where it ends || h.s. {COMPLETED}

Chapter 8

Maela's Point of view

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My eyes stare at the box on my bed, my bed sheets draping the side. I let my towel around my hair fall to the ground as I tighten my other towel around my body. I glance at the time and it's an hour til the party starts. Ugh, I can't believe I'm going through this.

As much as I want to rummage through my closet for any clothes to wear, there is a box sitting on my bed with questionable contents. If this is anything like I imagined it to be like, there is a dress in there, or something for me to wear. I just, I'm afraid of what Mr. Styles has in mind for me. Sorry- Harry.

I roll my eyes at my own thoughts and sit on my bed clutching my towel to my chest in case someone miraculously comes into my apartment without any word.

I avert my attention back to the box on my bed and trail my finger down the long lavender ribbon that holds most of it together.

Finally instead of teasing myself I pull the ribbon away from the glowing white box and wiggle the top of the bottom, my eyes staring at the lavender tissue paper.

Did Harry really have to do with all this show? If he had given me this in a plastic bag then yes it would be a little off, but I feel like I'm receiving a gift from the gods, this is just too much invested into me. I feel as if Arendia would know about her husband's whereabouts, but Harry acts as if this was normal. He was even unfazed as he introduced me to her the first time, did she not notice what was going on? Is she that clueless or is Harry that slick?

What am I doing over thinking this.. I shake my head at my own self and look back at the tissue paper. I peel it back slowly and suddenly my body is anxious to see what's beyond the paper.

And when I see that my hunch is right, that there is a dress in here, my body fails to be unimpressed as the beauty of it strikes me.

My hand grasps the one shoulder dress, feeling the silk soft material rubbing against my rough fingers. The dress itself is a eye catching shade of red, one that has my pupils dilating at the perfect color. The more I pull out the more I see of the dress, and I can see the way it would look on me already. As much as jewels and beads would make a dress pop, this dress doesn't have anything on it, not even a stripe of another color going around my waist like usually expected.

Something on the bottom of the dress catches my eyes and my lips part in shock as I look at a pattern of lace. My face grows hot and I see a black strapless bra, exactly my size with matching panties to go with it.

Harry wants me to wear this? God, I haven't even nearly agreed to going to this party, what makes him think he'll get this far? I bite my lip. This is wrong. I shouldn't even go to this party, my head will never wrap around the fact that he is married. This is not normal for me, I'm not used to getting into affairs but with Harry this just doesn't feel this way. All I feel is lust and interest. I do like him of course, but I can't let myself fall for him. I can't, I forbid myself from that.

Mixed emotions is soaring through my body and my temple begins to pulse with annoyance. My mind wanders to lies that I could tell him by not going to this party. I know that if I go tonight I am welcoming this situation more freely then I let on.

I'm about to stand up and reach for my phone to dial his number, but my fingers skim the beauty of the dress, and my mind revels in the use of this dress, along with the undergarments. I pinch my eyes closed and bite my lip.

Just one night..

One more night.

Thinking no further I rush to the bathroom and begin to get my face and hair ready, my body dying to put on that dress.

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My eyes wash over the figure standing in a parallel universe from me, reflecting me imperfectly through the mirror, the person on the other side unrecognizable. Her face is dabbed with makeup to an extent that makes her glow with beauty, and her hair falls into ringlets that dangle at her waist, even tickling the skin at the top of her right thigh that remains uncovered by the hem of the red dress. The hem isn't even, but it creates a curtain the farther left it travels, coming back around and falling in a long tail back to where the hem is cut the shortest. Her long legs are admired in the comfort of the dress and her black open toed heels give another sense of beauty to her feet. Then I look back up, scanning her chest and the way the dress supports her breasts, then leaves it open for desperate men to dream about, her soft skin something even I would want to touch.

Her one naked shoulder is golden compared to the other shoulder that holds everything together.

I am astonished as I see that girl looking straight back at me, someone I'm not worthy to be on the inside as she is only on the outside.

I never had the chance to feel so divine.. so elegant.. so.. not me.

A shaky breath escapes my tender lips from the eos balm and I sigh, biting my lip and heading out the front door. The cab I called for waits for me downstairs and I hurry in swiftly, avoiding any contact with people as if they could somehow manage to ruin my image that I spent more then enough time working on. My fingers feel like they've just attempted to do the hardest thing on earth, which is to make my face beautiful and natural at the same time. Two things that does not go well for me.

I crinkle my nose in annoyance as the cab suddenly slams onto the brakes, traffic suddenly appearing through the glass shield. The old man curses and spits out the window, my teeth gritting at the gesture. I close my eyes lightly and refrain from jumping out now and heading back at home.

I try to occupy myself with something else but instead my eyes are drifting to the time and I curse under my breath. I was already thirty minutes late when I finished getting ready, and now it's an extra fifteen. I could have gotten there faster by walking. Too late now.

After what seems like years the man finally pulls over, dropping me a block away like I had asked him too. Quickly I hand him the money and frown when his eyes linger on my outfit, my intentions to slam the door and walk away became a success.

The more I walk faster to the hall, the more my stomach grows queasy and my hands get clammy.

Do I look alright?

I mean, I did judge myself through the mirror but that's off my judgement. I mean, I don't know how I feel about finding out what he thinks about how I look. I could care less how others think of me, tonight I made the decision to come just for me to see him and his intentions with me. I didn't come for any fame of being the date of thee Harry Styles.

Although I would like to see how Harry reacts to all the questions, on who I am, and why I am in place of Mrs. Styles. I am definitely looking forward to how he will handle this.

My heels clank against the metal floor for construction purposes and I lift the tail of my dress so it doesn't get caught on anything. I hardly pay attention to the lazy man working in the sidewalk, his eyes glancing at me and my eyes glancing away.

When I finally near the hall, I begin to scan the people entering, which is not a lot considering how late I- we were. But something catches my eye. Ironically, something that my eyes are missing.

A mask.

Oh god.

I know the picture isn't the way I described the dress, but I wrote this before seeing her in that one, so just picture her in the dress I described (:

♡kaitlyn