'oh, baby, i was there for you, all i ever wanted was the truth.'
(infinity - one direction)
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A.
We got out of the car, Harry wandering over to my side to weave an arm around my waist, kissing the side of my head as Liam came to stand beside us, wearing the same suit as Harry but in a shade of grey.
"Why do you look so miserable, Liam?" I asked, glancing over at his glum expression.
"I look like such a loser right now," he groaned, "I don't even have a date to this thing."
"Aw, you don't need a date, Liam," I assured him, squeezing his arm with a grin.
"Uh, yeah - you're only saying that 'cause you've got Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome beside you," he scoffed, as Harry's lips curled up into a smirk.
"I hear you, Liam," he teased, "I knew you've liked me for years."
"Ugh, shut up," Liam huffed, nudging my side, "tie him up and put tape over his mouth."
"We haven't tried bondage yet," Harry quipped, and I slapped his chest as we edged closer to the outside area where the wedding would be taking place.
"Guys!" the familiar sound of Gemma's voice sounded in front of us, as she headed towards us with a bright smile on her face, her lips painted red in their typical fashion and a knee length floral dress hung on her body.
"Hey, Gem," Harry grinned, shifting his hand from my waist to wrap his arms around his sister, "You alright?"
"I'm good, actually - James is just over there with Nanny Rose," she signalled to an elderly couple talking to who I assumed was Gemma's boyfriend, "you feeling okay about today?"
"Eh, it'll be bearable, I hope," Harry shrugged, as Gemma nodded, turning her attention to me.
"Ana!" she smiled warmly, drawing me into a hug, "how are you?"
"I'm great," I grinned, hugging her back before we released each other, "how are you?"
"Oh, I'm great. I have a feeling today is gonna be beautiful," she chuckled, turning to Liam to greet him as well.
I turned to Harry, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever bloody be," he sighed, winding an arm around my waist, and pressing his lips to mine with a hum, "mm, you look so beautiful today."
I giggled against his lips, "you look so handsome," I said honestly, pulling back to smooth my hands over his crisp white shirt and black suit jacket before adding, "baby, you've tied this like a total idiot," I laughed, signalling to his poorly-knotted tie.
"I don't fucking know how to tie a tie, Ana Grace," he whined, pinching my hip with a chuckle, "Help."
I untied his tie, looping it around properly and tying it correctly, smoothing my hand over it afterwards as Harry watched me with a beautiful grin on his lips.
I brought my hands up to his perfect face, smoothing my thumb over the slight stubble it possessed as he murmured an 'I love you', which I easily returned, only to be interrupted by the clear of a throat.
"Um, I don't know if you two realise, but - Mum's getting married in about ten minutes, so, if you could stop drooling over each other - that'd be great," Gemma teased, as Liam nodded with his arms folded.
"Literally, welcome to my life, Gemma - Harry is so whipped," he chipped in, and I laughed.
"Liam, d'you wanna get punched?" Harry scowled, and Liam nodded.
"Actually, yes - please," he begged, "I haven't had sex in so long that any kind of rough play will do."
"Ew," Gemma wrinkled her nose, as Harry brought his arm around my shoulders again, "you're a total mare, Liam. Right - let's go sit down."
Harry, Liam and I followed Gemma towards the front row of seats, as I took in the beautiful outdoor scenery - the chairs were white, and a white woven arch stood at the end of the aisle. Pink flowers littered the floor and decorated just about everywhere.
"Oh, Harry, darling - is that you, pet?" a woman's voice sounded from in front of where we stood, and Harry winced sending me a look.
"Here we go," he groaned inaudibly, as an old man and woman wandered up to us.
"Harry, it is you! Oh, pet, I haven't seen you for years now!" the woman engulfed Harry in a hug, despite his towering height over her, and he visibly stiffened in her grip. "You must be what - fifteen now?"
"Hi, Nanny Rose," he said awkwardly, almost as if through gritted teeth, "I'm eighteen now, actually."
"Oh, Golly - you are getting old," the woman chuckled, pinching Harry's cheek before turning to me, "and who's this?"
"This is my girlfriend, Ana," Harry snaked his arm back around my waist, "Ana, this is Nanny Rose, and my grandad, Pete," he nodded to the man beside the woman.
