"Hello?" Pt. 1

Daniel 2

UNEDITED!

This is for Sakura_Kaichou24 Hope you don't mind the name and the sisters I gave you! Let me know if you hate/disagree with them and I'll change them.

Wedding tomorrow! Please read the A/N at the end too! VERY IMPORTANT!

Sarah, xx

~*~*~

Trailing kisses along my jawline, Sophie runs her hand across my chest, her fingers tickling against my skin. Leaning my head backwards against the pillow, I hear- and feel- Sophie giggle. The noise is melodic and I can't help but smile at her reaction. Since Tuesday night, all Sophie's done is giggle and smile and glow. Damn, she looks breathtaking when she's like this. 

"What are you doing today?" Sophie asks as she moves her legs so that one is either side of my body, and she's straddling me. Sitting up with her back straight, her hands press down against my stomach, Sophie's weary eyes look down on me. I shrug, moving my arms so that they're bent under my head. If I didn't do something to restrain myself, I might just go in for round three. Sophie, unaware of my thoughts, shakes her head. "Well, the bridesmaids are all going for a spa day- you know, nails, waxes, facials... girly stuff that I have no patience for. Now," she sighs. "I highly doubt you'd want to come to that, so I'm leaving you here. Alone. By yourself. In my house."

"You don't want me here, along, by myself, in your house?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Moving away from me to sit at the edge of the bed, Sophie slips on her t-shirt and boy shorts, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "It's not that I don't trust you," she attempts to explain. "It's just... my dress is here and I don't want you to see it."

"Ah," I nod, finally understanding. For some reason, the Clément-Delaney girls were being secretive about their dresses. Whenever someone asked about it, they went into shut down mode and refused to give us any details. Last night, over dinner, even Jimmy Delaney, the Bride's father, had tried to get details of Emma's dress but she shot him a glare and turned to talk to someone else. After the way Jimmy was slighted, I didn't even attempt to ask Sophie about her dress. Following Sophie's movements, I get out of bed and pull on a pair of boxer shorts, walking around to her side of the bed and stealing a kiss from her. "I have a cousin that lives here and it's been ages since I saw her, so I'll go hang out with her while you're with the girls."

At the mere mention of my cousin, Sophie frowns. Of all my cousins, Sabah and I are the closest. Despite a huge age difference, and the fact that she grew up thousands of miles from me, our personalities were similar. Painfully shy to the point that she would shut down in front of people that she didn't know, Sabah is an introvert and is more an observer than a participator. I remember attending a family wedding a few years ago and she and I ended up sitting at the same table. No words were passed- just looks- but she and I understood each other perfectly. 

The daughter of my mother's sister, Sabah had been born in Dubai after my aunt, Vanessa, married a wealthy real estate developer from the UAE. The youngest of four girls, Sabah had always been different to Maryam, Noor and Reem bint Zayed Al Khaja. While the other girls were outgoing and more than happy to stand in the shadow of the men, Sabah wanted to follow her passion for photography. Moving to NYC six years ago, she's been making a name for herself in the art world for her amazing photographs. Last year on my birthday, she sent me a print of a photo she took, along with the film, making sure that I was the only one in the world with that particular picture. It's now framed and sits on my desk at home. 

"You've never mentioned cousins before," Sophie comments, following me to the bathroom. Turning to look at her, I motion for her to leave, but she just rolls her eyes and perches herself on the side of the bath tub. "Just pee, Daniel. It's not like I haven't seen-" her eyes trail down to my crotch area. "-it before. Anyway, you have a cousin?"