The Only Two Things

September

"Soph, it's almost one, we'd better go, love!" Kel called.

"Coming! Coming!" She put the finishing touches on her lipstick and ran down the hall with her heels in her hand. She had to do a double-take at how incredible they both looked. And how coordinated.

Liam's suit was a beautiful pale blue-grey. He had a clean, crisp, white shirt on, and... he looked hot. Kelly's dress, as expected, suited her to an absolute tee. It also fit like a glove, and Soph noticed Liam's hand resting protectively on Kelly's waist. There were swirls of pale blue amidst the pink and purple pattern of Kelly's dress that Soph hadn't noticed at first. But seeing her dress next to his suit... Soph couldn't help but wonder if she'd picked it on purpose.

"Wow Soph, you look amazing" Liam cooed, almost drooling, as Soph slipped her heels on.

"Oi! Eyes back in your head" Kel slapped his arm.

"I was about to say the same about you guys! You look great! Almost coordinated... Where's Ciaran?"

"Stepped into the loo. He's gonna pass out when he sees you" Liam laughed.

Soph rolled her eyes, shooting him a look. She knew she'd gone pretty all out for it. She knew Ciaran hadn't seen her go all the way with her hair and makeup before. She was almost nervous. But mostly... excited.

It felt like every second he was in the bathroom was an hour. She couldn't help but feel like she had that very first night he'd come to visit her. Her stomach was flipping in knots. She couldn't wait to see him all dressed up. In his suit.

There was something about seeing someone you love in formalwear for the first time that was just... a bit magical. A little bit fairytale .

She heard the bathroom door open, and she stood at the end of the hall, beaming. Ciaran stepped out, and made it about half a step before he saw her, and his legs practically buckled underneath him.

Soph's mouth almost hit the floor at how fucking good he looked.

Holy fucking shit.

That wasn't just a navy suit. That was a fucking gorgeous, tailored, possibly fucking bespoke three-piece suit, making him look like he'd just stepped off a billboard. If Kelly's dress fit her like a glove, Ciaran's suit fit him like a second skin. The colour was perfect. The cut was perfect. The shape was perfect. She felt she was going to have to fight the other girls at this wedding back with a stick.

But her absolute favourite thing about the whole look was the expression on his face from seeing her.

The buckling of his legs hadn't been a feigned attempt at flattering her. He looked genuinely awestruck by her.

"I... just... how'd... I can't ev..." he blew air over his lips, almost in a raspberry. Speechless.

It was almost like he'd gone back to the very first day they'd ever met. He was completely, utterly, and one-hundred-percent dumbfounded.

"Sorry, I just..."

She beamed at him as he walked toward her, and he grabbed her by the waist, pressing his lips to hers with such ferocity that she wondered whether he was about to toss her over his shoulder and skip the wedding altogether. She giggled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. His hands gripped the back of her dress as if he was having to physically restrain himself from unzipping it. She felt his fingers fiddling with the zip as if he was genuinely thinking about it and she cracked up laughing.

" Don't you dare!" Kelly slapped his hand away.

Ciaran groaned, pulling away from Soph, and she was suddenly very glad she'd invested in the good-quality lip stain. He didn't have a single mark on him.