"It's nice to meet you guys," I smiled politely, as the two both smiled.
"Ah, it's our pleasure, love," Pete smiled, shaking my hand as Liam stepped forward.
"Hi Nanny and Grandad!" Liam grinned, tugging the two into a hug as they laughed, hugging him back.
"Oh, Liam - always a pleasure," Nanny Rose smiled sweetly, patting his shoulder.
Gemma reappeared with the man we'd spotted earlier, James, now by her side.
"Sit down, everyone, I think it's starting," she grinned, poking Harry's side as he rolled his eyes, all of us now taking a seat.
I sat between Harry and Liam, Harry's hand immediately resting on my knee. I placed my hand over his, pressing a reassuring kiss to his cheek.
"It'll be fine," I promised, silencing his worries as he nodded, and the music began to play, his shoulders immediately tensing. I pressed a soft, reassuring kiss to his shoulder, as he exhaled deeply and lay eyes on Ben standing at the top of the aisle, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
It was almost unreal - the atmosphere we found ourselves in as the music sounded through the outdoor area and everybody shuffled in their sights to lay their eyes on the beautiful bride as she surfaced at the end of the aisle.
Harry's grip tightened a little on my knee, as he muttered something I couldn't distinguish, and Celia finally came into view.
Her straightened hair was sitting beautifully on her shoulders, a couple white flowers placed into it, her face glowing and absolutely gorgeous - a soft blush pink glitter on her eyes and a blush pink on her lips. Her smile was wide and bright, as she took slow steps down the aisle on the arm of Pete, who I'd met only moments ago. Her dress was a pristine white and coated in beautiful lace and sparkle, trailing along the floor - if anyone else had been wearing it I'd have called it tacky, but Celia made it look effortlessly stunning.
Harry took a sharp intake as Celia reached the end of the aisle, Ben taking her hands in his. I noted Gemma wipe the corner of her eye, leaning further into James by her side, while Liam's face held a massive grin.
Harry's expression was almost unreadable, as his hand gently squeezed my knee every so often, and I rested my hand at the nape of his neck, my fingers raking through his curls in attempts to reassure and comfort him - thankfully to some sort of avail, as he glanced at me with a softened gaze.
"I love you," he mouthed in my direction with an unmistakeable glint sparkling in his olive green eyes, while the officiant continued with his speech, a smile tugging on my lips to match Harry's.
"I love you more," I mouthed in return, drawing circles with my thumb at the nape of his neck and resting my head on his shoulder. I continued to watch Celia and Ben, though I couldn't help but glance at Harry - the gaze the couple held surely matching the one Harry and I often held.
"These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today," the officiant signalled for both Ben and Celia to read their vows, and nodded towards Celia; she was first.
Celia cleared her throat, a bright smile on her face, "I-"
"Stop!" a voice sounded from the back of the small outdoor area. My eyes widened, while I spun around in my chair along with just about everybody else in attendance, Harry included.
I glanced back at Celia, a look of pure horror grasping onto her features, looking as if she'd just seen a ghost, "No, Ken - please," she begged within seconds, "please don't do this."
Much to everybody's disbelief, there stood an incredibly drunken Ken - stumbling and slurring every chance he got, dressed in baggy jeans and a worn grey tee, looking as if he hadn't slept in weeks.
"Get the fuck out of here," Harry stood up immediately, tugging his arm from my grip to stand in the aisle, blocking off Ken's view of Celia and Ben. He spoke with gritted teeth, and I quickly stood up to stand beside him, hoping to put a halt to any physical confrontation bubbling up in the air.
"Why, son?" Ken spat, and I watched Harry's jaw clench and eyes narrow as he continued, "I'm just here to tell the fucking truth." No, no, no.
"Ken, I'm begging you," Celia whimpered, "not here."
Harry frowned in confusion, while I clung onto his arm in desperation, laying eyes on everybody in the seats in front of us now - eyes all wide in disbelief as low murmurs sounded between them, clearly as shocked as the rest of us.
"What's wrong, Celia?" Ken sneered, "scared everyone will find out you've been hiding our eldest son in the back row?"
Gasps and hushed sounds now echoed through the crowd, and my jaw dropped, immediately squeezing Harry's hand in my own, not daring to meet his eyes. Celia had found Mason - and he was here, at her wedding.
