In the name of God (Arvin Russellxreader)

Chapter 14 - Intense eye contact

(Quick TW- there is mentions of death in the past [not graphic but mostly the aftermath and consequences of it] at the end of the chapter, but i'll mark it so if you want to skip over it, you know where. Enjoy!)

(That Sunday)

The end of the week started as it usually did; waking up early and taking care of baby Annette so Aunt Margaret could catch up on some well-needed rest. I was in awe of her strength, to raise three children by herself and maintain the ranch as it was. Not that her husband did nothing, but with being in the Army, he was away for long periods of time so she was the only constant around the house for the twins and Annette. Luckily, my aunt had learned earlier in the week that my uncle would be able to get leave for a while, so she had made sure that the house was in order, which left her weary and fatigued. The twins, however, were full of energy from the joy of learning that their father was coming home and that brought a smile to my eyes, to see the pure happiness in them that she had not seen in years.

(Time skip)

The service seemed to carry on for an eternity. Teagardin was essentially circling back around but using different language, yet somehow the entire congregation was entranced. It was like someone had challenged him to try kill someone from boredom, but everyone else was immune to him. I peered around through the room, seeing most of them transfixed on the preacher, apart from one pair of brown eyes that latched onto mine for just a second before we both turned back to our seats properly, a blush beginning to roam over my cheeks. That moment of something that seemed a little out there, fueled my mind for the rest of the sermon while Preston just went on about some random experience he had and then linking it to the Bible; like seriously, the man was adding two and two but getting the colour red.

I took a quick look at my aunt; her head was down and her lips were moving. The only word I could make out was "amen", so I guessed that she must have been praying for the safe return of my uncle. She had such faith and hope which was admirable of her, but ever since what happened in Jackson, I hadn't dared pray. I knew that they were rarely answered, but mine were always ignored, however I was happy that my aunt found some solace in her prayer.

Thankfully, the snap of the book awoke me from my state of tedium, bordering on falling asleep, and I sat up straight. A few of the congregation rushed to the preacher, asking for a blessing from the agent of God. I leaned back in the pew, deciding on whether or not to act today. Ultimately, I decided against it since I felt a presence to my right, which turned out to be the owner of the beautiful brown eyes. "Good morning, Arvin."

"Mornin' Y/N." He slumped back against the pew and folded his arms, an act that drew my attention, temporarily, to his somewhat toned arms. "Nice weather ain't it?" I smiled at Arvin's attempt at starting a regular conversation, when we were much further past the introductory stage, but I played along. He glanced at me, a half-smile across his face while I did the same.

"I'd agree but I failed to look outside since I was so entranced by that captivating sermon."

"Yeah, I saw you watching quite... intently." He quirked his head at me before continuing, "You know, I got a little distracted, do you mind running through what the preacher was talking about?"

I thought for a moment, realising that I hadn't paid one bit of attention, so I played it off jokingly, "Well, I'm gonna have to guess. Was it Jesus? No, God? What about Moses?" I chuckled to myself while Arvin cracked his smile slightly into a dry laugh.

"That's what I thought." Our eyes connected again, but this time we were inches apart and I couldn't help but notice every little detail on his face, the scattered freckles, the small crease that sometimes appeared in between his eyebrows and flecks of gold in his eyes.

We were split apart when our names sounded through the church and we pulled away quickly, Arvin walking briskly to escort his family home, sparing me one last glance. I held onto it for a moment until my aunt hovered behind me, "That was some intense eye contact."

"Ha ha." I replied sarcastically, pulling a face at the older woman.

"A second longer and I think I might have had to drag you two to the altar."

I stared at her deadpan for a moment, while she giggled at her own joke. "Hilarious."

"Seriously, I hope you use protection if you're going to keep staring at each other like that, Lord knows what could happen." Okay, I gave her that, my scowl shattering into a frenzy of cackling. She adjusted Annette in her arms before turning back to me. "Y/N, honestly, you don't look at someone like that without feeling something. It's how Anthony looks at fresh doughnuts and new comics."

"Did you just compare me and Arvin to Anthony and a baked good?" (Looking back, I realise I made an accidental 'snack' joke but its fine, we continue.) "It's fine aunt."

"Hey, Y/N you could do worse than him. I highly doubt there is much better in the rest of town."

"Thank you oh wise Oracle." I retorted. "Don't you worry, if there is a wedding for me, whoever it is with, you can walk me down the aisle."

"Good, I've had dibs on that for years." She grinned again, walking ahead of me and into the house, while I lagged behind to watch them enter. They seemed like such a perfect family, it was beautiful, and the sight nearly brought a tear to my eye.

-------------------(TW)------------------

It made me imagine what life was like with my parents, my biological parents, before they died. Since it was so far back, the memories were hazy and faded into sepia, but they were still there. But each one was like a stab in my heart, so I rarely thought about it. I thought that the pain might subside overtime but I knew now, that those scars last a lifetime.

(A/N- Hope you're enjoying the book so far. Quick questionnaire thing; who would you cast as the character's I've created [Aunt Margaret, Rebekah, Anthony, Annette, Eliza, the English teacher etc.]? Please comment below!)