Harry’s POV
“Harry! Hurry your ass up, mate! We’re gonna be late!” Liam shouts from the front door.
I sigh deeply and look back at myself once more in the mirror. I adjust the black bowtie and tug on my blazer, settling it in place. I grab my dress shoes and race down the stairs to where Liam, Niall and Zayn are waiting for me. They all look sharp and clean-cut in their suits and ties.
“You ready now, Haz?” Niall demands impatiently. I nod insistently and we all trudge out to the car, Liam lagging behind a second to lock the door.
“So, we’re meeting Lou at the church?” I inquire as Liam gets into the car. He nods slowly as he buckles his seatbelt. “And what about the girls?” I ask, facing to the left to look out the window at everything rushing by.
“We’ll be meting up with them at the church right before the ceremony starts,” Zayn replies, looking up briefly from his phone. I can only guess that he’s texting Karisma. He blushes a lot when he’s communicating with her. Much like he is now. In no time it seems, we’re all piling out of the car and dashing into the church.
“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN?!” we hear as soon as we sneak in. We all look at each other guiltily and turn to face the direction of the shouting. Louis’ standing there, arms crosses over his chest, his eyes shooting daggers at us. I gulp loudly, thinking of what to say.
“Sorry, Boo,” I start, but he just holds up his hand and cuts me off.
“Save it, Harry,” he says frustrated. I look back at Liam, waiting for him to come to my rescue. He’s the one who has the way with words. He can pretty much calm any of us down. I’m really no good at it.
“I’m just so glad you guys made it!” Louis cries, pulling me in for a tight hug. Turns out I didn’t need Liam’s help after all…
“Lou… C-Can’t… Breathe!” I finally manage to stutter, trying hard but failing to breathe. I hear the other lads snickering from behind me. Louis lets go and chuckles quietly. He reaches out and ruffles my hair. My perfectly styled hair. The hair I spent forever on to tame it. The look on my face must have told him what I was thinking because Louis let out a cackle and took off running. That boy is SO done. I get ready to chase after, but someone grabs my arm and forcefully tugs me back. I try once more to run, but the geip tightens.
“Do you mind not killing my fiancé on our wedding day?” someone demands rather sternly.
I whip around and see Shaylean smirking at me, looking absolutely stunning in her wedding gown. I grin at her cheekily and shrug my shoulders. “No promises, love,” I say, winking at her. She just rolls her eyes and shoves me playfully. Suddenly she gasps and grabs my hand, dragging me into a small hallway.
“Harry, I’d like you to meet Sarah,” Shay says as she leads me towards a room where I find an extremely nervous looking girl. Honestly, she looks absolutely terrified.
“Hi, Sarah,” I say cheerfully, flashing her a smile. “It’s nice to meet you!” I extend my hand out to her, inviting her to shake it. She looks at Shay, who her head as though giving her approval. Sarah looks back at me and takes a deep breath. Upon exhaling, she reaches out and shakes my hand. Her hand is so soft and warm, and I feel a slight tingle shoot up my spine at her touch. It’s an odd sensation, one I felt since… well, since I was with Lauren. When Sarah pulls her hand away, she looks quite satisfied with herself.
“Well, Harold,” Shay begins, grabbing mine and Sarah’s arms and dragging us into another room. “You and Sarah will be walking down the aisle together. You guys will go first. Then…” She walks to the door and opens it slightly. “LIAM! CARLY!” she screams.
A very bewildered looking Liam and a frightened looking Carly scurry into the room, cowering under Shay’s glares.
“You guys will be walking together down the aisle following Sarry,” Shay instructs.
“Sarry?!” I call out.
“Yeah,” Shay replies. “It’s your guys’ couple name.” Sarah and I look at each other, both of us confused. It’s my turn to look scared, while Sarah smiles and lets out a small laugh. She stops herself quickly and holds her hand to her mouth. I walk up to her and gently pull her hand away.
“Don’t do that, I like it when you smile.”” I tell her. “You’re beautiful, you know that right?” Sarah’s cheeks immediately turn a deep shade of red, and she looks down at the ground. I can see she’s still smiling. I involuntarily start humming What Makes You Beautiful, and she blushes even more, recognizing the tune. I grab her hand and entwine our fingers.
“Well now that the love birds have flown the coop,” Shay interrupts, and I look up at everyone staring at us. I kind of forgot they were here, to be honest. “Liam and Carly, you’ll follow Sarry. Then it’ll be Niall and Sam, then finally Zayn and Karisma. Speaking of those four, WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!”
