The past month had consisted of vigorous wedding planning. Kristina refused to wait a year to be wed and refused to get married in the cold, so everything had to be ready by October. Everything was swarming my head as I planned Kristina's wedding: the dress, the cake flavor and style, the place, the menu, the caterer, the band, the infamous 'wedding song' every couple must have, invitation list, save the date cards addressed and sent, the bridal shower and bachelorette party, the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmen's suits, the flower girl, the centerpieces for the tables, the color ribbon that would form a bow around the chairs, and of course, making plans for Kristina's family to fly to London.
The past month had been insanely stressful, and if I didn't have Liam, I would have probably gone into cardiac arrest.
But today, October 7th, was Kristina's day. The day she had waited for her entire life.
I walked around the dining area, making sure the orchids were perfectly placed in the center of the white tables surrounded by glowing candles, making sure nametags were perfectly placed atop the delicately folded napkins, making sure the band was set up and ready for the reception, making sure the food was well on its way to being cooked and placed in the warm buffet trays. I walked into the room where the ceremony would be held in the beautiful, light cathedral. The white isle was perfectly rolled out, white chairs adorning light gray ribbons were set out in rows all facing a beautiful, rectangular altar displaying various flowers and ribbons. Everything was perfect and orderly. Time to check on the girls.
I walked into the large changing room that smelled of hairspray. "How is everyone?" I asked the 4 girls wearing light gray dresses that possessed light yellow sashes.
"Great!" They all said with happy faces. The dresses Kristina had picked out for us were stunning, the loose material stopped just above our knees, and the small, 2 inch sleeves were decorated with a loose ruffle that laid delicately on each shoulder. My large, 5 inch sash was white, and tied into a large bow in the back. The other bridesmaids' light yellow sashes weren't as thick, but just as beautiful. We all wore light yellow, suede heels that complemented the beautiful gray dresses perfectly. Our hair hung over one shoulder in a low and loose pony-tail ending in large curls, and the hair on the top of our heads had been teased to give the style an elegant and fancy appeal.
"I'm going to go check on the bride," I said with a large smile. "They are letting people inside in 5, and the ceremony will begin in 25!" I exclaimed. I couldn't hide my excitement as I left the bridesmaids dressing room and strolled down the hallway to find extremely large, painted white, wooden doors. I took a deep breath before turning the knob and giving the stunning door a push.
Kristina's POV:
My light smoky eye was applied by a professional make-up artist along with my false lashes, flawless foundation, rosy blush, and light pink gloss. I stared into the full length mirror at my glowing skin adorning a blue, silk robe and my new, flawless face; I had to admit, I looked the best I ever had.
My body jolted when I heard the large white doors being pushed open. "Lexi!" I exclaimed before enveloping her into a bone-crushing hug. The gray, flowing material looked amazing on her, and the yellow heels complemented her long legs. She looked stunning. "You are going to look better than me on my wedding day!" I joked as gave her a nudge.
"Oh please," she rolled your eyes. "Lets get your hair done."
I patiently sat in a chair as Lexi worked away at intricately designing my locks. After a whole pack of bobby-pins and half a can of hair spray, she held a mirror to my face so I could see the reflection of my hair from the mirror behind me. "Wow," I let slip from my lips as I stared at the beautiful up do. My hair was elegantly pulled up into a beautiful mass of messy, yet perfect, swirled curls. Thin fish-tail braids loomed throughout the intricate loops of hair, and I marveled at how someone could have accomplished that in a mere 20 minutes.
"Do you like it?" Lexi questioned nervously.
"I love it."
At my comment, a smile instantly erupted on Lexi's face. "Good!" she giggled. "Go get your dress on, 5 minutes until go." I couldn't believe that in five short minutes, my wedding would begin.
I slipped off my robe and stepped into the beautiful, lacy, form-fitting dress. The strapless dress connected in the back with tiny beads as buttons that aligned perfectly with my spine. The cream lace decorated the entire white gown that hugged my figure, and I allowed my feet to slide into the white suede heels.
I spun to face Lexi, and like in a cartoon, her jaw dropped. "You look incredible," she said with a shaky voice, and I swear I saw a tear form in her eye.
"Alright," she said in efforts to not get all emotional on me. She took my shoulders in her hands and looked me dead in the eye. "Something borrowed?" she asked.
I gave a small giggle before replying, "I'm wearing you're earrings."
"Something blue?"
