Accidentally in Love

Accidentally in Love {Chapter 26}

Thanks once again for your dedications guys! :*  I'm making it a new general rule that I'll update after the newest chapter gets at least 5 comments!  It's more fun that way, plus the story lasts longer, too!  Thanks again!  Comment, Comment, Comment!

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The intricately detailed double wooden doors leading to the kitchen swung back and forth as Ivy reentered the dining area.  She held her hand up flat over her shoulder with a black tray on it.  Her face bore a large smile and the corners of her eyes were turned skyward from smiling so wide.  She set the tray down gently on Niall and MaryGrace’s table, being cautious not to spill the overflowing mugs of steaming hot chocolate topped with whipped cream.  Both of their mouths watered for a taste of the deliciously scented dark drink.  

“Here’s your Hot Chocolate!”  Ivy said in a singsong manner.  “Are you guys ready to order or do you need another minute?”

“We’re ready,” Niall said taking charge “right?” he said looking for MaryGrace’s approval.  She nodded eagerly.  “I’ll have the chicken parmigiana, a bowl of spaghetti on the side, and can you bring out some bread with that as well?” Niall recited as if he had spent twenty minutes memorizing his order.  MaryGrace tried to hold in her laughter by covering her mouth and snickering, but just ended up making a strange sound similar to a snort.  Niall laughed back at her as her as her cheeks turned red.  One woman across the restaurant turned around to give them a snotty look and that pushed them over the edge.  They burst right into laughter with Ivy even joining in with a giggle.  Niall’s blue eyes sparkled with laughter.  “What?” Niall said shrugging adorably.

“You ordered so much food!” MaryGrace accused him with a laugh.

“Believe me,” Niall explained “I can definitely eat it.  You’re lucky you didn’t catch me on a night when I’m really hungry!”

“I’ll have the penne a la vodka please,” MaryGrace said after dismissing Niall with a laugh.  She felt bad to make the waitress wait any longer.  She shut her menu and handed it to Ivy, as did Niall.  Ivy thanked them and ran off to the kitchen to place their order.  Niall leaned down, keen on tasting the hot chocolate as soon as possible.  He went to take a long swig, but instead ended up taking a sip because it was so hot.

“Wow, that’s hot!” he exclaimed.  Once he was able to feel his tongue again he tried taking a smaller sip.  “This is even better than yesterday, especially with the whipped cream,” Niall said excitedly.  He had leftover whipped cream on the tip his pale nose.  MaryGrace lifted a hand and reached forward,  wiping off the creamy white substance with her pointer finger.  She licked it off with a laugh and Niall smiled smugly.  She picked up her mug with both hands, leaning her head down to meet it.  Her lips touched the warm mug as she tipped it towards herself, letting the hot chocolate warm her up.  It was delicious!

“Mmmmmmmm,” was the only thing she said as she tipped back the heated mug for another sip.  She felt the warmth go from her fingertips all the way up to her shoulders.  Niall laughed at the bit of whipped cream she had above her lip.  He wondered how long it would take for her to notice and laughed to himself again at the thought.  “What?” she said feeling self conscious for a moment.  She stuck out her tongue and licked around her mouth, catching the whipped cream.  “Now I know what you were laughing at!” she said giggling.  She stuck out her pointer finger and in a swift motion, swiped a bit of whipped cream from the top of her mug and reached across the small table, playfully wiping it on Niall’s nose.  She smirked at him as the airy white cream started slipping down his nose.  

Niall quickly retaliated and soon they both had cream on their faces and quiet giggling had escalated to fairly loud laughter.  Several people had turned to look at them and rolled their eyes at the couple’s childish behavior, but Niall and MaryGrace could care less.  

“So much for laying low,” Niall said through laughter.  At this point, MaryGrace had whipped cream on her nose, cheeks, and a dab on her chin and Niall’s face matched perfectly.  Niall reached for his Blackberry in his pocket and held it up to take a picture of them.  MaryGrace leaned in and smiled and the flash on the camera went off.  Niall turned the Blackberry around laughing at the photo of them. 

“Guess we’ll never forget our whipped cream fight,” MaryGrace said shrugging.  Her phone buzzed in her pocket as Niall messaged the picture to her.  She pulled it out, pressed a few buttons, and turned the screen to face Niall.  “I also have a new background,” she said blushing.  Niall’s mouth stretched wide revealing a huge toothy smile.  She was beaming.  They were both so happy right then and there; he just wished that he’d be able to grab hold of that moment and never let it go.

Their moment was put on hold when a male server placed two dishes down in front of them, being careful not to bang them on the table.  MaryGrace’s pasta was steaming hot and smelled absolutely mouthwatering.  On the other side of the table, Niall could barely wait to dig in to his chicken parmigiana.  The chef had placed a fresh roll of bread with crisp brown crust on the side of his plate.  The server went back to the kitchen, quickly returning with the side order of spaghetti.  

“Promise you’ll still like me even after you’ve seen me eat?” Niall joked, holding back on eating.  

“Ummm,” MaryGrace joked pretending to think it over “just kidding.  Don’t worry, I’ve already seen you with whipped cream all over your face, right?”  Niall laughed and nodded in approval.  “Plus, I can’t promise that I’m the neatest either!” she admitted with a snicker.

“Good!” Niall exclaimed “As long as you have an appetite,” he said with a wink making MaryGrace blush.  He unrolled his silverware from the intricately rolled cloth napkin and cut a piece of his chicken, eagerly shoving it into his mouth.  “Mmmmmmm,” he muttered through a closed mouth while closing his eyes.  MaryGrace was chewing on her pasta when he did this and almost snorted from laughter.  “What?” he said after swallowing another piece of chicken.

“You’re just so dramatic,” she teased through her laughter.

“Har, Har” Niall mocked laughter, but ended up actually laughing.  They both continued eating their food, enjoying the fantastic meals that the chef had made.  The sauce was flavored perfectly with a balance of spices and tomatoes.  MaryGrace looked up from her dish to find that Niall had already finished his chicken and had moved onto the spaghetti and bread.

“Whoah!  Slow down!” she said laughing.  Niall looked up from his dish with sauce all around his mouth.

“Sorry, can’t help it.  I’m so hungry and this is sooooo good.” he said with spaghetti hanging out of his mouth.  MaryGrace choked from laughter after thinking that Niall kind of reminded her of Scooby Doo between the face he had just made and the food obsession.  She decided to keep the thought to herself and just let him enjoy his meal.  She was eating fairly quickly, too, just not as fast as Niall.  She had to admit that the food was amazing.  

A few more minutes went by as they both ate, sharing a comfortable silence.  This time Niall looked up from his plate first.  He had finished his entire meal and had nothing left on his plate.  MaryGrace was almost done as Niall watched her eat her rigatoni a la vodka.  Without even realizing what he was saying, Niall opened his mouth to speak.

“You’re just as stunning with vodka sauce all over your face, babe,” he blurted out.  MaryGrace looked up from her pasta looking surprised.  She didn’t realize he had been watching and quickly wiped off her face with the napkin.  That’s when she processed exactly what he’d said.  Color flooded her cheeks and a smile spread across her face.  She was flattered; her eyes gleamed with joy.

“If there wasn’t a table between us right now, I’d kiss you,” she said.

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