You had dreamt of the day since you had first heard about weddings. It was something you would daydream about in class during school, or at home doing your homework, or even when your mind was blank and you just needed something to fill the void. To anyone else, wedding dress shopping wasn’t something that people looked forward too. You’d heard stories from your mother, your grandmother, Anne, and even Gemma, about how stressful it really can be; you’d promised yourself not to be the moaning bride-to-be, and you had made yourself believe that you were going to have the day run smoothly. To you, you couldn’t have been more excited. You got to spend the day with your closest friends, and your family, just being girly and getting excited for the ‘wedding of the year’ as your mother and Anne had liked to put it.
With the days leading up to the day you had scheduled to go dress shopping, you couldn’t help but gush about it to Harry. He knew just how excited you were; there were copious amounts of times where Harry would come home from working at the studio to find his laptop settled on your lap with notebook pages scattered around you, the wedding journal you’d prepared open on the coffee table settled on wedding dress pages, and a pen taken between your teeth. He would stand and admire the sight, falling deeper in love with you as you continued to mumble to yourself, your hands scribbling away on the paper. After moments of staring, and admiring how you were, he’d shuffle into the living room with a shrug to knock his coat from his shoulders, and he sit with you. Not caring about the traditions of ‘not seeing the dress before the wedding’ because he knew that you’d change your mind when it came to seeing the dresses in real-life; it was typical of you.
As the Friday morning had rolled around, you were bouncing off the walls. Almost as if Harry had given you double shots of espresso in your morning coffee, which he’d made along with a fried breakfast to keep you going for the day. You could sit still, and it was tiring Harry out. Your vocal tone was much more energetic, you scampered across the floor as soon as you entered the kitchen with your arms open wide, you engulfed Harry in a hug from behind as he stood over the cooker, and you just couldn’t stop talking about how the day was going to go ahead.
“Someone’s chirpy this morning,” Harry grinned, sitting across from you at the dining room table. The newspaper from the mail delivery that morning was opened onto a double page spread of some celebrity you had no idea about, his head ducked down as he read through the small framed reading glasses settled upon his nose. “Did you sleep okay? I could feel you tossing and turning through the night,” he chuckled, looking up and seeing you figure sitting there opposite him, a smile on your face that was hidden behind the rim of the coffee mug in your hands.
“M’just excited, H! I’ve dreamt of this day since I was a little girl, ya’know? I finally get my chance to experience dress shopping,” you sighed out in content. He sent you a warm smile, before turning his attention back to the newspaper laid out flat on the table, one of his hands wrapped around the bottom of the mug of tea he’d made just moments before sitting down and joining you at the table. “Are you going to be okay without me for the weekend? I can come back early on Sunday. The spa is only roughly an hour away,” you started, before Harry’s head whipped up.
“No. No. You stay the allotted time, okay? You need this. It’s a relaxing weekend, just for you and the ladies to enjoy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” he smiled, reaching his other hand out for yours. His fingers curled around yours as he grabbed hold of your hand, bringing your knuckles to his lips before dropping them down to the table top. “I go on tour for months on end, leaving you in this house alone. I think I can last 2 nights, 3 days, without you, okay?” He asked, to which he received a nod and a giggle. “What is so funny, hm?”
“Nothing is funny,” you grinned, putting your coffee cup down and bringing your joined hands to your lips, pressing your pink lipstick-free lips to the back of his hand. “You booked me this weekend for me, and I can’t thank you enough. This spa is the most expensive and you paid for 6 people to go. That’s crazy,” you whispered, catching eye contact with him as he gave you a sheepish smile.
