one getting married, not them.

The tables, with the flowers I'd spent rearranging once Harry had left with Niall, were lit up almost akin to the walls, with a circular motion of lights running around the display. It was almost as if we were staring at White Christina's decorations.

I smiled, delighted and relieved. It looked absolutely gorgeous.

Niall kissed my cheek, whispering that he was going to find Harry and the rest of the grooms men, and then he was off. A few of the guests had already begun to arrive, which I thought was a bit early, but it was nice to greet them and instruct them on which seats to take.