Getting out of the truck, Niall immediately offered Ara a hand getting out of the backseat, though he couldn't quite bring himself to look at her like he wanted to.
"Thanks," Ara said as she fluffed out the bottom of her dress, trying to straighten out the pale rose pink layers, before snuggling her cardigan closer to her body. "Brr," She slightly shivered with her eyes scrunched closed.
"Move it icicle." Bradley said as he nudged her onward.
Sticking her tongue out at her brother, Ara moved as slowly as possible until an extra chill February breeze blew across. With that she picked up her pace until she was mid jog to the church doors. She ignored the laughing she heard behind her from both her brother and Niall.
~~~
"Is that?" Ara's Mum asked, taken aback at seeing her only son next to a boy she'd been made to watch numerous videos of and sing many songs for that matter.
Ara looked over at Niall to find that he and Bradley were by Mrs. Hanas who was fussing over Niall and his windblown cheeks. "Um yes, that's Niall. Um Niall the one from One Direction..." Ara trailed off awkwardly.
"I thought your dad was kidding yesterday," Ara's Mum said incredulous. "Well his humor is so dry when it comes to you and boys anyway. But wait, I thought you were dating that-"
On cue, Ara blushed furiously. "He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend."
"Of course," Ara's mum patted her arm. "Now I want to see if his accent is as cute as it is on the radio." She grabbed her arm. "Your Dad's over there with the other males talking about boring stuff. Medication, I think. It's sad the things we talk about at our age..."
Ara just laughed as she let her Mum lead her to Niall and Mrs. Hanas who was now taking to showing off Niall and talking about Melina and Louis, bragging more of the latter.
~~~
At the chiming of the hour, everyone took their seats. Bradley had escaped, sitting by his friend instead of with the family. Mrs. Hanas sat in front of them after she told Niall to have a good time and that he was a great kid. Not even her children ever cared to come to church with her, preferring their father's method of piety. Thus Niall took Bradley's seat beside Ara.
Because she'd stayed up last night a bit restless both in anxiety and excitement at cooking for Niall, Ara had to hide a yawn as the sermon started.
"No sleeping," Niall lightly elbowed her, not even turning to look at her but being the perfect congregation member and looking forward at the priest.
"I kn-hic!" Ara whispered only to hiccup in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes widened as she felt eyes turn to her.
Niall sniggered beside her.
"Ni- hic!" Ara horrifyingly covered her mouth with both her hands as if by blocking her air path, it would stop the hiccups! Come on she was at church, now of all times to- hic.
Niall's shoulders began to shake as unknown to Ara, she had actually whispered her sentence out loud, causing him to have to contain his laugh the best he could, but Ara wasn't helping matters at all.
Ara wanted to take a page out of Melina's book and just say FML but she was in church and her parents were right beside her. Instead, she slunk down lower in her seat.
Niall bit his lip trying not to smile too much as he too slunk down in his seat to be on level with Ara.
Risking a look, Ara glanced over at Niall, blushing when she saw that he was working hard on controlling his laughter. Jabbing him, she tried to say his name only to hiccup once more causing her own Dad to hush her.
"Honey, go get a drink of water," Her Mum said looking over.
Ara nodded as she got up to leave, Niall coming with her as he had to get out first for her, a smile on his lips as he lightly touched her hand to help her up.
"I'm watching you two," Mr. Astor said as he leant over his wife to peer at Niall.
Instead of saying anything, Ara's face showed a tight smile with a look that screamed Dad, stop embarrassing me! While Niall just nodded, from his previous encounter with Ara's dad, he expected nothing less.
"Your dad's warming up to me." He laughed, whispering close to her. "Who knows maybe next time he'll even let me Kiss You." Niall teased, singing softly the last part, the name of their latest single and the same one from yesterday that'd made her blush so much.
Literally stumbling, Ara fell face down on the side pew of her church. Okay, the ground needed to open up and swallow her whole and Niall had to stop teasing her especially when she was in heels as high as she was wearing! She most certainly knew how to walk in them, but not when people teased her like that! Her clumsiness had a wide ranging depth and knew various ways to embarrass her.
Wincing slightly, Niall guiltily fell down with her, taking some of the edge off her fall. "Okay maybe I should've waited for after we got out." He whispered, on the floor with her.
Not saying anything, she just looked over at him and blew out a breath of air, a look of contempt on her face.
Niall smiled widely, trying to charm his way out of her being mad at him.
"Really, you couldn't have waited." Ara tried to say angrily as her face reddened, after she could hear her Mum say it was just Ara, not to worry.
