I wake up to shuffling in the bed, and then a sudden gust of words being muttered under his breath. The words came out right beside my ear and I shiver before turning around to see that he is good and awake. When did I fall asleep?
Harley's sleepy green eyes dig holes into my soul, he doesn't look away and I can't make myself even if it would be for the sake of self-preservation. I was willing to drown for him. At that moment even though it was a lunatic way of thinking.
"You are so beautiful." He murmurs still in a sleepy daze. Surely, he was talking out of his head. Or perhaps joking again, even if a grin didn't appear on his lips.
"I don't believe you." I close my eyes for a moment sleep almost whisking me back under when he murmured the last words of the night.
"It's obvious."
~.~.~.~.~
The smell of bacon fills my lungs and stirs me awake right before my alarm goes off. I groan willing my limbs to move so that I could shut off that annoying ringtone of mine. Who's cooking?
I stretch and remember that Harley stayed the night. A smile appears and I try to scrub it away with my hands. Go away. I wish I could demand my actions, but the smile remained as I stood up about to rush into the kitchen to make sure he was still there. I stop at my bedroom door realizing that my hair was a mess, and my teeth needed brushing. Plus, I was still in just a t-shirt and boy shorts.
I run around the room and get changed into a new t-shirt and leggings. trying to stay comfortable until I am put into the dress Liz picked out for me later. I brush my hair and my teeth quickly eager to see him this morning. It was silly but I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.
I took a deep breath and slowed my steps so that I didn't look like a deranged lunatic running into my kitchen. Once I walked through the living room, I spotted him standing in front of the stove, his hair was wet from a recent shower. The sight of him cooking in my apartment should be illegal.
"Someone's finally up," Harley grumbles as I sit down at the kitchen table.
"It is only six in the morning, Harley. We went to sleep at one. I'm surprised you up this early." He put a plate in front of me and it smelled like heaven. Bacon, eggs, and a pancake laid there steaming from being so fresh.
"Thank you. It smells good."
"Me or the food?" He teases and I decide to tease back this time.
"Both." He glances over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow at me. "Just being honest."
"Figured we probably wouldn't have much time to eat before the wedding." He explains.
"Busy day," I add and he nods. The room felt a little awkward, should I address that we slept in the same bed? Is this why it's about?
"I-."
"W-."
We both start at the same time and then chuckle.
"You first." He says glad that he could put the fall on me. I should have just waited a couple of more seconds and saved myself from the embarrassment.
"You didn't bother me if that's what you worried about. Like, I'm not mad at you for sleeping in there." I explain awkwardly twisting my fingers over and over again.
"Still. It was a boundary I should have respected. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I was just so tired." He didn't look at me while he explained himself, guilt clear in his voice. He was being too hard on himself. I needed to say something that would lighten the mood and get us out of this funk.
"Honestly, it was the best sleep I've got in ages." He walks toward me with his plate in hand sitting down beside me.
"Trust me I know. You were so out of it you started talking in your sleep." Oh good god, what did I say? Was it something embarrassing, something about him? Or the fire he ignited in me.
"What did I say?" I asked scared to know what he was about to reply with.
"Something about a lake." He reply seeming confused with what he had heard as much as I was relieved that I didn't put myself. Those feelings would stay buried need in my soul.
Little does he know that the lake I was talking about was in fact about him.
Speaking in metaphors was a habit of mine that I didn't care much to get rid of.
"Hmm. Interesting." I say make sure to make it seem like there wasn't anything more to it.
"After breakfast, you ready to go?" He asked me as he scarfs down two pieces of bacon in two bites.
"Yeah, we have a long day ahead of us."
"Wedding time."
~.~.~.~.~
"You look so stunning." Natalie compliments Liz as we all surround her in the makeshift dressing room, we've taken over to get ready for her big day. The hairdresser and makeup artist just left.
"I second that." Sara pipes in as she fixes a loose strange of hair that fell from her up-do.
"I third it. My brother is going to cry."
"I'm just so nervous, we're planning on announcing the baby after the ceremony." Liz hasn't let everyone know about the baby yet. It was their way of taking control of the situation so that they could enjoy the idea of starting a family to themself for a little while. She is getting close to being able to tell the gender and they have enlisted me and Harley to plan their gender reveal. I think it is just their ploy to get us together and while on the outside looking in it might seem like a promising idea. I can promise you it's not, I'm too broken for anyone to fix, I need to fix myself first.