He wanted the best for you. With the wedding just 3 and a half weeks away, Harry wanted to relieve you of the stress that was building up and up upon your shoulders and the only way he could think of was booking you a weekend away at the spa you’d been longing to visit; whether it be with him to have a couples weekend, or whether it be with your friends, you didn’t mind. When he heard from Gemma that you’d planned a day to go dress shopping, he found it the perfect opportunity to book the spa weekend around the time you were dress shopping. He didn’t want you stressing out, becoming ill and panicking back nothing was ready in time for the wedding, and as much as he had been helping, he felt a break from everything would work well for you; no wedding distractions to tear you away from the weekend, no need for talking about the wedding, nothing.
“I just want you to have a wedding-free and stress-free weekend with the ladies,” he smiled, shivering as you ran a foot up his bare calf. Your touch was enough to send electric through his veins, coursing through his blood and he found it amusing how you would use that to your advantage. “Have you got everything packed, yeah? Pyjamas, toothbrush and my blanket?” He asked, watching as you rolled your eyes and nodded.
“I made sure everything was packed last night, H. Whilst you were sleeping,” you stated, standing from your dining table chair and wandering over to the kitchen sink. Your feet were bare, and your legs were dressed with a pair of Harry’s old boxer shorts that he’d taken to not wearing anymore, your upper half drowning under a white t-shirt he’d given you back in the early stages of your relationship. “Do you need me to get you anything from the shops? I have an hour and a half before Gemma, your mum, my mum and Sophia come pick me up. I can make a quick run to the corner shop, as I know you’ll be too lazy to go if you run out of anything.”
“I don’t need anything. I can drive to the supermarket if I need to,” he retorted, folding his arms across his chest and giving you a stern look. “Besides, who does the weekly shopping on a Monday morning, huh? I think you’ll find I do that,” he teased, standing from his place and bringing his mug of tea over to where you were standing at the sink. He hooked an arm around your waist, pulling you into his side and pressing his lips in a lingering kiss to the side of your head. “If anything and I am being lazy, I’ll just get Louis or Niall, or even Liam to get me something. Liam’ll be so bored without Soph in the house,” Harry chuckled, as you looked up to him with a raised eyebrow.
“You’ll be bored without me, too, idiot,” you giggled, nudging him in the belly with your elbow.
“I’ll always be bored when you aren’t around me, you know that.”
“You can live without me for a weekend, babe. It’s simple. Just, keep yourself occupied. No house parties, don’t leave cans of beer or empty pizza boxes or wrappers around the house, and clean up after yourself,” you told him, turning the tap on to the sink, and filling the bowl up with warm water to wash the cups with. “I trust you to look after the house, okay?”
“You can trust me, baby. I promise to look after the house and keep it clean and tidy. It’ll be spotless when you arrive home, okay?” He grinned, stepping behind you and cuddling you back to his chest. “I love you,” he whispered, his deep voice filtering its way to your ears and sending a shudder through your veins. “I can’t wait for you to be Missus Harry Styles,” he added, grinning against your skin as he pressed kisses to the shell of your ear. “My missus. I get to call you that. My missus,” he repeated, watching as your cheeks tinged pink and you rolled your head back against his shoulder.
“I can’t wait to be Missus Harry Styles, you know that?” You whispered, puckering your lips and pressing them against his jawline, feeling it tense behind the skin. “All this waiting, it’s all worth it. Everyone keeps saying this will be the ‘wedding of the year’,” you smiled, before standing up straighter and putting the washed mugs on the draining board. Water and bubbles still lingering on your skin, dripping off the end of your fingers.
“It will be, baby. It will be. This will be the best wedding to date, you know that. You came to Mum and Robin’s and how great was that? Us Styles know how to plan parties,” Harry smirked, feeling you turn in his arms and wrap your own around his neck. Joining your fingers at the nape of his neck and twirling your fingers within the locks hanging limply. “But, seriously, you’ve done so well planning this wedding, I feel you need a break from everything. We’ve got everything planned out, we just need the dresses and then everything will be ready.”
