Dare To Love

20 - A Nose Nudge

"Why the fuck are all these dares outside?" Louis complained, the words muffled from his mouth being buried in his scarf.

Louis winced at the chill of the air against his cheeks. He reached up and tugged his beanie down further over his ears before stuffing his bare hands back in his pockets. A glance over at Harry revealed that he'd been watching him, but Harry was quick to look away when he'd been caught - cheeks pink from the cold or from embarrassment, Louis couldn't say for sure. A light blanket of snow laid on the ground and the rapidly setting sun was doing nothing to make it feel any warmer. Or maybe it was, and the minute it would dip below the horizon, Louis' fingers were going to start dropping off one by one.

No one answered him, too used to his complaints and simply ignored him.

"What about that one?" Liam suggested, pointing a few feet in front of them at a large tree.

"Could be good," Zayn nodded, surveying all the trees in the middle of campus - devoid of leaves but perfect for whatever Niall had in mind. "Unless Niall was imagining it as more of a stripper pole alternative. Niall?"

Niall hummed thoughtfully, smiling as he took in their options. "What do you think Harry? Were you thinking more stripper pole or grinding up against a tree is fine?"

Despite the fact that Harry was about to do a sexy dance against a tree in the middle of campus in the middle of a lazy Saturday afternoon, he didn't look nervous like he had when they'd dared him to drink the foul smoothie. Instead, he was just casually looking over the trees with his had tilted to the side.

"Maybe that one?" He suggested, moving toward a tree with a trunk he'd probably be able to wrap his arms around.

"Alright, give me your coat when you're gonna do it," Niall said before turning to Liam. "Is the music ready?"

Liam held up his portable speaker with a grin that Niall returned while Zayn dug out his phone and started to record. "Ready?" Zayn asked Harry, who nodded like the dare he'd been tasked with was of utmost importance.

Unzipping his coat and shimmying it off his shoulders, Harry yelped at the cold - his mouth hanging open before he whimpered, the cold air penetrating his clothes and making him shiver. Louis pressed his nose a little more firmly into his scarf in sympathy, face scrunching up as he watched Harry hug himself. Louis was glad he wasn't the one doing that dare. With all the noises Harry was making, he was going to draw more attention from being cold than from actually dancing.

"It's so cold!" Harry whined, bouncing in place and rubbing his arms through his sweater. "Start it, Niall!"

Louis was hiding a smile in his scarf at Harry's whining, but as soon as the music started, Harry's entire demeanor changed. When Niall had suggested the dare, Louis had pictured a ridiculous performance like one he would give when drunk. But even though Harry was playing it up and trying to be funny with way he was making eyes at the tree, it was nothing like what Louis had been expecting.

As someone who knew very little about dance, Louis guessed that what he was seeing wasn't enough to say Harry was skillful, but he could certainly move like a dancer. With his bottom lip caught between his teeth and his eyes lidded, Harry started to gyrate his hips against the tree trunk as the music played.

Harry's hips pressed against the front of the tree as he tipped his head back, his throat bobbing as he slowly grinded against the tree. Hooking a long leg against the side of the trunk, he moved his body while the boys hooted from where they stood to watch. He and Harry exchanged a look, the boy smirking at him before directing his attention back at the tree.