"Nope," Niall shrugged, a smile still on his lips before he got up first to help her up and grabbing the heel that had fallen off during her epic fall, letting her use him to walk, or hobble off with only one heel.
~~~
As soon as both made it out the doors, Ara leant against the pillar near the doors to fix her shoe. Meanwhile Niall leant down to help her put on her other shoe.
"Don't my feet are ugly!" Ara blurted as Niall was about to lightly grasp her foot and help her put her other classic black peep toe heeled shoe on.
"So are mine, I'm not going to judge- whoa! Man you weren't kidding." Niall joked. Seeing Ara turn a fabulous shade of red though, Niall tapped her knee. "I was kidding Ara Astor. Relax, they're not that bad. You should see Liam's. Now his are really bad. Yours could be Cinderella's in comparison to his." He smiled gorgeously at her. "Anyway it's not like as if I'm not going to like you just because you don't have beautiful feet." He said as he slipped the shoe on.
At his words tough, Ara froze. Niall just said like... and no! Ara do not go further into that! You have Nate and Niall's just about the friendliest and sweetest guy you've met. Ara prepped herself as she blamed her fluttering butterflies and Summer's constant teasing.
~~~
Closing her eyes and holding onto her hair, Ara leant down to take a sip, only for some of her hair to escape. As she was about to fix her hair, soft hands intimately brushed her hair to the side and held it gently away from the flow of the water fountain.
Ara didn't dare look up as she froze. She wasn't sure what to say and Niall wasn't saying anything just holding her hair for her, which shouldn't have felt like such an intimate gesture but it was. There was a certain unspoken trust in the act. She didn't even notice that her hiccups had stopped at this point, in her shock.
To gather more time she just began to drink more water till she knew what to say.
~~~
In the end neither said anything. A small silence between them that wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but was palpable. However as they got back in, Niall accidentally used too much force to open the heavy church doors.
At once all eyes were on them. Both got rather deer in the headlights expressions.
"Oh praise the lord?" Niall asked with a grin.
Meanwhile Ara tried to hide only to run into the fake plotted plant beside her; having to hug it to her so that it wouldn't fall over, then almost tipping over herself as for a fake plant, it was a lot heavier than she expected so that Niall had to hug the other side. And just like that, the two stood there hugging this giant fake plotted plant while the congregation stared.
"Can I just die now?" Ara whispered as she hid her face only causing Niall to shake in silent laughter.
~~~
"Well," Bradley said with a laugh. "That was fun. You two should be a comedy duo." He said as he jerked his head towards Niall and Mrs. Hanas apparently with her crocheting group. "Now I'm starved since this little imp decided I wasn't good enough to make extra French toast for," He looked over at Ara who returned with a look of her own.
"Hello Miranda," Ara's Mum said as Mrs, Hanas and Niall made their way to them.
"My daughter and her boyfriend are ten minutes from here. We're all going to have lunch at O'Johnston. We wanted to ask if you all wanted to join?"
"Melina?" Mr. Astor said in confirmation causing Ara to look over at him in disbelief. Of course it was Melina, the Hanas only had one daughter!
"Yes, Melina and Louis are here to pick up Niall before they head to the airport earlier in the evening."
"Well," Mrs. Astor said as though she wasn't quite sure to say yes or no, not having any time to discuss it with her husband.
Niall just stood there smiling at them before looking over at Ara. As he gestured to the right side of his jacket, Ara could only stare in confusion. "What?" She mouthed as Niall made a gesture as if to wipe it off.
"I'm starved. I'm in if they're all not." Bradley immediately volunteered himself, breaking the silence.
"We would love to Miranda. Is Elias joining us?" Mr. Astor said at last, following his son's lead.
"Yes,the kids are dropping by and getting him. This will be so much fun." Miranda Hanas clapped in delight. "We haven'tall had a luncheon in years, since Ara's graduation!"
~~~
Just as Ara was about to pass Niall, his hand shot out to wipe the dust and dirt off her cardigan, that must have been from the pot plant they'd had to hilairously and rather awkwardly hold. In order to not let it fall and crash to ground, making even more of a ruckus than they already were.
Ara's jaw dropped as her mouth slightly formed the letter O. That was what Niall had been trying to tell her. On cue, a small blush spread, much less intense than the ones she'd been having previously.
"Oh Ara," Niall said as he shook his head as he offered her his arm to help up Bradley's truck.
~~~
Next up is lunch!
Hope you guys enjoyed it!