"My garter, and the earrings are sapphires, Liam got them for you right?"
"Right," she assured me smiling at the memory. They had just shown up at our door step containing a note that read: for the love of my life, my sapphire, my Lexi. -xxLi. It was so romantic.
"Something old?" Lexi snapped me out of my thoughts.
"My undergarments." I let out another giggle.
"Something new?"
"The dress!" I said with a huge smile plastered to my face.
Before I knew it, Lexi was wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. "Lets do this," she whispered into my ear before walking out the door expecting me to follow.
I could hear the music playing as I saw my bridesmaids descend the isle with the groomsmen. I didn't notice my father standing next to me before he asked, "Nervous?"
"Oh, daddy you have know idea. But, I'm more excited than nervous."
"You know, Niall called me and asked for my blessing before proposing. I thought you might want to know that," he whispered.
I flung my arms around my dad, thinking that I had the best father in the world. Niall is perfect, he is such a gentlemen, and now I know for a fact, that this is the best decision I have ever made in my life. Somehow, this information made me fall in love with him even more which didn't seem possible. He was the man of my dreams, my prince, my everything.
"Take my arm," my dad said as he held out his arm for me to take, disrupting my thoughts. As I took my father's arm, we heard the music change. That’s our cue.
"Don't let me fall," I whispered to my daddy as I began to move my shaky legs across the floor.
"Never," my dad whispered back.
We slowly made our way around the corner, my eyes never leaving the floor. When I spotted my shoe safely make it onto the isle, now decorated in light pink rose petals, I looked up. Niall's face held the biggest smile. Liam, Harry, Louis, Zayn, and Greg (the best man and Niall's brother) were all standing, staggered behind Niall with similar grins. I saw the red in his cheeks the excitement in his eyes, the love in his soul, and it took everything I had to not sprint down the isle to his warm and loving embrace.
My eyes darted to the standing figures all awing at me as I slowly made my way, to the music, down the beautiful trail of petals. I glanced up at my best friend, a stray tear slid down her cheek as she smiled at me. Behind her, Caitlin, Grae, Lauren (my friend from America), and Hayley (my friend from the coffee shop) all stood staring with elation as my father walked me to Niall.
Finally, I made it to my love. My father took my hand and placed a soft kiss to the back of it before placing it in Niall's hand. I stood, facing Niall, hands in hands savoring this wonderful moment of ecstasy.
"We are gathered here today, to witness the unity of Niall Horan, and Kristina…" the priest's words were drowned out by the sea of Niall's eyes that I became lost in so often. I could stare in them all day, they showed me his loving, playful, and caring personality and I grew love this man even more with every glance in his direction. I knew he was my soul mate, we were inseparable.
Lexi tapping my shoulder brought me back from the maze of Niall's stunning blue eyes. I quickly turned to her and took a small piece of paper she was holding in her hand, and a circular, gold band that had been shaped to fit Niall's left ring finger.
"Kristina," the priest said indicating I would read my vows first.
I carefully unfolded the paper and read the words that had so easily come to me this morning, the words that could only begin to express my feelings for him. "Niall, the night we met, came as a shock to us both. I was scared and vulnerable, and you offered me peace and comfort. I never felt uncomfortable around you. You are the only person I know that can give me total honesty, yet peace at mind. When I saw you get down on one knee, there was not an ounce of doubt, that you are the one I will spend eternity with. You saved me, mended my broken pieces, comfort me, love me, show me sides of myself I didn't know I possessed. I have not only learned that you are incredibly brave, but you have shown me my bravery. Niall, you are my hero, my prince, my forever." I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as I looked up from the paper to see the man of my dreams with tear-stained cheeks and watery eyes.
"Niall," the priest motioned for him to read his tiny fold of paper.
Instead, Niall placed the paper in my palm and curled my fingers into a fist enclosing the note. Niall took a deep breath and spoke, "Kristina, once upon a time, there was a young blond boy who fell in love. He wanted to find a special someone, and he thought he found her, but things went wrong. The boy thought he would never find the one, and he didn't. And that's just it. I didn't find you. We found each other, nothing was planned, nothing was orderly, we weren't looking for a relationship out of our meeting, it just happened. It was fate. Kristina, I am passionately and completely in love with you, and I promise, with all of my being, that I will never leave your side. I will do anything and everything for you. I am 100% positive that marring you is the best thing I will ever do in my lifetime. I want you to know, that through thick and thin, through ups and downs, I will always be your number one fan, supporter, comforter, lover, friend, prince, and hero. I would go to the ends of this earth then back again to find you if I could see you once more to say I love you. No words can express the feelings I have for you. You are such a wonderful, kind, caring, beautiful, passionate, loving, smart, and amazing person, and I know that I am the luckiest person in the world. Look at the note my love."
