Vigilant | N.H.

Thirty.

April 10th, 2016

NIALL'S POV
"Happy Easter!" her enthusiastic attitude wakes me up as she repetitively jumps on my bed, shaking me till I wake up. "Happy Easter," I groan out as I palm my face. "What time is it?" I finally gain the motivation to sit up and form a sentence. "7:05," her tone drags on. "Time to get up, church is in 55 minutes!" she giggles as she begins to tug on my arm. "Thanks for giving me plenty of time," I sarcastically call out as I swing myself off of the side of the bed and onto the warm carpeted floor. "Anytime," her voice fades out as she skips over to her room to get ready.

I quickly shower and brush my teeth before slipping into my outfit for the day. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a grey suit and a blue tie, especially not on Easter. I hear a knock on my door as I slip into my shoes. "Come in," I say, knowing it's not Blair. "Almost ready?" her Mom asks as I stand up and adjust my tie and collar. I nod my head and spray a spritz of cologne as I step out of the room and step into Blair's room.

"Hurry up!" I jokingly shout as she struggles to get her necklace on. "Here," I say as I brush her hair over to the side, exposing her bare back and shoulders. I open the clasp and slip it through the hole of the eyelet before I let it fall to rest on her neck. "There," I press a kiss on her shoulder, causing goosebumps to spread over her body like wildfire. She talks a gulp in and turns to face me. "Thank you," she brushes her arm and stares for a moment.

"We're matching," I point out as she does a twirl. Her flowy dress ruffles in the air only to deflate and rest upon her figure. "You look gorgeous, as always," I say as I toss her white overcoat over her shoulders. "Thank you handsome," her head turns over her shoulders to flash a bright smile at me. We head out into the living room and stand together as Julie gathers her things. "You guys make a lovely couple," she gushes over us as she cups her hands together. "And you match! Do you mind if I take a picture of you two?" she asks, knowing she's going to force us to take one anyway.

"Of course," I smile as Blair hands her phone to her. I stand to her right and let my hand rest on her hip, connecting us together. "I hope the car isn't a mess," she quietly whispers into my ear which causes us both to laugh. "Got it," she hands the phone back as we look at the picture. Our smiles are bigger and more genuine than ever—it's perfect.

"Knew that would work on you," she quietly says. I nod and suddenly stop in my tracks. "What if it is a mess?" I say, referring to the events that occurred at the car wash. She enjoys a moment of amusement as I panic before shaking her head. "It's not. I'm already one step ahead of you, Horan," she says as she sassily makes her way outside.

"You look beautiful, Mom," she hugs her as they walk side by side down the driveway. Their short-lived conversation dies out by the time we reach the car. I open both of their car doors, receiving 'thank you's' from both. The drive is only a short 2 minutes, so I don't expect there to be a lot of conversation.

The tires screech on the dry pavement as we step out and make our way inside of the cathedral. We pick a pew to sit at in the back, mainly because we like to be there and also because there were no open ones. The oregon sounds as the Priest begins the progression to the altar.

Even though it's physically impossible for me to remain focused around Blair, I somehow manage to do a decent job at focusing during the service. Call it a miracle, but I'm actually not doing too bad.

"In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen," I bless myself as the service ends. Julie makes her rounds and catches up with some people while Blair and I wait outside. "I can't wait to eat," she says as she rubs her stomach. "I love Easter dinner." I listen to my empty stomach grumble as the thought of hot, delicious food enters my mind. "Me too. What time do you usually eat?" I ask. "Usually around 5..." she trails off. "I can never wait that long so I usually go out somewhere while my Mom cooks," she says as she pulls out her phone, obviously planning something. "Waffle House is open," she tilts her head towards me and raises an eyebrow. "Guess it's settled then," I say as her Mom walks down the steps to us.