Echo Of Us • Zarry

DS 2

They have to let go off of each other, which is really the only downside to not dancing anymore. Slow dancing feels like a chore unless you're snogging or glued to one another like two planks of wood.

Empty and cold, no longer touching, they retreat back to home base, or their infernally bad table. They're nearly there when a young brunette woman stops them, grinning at them brightly.

"There you are!" she says, huffing out a breath like she'd been running. "Sorry, I'm Kenna, the photographer. I'm over at the photo wall taking officials photos and whatnot, and when I heard all five of you lads are here, I had to track you all down. I've got everyone but you two. Follow me?"

Oh no. Harry forced a smile on his face. "Sure. It's nice to meet you, Kenna."

She just gives him a quick smile and starts walking at a very rapid pace to a side door. Harry and Zayn exchange a mildly terrified look. The five of them haven't been in the same room in years. This can go only one way.

Soon enough, they reach a medium-sized room that is probably used for banquets, now styled with a cute backdrop where guests can get their picture taken. In one corner of the room, there is also a photo booth that instantly prints pictures. Harry doesn't hate it. He does hate that everyone is truly there already. Niall, Liam and Louis are all standing in front of the backdrop, laughing at something. How awkward would it be if Harry faked acute diarrhoea and ran away from the wedding?

"There you are!" Niall exclaims when he sees Harry and Zayn enter the room. "Not fighting yet you two?"

"No, Ni, we're two very civilized people," Zayn says.

Niall scoffs. "As if I didn't know you cunts. C'mon, let's take the photo so I can get back to my lovely, lovely wife. I hope these turn out better than the ones with my in-laws. My hair was a bloody mess."

"It's been a while," Liam says, grinning. "I've missed you both! And I'm so sorry about all that happened between you two, you know with the cancelled wedding and stuff. I didn't think it would be quite good to reach out right away."

Harry stares at Liam in disbelief. "Thanks," he says monotonically. "We're past that, actually. I do hope you've not had any cancelled weddings since the last time we'd seen each other."

Zayn chuckles next to him, Liam goes red as a beet. Niall frowns at all of them.

"Alright, lads, let's pose, please," Kenna calls out at them, already standing in front of the photo wall with her camera. "It's gonna be very quick, stand in a line, however you want. Just look happy, big smiles."

Niall stands in the middle and Harry and Zayn fall into place on the other side of him. Harry wraps an arm around Niall's shoulders and puts on a wonderfully fake smile. He doesn't want to look like a sour pickle on Niall's wedding photos. He's not that horrible of a person, even if he can be quite passive-aggressive.

Kenna snaps a few shots, changing cameras half-way through and then she finally calls the last one and they're free.

"Enough modellin' for me," Niall whistles. "We should all go get pissed, yeah? It's my wedding, you ought to be drinking."

"We definitely will," Harry says. "Look at you, all grown up and married. I'm so happy for you, Ni."

"Thank youuu," Niall grins. "Goodbye then lads. Until another wedding, I suppose. I'll take a shot with each of ya tonight."

"Hold on, it's been ages since we last had a chat, all of us," Liam intercepts. "We're still technically on hiatus. Isn't it high time we did something together as a band again?"