With tears trying to creep out of the corners of my eyes, I unfolded the tiny note that read 'Every day I wake up thinking of you, my forever. I love you Kristina, and our growing baby. I promise to always be there, and love and cherish you and the baby, and all of the children we have in the future. I love you my dear. -Niall'
I looked up at the amazing father of my child and felt salty droplet of water slide down my cheek.
"Kristina, do you take this man to be your husband, in sickness and health, till death do you part?"
"I do," I said as a huge smile erupted onto my face.
"Niall, do you take this woman to be your wife, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"
"Yeah buddy I do," Niall smirked, revealing his pearly white teeth.
The priest directed us to slide the rings on to each other's fingers. I shakily pushed the band around Niall's finger, and held my other nervous hand out, with my fingers spread, for him to slide the diamond-covered band on.
"By the power invested in my by the city of London, I now pronounce you husband, and wife. Mr. Horan, you may now kiss your bride."
Niall didn't take a second before his lips crashed to mine. Sparks flew around us as we sealed our holy matrimony with a kiss. I couldn't hear the applause and cheers of the crowd until our lips broke contact. 'I love you,' I mouthed.
'I love you more,' Niall mouthed in response.
"For the first time, I present to you Mr. & Mrs. Horan," the priest said, and everyone in the room stood and cheered. Niall laced his fingers between mine, and we walked, together, as husband and wife, back down the isle.
***
Lexi's POV:
At the reception, everyone crowded around the open dance floor with Kristina sitting in a single chair in the center. Niall had taken off his suite coat and tie, and was a little tipsy like everyone else in the room.
Niall came on to the dance floor and began dancing to the Justin Timberlake song "Lovestoned," pitifully moving his feet and shaking his torso side to side. Kristina threw her head back in laughter as Niall continued to dance, making his way slowly but surely toward her.
Once he was inches from the chair Kristina sat in, Niall got onto his knee and grabbed her right ankle. He raised her leg, and placed a kiss to her shin before sliding his hand up her leg and under the magnificent gown. Seconds later, his hand slid back down her leg now gripping the blue, lace garter that had been positioned on her thigh. He guided the stretchy material down her calf and off of her foot.
Twirling the blue garter around his index finger, Niall resumed his dancing causing the crowd to break out into laughter. Niall started moving his body in a circle continuing to twirl the material as he searched for the group of guys. "Ready boys?" Niall asked with a wink. Then, he stretched the material as far as it could go, and slung it across the room at a group of men that stood huddled together.
"I got it!" I heard someone exclaim holding up the blue lace. Everyone cheered, and allowed him to come to the center of the dance floor. I let ought a burst of laughter as I saw Liam now twirling the garter around his finger mimicking Niall's dancing. He shimmied his way to Kristina and planted a kiss on her cheek before helping her to her feet and pushing the chair in the direction of the wall.
"May I have this dance my lady?" Niall asked as he held his hand out to Kristina. Giddily, she took it; Niall held her close, and waited for the music to change to their song of the night. They waltzed around the floor to the slow, graceful music and slowly, others began to join in. I saw Louis take Grae's hand and lead her on to the dance floor and sway her to the beat of the soft music. Next, Zayn and Caitlin emerged dancing on the wide, open floor. Tom playfully took Bo's hand and led her to the dance floor while Harry spun Lauren into his arms and moved her to the tune.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun to find myself face to face with Liam. "Hi," he whispered.
"Hi," I whispered back, not being able to contain the heat spreading in my cheeks. Shyly, I looked down, and caught a glimpse of the blue lace sticking out of his pant-pocket, causing me to giggle.
"Dance with me," he said in more of a command than a question. But gladly, I took his hand and allowed him to lead me onto the dance floor.
