Theirs: a short story [harry styles] ✓

2

15th February 2016 - 10 months and 11 days before the big day. 

Everything in the room glittered, shimmered or glowed. Even the balloons, arranged decoratively in an arch over the doorway sparkled and I wondered if Niall had had any input in the decor for his and Elenore's engagement party. 

Harry and I stood beneath the balloon arch, each with a hand in Nola's and drank in the madness that we would no doubt be exposed to from now until the day of the wedding. From the moment Elenore had called me with the news, I knew full well that this was not going to be a small, simple or traditional wedding. Niall didn't have a clue what he was in for. 

"It's going to be the event of the decade!" She'd assured me on the phone after gushing about how embarrassed she was for thinking he was going to end their relationship. 

"Good lord." Harry muttered and with his free hand gestured to a table in the hall, packed full of framed photos of the happy couple, each separated by a pink, glittering candle. 

"That's me." Nola chimed and I followed her eye line to a frame of her sitting on Niall's knee last Christmas with Elenore's arm draped across his shoulders. 

"Well then, that's definitely the best photo of them all." Harry said proudly, earning a beaming smile from our daughter and a rosy blush from myself. Fingers suddenly curled around my right shoulder and I spun around, pleased to see the familiar, full-lipped face of Lou Teasdale.

"'iya!" She squealed before engulfing me in a bone crushing hug.

"Hi, Lou." I responded politely, admiring her navy velvet tuxe as I pulled away. "You look great!"

"Ta!" She grinned before kissing Harry on the cheek and ruffling Nola's curls affectionately. "Lux is about somewhere with Tom. She'll be excited to see Nola."

I opened my mouth to reply but was interrupted by the weight of Harry's hand against the small of my back. "I'm going to see if I can find Niall." He said. "See you guys in a bit."

I watched him disappear into the swarm of smiling people until he became a blur of cream satin and floral embroidery. Eccentric suits were another of his latest trends.

"How's he enjoying the reduced workload?" Lou smirked, her crimson lips stretching across her face. Nola shuffled closer to my leg and dug her fingers into my tights. I released my grip of her hand and wound my arm around her shoulders instead.

"I'm honestly not sure." I sighed. "Sure, it's a reduced workload but we're so busy. He's so busy. He doesn't really rest and of course I'm not complaining, but I think we've been out of the country more times than we've been in it. Nola's probably got more air miles under her belt than most children her age."

Lou's head tilted backwards as she laughed. "I doubt he knows how to rest. He probably hasn't rested since he was sixteen, before he auditioned for x-factor."

"I know, I know." I grimaced. "I think that maybe when he starts filming Dunkirk, he'll be better. At the moment, I feel like he's lost."

Lou chewed on her lip for moment before opening her mouth to reply. A shrill scream of excitement cut her off, surprising the both of us.

"Marnie, where have you been!?" It was Elenore, of course. She was dressed in a tight fitting, knee length dress; embellished from top to bottom in gold sequins.

"I'll leave you two to it." Lou chuckled before stepping away and merging with everyone else.

"Lelly!" Nola released my leg and clapped her little pink hands together repeatedly at the sight of my best friend. Elenore scooped her up swiftly and blew a raspberry against her flushed cheeks, earning a giggle in response.