Chills » (Narry)

1. Snow and Sweets

« PART ONE »
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Snow and Sweets

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Suppose that Christmas is only four days away. Suppose that you're sitting in an airport with an extremely hot blonde. Suppose that a second guest is there as well- the slightly mental relative that you try to keep away from your crushes. Now, maybe it's snowing. Maybe there are no available tickets to arrive in London before Christmas Eve. And perhaps you have a slight migraine and you're in extreme need of a nap.

I glanced to my left, noticing that Aunt Edith was removing her absolutely horrid hat from her head, fumbling with the loose strings. It was an awful maroon color with very, very bright yellow spots and the little ball of fuzz at the very top honestly didn't do it much justice. She pulled a peppermint from the inside of it, unwrapping the candy before popping it into her mouth. I simply shrugged it off, turning my head to face forward once more.

I rubbed my hands together anxiously, placing my cheek against the palm of my hand. A teen magazine sat on my lap, one that Aunt Edith herself had given to me just moments ago. My eyes scanned over page after page, but it only made the steady throbbing in my head worse, so with a sigh, I closed it and handed it back to her.

"Niall went to the bathroom, right?" she questioned, scrolling on her phone.

I nodded, mumbling, "Yeah, he did."

She completely ignored me, despite the fact that she had asked me a question. I clucked my tongue, shaking my head as she continued to fumble with whatever it was that she was doing on her device.

The hustle of the airport was a bit on the hectic side, with countless families rushing to planes or standing around in despair after plans were changed. There were plenty of conversations taking place around the building- friends laughing and heading off to have fun, children chatting excitedly while their parents prepare everything, couples discussing their trips home together.

By the looks of it, the three of us would not be heading home for Christmas. I had been in New York for nearly six months with Niall, and Aunt Edith had decided to visit the two of us for absolutely no reason, claiming that she had to see the city during this time of year. I couldn't blame her, really. The three of us had out together a slightly unorganized, fairly last minute trip and it seemed as though it was coming back to haunt us.

I looked up as a blonde with rosy cheeks approached us, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. He stopped before us, releasing a deep breath.

"So," Niall announced, sending me a small smile. "I'm back."

"I noticed," I replied, nodding as I took in his figure. "You were gone for a whole five minutes. How crazy is that? And now you're back."

"Ha," he spoke sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes. "Anywho, I have some terrible news."

I inhaled, massaging my temples with the pads of my fingers, the stress of this whole holiday bringing a painful pounding to my head. I hadn't even bought Niall his Christmas gift yet.

"What is this news?" I asked fearfully, rolling my lips into my mouth. "This terrible news that you have?"

Niall sighed, removing one hand from his coat pocket to run through his hair. "We won't be catching a flight today. No available flights to London that haven't been cancelled. None for tomorrow either, unfortunately, until late. I've talked to nearly half the staff around this place, and there's absolutely nothing. At best, we can be there by Christmas Eve, I'd say."