Page 141 of Finding Him
“SMILE!”
I grin widely, just like I did for all the solo pictures Mom took of me, only now Niall is on my right side with his arm around me and smiling with me.
His hair looks great, his roots freshly redone, and he’s wearing a black suit. His tie and the flower tucked into the breast pocket are both the same color blue as my dress, and the color of the corsage he presented me with when he got here.
“Okay, can we go now? Everyone’s waiting outside,” I say, once she lowers the camera.
“Okay, okay,” she says, fiddling with the camera. “You can go. Have fun.”
“I will,” I say, turning to leave with Niall. Then I pause, turning back and hugging her. “I love you.”
I feel her hesitate for a minute, before hugging me back. Her grip is tight when she does, like she’s been waiting for this. “I love you, too, Molly.”
“See you tonight,” I say, turning again and grabbing Niall’s hand and heading out to where Joey is waiting with the van he borrowed from his mother, with everyone piled inside of it.
Everyoneincludes Finn, Chloe, Claire, Stephen Rafferty, JJ, Joey himself, and now Niall and me as we climb into the back. Finn is seated in between Claire and Stephen in the back. Chloe is in the middle row where Niall and I squeeze into (and she gives me a big hug when I get in), and JJ is slumped in the passenger seat. Niall told me he would fill me in on what happened between JJ and Claire before they left the house later.
“Hi, Jayj,” I say, leaning forward and hugging JJ around the back of his seat. He feels tense, his muscles bunched up under my arms. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he says, turning his head to look at me. His normal infectious smile is forced and doesn’t reach his greenish-blue eyes. “Course I am. You look great, Mollsie.”
“Thanks. You do too,” I say, sitting back and leaning into Niall. He takes my hand, giving it a squeeze.
??` ?? ?´?
OVER THE PASTfew months it never once occurred to me that people might be talking about me. You know, like a gossip focal point or something.
Sure, I knew people would be talking about the new american girl, or the fact that I’m a girl on the boys football team. But I’ve never been affected by people’s views of me or by their words—until tonight, that is.
I've never been to the Mallahide hotel before, so my first impression of it is overwhelming. The place is enormous and fancy, dressed up like a winter wonderland. The lobby was massive, with marble floors and golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a staircase that led up to the ballroom, where the dance was being held.
“Come on,” Niall says, tugging my hand gently.
I follow him up the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest. The ballroom is even more impressive than the lobby. There are tables set up around the perimeter, with a dance floor in the center. The ceiling is high and domed, with more chandeliers casting a warm glow over everything.
“Wow,” I breathe.
Niall grins. “Yeah. It’s something, isn’t it?”
I nod, still taking it all in. Since we arrived together, as a group, we all pick a table we can leave our stuff at. I drop my purse with my phone and my compact mirror onto the table we end up choosing, which is near the back.
Finn immediately grabs Claire by the arm and leads her to the dance floor (something tells me he’s running interference tonight), and Stephen trails after them like a lost puppy. Chloe says she's gonna go say hi to these girls she knows, and heads off in that direction.
JJ sits down, and Joey takes a seat next to him, whispering something I can't hear. Niall, looking gorgeous in his all black suit and a tie that matches my blue dress, holds out his hand and asks if I wanna go get drinks.
“Yeah,” I say, taking his hand. “Let’s go.”
We weave through the crowd, heading for the refreshments table. I can feel eyes on me, hear whispers as we pass. I grip Niall’s hand tighter, trying to push it all to the back of my mind as my heart starts to pound.
“It's been over a month, you know,” he says, grabbing two little plastic cups for us to fill with whatever punch they have. His voice is a welcome distraction from the whispers.
“What has?”
“Since I've had a drink. Alcohol, I mean. I've kept my promise.”
I smile, and press a kiss to his cheek. “I'm proud of you.”
“Feels good,” he admits, his eyes meeting mine. “Feels like I'm in control.”
