Just One Step

When we got inside S’mac, it wasn’t as packed as I thought it was going to be. It still was pretty full but I was used to it.

“It seams pretty crowded, maybe we should go somewhere else,” Niall suggested as I led him to the only empty table in the small restaurant.

“No way, this place is amazing,” I said, “Here, put your jacket on the table so no one will take it while we order,”

“So what’s so great about this place?” he asked putting his jacket on the back of the chair.

“Three words,” I told him. “Mac. And. Cheese.”

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Don’t judge it till you’ve tried it,” I said leading him to the end of the line that went to the counter.

“Okay, so I’m assuming you want me to get the mac’n’cheese?”

“That’s all you can get,” I told him. “I suggest the Napoletana or the Cheeseburger.”

“I thought you just said they only have mac’n’cheese?” he asked, confused.

“Look I’ll just order for us. Mind if we split?” I asked.

“Well you seem to know what you’re doing,” he said, so when we got up to the counter I ordered for both of us.

“One Major Munch Napoletana,” I told the man behind the counter. “And two cokes,”

“Coming right up,” he said and handed me a number to put on the table. I took the piece of plastic from him, 13, and headed back towards the table.

“I love that I was there the whole time and still have no idea what you just ordered us,” Niall said as he sat down. I set the number down and laughed.

“Well you could have looked at the menu,” I told him.

“What menu?” he asked with a smile and a laugh. It wasn’t one of those half smiles or laughs of a boy trying to be sexy or flirty. This was a genuine smile with a genuine laugh. A smile that was too big for his face and a laugh that filled the room, and most importantly made me smile.

“The one on the wall,” I said pointing at it.

“Oh.”

“Favorites?” I asked.

“What?” he asked.

“You’ve never played favorites?” I asked.

“Nope,” he replied.

“Okay, well it’s the easiest thing ever, I say favorite something, we both answer, roles switch, get it?”

“Yeah,” he said. God, his accent was cute.

“Okay, favorite movie scene,” I said.

“The scene from the Italian Job, where they’re all driving mini coopers,” he said after thinking it over. “You?”

“John Cusack holding up the boom box,” I said with a smile. I didn’t even have to think about it. It may have been cheesy but there was something about that scene.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“John Cusack holding up the boom box,” I repeated.

“What movie?” he said.

“Say Anything,” I told him.

“Don’t know it,” he said.

“Okay, does the whole of Brittan live under a rock?” I asked him jokingly. He laughed. “But seriously, you’ve never heard of it?”

“Nope,” he said. “But it’s my turn.”

“Alright,” I said.

“Favorite song lyrics” he said.

“Cut myself so I could feel something I Know is not a lie” I thought.

When he said this the lyrics from ‘Say Anything’ by Marianas Trench. What was it with me and say anything today, the movie, and the song. What next? But there was no way I was telling him about the fact that I used to cut. The only person who knew was Tay.

“Why don’t they tell it like it really is, nobody ever gets their movie kiss,” I said. “Fantasy by Cady Groves.”

“Was that the song you were singing when they walked in on you?” he asked.

“Yeah, how did you know?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Harry was singing it earlier,” he said.

“Oh, cool,” I said. “You?”

“I can’t pick,” he said.

“Oh come on,” I said. He just nodded his head. “Fine. Favorite series.”

“Harry Potter,” he said with a laugh.

“British boys will be British boys,” I said laughing with him.

“Yours?”

“The Inheritance Cycle,” I said.

“Oh, I saw the movie for Eragon,” he said. “Not the best, but pretty goo…” I interrupted him here.

“The movie was shit,” I said. He held up his hands in defense.

“Alright, alright, alright,” and that’s when the mac’n’cheese arrived.

* * *

“Okay,” he said as we stepped outside the door. “I totally get why you made us stay,”

“I know right?” I said. We started to walk back to the studio when I got a call from Uncle Mark. I stopped walking, and Niall politely stepped back giving me privacy to talk. ‘What a gentleman’ I thought.

“Hey Mark,” I said.

“Hey, where are you two lovers?” he asked.

“Lovers?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s obvious Dani. I’ve known you your whole life, I can tell, and the five boys who’ve just met you can tell too, and they say Niall is totally into you,” he said.

“Yeah!” I head one of the boys yell.

“So did anything happen?” he asked in a way that I felt I was talking to Tay not my uncle.

“No,” I said. “And we’re heading back now, we went to s’mac.”

“See, you have a thing for him, kiddo,”

“How does taking him to s’mac mean a thing?” I asked.

“You took James to s’mac for the first date too,” he said. Why did he have to bring up James? I had loved that boy for two years.

“Yeah and look where me and James are now,” I said.

“Who’s James?” I head Louis say.

“Am I on speaker phone?” I asked. I was starting to get mad.

“Maybe,” he said, “We need you back at the studio as soon as you can.” He hung up. I turned around and saw Niall pacing.

“It was Mark,” I said trying not to sound angry or upset. “He wants us back at the studio,” I turned and started walking. Fast. Niall ran to catch up with me. When he did, he caught me hand and spun me around to face him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me. Damn this boy was good, but I didn’t wan to talk about it.

“Nothing,” I said shaking him off me.

“Fine,” he said. ‘Great,’ I thought. ‘Now he’s mad at me.’