Frames That Used to Greet Me

I was so used to the up-and-down of Mickey and I’s friendship that, when we didn’t talk for the week leading up to the wedding, I was hardly phased. I knew it wasn’t good, but I also knew if Mickey didn’t feel like talking to me then there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

So I saw Cora. I went out with Lou and Liv. I pretended nothing was wrong, because there was nothing else I could do.

Until the wedding rolled around, and suddenly everything was going to shit.

It started the morning when we were getting ready for the wedding. Livia was over in her own flat getting ready, but she was in and out all morning. She either needed help getting her dress on or help with her necklace or really anything she could think of. It was fine, because Lou and I weren’t taking all that long to get ready, but it was unexpected. She was there and then she wasn’t and then she was.

Despite Liv’s random appearances, Lou decided to use our rare alone time to interrogate me about Mickey and Cora and everything in between.

“Michaela is coming, yeah?” he asked while I was getting ready. He had made his way into my room and was trying--unsuccessfully of course--to tie his tie.

“Of course she is.”

“Have you heard from her?”

I sighed. “Not exactly.”

“You’ve been seeing Cor though, yeah?”

I didn’t answer, because we both knew the answer. Yes, I’d been seeing Cora. We’d gotten over the awkwardness of her lying about working for the summer and we were just... getting to know each other, I suppose. We weren’t dating really, but I guess we were working our way towards that. It was a bit complicated.

“You really think Mickey doesn’t know about her?”

I threw my hands up in frustration and turned towards my mate. “I don’t know, Lou!” I burst, my voice louder than necessary. “I have no idea if Mickey knows about Cora, or vice versa. I don’t know if Mickey knows I asked Cora first. Does it matter? I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”

I wish I’d heard the door open. I wish I’d heard Livia’s footsteps walking through our flat and making her way towards my room. But I didn’t, and I didn’t know she was there until her body was standing in the doorway.

“Please tell me I misheard you just now, Harry,” she said. She was wearing her dress and her sky-high heels and I couldn’t help but think how bad it would hurt if she decided to use them as a weapon on me.

I closed my eyes, wishing myself to be anywhere but in that room in that moment.

I heard her shoes clicking against my floor, getting closer to me, so I opened my eyes and instinctively took a step back when she was close enough to cause me physical pain.

“Well Liv, that would depend on what you heard.” I think we both knew she heard exactly right, but I was stalling. I had run out of ideas.

The fire in her eyes blazed further. “Tell me you didn’t invite that fucking Cafe Twat to the wedding first, Harry. Tell me that, and everything will be fine.”

I stayed quiet.

I thought she was going to hit me, in all honesty. The way she raised her hand made my cheek sting before she even slapped me. Lou was faster, though, and had his arm around her waist, pulling her away from me before she could do any damage.

“You son of a bitch! You’re such a bastard, Harry! Do you have any idea how fucking stupid you are or does it just come naturally?” She was stomping her feet and trying her hardest to get out of Lou’s grasp, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Maybe I should have just let her scream at me like it was no big deal, but I was so tired of it, of everything, that I fought back. “Piss off Livia! I haven’t done a bloody thing wrong! I invited Cora to the wedding but she was busy, so then I asked Michaela. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“That’s the fucking point,” she hissed, finally breaking free from Lou and stomping towards me. “You don’t see anything wrong with this entire shitty situation, and that’s the fucking point.” She shoved me when she was close enough, but it wasn’t hard. More just to show her disgust. “God dammit, Harry! She’s not your fucking plaything. Don’t you get that? Michaela is a fucking person, not someone who you can just play around with whenever it’s convenient to you.”

I knew there was nothing else to say, so I stayed quiet. She sighed before turning to face Lou. “We’re leaving soon?” He nodded. “Knock on my door when you’re ready.”

With one final disgusted look in my direction, she left our flat, her heels clicking the whole way.

***

The ride to Mickey’s was tense, which was to be expected. I drove and the passenger seat stayed open for Mickey while Livia and Louis sat in the back. When we got to her building, I sent her a text and told her I’d be right up before I turned to face Liv. “You may feel like going at my throat with a dull butter knife, but I need you to not say anything to her, Liv. Please.”

Her face stayed blank as she looked at me. “I’m not going to say anything, but I can promise it’s not for your sake at all. I don’t really care what happens to you at this point in time Harry, but I don’t want to hurt Michaela. I hardly know her, but I know she’s a sweet girl who doesn’t deserve to get treated like complete shit.”

“As long as we’re in agreement,” I mumbled before climbing out of my car. I made my way through the building, reaching Mickey’s flat in no time. I almost forgot that things between us weren’t perfect either. Compared to Liv, Mickey was a walk in the park.

She opened her door just as I was raising my fist to knock. She smiled. "Thought I heard you."

I grinned. "You look beautiful Mickey, as expected."

She did a twirl, the dress floating out around her legs. Her long legs. I couldn't help but stare.

She cleared her throat and when I looked up she was smirking. I laughed and she rolled her eyes. "You're shameless, Mr. Styles."

