oxford comma // h.s o.u

25. the one with no frog prince

1D Updates @1d_updates

Harry's in LA! He's just been spotted leaving LAX.

Morgan @_morgchristine

@1d_updates was he alone or was like gemma or suzy with him?

1D Updates @1d_updates

@_morgchristine There should be a video coming soon with proof but I'm pretty sure he was alone!

HANNAH @hannah_babe

@1d_updates what abt the other boys???

1D Updates @1d_updates

@hannah_babe Everyone else has landed at Heathrow! Not sure what Harry is up to.

***

Saturday, 11th of April, 2015

A chorus of everyone around the table wishing for a speech filled the air, while Papa and Nicholas sat beside one another with red cheeks and smiles unable to leave their faces. Papa didn't often like the idea of displaying his affection in public, but he hadn't been able to stray too far from Nicholas all evening—or since I had returned from Australia, for that matter. He was happy, and it was all thanks to Nicholas.

"Calm down, you lot," Papa grumbled, waving his hand at everyone, though his lips only continued to tug into a bigger grin. "You'll cause a proper scene."

"Think we have every right to cause one, darling," Nicholas replied, chuckling to himself as he threw his arm around Papa's shoulders. "It's not everyday everyone gets—"

"Papa," Mina whined, cutting off their madness. "When's dessert coming? I want my ice cream!"

I laughed at her behaviour. "It'll be here soon, don't fret," I told her, patting her thigh lightly. "We ordered a special cake for Papa and Nicholas, so I'm sure they're just adding the final touches to make sure it's perfect."

"A special cake?" Nicholas raised his brow. "My my, don't I feel special."

"Oh come off it, we wanted to do something special for our only son!" Denise, Nicholas's mum, piped up from the other side of me. "It's not every day that he announces his bloody engagement, is it? Never thought I'd see the day, but you managed to convince the old sod," she added, chuckling to herself as she gestured her hand towards Papa.

"Mother!" Nicholas cried, his eyes widening as the rest of the table joined in. "But you made an excellent point," he continued on, grabbing hold of his champagne glass and standing up. "Dating a man like Dominique Lestrange hasn't been the most easiest of tasks, and though he has always put up this hard exterior, I knew he was a big ol' softie on the inside."

Papa frowned at that, while I grinned to myself because that was something I also knew to be true. He grabbed hold of his own glass as he listened in, nodding his head as Nicholas continued to spiel on about all the wonderful aspects of my father—all of which I also already knew.

"It's been one hell of an adventure, but I couldn't have imagined a better person to have done it with," Nicholas continued on, placing his hand on Papa's shoulder as he stared down at him. "You may be stubborn as hell sometimes and we don't always agree on things, but it's your kind heart and general love and support that has kept me around and wanting more. Dominique, I—well, I bloody love you and cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

I watched as they shared another affectionate moment between them—Nicholas grabbed Papa's cheeks and pressed his lips up against Papa's, taking him by surprise, but let himself melt into the moment for a few seconds before sitting up straight and mouthing a quick "I love you" in return. I knew Papa wouldn't give him much more than that in public, but they were often much more affectionate and loved up when in the privacy of their own home—especially the past week.