Just Consider It

"Your toes are cold," Niall complained, referring to where my feet were pressed into his calf.

"Sorry," I said, trying to pay attention to the movie we were watching.

"So are your hands," he added, squriming. "Christ, every single bit of you is cold." He wiggled around even more, which wasn't much, considering we were lying pressed together on his bed, watching a movie.

It had certainly been a strange couple of weeks. Niall and I had been "dating" for a little while now, but I didn't even really think of it that way anymore. We were still best friends, it was just that everything we did had a little bit more weight to it.

For example, like in the middle of a lecture, when Niall would absently brush my hair off of my shoulder or hook his ankle around mine. At first, things like that would make me blush and shy away, sure people were watching and giggling about it (which they usually were), but Niall was patient, and eventually I got used to it. The warm feeling inside of me never went away, though.

And it was just so nice, being with someone like that, someone who was always around to hold my hand or to give me a piggyback ride. It was like all the strain was being lifted off my shoulders and someone was bearing it with me instead of me holding it alone.

And in the middle of the night, when Niall and I had sex in the backseat of his car and since it was February everything fogged up, and Niall drew a smiley face in the steam on the window and laughed and I felt more alive than I had in years.

So, yeah. Stuff like that.

"Sorry," I said now, half-impatient, half-joking. "If you want I can get up and sit on the floor."

There was a pause. Then, Niall decided, "No. You're fine."

I laughed and tilted my head back to look up at him. "You sure? If it bothers you that much I can move. I'm here to acommodate you."

"Shut up," he said, but he was smiling, rolling his eyes. "Just watch the fucking movie, you bitch."

"Whatever you say, fuckface."

* * *

"So, I've been thinking," Niall said as he, Maggie, and I walked back to our dorm. Class had just ended and we'd met up with her along the way. It was a Friday, not too cold, and I was in a pretty decent mood.

"Really?" I said good-naturedly. "Don't strain yourself."

"Fuck off. As I was saying, I've been thinking, and you know what I realized?"

"What?"

"We've never been on a date."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "What do you mean? Yes we have. You took me out, like, a week and a half ago."

He rolled his eyes. "Hero, we drove to a shady parking lot and had sex in the backseat of my car, and then afterwards I bought you ice cream." He continued over Maggie's snorts of laughter, "I meant like a proper date. Dinner and all that."

"Oh," I said. "I haven't done stuff like that in a while." Besides that weird lunch date with Tyler all those months ago, I couldn't even remember the last time someone had taken me to dinner.

"It doesn't have to be a big deal," Niall said quickly. "I just thought it would be nice. Just you and me and stuff. If you want." He shrugged. "Good food, good company." Then, he waggled his eyebrows at me and winked. "Good sex, if you behave."

I rolled my eyes. It was too hard to refuse to that face, anyway. "All right, fine," I gave in. Niall pumped his fist.

"It'll be good. I'll wine and dine you, you'll see."

Maggie looked impressed. "You're a top lad, Niall. That didn't take long at all."

"Quick in the streets, quick in the sheets," Niall said with a hearty wink, taking my hand and not letting go.

"So, when are we going on this date?" I asked.

"I was thinking tonight," Niall said casually.

"Tonight? Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"I don't know why . . . fine. Where are we going?"

"Probably some place in town," he shrugged.

"All right . . . what should I wear?"

Niall gave me a once-over. "Uh, that's fine, I guess."

"This?" I was wearing one of Avery's slouchy, white-knit sweaters, one of Niall's flannel jackets, and my own extremely ripped jeans. "Niall, I can't just go like this. You can't just go like that." Although he did look better than me, he was still in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and that ever-present snapback.

"Why not?"

"Because if you're taking me out to dinner at a nice restaurant, it's not classy to show up in jeans and a t-shirt," I said, somewhat impatiently. You'd have thought that he'd never taken a girl out before.

Niall shrugged, amicable as usual. "All right. Wear something really fancy then, I don't care. Be ready at six."

"Boy, oh, boy," Maggie had said after he'd walked away, half-exasperated, half-admiring, "what did you get yourself into?"

At six o'clock on the dot, there was a knock on my door. I smoothed down my dress one last time, and Maggie tucked an imaginary stray hair down onto my head. "It's gonna be fine," she promised. "Just relax."

