Petal [h.s.]

Chapter 97 (*)

"Please," Ian snorted with an eye roll as he pulled back, "Saw it coming from miles away. I knew he wasn't going to wait another year."

I glanced back down at the emerald ring on my finger. It still felt surreal. Telling Abby yesterday was emotional. She knew me so well and was so important to me. Both of us knew she was bound to be my maid of honour, I just had to figure out a way to ask her. I didn't want to just blurt it out. I still had nightmares from witnessing how Louis asked Harry to be his best man.

"Hey, how's Milo?" I asked as I fixed up his tie and tightened it a little and then smoothed my palms over his shoulders to straighten out his suit jacket.

Ian had a small smile on his lips, "Good. It's going good."

Milo was a guy that Ian had been seeing for the past couple of weeks. He had called me up after their first date, excited as ever that they had kissed and that he felt a gazillion butterflies in his stomach. It was endearing to see, especially since I couldn't help but compare it to Timothy. He had broken his heart and pulled him into a near overdose. I'd never be able to forgive him for that, for making me see Ian in that state of near death.

They had been casually seeing one another, and Ian had decided to officially identify as gay. He seemed to find it important to have that label, which was his right. I could tell he felt free and liberated and that he felt good in his own skin. A drug free life looked good on him, but the road to full sobriety was still long for Ian.

His initiation process was in full force, and I refused to ask for details. I knew he had to kill someone at some point, and I had been lying awake at night to worry myself sick over that. I refused to meddle in whatever business Gabriel did. It was also the business Harry and all my friends did, and what Ian did.

The gang had been doing good lately, as it appeared. Ever since word got out on how they treated that impromptu gang who kidnapped me, other gangs were careful in messing with the Oliveira mob. They were by far the most powerful, and every single member received extensive protection. I was used to it at this point, having people follow my ever step for my own safety.

Harry and I had a huge security system in and around our house. The only thing we protested against, were cameras. Even if it was supposed to help us, we said no. No more cameras, ever again. Multiple security guards watched our house day and night, and Harry had taught me how to shoot a gun a couple of months ago.

I was allowed to drive myself everywhere, but there was a tracker on my car, on my phone, and I had even agreed to implanting a chip behind my ear. Just so Harry knew where I was at all time. He didn't check the information constantly, it was just a precaution. He had one as well.

"Any idea when the wedding is?" Ian asked once we exited his room and headed back downstairs together. I shrugged, flicking my hair over one shoulder, "We talked about it a little yesterday, probably somewhere around April or May, when the weather's a bit nicer."

I walked into the foyer to see all of our other friends. Niall and Amelia were congratulating Harry, and I squealed in surprise when Zayn lifted me off of the floor to spin me around, chanting out 'Violet Styles' time and time again.

I got hugged tightly by both Liam and Isobel, who got married a couple of weeks ago at a beautiful estate in the forest, a few outside of London. We made it into another weekend, and it had been just as much fun as when Louis and Eleanor got married. Liam and Isobel just got back from their honeymoon to Hawaii, and they both had a lovely tan going on.

Harry constantly had an arm around me, resting his hand on my lower back or gave my hip a gentle squeeze as we moved around the room together. We got congratulated by a lot of people since we knew so many more people in the gang now. Harry had made it a point after what happened before. It had become important to him to build connections within his own gang to make sure he was on a good foot with everyone.