She turned on her heel to head back into her flat and I followed. "I can't help it that you look so fit in that dress, Mick. I mean honestly."

She grabbed her small purse off the table in her living room and grabbed her small overnight bag. She made her way back over to me with a smile, thrusting her bag towards me. I took it with one hand and used my other arm to wrap around her waist. "Hi," I said, my voice low and my mouth millimeters from her own.

She smirked. "Mr. Styles, don't we have somewhere to be?"

"Your bed?" I suggested.

She rolled her eyes. I leaned down and caught her lips with mine. Momentarily she was caught off guard, but then she quickly reciprocated. She wrapped her arms around my neck and for a moment we lost ourselves in each other.

But then the moment passed and she was pulling away. "You're very persuasive, but I didn't blow my entire paycheck on this outfit just for you to take it off me."

"Not yet, at least."

She laughed and we headed out to my vehicle.

Liv, for the most part, dropped her bitter act as soon as Mickey got in. Everyone exchanged hellos and the two girls chatted briefly about the wedding and their dresses and everything in between. Livia filled Michaela in on whose wedding we were going to and how it was kind of a big deal, which I’m not sure excited Mick or terrified her.

“So are we meeting Niall there or what?” Livia asked after a while of silence.

I nodded. “He was home, so he flew in and took a cab up this morning, then tomorrow he’ll just drive back with us I suppose.”

“Aw, is poor Niall date-less?” Mickey asked.

“He is,” I answered. “He’ll be fine I’m sure.”

“So you didn’t have to bring a date?” Mickey asked when Liv and Lou were occupied with one another. Her voice was lower as the question was clearly meant for only me.

“No, not really. I mean, we RSVPd for five. I had every intention of bringing you.” I took my eyes off the road for the briefest moment to look at her; she wasn’t looking at me, but she was smiling.

I couldn’t help but smile as well when I brought my gaze back to the road. I heard Livia scoff quietly in the back. I sighed. “Problem, Liv?”

“Not at all,” she responded sweetly.

***

The ceremony was lovely--or at least I assumed it was. In all honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention. I stood when I needed to and then I sat and then everything the priest said went in one ear and out the other. The vows were the worst part, because they were so long and I couldn’t focus.

I was too preoccupied with Mickey.

We were seated towards the back of the church; Mickey was closest to the outer aisle, and then it was me, Niall, Lou, and Liv. Thankfully Liv was leaving me alone. I didn’t feel like dealing with her.

My hands were resting on my thighs, and Mickey was sitting close enough that our knees were touching. She was totally transfixed on the vows being exchanged that she didn’t even notice when I slid my hand over to her leg and rested it right above her knee. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile at me. Apparently she didn’t know what my intentions were.

I kept going.

The way her dress laid on her legs , it showed off her knees and the smallest sliver of skin above them, where my hand was resting now. If I moved it up just enough... my hand slid under the hemline of her dress. She gasped, just enough for me to hear but no one else around us. I smirked, my fingers gripping the inside of her thigh. Not tight, but... enough.

She clamped her manicured fingers down over my wrist and expertly extracted me from her personal space. I widened my eyes and looked at her briefly, trying my best to play off innocence.

She was smirking too. She rolled her eyes before turning back around to watch the rest of the wedding.

When it was over, I promised Lou we’d meet him out at the car before we lost them in the crowd. Then, with my hand grasped in Mickey’s, I pulled her towards the bathroom.

It was a single-person space, which was perfect. With the lights still off, I pulled her inside and shut the door before I fell back against the hardwood and pulled her into me.

She didn’t need the lights on to reciprocate the kiss. She didn’t move at first, but then it was like everything fell away and it was just us again. Her lips moved against mine expertly before I moved further down, attacking her neck, her collarbone, anywhere I could find access.

My fingers were working on the zipper on the back of her dress while she moved her hands over my chest before she finally pulled away. “Dammit Harry,” she whispered fiercely before flicking the light on. “We’re in a church!”

I laughed, pulling her in once again. “So what?” I murmured, my lips ghosting over the exposed skin just above where her dress stopped.

Her back arched into me, obviously enjoying the feeling, but that didn’t stop her from protesting. “So we’re... in a church,” she continued, breathless. She obviously didn’t have a better argument.

I laughed but it got lost against her skin. “The door’s locked, and no one’s looking for us. We have a good fifteen minutes.” I brought my lips to her ear, nipping at her earlobe. “C’mon, love. You know you want to.”

She pushed me away, forcefully this time, before she took a step back. “Not in a church Harry. Jesus.” She walked over to the mirror before she popped open her clutch and started to re-apply lipstick and fix herself.

I walked back over and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, looking at our reflection in the mirror. “Weddings make you horny,” she stated, her words slightly muddled because she wouldn’t move her lips as she fixed her lipstick. When she finished, she popped her lips before putting the container back in her purse.

I smirked at her. “Can’t help it. You look so fit in this dress. It does things to me, Mick!”

She rolled her eyes and extracted herself from my grasp before turning to face me and patting my shoulder. “Come on, then. Everyone’s probably wondering where we went.”