Into Your Arms

My slim fingers ran across the backs of the chairs as I walked around one of the tables. I finally spotted the plate with name tag at. The letters were printed in curvy script and placed on top of the plate. There were seven other places set around the table. People began filing into the hall where the wedding reception was being held and finding their seats. I quickly sat down in my seat and waited for the rest of my table to arrive. Most of the guests were people from my past; old classmate, some of Lilia’s relatives, and family friends.

Just as I finished greeting one of my old classmates, Lilia and Niall entered the hall. Cheers erupted as they both waved. I smiled and clapped along. My eyes stayed glued to my friend. Her long hair was curled and pulled into an updo and the makeup made her vibrant green eyes pop. The smile on her face was infectious and her strapless gown dragged behind her. Niall was absolutely beaming as they took their seat at the bigger table.

Meals were served quickly and I was soon caught in awkward small talk with a girl from my pre-calc class in secondary school. I picked at my meal, adding my input to the conversation whenever needed. The girl was no different than she was in school; bottle blond, airy personality, and clothing too revealing for the situation. My smile stayed polite as she continued to talk.

I let out a sigh of relief as the music started for the first dance. My eyes followed everyone else’s to Lilia and Niall in the middle of the dance floor. Lilia had her head on Niall’s shoulder, smiling softly at whatever he was whispering to her. His lips pressed to her temple as the song ended. The room cheered as Lilia yelled for a more upbeat song with her hands in the air. The airy girl next to me continued the conversation until a tall man with perfectly quaffed hair placed his hand on the back of her chair and asked her to dance. She sent me an excited look which I returned with a thumbs up.

“Noel you’d better get that tight ass over here and say hello.”

I looked up from my plate to see Lilia standing a few tables away with Niall’s arm around her waist. A smile pulled at my lips as I pushed out of my seat and made my way over to them. Lilia pulled away from Niall and rushed over to me, engulfing me in a hug. She kissed my cheek as we pulled away and smiled brightly. We had been good friends since I was ten, despite her being two years older than me. I hadn’t seen her since she moved to London save for the few trash magazine articles I had seen. To say I was shocked to be getting a wedding invitation from the biggest anti-marriage person I had ever met was an understatement.

I bumped her arm softly, “Never thought I’d see this day. It’s hard to believe you’re the girl that tried to make me sign a pact with you to never get married when I was eleven.”
“Fuck off, yeah?” Lilia laughed, her nose crinkling.
“I’m glad you found someone to change your mind.” I smiled, nodding towards Niall.

He walked over with a warm smile and introduced himself. I did the same as I offered him my hand which he quickly pushed away and wrapped his arms around me. A surprised squeal escaped my lips and I blushed slightly. Lilia rolled her eyes before dragging Niall off to greet some more guests but not before promising to meet up with me again. I nodded and went back to my table. Everyone had moved to the dance floor or were scattered to different tables chatting. My fingers ran through my curled hair as I adjusted my dress and sat in my seat.

A slower song played as couples took over the dance floor. Niall drug Lilia to the center of the room and pulled her close. I smiled softly at them as I twirled my fork around the table. The girl from before was back once again, scanning the room for a dance partner. Her search was soon successful as she began making eyes at a boy across the room.

I followed her line of vision to a tall boy with a mop of curly hair on top of his head. His deep green eyes wandered across the girl’s figure before deep dimples set into his cheeks with a cheeky grin. My eyes studied the way his long, slender fingers tugged though his messy curls as he made his way over to the table. He placed his hand on the back of my chair as he bent don to whisper in the girl’s ear. The scent of his cologne overwhelmed my senses as his shoulder brushed me. I leaned away slightly, careful not to slip off of my chair. The girl continued to giggle as he murmured in her ear.

“Sorry, love.” He grinned, his raspy voice was in my ear.
I jerked away quickly, blushing. “It’s fine.”

He winked at me before grabbing the girl’s hand and leading her to the dance floor. I took a deep breath and sat upright in my seat once again. My eyes stayed on the green eyed boy as his hands gripped the blonde’s waist, slowly moving lower. Dropping my eyes, I went back to twirling my fork on the table. When there was a tap on my shoulder, I looked up to see Lilia standing behind me with her hands on her hips.

“Are you gonna come dance or just sit there twirling your fork all night?”
I shrugged, dropping the fork. “Kind of hard to dance by yourself.”

Her vibrant eyes rolled before she pulled me up and dragged me across the room. She led me to a boy leaning against the wall with a glass of champagne in his hand. Lilia took the glass from his hand and placed me in front of him. My cheeks turned pink as sent me a smile.

“Noel, this is Zayn.” Lilia said pointing to the boy. “Zayn, this is Noel. Neither of you have dance partners. Now you do. Have fun!”

She quickly scurried back to Niall who kissed her cheek sweetly. Zayn coughed nervously, offering me his hand. I slipped mine into his gently as he led me onto the dance floor. He placed his hands on my hips carefully as I placed mine on his shoulders. We swayed slowly to the soft song in an almost awkward silence. After a moment, he spoke.

“I’m not much of a dancer.”
“Neither am I.” I admitted with a small laugh. “You seem to be doing fine.”

He sent me a genuine smile which I returned shyly.

“So you’re friends with Lilia?” He asked.
I nodded, “We’ve been friends for years.”
“Do you live around here?”
“No,” I replied. “Still back in Manchester. Lilia’s been begging me to move out here though.”

Zayn nodded before we fell into a comfortable silence. The song ended and Zayn and I separated. I excused myself to the loo while he went back to his drink. As I pushed open the door to the loo, someone else pulled it causing me to stumble forward. Two hands with slender fingers grasped me upper arms to keep me from falling. I looked up into a pair of deep green eyes. The boy grinned before righting me and releasing my arms.

“Careful there, love.” He chuckled. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

He brushed past me quickly, straightening his tuxedo jacket. My cheeks turned pink before walking into the room to see the blonde fixing her dress. She smirked at me and turned to the mirror to fix her hair. I quickly did my business and got out of there as fast as possible. Zayn waved me over to his table as he saw me. Smiling softly, I made my way there and took the seat next to him. We spent the rest of the night talking about mine and Lilia’s past. As I left, I promised Lilia that I’d see her tomorrow before beginning my walk back to my hotel. I slipped out of my heels and dress as I shut the door to my room. My feet ached and I was exhausted, falling asleep on top of my blankets.