Prince in the City [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 6

Ignoring the fact that I was ready to scold myself for wearing a royal blue sleeveless dress that reached my thighs, I shrugged off my coat as I scanned the room, trying to catch sight of my friends that had ironically arrived before I had. My eyes landed on them towards one of the middle tables, with Zoe sat in between Willow and Sabine on the booth side of the table and Peyton opposite of them.

Walking over, my heels clicking on the sleek wood paneled floors, I approached them as a smile grew on my face in response to their greetings upon catching sight of me. "It's rude to be late to something you planned, Vera," Zoe grinned teasingly, no offense in her tone as she picked up her glass.

I laughed sheepishly, draping my coat on the back of the seat next to Peyton as I apologized, "Sorry—I was editing papers and lost track of time." Glancing back at the bar, I said to them, "I'm gonna get a drink real quick," before making my way to the other side of the room.

Finding an empty space between the chairs, I leaned my front against the bar, arms folding on top of the cool countertop as I waved over a bartender, asking for, "Gin and tonic, please."

The red haired guy nodded, maneuvering around the bar to make me my drink as I stood there waiting, pulling out my phone to keep myself busy. When the guy brought the drink, I quickly paid him before making my way back to where my friends sat, settling in the seat next to Peyton as I tuned into their conversation.

"I always knew you'd be the first to get married," Sabine was saying, her red lips stretched into a smile as she sat opposite of Willow, though her body was facing the right to where Zoe was sitting. "You and Carlos had it coming for so long."

"Yeah, you've been together for like, what? Six years?" Peyton questioned, an impressed tone in her voice.

"Seven and a half, almost," Zoe corrected with a blissful smile, clearly thinking of her fiancé as she nursed her beverage.

Willow sighed exasperatedly, shoulders hunching slightly as pout settled on her lips that were colored with brown lipstick, just a shade darker than her seemingly flawless skin. "At least one of us is getting married. God knows when Julian is gonna pop the question. If he is," she added with an emphasis, rolling her dark eyes as she took a sip of her drink, which smelled like whiskey.

The rest of us laughed as I rubbed her left shoulder, grinning as she cursed her boyfriend of five years. Willow was a family girl, just like Zoe, and dreamed of having her own perfect family with her boyfriend. Julian was just as excited for that sort of future, and if he could just propose to Willow so they could get started on that, it'd put our friend out of her misery. But we all knew her love for him wasn't going anywhere, and vice versa, so it was just a waiting game, at this point.

"Don't worry," I assured Willow in an encouraging tone. "Julian will eventually propose, and when he does, we'll all be there to serve your insufferable bridal ass just like we'll inevitably have to do with Zoe."

The girls practically howled with amused laughter as Zoe's jaw dropped, scoffing with a grin as she picked up some peanuts from the bowl sitting in the middle of the table and tossed them at me. I easily deflected, unashamedly yelping as I used my hand to swat them away and on to either the floor or tabletop. Zoe shook her head, chuckling as the girls toned down their laughter a little, with Peyton even high fiving me for my teasing comment.

"Need I remind you I can make your life hell for the next few months, darling maid of honor," Zoe spoke sweetly, smirking smugly as she sipped her drink and watched as my smile diminished a bit.