Since We're Alone |NH|

Chapter 68

I heard a low whistle as I walked out of the bathroom.  

"You look stunning, dear," Niall said, his eyes scanning up and down my body.  

The dress I had found at the very last store Tomi had dragged me too, and after snapping Tomi's last nerve apart, was a full length dusty rose colored maxi dress with a spaghetti strapped bodice with a cutout in the back that flowed out in a soft a-line from my waist down. It wasn't showy but nice and simple, just the way I liked it. And it was a color that I knew would compliment whichever suit Niall had chosen which turned out to be his dark forest green suit.

"Yeah?"

He eagerly nodded.  "Maybe too much.  The bride might get jealous."  He smirked a little as he made his way over to me and gave me a rather deep kiss before pulling away and continuing to finish getting ready himself.

"I don't know if I'd go that far. This dress is pretty basic but thank you, nevertheless.  Also, you look pretty damn hot in that suit, my friend.  We might not make it to the wedding.  Or the reception."  

I smirked at him as I walked up behind him and wrapped why arms around his waist.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. Looking very sexy. Going to be tough keeping my hands to myself"

I started to pull away when he turned around and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him. "Didn't I once tell you to always keep your hands on me?"

I looked up at him, as my hands landed on his chest. "Mmhmm, you did say that."

Wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his hands just above my ass, "Well, I meant it. Anytime you want to touch me, touch me. I like having your hands all over me."

"Yeah, well, I can't always be touching you in the ways I want to touch you."

"Then just tell me and we'll find a place where you can." He then closed the distance between us and kissed me so deeply my knees nearly buckled.

"Fuck, Niall, you can't kiss me like that when we need to leave in a few minutes."

"I'm just giving you a preview of the way I will be kissing you later.  And touching you." He smiled, as he slapped my ass before pulling away from me and turning back towards the mirror to finish getting ready.

We both finished getting ready and left with Tomi and Mully.  Neither Tomi nor I had met James or Maria, so we knew this was going to be interesting, but at least we had each other.

The venue was lovely, at a small church that fit maybe a hundred guests.  Niall was chauffeuring me around to meet a few more of his friends when I saw something catch my eye.  It quickly disappeared but as we sat down for the ceremony, I most definitely saw something that rattled me a bit.  But, I wanted to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

I elbowed Tomi, who was next to me.

"Ow, what the fuck, Ophelia?" She said, rubbing her rib cage.

"Sorry, but, um...." I trailed off and tried to shift my eyes in the direction she needed to look. She didn't get the hint.

"What did you do that for?"

"Oh, um..." I continued to try to gesture with my eyes to where she needed to look. 

"Something wrong with your eyes?  Got an eyelash in them or something?"

I sighed, "No."  I leaned in to her and whispered into her ear, "Look over my right shoulder and take a look at who is sitting there.  Does anyone look familiar to you?"

Tomi pretended to scan the room so she wasn't obvious about what she was doing.  "Ophelia, I don't see anyone or anything that seems out of the ordinary."

I turned slightly to look, but what I thought I had seen had disappeared.  I turned back to Tomi.

"Nevermind.  Sorry for elbowing you."

I shifted in my seat and reached for Niall's hand. He looked over at me and smiled. He took his hand from and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, placing a sweet kiss on my shoulder before grabbing my hand with his free hand. I grasped onto him, intertwining my fingers with his and placing our hands in my lap before turning to pay attention to what was happening as the music started.  I looked around as we all stood up.

"Being fucking paranoid, Ophelia," I whispered to myself as the bride began to walk down the aisle.

After the ceremony, we made our way to where the reception was going to be held.  I held onto Niall's hand the entire time, not wanting him out of my sight. This uneasy feeling had seeped into me during the ceremony and would not let me out of its cold grip.

"Wanna dance?"  Niall asked, looking over at me, his eyes absolutely shining.

"I'd love to."

He led me to the little dance floor and we slowly started to sway to the music playing.  He hummed along to the song, as he looked at me.

"You really do look beautiful, Ophelia.  I don't know if I tell you that enough, how beautiful I think you are."

I smiled at him, "Thank you, that's very sweet."

He looked down at me and his eyes were the softest I had ever seen them. There was also something else in them that made my heart both slow down and speed up. 

He smiled at me before twirling me around and bringing me back to his chest. His arm wrapped around my waist tightly, his hand in mine. He rest his head alongside mine and continued humming.  

"Hey, um, Niall?"

"Hmm?"

He pressed his cheek to me and I melted into his arms.  Closing my eyes, I let myself enjoy the sound of his voice before trying to say what I wanted to say.  But before I could he ceased humming and I felt his body stiffen. I pulled away and looked up at him.

"You okay? You look like you're going to be sick," I said.

I saw him swallow hard. 

"Niall?" I asked, again but got no response. 

He remained stock still, looking at something behind me. The look on his face was a mixture of fear and something else. I slowly turned around to see what he was looking at.  And that's when I saw her.  I had seen her at the wedding and now she was here, a mere thirty feet away from me, at most.  And, now, clearly, he had seen her, too.

Maggie.