Little Things

Chapter 9

After riding on the boat through the Duck Pond, Niall and I stroll through the park. Only a few girls notice who he was and took a few pictures. I told him he could put his hood back on to hide his hair, but he said he thought it would be a rude gesture, since we were together and it would make him seem distant.

But, he did keep on the snap back and glasses as we walked through areas that were less dense with people, because if not then we might as well have tweeted our location.

When it became around five o'clock, we both decided we were starving and to go to the North End for some Italian food. And Niall insisted on the fanciest one in the city, which worried me because I knew I couldn't afford it, and had to charge it on my emergency credit card that I hated to use. I almost always used cash, unless forced to. But since he was so excited over this restaurant, I decided it couldn't hurt that much. I just will be living off of whatever macaroni and cheese boxes I have at home the rest of the week.

The host seated us in a secluded booth with dark burgandy leather seats, and a mahogany table. There was a window too, and it had brown fabric draping across it. At the end of the table by the window was a metal tree that held candles in some of the leaves.

Immediately after we slide into the booths, the host pours us some champagne into tall glasses and tells us that we would be waited on shortly.

I'm nervous about drinking the beverage, and also surprised she didn't card us. But also greatful, since I am only twenty. Collin found out weeks after Morgan and I came regularly that we were under age, but by then he didn't seem to care. And when we go to other bars, people usually recognize us from there and assume we are of age. But this restauraunt I'm at now is a scene I have never been able to afford so no one would know me from the dumpy bars, but I guess that's a perk of being rich. It doesn't matter if you are of age or not.

I pick up my menu and glance around at the entrees.

"I think I'm feeling spaghetti and meatballs," Niall states and sets down his menu. "And some garlic bread for starts."

I scroll my eyes through the pages and with every price I read, I become more and more scared. I refuse to pay over thirty dollars for a bowl of pasta that I could easily make myself for a buck with a box from the supermarket.

"You alright?" Niall asks, and I assume he can sense my worry.

"This place is really expensive," I say.

"Don't worry about the price, I'll handle it," he says nicely, but I shake my head.

"No, I can pay for myself, but thank you," I reply, trying to locate the cheapest salad. Even though I can't stand eating salad for dinner, that's basically all I can afford.

"What kind of gentleman would that make me if I let you pay?" he asks, lowering his tone to seem more strict, yet he could never even harm an ant.

"A smart one," I answer.

He gentley takes my menu and places it down in front of me. Then swiftly pulls my hands in his and rubs my knuckles with the pads of his thumbs.

"Allyson, please. Please let me pay for your dinner. If I pay for dinner, then we can stop out for icecream and you can pay for that. Deal?" he says, and I can't help but accept his offer. Even though I knew he wouldn't let me pay for my icecream later.

I nod my head. "Deal."

He puts my hands back down on the table and I reach for my menu again, as he sinks back into the booth and puts his arms behind his head.

"Good, now get whatever you please, I want you to enjoy it," he says, and winks at me.

I can't help but blush a little, and go back to looking at the pasta meals. I decide on also getting spaghetti and meatballs, one reason being that it is still one of the cheapest.

"Hello, my name is Emma and I'll be your server today. Do you two know what you would like yet?" the waitress asks, and looks directly at Niall.

"Yeah I think we will both get the spaghetti with meatballs. And I'll also have whatever you have best on tap and some garlic bread, please," he says, with a grin and she smiles back, biting her lip.

I move uncomfortably in my seat, uneasy from the obvious flirting. I'm not sure if he is flirting back with her, or just being nice, but it is a well known fact that she is giving herself to him.

"Sounds great. I'll be back soon with your order," she says, smiling and walks away. He keeps the same grin on and I rolls my eyes.

She doesn't even bother looking over at me the entire time.

About ten minutes later of small talk about life as a member of the biggest boy band and my life as an ordinary Boston girl, Emma comes back with our food.

She slides mine across the table, and then carefully places Niall's bowl directly in front of him. Along with his beer and garlic bread.

"Is there anything else I could get you?" she says, again only looking at him.

"I think I am okay, what about you Al?" he asks me and I shake my head. And for the first time, Emma looks at me to see my response, but quickly turns back to Niall.

"Well, if you need anything, you know my name."

She walks away, and Niall picks up a piece of bread and bites into it immediately.

"So are you planning on inviting her to your hotel later or are you just gonna get her number so you can hook up whenever," I snap, pissed off at both of them now.

"What?" he mumbles, food embedded in his mouth.

"You heard me," I hiss. Niall laughs.

"You're joking, right?" he asks.

This time, it is my turn to laugh. "You might as well have asked her to join us!"

"Allyson, your taking this too far," he says with a calm voice. Why is he acting so calm? Does he not know how obvious his flirting was with her?

"I'm taking this too far? Says the one who was hitting up a waitress when he was with another girl!" I say, a little bit too loud for the quiet tone of the restaurant, but I don't care what attention I bring.

"I was just being nice. You know, if you already forgot, I kinda have a status to maintain. So I can't go around being rude to every waitress that serves me. I was just the same with you this morning," he says, in the same tone as before.

So is this how he is with every girl? This flirtatious? If he thinks that it's okay to lead on girls like that all the time, does that mean I'm just another one? He says he is the same with me this morning, so when I thought we could have something, he just thought I was another friend, or something?

"I'm sorry that I thought I was different," I mumble, embarrassed that this isn't something happening between us. I am just another girl. I'm always just another girl, no one special. I don't know why I thought I was this time, especially with someone like him.

"You are different, Allyson. And that's what I like about you. It's just that, I have to be extra nice to pretty much everyone so the media sees it. I'm not as talented as the other boys, so I gotta make sure I at least have the quality of being the nice one. It's all I really got going for me anyways," he says, quietly, and his cheeks flame

I frown, "Niall, I will admit I haven't really heard you sing, directly. Only with your friends and I have no clue who is singing during the few songs I have listened to," he chuckles. "But I do know that if you are a member of the world's biggest boy band right now, then you are sure as hell talented. And don't say to me ever again that you aren't. But that doesn't mean stop being yourself which is sweet to everyone, cause I like that too," I tell him, and his cheeks only become redder, if that's even possible.

"Thanks," he mutters and I reply with a smile, and dig into my spaghetti.