Liam slowly swayed me to the rhythm as I peered over his tall shoulder. Something caught my eye, Zayn was no longer dancing with Caitlin, he was dancing with Grae. My eyes flickered to Louis who was now dancing with a girl, slightly taller than Grae. Louis' face was emotionless and blank. Slowly, they spun to the music, and when Louis' back was to me, I saw that the girl was quickly whispering words into his ear. Her dark brown, wavy hair reached just below her shoulders, and her small figure was hugged by black, long-sleeved dress that modeled to her body perfectly. Suddenly, the girl broke from him and moved to tap Andy on the shoulder; he moved from dancing with Hayley to her instantly, leaving Louis to take his place rocking Hayley side to side. Again, the mysterious female was whispering words into Andy's ear making his expression match the one of Louis'. The process was repeated with Tom, and Bo moved to dance with Andy. The girl then moved to Harry, his expression becoming blank as well while his previous dance partner, Lauren, twirled under Tom's arm. I became uncomfortable when I locked eyes with the icy grey ones of the girl whom I had never seen before. She was walking toward us and I tightened my grip on Liam. My grip wasn't strong enough, because suddenly a strong arm was wrapped around my waist and pried me away from him. The person spun me around, and I found myself staring up into Harry's green eyes. I quickly looked over my right shoulder to see Liam dancing with the intimidating female.
"Who…" I began, but stopped myself when I spotted Caitlin, with the same expression Louis, Andy, Tom, Harry, and now Liam possessed. I figured the girl had made her way to Caitlin first. "Who is that girl who you were dancing with?" I questioned Harry.
His deep green eyes peered into mine as he reluctantly began to speak, "Her name is Sydney."
"And who is this Sydney?" I interrogated.
"My boss."
"And Liam, Andy, Tom, Caitlin, and Louis' boss too?"
"Your observant," he declared.
"Well, all of your faces went completely blank when dancing with her. From happy to emotionless. Not hard to infer something is up."
"Yes she is our boss, but that is all I am going to say."
"Harry. Talk to me," I begged. "What did she say?"
"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows.
"I saw her spitting out sentences 15 words per second into your ear," I said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Nothing," he lied.
"If it has to due with Louis and Andy's software for the MI6, I know about that," I informed recalling that piece of information, hoping to get Harry to talk.
"Who told you?" he angrily asked.
"Lou," I replied somewhat scared. "But it's okay, Liam apparently told him that he could tell me because I can be trusted. And I can be trusted, so trust me."
"Fine," he gave in. "If Lou has already spilled that much they can't be mad for this. She is the head of 4 divisions of the MI6, including the part that deals with Louis' software. Her dad died recently on a mission, so, even at 17, she assumed his position. Um… Liam, Caitlin, Tom, and I are well now including you, are the only people on the outside that know about the software, so she keeps us updated," he explained.
"Wait, so what did she tell you?"
"Someone is trying to steal it."
I lightly set my head against his chest so I could process what was happening. Why is it important for them to know someone is going to attempt to steal it? Can't the MI6 just stop them before they try? How did Sydney get into Kristina's wedding? Why was it important for them to find out now instead of tomorrow? Different thoughts flew through my head as I danced slowly with Harry, pondering the information I had just received. "I'm going to go get a drink, do you want one?" I decided.
"No, I think I've had enough," he chuckled; Harry was pretty tipsy.
I strode toward the open bar and asked the bartender for a glass of Champaign before I felt a light pat on my bum. I turned to find Kristina giggling at her actions, and I laughed along with her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Just getting a drink, do you want one?"
"Nah," she said with a head shake.
"You sure, you didn't even have Champaign when everyone gave toasts."
"You didn't either," she proclaimed.
"True, but I have decided that I am going to have one now, because it's legal, and it's your wedding; so, why don’t you join me?"
"I'm okay, really Lexi."
"Okay then," I said as I took the glass from the bartender. I took one sip and immediately regretted my decision. The bubbly alcohol hurt my chest as it slid down my esophagus. I coughed a little as I placed the glass back on the counter. "No thank you. That’s gross."
Kristina giggled at my reaction to the drink. "Glad I didn't have one," she smirked.
"I wish I hadn't, I just though it would ease my mind," I said without thinking.
"What's not at ease?"
Crap, mental face-palm. "Nothing, just, I uh… well… I'm worried about you and Niall flying out to Aruba tonight. It's late, and over the ocean, and well, I'm worried," I smoothly covered. It wasn't a lie. I was worried, it just wasn't the main thing that was flustering my mind.
"Aww… Lex. I promise we will be fine okay," she assured as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into her embrace.
"Okay…" I let out a sigh. "If I drank, then I wouldn't be as stressed, but they have to go and make alcohol taste like pee."