Just as she starts to yell again, we hear faint laughter outside in the hallway, growing louder as it gets closer. Among the laughter is Louis’ unmistakable voice. Shay looks horrified as the door starts to open.
“He can’t see me yet!” she whisper-yells. I don’t quite follow what she’s getting at. I mean, she looks gorgeous, why would she not want Lou to see her? I was just stood there like an idiot, a confused look on my face, when I heard the door slam shut.
“Harry, you moron!” Liam whispers to me, angrily. “Don’t just stand there! Help me, you lazy ass!”
I hear a faint giggling noise. I look around and see covering her mouth again with her hands. When she notices me looking at her, she blushes again, clearly embarrassed. I smile to myself knowing I still have the ability to intimidate girls and make them swoon with just one glance. I wink at her and she rolls her eyes.
“HARRY!” Liam yells at me this time. Oh right, forgot about him. My bad. I walk over to the door where Liam is now struggling to keep it closed.
“Hey! Let me in!” Louis cries from the hallway.
“Sorry Louis, no can do!” Liam shouts back.
“Why?!” Louis calls back, sounding hurt. I can see Shay’s pained expression and I try to help.
“Because Shay is…OW!” I earn a smack in the face from Liam while Sarah shakes her head anxiously, and Shay makes cutthroat motions. Again, what the heck is the big deal?!
“Because Shay is looking for you. Out back. She looked pretty upset, mate. You best hurry and find her!” I call through the door, feeling incredibly guilty for lying to my best mate. I hear panicked whispers followed by heavy footsteps, which I can only hope is Louis running off to “find” Shay.
“Psst! Guys, let us in! He’s gone!” I hear Zayn whisper. Liam pulls the door open enough to peek out into the hallway. Zayn sticks his head in and pushes the door open all the way.
I return to where Shay and Sarah are standing, Shaylean sighing from relief. “Phew! That was too close!” she says.
“What was that all about?” I ask, confused about the whole situation.
“You honestly don’t know?” Sarah demands. I just shake my head, still clueless.
Shaylean bursts out laughing. “Seriously, Harry? I thought everyone knew it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony!? Lauren would have smacked you one for that!” she says between her fits of laughter. My heart stops at her name. Lauren. Oh how I miss her. I can’t say I’m over, because I never will be. But I do believe that I am moving on. It’s what she would have wanted. Sarah seems to have noticed my change in moods as she walks up to me and entwines our fingers. Shay also notices, and apologizes. “I’m so sorry Harry, I didn’t mean to bring that up. It’s still too soon. I’m so sorry.” It’s been a year, it’s really not too soon. I just haven’t talked about it much, let alone joked about Lauren.
“It’s okay, Shay. You’re right,” I say, forcing a chuckle. I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile and she gives me a hug in return. “Thanks Shay. Now, enough. It’s your day, don’t let me spoil it!” I add with a wink.
I turn to walk towards the couch at the back of the room, forgetting that Sarah was still holding my hand, I try to let go, but she keeps her grip and follows me. I sit in the middle of the couch, and she gracefully takes a seat beside me. She reaches her arm around my shoulders and gives a slight squeeze. I look at her and try to smile.
“I’m so sorry about what happened, Harry. I really am. But you’re doing so well,” she whispers in my ear. “I never knew her, but from what I’ve heard from Shay, I think Lauren would have been so proud of you.” She begins rubbing circles on my back, calming me down. I feel at ease around Sarah. There’s just something about her. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can move on. I turn to look at her, and notice just how close she is to me. I take a few seconds and actually observe her features. She’s nothing like Lauren. She has light brown hair, blue eyes, and rather tanned skin. When she smiles, it’s never full blown like Lauren’s was, but it still seems to light up my world.
Stop it Harry. It’s not fair for you to compare them.
I shake my head and smile at Sarah. She returns it and places a gentle kiss on my cheek.
“Okay guys, it’s time!” Shaylean calls out. I jump up from the couch and reach out my hand for Sarah to take. She gladly accepts it and I pull her up, perhaps a little too harshly. She stumbles forward and I reach out my arms to catch her. I instinctively pull her into my body, hugging her close. I subconsciously lean in and place a lingering kiss on her slightly parted lips.
