1985 (h.s.)

Chapter Fifty One

A/N- imagine the dress like this but it flows out at the waist

November 24th, 1985

6:30 P.M.

"You told him to tell her what?" Niall exclaimed from my bed. He was already in his powder-blue suit. His tie was loosely hung from his neck. He flipped through the pages of an old magazine that I had on my nightstand. His sock-clad feet were crossed and thankfully didn't stink.

"That I love him," I spoke quietly. I reached across my new vanity (Maura's old one) to grab my eyeliner.

"Are you insane?" He scrambles to find his words. I would react the same way if I were him. I knew what I did was going to have an effect like this, yet I still did it. My gut was telling me to. It won't make any difference between the two of us. I won't ever seem him again. Even if I did, it'd be in the future and I'd be moved on. He would too.

"Yes," I reply truthfully. I still had no clue, after spending all day thinking about it, why I did that. I could've said something like 'I hope all is well' or 'Thank you for the letter. Anything but 'I still love you' would've worked. Obviously, I like to make things difficult for myself and for others. I have no clue why I'm still going to this dance. I'd rather eat some ice cream and watch rom-coms. I never went through that phase of heartbreak. It seemed like a delicious one too. Now I was suddenly craving ice-cream. Plain chocolate with some nuts maybe.

"Good lord Elaine," Niall groaned.

"I know. I feel pretty dumb about it too," I replied. I fluffed my hair, which was recently pulled from hot rolls. Maura did my hair. She had to work this morning, but she took the afternoon off to spend it with Niall and I. I was already starting to feel like a part of their family. They took me in when I had nowhere else to go. They treated me with more kindness than I could've ever asked for. I owed them the world. Truly.

I stood from the bench and shooed Niall from the room so I could dress. My dress was hanging on the back of the door. On her way to work this morning, Muara took it to get it pressed. She said I was the daughter she's always wanted. I almost burst into tears. 

I stood on the tips of my toes to reach the hanger. I wrapped my fingers around the plastic and pulled it down. The blue in the dress seemed brighter than before. The silk material glistened from the light of the bedroom. I stripped my clothes until I was in my bra and some tights. They were the same color if not darker than my skin. 

The zipper of the dress was rough to pull. I had to tug it a few times before it actually unzipped. I stepped into it and slid it up my body. It fit even more perfect than it did the first go-around. The sleeves were aligned off of my shoulder and the fabric felt like it was made for me to wear. I called Niall back in to zip it up for me.

He looked great. His suit color was a shade lighter than his eyes. It showed off his broadening shoulders and fit physique. His tie tied up and his suit jacket was buttoned at the waist. Even his hair matched the suit. It looked blonder today. Platinum almost. It was in his usual hairstyle, nothing too special about it. His shoes were plain and black, but they brought the whole outfit together. Niall was always a handsome dude; don't take it the wrong way. It was as if he was made to be my best friend. I hadn't had a best friend before Niall. Everyone was just mutual or friends. Nothing like the bond we have. 

"You clean up nice Horan," I complimented when he was done zipping me. He nodded smugly.

"Not too bad yourself El. Mom and Dad want us down for pictures. Are you ready?" He held out his arm to escort me.

"Wait!" I remembered, "I have to get my shoes," I rushed to my closet and pulled out a box. My brand-new pair of royal blue converse. After fighting with Eleanor about which shoes I was going to wear, we decided on these. I wanted my plain black ones, but she wanted to match. A compromise is a compromise. I tightly laced them and pulled a cute bow at the top. I double-checked my bag and took Niall's arm downstairs.