“And then we have the bachelor and bachelorette parties,” you smirked, watching as the corner of Harry’s lips twitched into a sloped smile. With Ed being his best man, he had hopes for a small get together with the boys and some old friends and family but he knew there was something to be thrown in, to catch Harry off guard and send the night into full speed. “I have a feeling strippers will be hired, you know? Soph keeps hinting towards booking one, and Gemma goes all freak crazy and excited when she mentions them. I know damn well, your sister or Sophia will book a stripper,” you rolled your eyes, and watched as Harry’s eyebrows creased.
“I told Ed I don’t want a stripper at my party, so… I’ll be one unhappy bachelor if there is a booking,” he sighed, confused when you rolled your eyes at him. “I’m serious. I’m 23 years old. I don’t need strippers. I have you and you only to look at. If I need a lap dance, or a strip tease, I can turn to you for that. I don’t need some cheap stripper doing that for me,” he mumbled, dropping his forehead to yours.
“Harry, loosen up, okay? We’ve got 3 weeks for that. I’m sure they won’t book you a stripper if you told them not too, okay? Ed understands. The boys might not, but Ed understands you. I don’t think he’ll go against your word,” you smiled, playing with the hair tucked behind his ears. “If anything, I’m looking forward to what the girls have planned for my party… My mum was telling me all about hers and how my auntie was really rude and brought like, penis shaped things. Penis shaped straws, she made a cake with a penis on it, and they played sexual games,” you giggled, as an eyebrow raised upon Harry’s face.
“Don’t they buy you gifts as well? I wonder if you’ll get any we can use together,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows and laughing as you widened your eyes and slapped at his arm softly. “Just think, free sex toys. Nothing better than that, eh?”
“You are awful, Harry. I’m going to get dressed.”
* *
“Hello, sweetheart. How are you, my lovely? I’ve missed seeing this handsome face,” your mum cooed, cupping Harry’s cheeks in her hands as she stood up on her tiptoes; nearly nowhere near being the same height as your fiancé. When you first took Harry to meet your parents that one Sunday afternoon at the pub, they had made a special connection with him. One that was rare and one that you always enjoyed witnessing, as it meant they liked him. “Have you been looking after my daughter, hm?”
Harry laughed softly, bringing your mum into a tight hug. Her arms wrapping around his waist as she smushed her cheek against his chest. “I have been looking after her, (Y/M/N). Of course I have. I wouldn’t let anything harmful come her way,” he smiled, as Anne came round the corner of the living room, followed by Gemma and Sophia.
“There’s my handsome baby boy,” Anne grinned, smiling as your mother moved from her place on his chest and let Harry have a hug from his mother. “Oh, sweetheart. I’ve missed you loads. How’s the wedding planning going, hm? Have you finished everything now?” She wondered, smiling widely when Harry nodded.
“You have everything booked? The venue? The cake? The reception venue? Jesus, you’re on top of your game, baby brother,” Gemma grinned, patting his back and pressing a kiss to his cheek as she joined Anne and Harry in their warm hug. It was rare for Gemma to visit and see her brother often, due to her crazy work schedule writing for The Debrief and Harry’s crazy studio and tour schedule. Their moments together were sweet because it was like they’d not seen one another for years. “I’m proud of you. I don’t ever remember you coming to me or Mum all the time for help. You’re properly growing up, eh? Next thing you know, you’ll be making babies for me to coo over and steal for the nights,” Gemma teased, pinching at his cheeks.
“Gemma, leave him alone,” Sophia laughed from where she was stood beside your mother, her arms folded across her chest with her bag settled by her feet. “But seriously, I’ve known him ever since (Y/N) brought him to my birthday party, and I’ve seen him mature and grow into this amazing guy who treats (Y/N) like a queen,” she added, smiling to Harry as he grinned widely at her. “But seriously, I agree with Gemma.”