"I know," I sighed. "I'll be back later." I gave her a careful hug before opening my door. Niall stood there in a suit and dress pants. He had his head turned to the side, squinting at something down the hallway, but when I cleared my throat, he turned to me.

"Uh," was all he said.

"What?" I asked, already paranoid.

"Nothing," he said after a pause, "you look great." And because Niall was possibly the most boyish of boys, his eyes zeroed in on my boobs, which, I had to admit, looked pretty nice. Maggie had let me borrow a strapless pastel dip-dye dress with a matching cardigan and heels (those were mine, thanks very much). She'd also braided a section of my hair and pinned it back.

"Hey, Horan," I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "My face is up here."

He grinned. "You know what they say, H: eyes on the prize." He dodged my punch and ran down the hallway, cackling. I started to chase after him, but after taking one step in my heels, I knew it was a lost cause. Sighing, I began to walk. Maggie called, "Good luck!"

"Thanks," I said. "I'll need it."

I followed Niall out to where his car was parked. He was leaned against it, catching his breath, but when he saw me coming he grinned and opened the door for me. "M'lady."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, biting down on a smile. "Where are you taking me?" I asked as he got into the car and began to drive.

"La Bonne Nourriture," he answered. "It's some French restaurant a few minutes off campus."

"Have you ever been there before?"

He took his eyes off the road to look at me. "What do you think?"

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"Well," Niall said awkwardly. "This is, er, nice." We were sitting in the middle of the restaurant, picking at our meals. The portions were so tiny and looked more like art than food. I was almost afraid to eat it.

"Yeah," I agreed.

There was a pause. Then, Niall muttered, "This is actually kinda shitty."

"Yeah."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't know that it would be . . . like this."

"S'okay," I said, smiling despite myself. "At least we're dressed right." That was really the only upside, though. Even though my sisters and I had always been well-off, this was a whole new kind of crowd; the type my parents would be able to fit in with. Their was an air of sophistication throughout the entire restaurant, one that made me nervous to even pick up my fork lest I hold it the wrong way.

Niall stared down at his plate for a little while longer before he suddenly stood up, pushing back his chair. "You wanna get out of here?"

I looked up at him, surprised. "Now?"

"Yeah, now. Come on, babe. Let's go somewhere fun."

So that was how Niall and I ended up at McDonald's at nearly midnight, squished into a booth in the back, pigging out on burgers and fries and milkshakes and the little apple pies they had. There weren't many people in the restaurant, and the workers had given us strange looks, but I didn't really mind.

"Sorry the date went to shit," Niall said through a mouthful of burger.

I laughed. "It didn't go to shit. It was kinda fun."

"We look like we just came from prom," Niall said, taking a sip of his milkshake. His eyes widened in surprise and he nodded down at the cup before holding it out to me. "Try it, s'good."

"What kind did you get?"

"Told 'em to surprise me," he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes but took a sip.

"Kinda tastes like a peanut butter vanilla," I said thoughtfully. "Do they sell that kind here?"

"No," Niall answered. We looked at each other for a second before we both began to laugh, and it was just strange because now it was past midnight on a Friday and I was in a dress at McDonald's, feeding a boy who I'd once hated but now was extremely fond of some apple pie ("God, Hero, I said feed it to me, not deepthroat it to me.").

Tyler and I would've never done a thing like that. Usually, I never would've done a thing like that. I hadn't been on a proper date in a long time, but if they were going to be like this for the rest of my life, I wouldn't really mind.

A while later, after my dress was tossed onto the floor of Niall's car and his shirt and pants were haphazardly draped over the seats and we were lying in the backseat whispering even though we were alone, Niall leaned over and softly, gently, kissed my temple.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Why are we whispering?"

"I don't know," I answered, and we both dissolved into giggles.

Once we regained our composure, he said, "Thanks for lettin' me take you out."

"Thanks for taking me out."

"Didja have a good time?"

"I always have a good time when you're involved," I said. It was dark, so hopefully he couldn't see my face flush.

He smiled and lay back on the seat, pulling me tighter into him. "Good. That's good."

"Yeah," I agreed. And it really was.