I pull away quickly when I hear someone wolf whistling. I whip around and glare at Zayn, who I know is the culprit given his cheeky smile and the smack he got from Karisma. Liam just nods and Niall winks at me. I look at Sarah and of course she’s blushing again. I grab her arm and link it with mine as Shaylean begins to shoo us out of the room and down the aisle. When we reach the altar, we split, Sarah standing to the left of the minister and me joining Louis on the right.
“You’re a big fat liar,” Louis leans in and whispers irritably in my ear. I stifle a laugh, not wanting to screw up the ceremony.
“Sorry, mate. Did what I had to do. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony, you know,” I whisper back, watching Liam and Carly come towards us down the aisle. Louis mutters something inaudible and I can’t help but smile and pat his shoulder, earning yet another death glare.
*reception*
“It’s time for their first dance as a married couple, ladies and gentleman! So please, make some room for your bride and groom!” the MC announces. Shay and Louis take the floor, looking at each lustfully, getting lost in each other’s eyes. I look around as other couples begin to join them on the floor. I spy Niall and Sam getting cozy on the dance floor. Zayn and Karisma are dancing completely out of sych. Liam and Carly are carefully waltzing around the other couples. I laugh at my crazy friends.
A tap on the shoulder snaps me to attention. “Would you care to dance?” an unfamiliar looking girls asks, giggling like crazy. Great, a fangirl. I’m about to get up and dance with her just to be polite when I spot Sarah sitting alone at a table in the back.
“Sorry, love. I’ve promised to dance with someone else already,” I say, leaving the girl looking heartbroken. Damn it, Harry, fix this. “Would you like an autograph though?” I ask, hoping that would cheer the poor girl up.
And it does. Her face lights up and she nods hysterically. She hands me a pen and paper, seemingly producing them both out of thin air “Also, give me your twitter and I’ll make sure to follow you and have the rest of the lads do the same!” I tell her, handing her back the pen and paper. She tears a piece off and quickly writes down her twitter name. I smile and accept it, sticking it in my pocket. I look back to where Sarah was sitting, but she’s gone. I curse myself for not paying attention.
Dejected, I stalk off in the direction of the patio doors. I open them and find myself on a beautifully lit up balcony, looking out over the city. I lean on the railing and just stare out at the world, just thinking about everything that’s happened.
I don’t notice that someone has joined me on the balcony. It isn’t until I feel someone place their hand on mine that I realize I’m not alone. I look at the hand on mine, and follow the arm all the way up to look at its possessor. I find myself looking up at Sarah. “What are you doing out here all alone?” she asks.
“Just thinking,” I reply truthfully.
“I see,” Sarah trails off, staring out at the city. I notice now just how stunning she is. The way the lights twinkle off her body, the way her hair shines, and how her face glows. She’s just so, radiant.
“Hey Sarah?” I ask and she turns to face me, standing up properly, and a captivated look on her beautiful face. I place both my hands on her cheeks and lean in to kiss her properly. It feels like fireworks are going off inside my body. Rain begins to poor down on us, and we break apart in shock.
“How cliché,” Sarah whispers. “I’ve always wanted a kiss in the rain though.” She giggles.
I pull her into me and lean in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than the previous one.
“AHEM!” Once again, we break apart in surprise. Louis stands there with his wife and the rest of the gang, arms crossed, tapping his foot. “So, when’s the wedding!?” he asks and we all laugh.
Sarah and I walk over to the gang and they all surround us in a group hug.
After getting back to the flat that night, I felt the happiest I have felt in a long time. I ran straight to my room and I pulled out the tattered notebook I hid in on my bookshelf. I looked at the cover. Lauren’s Journal. KEEP OUT! AND YES, I DO MEAN YOU TOO HARRY AND SHAY! The old book that broke my heart to read. The book Lauren once had to keep journal entries in under doctor’s orders.
I decided to keep up with the entries. I don’t know why. But it does help with the pain actually. I think it’s the only thing that kept me sane.
I reread some of my previous entries, realizing how much of a dork I sound like. Oh well. It’s only me reading them anyways. I open up to a new page and thought long and hard about what to write tonight.
Finally, I settled on something to put down.
Dear Diary…
I think I’ve managed to find love again.
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Well guys, this is the end... Thank you all so much for reading! It means a lot to me! Hope you liked it!
I will be writing another fanfic. It'll be a Louis one this time. I've already started it. Actually, I posted the first chapter a long time ago in a twitlonger. I dunno how many people actually read it lol. But, I'll tweet when it's going to go up on here. So please, follow me on twitter if you don't already! @1DteamCanada1D :)
Again, thanks for reading! Love you all <3
- Lauren xx