“We haven’t even spoken of babies yet,” he reasoned, blushing as he stepped away from his mum and fell to the sofa, covering his blushing face with his palms. That was a slight lie; babies were something that ended up being pillow talk during the early hours of the morning, when both of you couldn’t sleep, and that was the only thing settled upon your minds. “We’ll have a baby when we’re ready to, trust me. I want nothing more than to have a little baby Styles running around the place,” Harry grinned widely.
“Is that so, dear fiancé of mine?” You giggled, stepping into the living room and dropping your Saint Laurent shoulder bag to the floor, a bag that Harry had brought for you as a Christmas present a few years back. Something to match his own shoulder bag; the bag he took on tour with him. “You’re a bloody liar, Mr Styles.”
“Wait, you have spoken about having a baby?” Your mum asked, her eyes wide as she pulled you into a long awaited hug, her scent wafting to your nose as you wrapped your arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. “My little baby wants a baby herself? Oh my goodness, sweetheart,” she whispered.
“Harry’s spoke about it, yes. We’ve chatted about it, agreed that we both want babies soon, we just want to get married first and get everything settled with married life before we jump into having a family straight away,” you smiled, looking over your mum’s shoulder to Harry, sending him a soft wink and a smile.
“You, Harry, you are such a bad liar,” Gemma laughed, slapping her brothers shoulder softly and sitting beside him. “I knew you wanted a baby. You’re a sucker for newborns, baby brother. When Charlotte brought her little son round, you fawned over him, didn’t you? That’s something your missus hasn’t witnessed,” Gemma grinned, looking over her shoulder to where you were standing beside Sophia, her arm thrown across your shoulder.
“Trust me; I’ve seen plenty of Harry holding newborns. It drives me nuts,” you grinned, listening to Anne as she cooed softly and ran her fingers through Harry’s hair, laughing softly. It was true. You’d been out and about, in restaurants or at the park, and he would fawn over the little newborns that would pass by. Dressed in their baby grows and small beanies, with tiny boots on their feet and shorts on their bodies. Every time a baby came into view, his demeanour changed; he turned softer, and he was cuddlier. Almost as if he was ready to start there and then.
“Nice to know Daddy Harry drives you nuts,” he smirks, and stands up from the sofa. “Anyway, ladies. It’s 10;30. Shouldn’t you be heading off to go dress shopping? Lou will be waiting,” he chuckled, shuffling across the living room and pulling you into his arms.
“I told Lou we’d be there for 11am, Harry. Don’t worry. We have plenty of time. We booked out the store, and we have all day to spend there and pick the perfect dresses before we head off to the spa,” Sophia grinned, rubbing her hands together as she lifted your shoulder bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s get going, shall we? There’s some traffic on the motorway, but I’m sure we won’t get stuck too long in it,” she added, following your mum and Anne out of the house.
“I love you. Have a good time this weekend,” you grinned, cupping Harry’s cheeks in your hands and bringing his face to level with yours. His breath warm and fanning across your face. “Don’t miss me too much. Invite the boys over if you get lonely. I’m sure Niall will pop by with beer, and whine because there’s a footie match on and he can’t get it on his TV,” you giggled, pressing your lips to his in a soft yet full of love kiss.
“Go on, baby. Have a good weekend with the girls. I’ll miss you. Give me a ring later, let me know how today went. Don’t get to crazy, and be calm, okay? I don’t want another bridezilla moment, especially when this weekend is all about you relaxing,” Harry whispered, his forehead bumping against yours as his eyes locked onto yours in a lovingly gaze.
He’d chuckled when you told him you were no doubtedly going to have a bridezilla moment; something you didn’t find funny. He had no idea what would be going through your mind, and where he was so carefree, you were not. You wanted everything to be perfect, and you wanted everything to run smoothly. Unfortunately, as you’d been told, not everything would always go to plan. However, you’d promised not only yourself but Harry as well, that you would take it easy on the build-up weeks to the wedding.