As if on cue, a man I deemed as Mason stood up - a nervous and uncomfortable look on his face. He was tall, much like Harry but maybe a little shorter - his hair a dark brown and his eyes a green similar to Harry's and Ken's. He was unmistakably Ken and Celia's son - he hadn't lied.
"You're fucking kidding me.." Harry trailed off in nothing but a mutter, before spinning around to face Celia, "you've been keeping this from Gem and I?" he seethed, "and you brought him here.. behind our backs..?" his temper was evidently building and I brought my hand to his shoulder, as he turned back to face Ken.
"H-Harry, I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago-" Celia began, before cutting herself off with what sounded like a sob arising in her throat.
Harry's eyes were burning with fury, his hands shaking by his sides as the anger continued to build in his throat - his jaw clenched and I could've sworn the vein in his neck was about to pop out. His eyes were searching between his mom and his dad, and he opened his mouth to speak, "How-" but then he stopped.
Harry turned to look at me, his lip shaking in what I now couldn't distinguish as anger or sadness as his eyes met mine, instantly ripping through me.
"This is what you were keeping from me.." he trailed off, his voice barely a whisper as his eyes searched mine and he suddenly disregarded the other fifty or so people in the room. His olive green irises held a desperate gaze, silently begging me to tell him he was wrong. This was exactly what I'd hoped wouldn't happen - and now it was happening.
"Harry-" I began, but he quickly bolted around me, storming out of the enclosed area in a quick pace, his legs carrying him away from me in long strides as I desperately called his name, "Harry!.. Harry!" I ran after him, Celia and Gemma calling something after me that I didn't bother to take note of.
Harry's legs were far longer than my own, enabling him to easily create a large amount of distance between us as we reached a field far away from the ceremony, now. I knew everything was ruined at this point, the wedding and all, and I should've stayed to try and piece it all back together - but Harry was my primary concern now, and he wouldn't even look at me.
"Harry!" I called once again, finally catching up to him and wrapping my hand around his wrist, "please just listen to me."
He stopped, turning around to face me at last, and I swear I could've crumbled at his feet. His gaze was hard - his eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed as he ran a hand exasperatedly through his hair, steam practically pouring out of his ears. But his lips trembled and his hands shook - revealing only to me the hurt and upset he was trying to hide.
"There's nothing you could ever say to me to make this better, Ana," he said coldly, and I almost winced at the absence of any kind of nickname or term of endearment, "you lied to me." He fished a cigarette from his pocket and lit it without missing a beat, bringing it to his lips in undeniable exasperation.
"I didn't want to, I-" I tried to explain, but I couldn't. I couldn't throw Celia under the bus to her son, I wasn't that cruel.
"You what?" he chided, clearly not expecting an answer, and I bit my lip, desperately wishing I could make him understand some other way, "I gave you a chance. I left you alone, and I didn't push you. I gave you space last night, because I love you. Is there something about that you don't understand? What are we to you?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but words didn't form, and all he did was scoff - a look of unadulterated pain taking over his features.
"We are supposed to be one. We don't lie, Ana, and we trust each other. We don't keep the other in the dark, and we don't hide the truth just because it hurts, because that's who we are," he spat, his eyes glassy, "you kept the fact I have a brother from me," he shifted his eyes to the ground, as if he couldn't believe those words had come from his mouth, "at least I thought there was a 'we'. But I suppose it's just me in this." He took continuous drags of his cigarette, reaching the end of it far sooner than he usually would.
"No, Harry - that's not how it is at all, you know that," I pleaded with a whimper, desperately reaching for his hand again, only for it to be snatched from my grip - my face surely imitating a child who had lost their favourite stuffed animal. "it's not just you.. I-I- I know it's us, and I'm sorry I lied to you, but-"
"Sorry doesn't cut it," he snapped, the smoke he exhaled from his cigarette filling the air between us and slicing through the tension it held. "You lied to me about the one thing in my life you shouldn't have," he shook his head, gaze bitter, "and I don't know how I can move on from that."
And with that he dropped the flaming tube to the ground and crushed it under the weight of his boot, not daring to look at me once more as he spun on his heel and began to walk - drawing the enemy line between the two of us and leaving me alone with my desperate pleas and regrets.
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:'(
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