Kristina let out a loud laugh before stating, "I would so taste it if I could." She quickly covered her mouth and stepped away from me as if she had said something she wasn’t supposed to.
"Wait, why can't you drink?" I asked curiously.
"Crap, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone until I got back from the honeymoon," she frantically told herself.
"Kristina, who am I going to tell? You can trust me, what is it?"
"Well… I'm sort of pregnant."
***
My wet ringlets tickled my back as I stepped out of the shower in Liam's huge bathroom. I was ecstatic for Kristina and Niall's marriage and their little one on the way, but part of my mind was still confused about the situation with Sydney. After concluding to ask Liam for details, I wrapped a plush towel around my torso and made my way to the large closet that was connected to the bathroom.
I reached for a light blue Vineyard Vines t-shirt that I had made Liam buy - I love it when guys wear preppy clothes, and this shirt looked amazing on Liam's tan (even in London), summer skin. - Before I could grab a pair of Liam's cloth Calvin Klein's, I felt two strong arms wrap tightly around my torso. My wet hair was brushed off my shoulder, and a soft kiss was placed to the skin on my neck. Suddenly, Liam spun me to face him, and his eyes locked on mine. He took the blue shirt from my hands and slid it over my head, shimming the material down over the towel to my mid-thigh. I carefully put my arms through the holes, and allowed the towel to fall to my ankles. While holding my gaze, Liam reached for a pair of his boxers and placed them in my hands. I had to break his stare in order to pull the material up my legs to let the band sit loosely above my hips, but I continued to feel his warmth, radiating off of his bare chest.
Once again, my eyes were locked on his as if our stares were our only communication devices. Unexpectedly, Liam's lips pressed to mine. Our kiss was full of passion and love. I didn't realize we had left the closet until I was pushed back onto the bed, with Liam moving his body to hover mine as we delved deeper into our kiss. I delicately placed my palm on his chest, causing Liam to back away, understanding my signal.
Without a word, Liam went into the closet, then quickly reemerged with sweatpants adorning his waist instead of the nice pair of slacks. He flipped back the covers, allowing me to crawl under them before he got in himself and flicked the dim lamp off. I cuddled up to his bare chest and allowed him to wrap his arm around my back, also doubling as my pillow.
In the darkness, I took a deep breath and questioned, "So… uh, what was the deal with Sydney?"
"What?" he seem shocked at my knowledge of her.
"Why was she telling you someone was attempting to steal Lou and Andy's software?" I asked softly.
"Lou?" he questioned the person who had informed me of the information.
"No, Haz, when we were dancing. He figured since I already knew about the software, no one would be mad at him for telling me that Sydney was the leader of the MI6."
"Tell me what you already know," he breathed.
"That Sydney is 17; runs 4 divisions of the MI6; that someone is trying to steal the software; that you, Andy, Harry, Caitlin, Louis and Tom were informed because you all, excluding me, are the only ones who know about the software; and she is your boss. But I'm confused about why she had to come to Kristina's wedding to tell you all right then and there. And why is it important for you all to know that? If they know someone is going to try and steal it, can't they just stop it?"
"I can't really tell you much, but I can tell you that it is vital that we found out tonight, everything you said is accurate, and she is a very intimidating person. You don't need to stress about anything though love," he said before pressing his lips to mine for a chaste kiss.
I was stressed. I wanted to know everything about this. Liam seemed so uneasy for everything to be alright. How is she his boss? What does he do for her? Worry flooded my head for Liam, and I needed to have answers. "Liam I need to know how you are involved in this. Please, I… I need to," I whispered.
"Why do you think you need to know the details Lex?" he questioned, somewhat annoyed.
Then it hit me. I had known for a long time, I just hadn't admitted it to myself yet. My heart skipped a beat as I came to my realization. I drew in a large breath of oxygen and whispered up to the man I adored, "I'm in love with you."
"What?" he said taken aback.
"Liam, I am unconditionally, madly, head-over-heels in love with you," I confessed.
I could feel his lips meet mine almost immediately. Our lips moved in such perfect sync and sparks surrounded us as our touch lingered. Disappointment filled my body as Liam broke the majestic kiss. His raspy, tired voice rumbled through his chest as he spoke, "Lexi, I am a secret agent in a division of the MI6."
END OF BOOK 1
Continued with Book 2, Pearl, by AgAu52.