With everything being prepared 3 and a half weeks before the wedding, both you and Harry were feeling relaxed. Almost as if you had nothing to worry about. People that asked you about your wedding, and how your wedding plans were going were shocked that you’d planned the wedding and had everything finished weeks before the day; your parents and even Anne and Robin had taken time up until the day before the wedding to plan everything out, so you felt lucky enough that Harry had decided upon helping you plan.
* *
The gown shop in Central London was one you had passed many a time, on your way to work and on your way out of the city to visit Harry’s home in Cheshire, which happened a lot during the times you had off. The shop was always brightly lit, and looked cheerful inside, full of white gowns that you could only dream of trying on. As you stepped in front of the shop, a Costa coffee lodged into your hand, your heart warmed and you looked up at the sign of the shop.
“This place is gorgeous! Oh my god. How did you know about this place, sweetheart?” Your mum asked, standing beside you with her own Costa coffee cup in her hand. You gasped softly, your eyes catching sight of the one wedding dress that had been in the window since you’d first seen the shop. “Sweetheart?”
“Mum, that’s the one. Me and Harry always drive past here when we’re on our way out of the city, and I’m always driving past on my way to work, and… That dress, right there,” you pointed to the one wedding dress in the front to the far right, “is the one I always see when I go past. Mum, that’s the dress. It’s simple. I want that dress,” you whispered, cupping your hands over your mouth and the stinging in your eyes made you close them up and try to push the tears from the surface.
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you like to try some one, love? I know it looks like the dress you want to marry Harry in, but trying the dresses on gives you a different feel to them,” Anne started, as she stood beside you with Sophia and Gemma behind her. “I felt like I’d seen the right dress to marry Robin in, but then I tried on multiple dresses and ended up choosing the one I wore on the day,” she concluded, rubbing your arm softly and looking towards the dress you were determined upon getting.
“I really want that dress, Anne. I really want that to be the one I wear,” you started, stepping into the warm shop and smiling widely at the middle-aged lady behind the counter.
“Hello, lovely. Welcome to Mia Sposa. It’s a pleasure to be your helper for today,” she smiled, shuffling from around the counter and proceeding towards where you were stood, with Anne, your mum, Gemma and Sophia standing behind you. “I’m Lucy. I’m actually an intern here, but I’ve been told I’m good at the job,” she smiled, shaking your hand before smiling at the girls behind you.
Thoughts were bumbling through your mind at that moment. There were so many dresses. So many choices and so many to try on. How on earth were you going to do this? Overwhelming was an understatement, you thought to yourself as you twirled on your heels and looked around the racks of wedding dresses around you. What dress would Harry see you in? What dress would make your wedding day perfect? What dress would be the one you married the love of your life in? You couldn’t decide.
“Now, I saw you looking at this dress in the far left of the window display,” Lucy smiled, the bell ringing behind your group as Lou scurried inside with Lux tucked under her arm.
“I am so sorry we’re late! We got stuck in that traffic by your place, love,” Lou exclaimed, settling Lux down on the floor as she toddled towards Gemma and let her pick her up, settling her upon her hip as they looked around at the dresses. “Have I missed anything important, or have you just arrived?”
“We just arrived, Lou. Not much has happened,” Sophia smiled, watching as you wandered over to the dress Lucy was standing beside and tickled your fingertips across the decorated bodice and let your hand fall down the flowing skirt. “She’s in love with that dress, honestly. She wants it.”
* *
“I told you that the dress you first want is never the one you end up with,” Anne smiled, as you stepped out of the changing room and sent everyone a warm smile. “It looks gorgeous on you, sweetheart. Honestly. Harry will be so in love with you, you know that?” She grinned, cupping your elbows in her hands and pressing soft motherly kiss to your forehead. “I know my son, and he is so in love with you. I’ve never seen him fall so deeply in love with someone as much as he is with you.”