"There is no reason to worry, everyone is going to be overjoyed." Sara rubs Liz's back soothingly, trying to get her to loosen up before she has to walk down the idle.
Liz's mother walks in and I decide it would be best to excuse ourselves to give the two a little privacy before the ceremony. We take our leave, but I glance back to see her mother giving her a hug from behind. My heart swells with an ache so deep my bones shiver. I missed her.
A lot more than I'm letting on.
All of the groom's men and bride's maids are standing around the men on one side and us on the other. We quickly line up with the person that we will be walking down with.
I glance at Harley and catch him staring at me, a normal person would have looked away but not Harley. He just grins at me and mouths, "You owe me a dance."
I smile a cheeky smile and tilt my head to the side. "Who says?" He narrows his eyes a little, I can tell he's taken aback by my newfound sarcasm.
"You look beautiful." I don't know why it's so easy to read his lips but it's like I already knew what he was going to say. I blush and glance away from him towards Sara.
"You are walking down with Asher, right?" I ask her and she nods at me and peaks at him through her eyelashes, trying to be discreet. It would have worked if he wasn't already looking at her.
"You should give him a shot. He's a sweetheart." I say and Sara blushes, the color complemented her skin tone.
"You think?" I nod to confirm his motives. Even if he did have a crush on me, he had to have realized by now the feelings weren't recuperated. Maybe they would be good for each other.
"I would." Natalie chimes in already batting her beautiful naturally dark and long eyelashes at David Calley my brother's other close friend. The music begins and everyone straightens up and the first set walks out, slowly one by one they all walk down the idle until it leaves me and Harley. I set my arm through his, our elbows joining in an embrace.
We step out in front of the crowd, and I feel the trimers shake my body very slightly. Harley leans down and whispers in my ear so only I can hear him. "You are stunning. Forget them it's just me here."
His grip on me tightens and his warmth becomes my warmth. The world had disappeared, the chairs were empty, and it was just me and him walking. Step in step so in sync, with each other, it was a little scary. Like we were always made this way, always meant to fit together like a puzzle piece.
It was at that moment I realized something so devastatingly important in my life, no man would ever make me feel the way Harley does. No one...
I see my brother at the end biting his lip trying to hold himself together before Liz walks out. I knew he was trying not to cry, but he would. Liz was beautiful and his soul mate. We lock eyes for a minute and smile at each other. I wink at him in encouragement, and he chuckles slightly.
I settle in my spot at me, and Harley breaks apart, I already miss his warmth. Liz comes out holding onto her dad's arm, he is an utter mess. Tears streamed down his face, but his face was set in a hard scowl. He didn't like that he was crying in front of all of these people. Finnic loses it and tears bunch up in his eyes and he tries to blink them away quickly. I scan the crowd at that moment.
Looking for my mom but she wasn't there. She was missing her son getting married, how could she come back from that? Did Finnic ask her not to come? Still, my mother would have shown up, who was she turning into?
Finnic would never forgive her for this, and I don't blame him. I hope that the sorry excuse of a man is worth this.
Too caught up in the despair for my brother I miss what the preacher had said but I zone back in to hear them exchange vows. Either Finnic hasn't noticed that she wasn't here, or he didn't care. I'm glad he's not letting it bother him.
This day was for him and Liz and no one else.
"I've known since the day I met you that you would be an important part of my life. I didn't realize then that you would be the only reason I look forward to waking up in the morning and the only person I will ever want to go to sleep with at night. You are beautiful inside and out. I promise that you will never have to wonder how I feel about you. Because I will always love you." Finnic went first.
Tears slid down his cheek as he read the words, but he forced them to come out determined and sure.
"You have always had a way with words. You could talk anyone into anything. I remember watching you from afar and listening to you talk and I was mesmerized by how everyone in your life didn't know you. I became determined that I would know that boy with the brown hair that fooled the world. So, I did. I got to know him, and it was the best decision of my life. I can't wait to grow old with you and watch our youngins grow up and their kids grow up. Forever and always." I choked up a little and a tear rolled down my face. I'm a romantic I can't help it.
"Finnic Hansel. Do you take Lizzy Smith as your wife?"
"I do."
"Lizzy Smith. Do you take Finnic Hansel as your husband?"
"I do."
"You may kiss the bride."
Finnic pulls her in, and they share a briefly long kiss. The crowd cheers and I applaud. May they live happily ever after. Mr. and Mrs. Hansel.