Accidentally in Love

Accidentally in Love {Chapter 14}

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They walked for two long blocks talking about everything from friends to hobbies.  Niall told Marygrace about how he’d discovered his love for singing and that he’d played the guitar since he was thirteen years old.  Marygrace told him about her best friends and how she loved Winnie the Pooh when she was little and secretly still had a bit of an obsession with the characters.  Niall couldn’t stop smiling when he was listening to her.  He loved all her little quirks.  Marygrace had made Niall promise to sing to her soon.  They enjoyed each other’s company and neither one of them could stop smiling throughout the whole walk.

“Wow, it’s freezing out here.” Niall said eventually.  He could see his own breath and felt the cold through both of his jackets, his shirt, and his scarf.  

“Yup, nothing like a December night in New York City,” she said, gazing up into the night sky.  In that moment, she was surprised to see the stars twinkling amidst the city lights.  That almost never happened; aside from the cold, it really was the perfect night.  

A Hot Chocolate stand on the corner of the sidewalk caught Niall’s eye.  They were both freezing and Niall thought it would be a quick fix.  

“How about some Hot Chocolate?” he suggested.  Marygrace’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, please!” she said with excitement.  “I can always go for a cup of Hot Chocolate!” Her smile stretched across her entire face.  They both approached the stand and waited behind a woman who looked to be in a rush.  She grabbed the Hot Chocolate and practically threw her money at the vendor before speed walking down the block, her long fur coat swishing behind her.  Marygrace and Niall stepped forward.

“Two please.” Marygrace said to the vendor as she fished for her wallet in her purse.  As she was about to place her money on the counter, Niall gently placed his hand on her wrist.

“I’ve got it!” he said.  He didn’t want to spare any expense on this beautiful night.  He wanted to spoil her.  He quickly paid for both drinks and thanked the vendor.

“Thanks babe,” she said with a wink, sipping from the styrofoam cup.  She closed her eyes, swallowing the warm liquid.  She could feel the warm of the Hot Chocolate through the cup, warming her hands.  “This is actually delicious!” she said with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Niall tipped the cup back, tasting the drink.  A smile quickly spread across his face.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be that good!” Niall said, enjoying the warmth of the Hot Chocolate as well.  

“Definitely a great idea,” Marygrace said.

“I know, I guess I’m just a genius,” Niall said joking.  Marygrace let out a loud laugh, quickly covering her mouth.  Her cheeks went red with embarrassment, making her laugh even more.  Niall’s face lit up with laughter as well.  

The Hot Chocolate was definitely a quick fix for the cold because they both felt better already.  They walked in a comfortable silence as their hands eventually found their way back together.  Before crossing the street, Niall threw out his empty Hot Chocolate cup and so did Marygrace.

They both ended up putting their free hand into their pockets to keep warm.  His fingers brushed up against a piece of paper in his pocket.  He’d completely forgotten about the envelope.  Before leaving his hotel room, Niall had grabbed two tickets to their concert on Saturday along with a set of backstage passes.  He had thought that if everything went well, he’d invite her to the concert along with a friend.

Niall’s train of thought was interrupted when Marygrace halted to a stop on the street corner.  His eyes scanned the scene when he noticed why.  They stood in front of Penn Station, it was now or never.

“Here Already?” Niall questioned, the sadness evident in his voice.  She nodded, looking down at her feet for a moment.  She looked back up at him.  At first Marygrace felt sad, but looking at him she couldn’t suppress a giggle when she looked at him.

“You look like a sad puppy,” she teased him letting the smile spread across her face.  Niall’s cheeks became red as he laughed.

“Way to lighten the mood,” he teased her back.  Niall thought about everything that had happened that night, getting ready to leave, sneaking out of the hotel, the cab ride, spotting Marygrace in the Coffee shop, working up the courage to talk to her and tell her the truth, the list went on an on.  So many things had happened in one short night and yet neither of them wanted it to end.  Niall glanced at his watch, they still had twenty minutes till her train left the station.  Niall leaned against the wall with his elbow propped up against his head.  Marygrace shifted into the same position and turned to face him.  “We’ve got about twenty minutes left,” Niall said holding on to their last few moments together.  He hoped to God that she was free tomorrow night otherwise who knew how long they’d go without seeing each other.  

“I know.  I don’t want to go,” she freely admitted.  “When are we going to see each other again?  I’m sure you have such a busy schedule and you probably won’t be back here for a while,” she rambled on for a minute, but trailed off when she noticed Niall digging in his pocket.  

He pulled his hand out and held on to a crisp white envelope.  It had no writing on it and was bursting at the top.  Niall stood up straight and opened up the envelope, removing it’s contents.  He held up a pair of lanyards with cards attached to the bottom in one hand and two pieces of paper in the other.  Marygrace’s face displayed a look of puzzlement.

“These are tickets and backstage passes for our concert tomorrow.  It’s at the Beacon Theater.  Please tell me you’re free tomorrow night,” he said.  Anyone could hear the hopefulness in his words; he really wanted her to come.

“Well, I did have plans tomorrow...” she began.  His face immediately dropped to a frown.  “I’m just kidding!” she said with enthusiasm.  Marygrace threw her arms around Niall wrapping him into a gigantic hug.  “Thank you so much Niall, I’m so excited!” 

“No problem babe.  I’m just glad you can come,” he said leaning in.  He inched closer until he was close enough to kiss her, and that’s exactly what he did.  It was an urgent and rushed kiss, but just good as the others.  It felt right; the rest of the night was filled with smiles and laughter, but goodbyes were something different.  A goodbye was always more passionate than a hello, or at least that was how it felt.  Marygrace kissed him back just the same.  

When they pulled away from each other, it was only for a second.  Marygrace pressed her lips to Niall’s one more time, savoring the beauty of that moment.  His arms were around her waist and her hands were pressed to the back of his soft hair underneath his hood.  The hustle and bustle of New York City continued around them, but neither one noticed.  They were completely absorbed in each other.  

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