“She’s right. Harry’s never had the best of luck with the ladies, and ever since you came along, he’s been the happiest we’ve ever seen him; You’ve brought the best side of him out, (Y/N),” Gemma reasoned, pulling you into a side hug as your mum wandered over with a soft smile on her lips. “Your mum was telling us that he’s brought the best out in you as well,” Gemma smiled, letting your mum pull you for a hug as Lucy took the dress *** to the back of the store to place neatly in the dress bag so you could take it away and keep it stored at Gemma’s home in London; the place you’d be getting ready at for the big day.
“I’m right though, aren’t I?” Your mum grins, as Sophia calls out a soft ‘yes!’ from the other end of the shop. Her body sprawled out on the sofa with Lux settled upon her lap as they conversed about the dresses that were surrounding them. “You’ve been the happiest ever since you brought him to meet us, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you. You’ve handled everything so well, no bad moments and everything’s running smoothly with the wedding. You picked a good one, love.”
“I know I did. He’s been a keeper ever since the day I met him. He swept me off my feet, and hasn’t put me down since.”
* *
The dial tone rung out 4 times before the sound of your fiancé’s voice sounded from the speaker. His voice deep and sleep-filled and you could only imagine you’d woken him up from a sleep that was missing you. He was never a fan of sleeping alone, and leaving him for the weekend was killing you just as much as it was killing him; he wanted you there so badly, to kiss and to cuddle and to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. He didn’t know how you did it when he was on tour for months on end, but he had to raise his hat to you. It was a difficult task to do, but you did it with such ease that Harry could never understand how to pull through.
“Hey,” you smiled, falling on the mattress of the hotel bed in the spa hotel you were staying at for the weekend. Your room being your room only, whilst your mother and Anne shared, Gemma and Sophia shared and Lou and Lux had a room to themselves. “Did I wake you? I sorry, H. I just miss your voice and I wanted to tell you all about today,” you grinned, nuzzling your head back into the fluffed pillow that smelt vaguely of lavender.
“You woke me, yeah, but it’s okay. I miss you too. How was today, then? C’mon, spill the details,” he smiled, and you could only picture his lips curved into a smile as he shuffled up in bed and flicked on the bedside lamp. “Did you have a good time at the spa this afternoon?”
“It was amazing. We had a full body massage once we got here, which relaxed all of us. Lux had the best time, bless her. She was so in awe of everything. You should have seen her in the dress shop, in her bridesmaid dress being all cute and dancing around,” you giggled, whilst Harry let out a soft chuckle. “But, the dress… It’s perfect. Harry, it’s gorgeous. Your mum and my mum, and even Gemma, explained you were going to fall so much more in love with me,” you giggled, as Harry cooed softly and let out a soft yawn. “How was your day though? Tell me you haven’t been lying in bed, moping about and being lazy?”
He let out a loud laugh, before coughing and the sound of the sheets rustling were significant to you that he was sitting up in bed. His body free of any material, you could guess.
“It was good. The boys came over, we chatted about some new songs we had come up with, Niall stayed back for a bit and we watched the footie game on TV with a couple of beers and we just chilled out. Took my mind off the fact that I was missing you,” he whispered, a yawn following soon after.
Guilt ruptured through your body as you listened to him yawn.
“Baby, go to sleep. I’ll call you in the morning, okay? I love you lots. Have a good sleep,” you smiled, ignoring his protests of you staying on longer. “Baby, you’re exhausted. Get some sleep, and I’ll give you a ring tomorrow when I wake up. I love you lots, Harry. I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
“See you Sunday,” he mumbled, before letting out another yawn. This time muffled by what only you could presume was his hand. “I love you too. Have a relaxing weekend. I miss you.”
And with that he was gone. Leaving you to fall asleep in a giant bed, to yourself, with no Harry to cuddle up to, and no smell of his cologne to help you fall asleep. Just two more days, and one more night. You can do this, you thought, before reaching over to the bedside table and plugging your phone into charge.
“I love you, Harry,” you whispered yourself, before flicking off the bedside lamp and shuffling into the bed.

Notes