“Does your friend always boss you around like that?” he asks, sounding worried. I let out a laugh.
“Yes, but it’s not like that.” I wave down the bartender and gesture for two whiskey shots. She knows us well enough by now that I don’t even have to say it out loud.
“Not like what?” he asks.
“It’s not like he’sabusingme,” I say. Hearing how defensive I sound gives me pause. “I mean…he’s my best mate. We take the piss out of each other sometimes. If anything, he hates how much of a pushover I can be. He’s always on my ass, telling me to stick up for myself more. Or tell him to fuck off when he bosses me around.”
The bartender delivers our shots, and I pick them up before turning back toward our table.
“Do you?” Niall asks. “Ever tell him to fuck off?”
I laugh. “All the time.”
Do I ever mean it? No.
I pass both shots to Declan, but he nudges one back toward me with his signature wink. With an eye roll, I toss it back and grimace. Then, I shake my head and return to my new friend, waiting for me with a beer in his hand.
Instead of sitting back at the table, Niall and I inch our way over to a more secluded corner.
“So what about you?” I ask. “What are your plans after graduation?”
He lets out a disgruntled sigh. “Ugh, probably go work with my dad,” he says. “Engineering.”
“Oh,” I reply, with a raise of my brow. “You’re smart then.”
This makes him laugh, and I like the sound of it. He has such a nice smile, I want to make him laugh again.
“In some circles, yes, I guess,” he replies.
We carry on with some more small talk, but it’s so loud in here that Niall has to continually inch toward me to hear what I’m saying. When he’s nearly a breath away from my face, his eyes meet mine, and a chill runs down my spine.
“What do you say we get out of here?” he asks loudly.
The two beers and one shot I’ve had tonight help loosen the stiffness in my bones. Niall is so handsome. Hot, even. So why does the idea of going somewhere with him, kissing him, touching him, feeling his body against mine, make me so nervous?
I’m twenty-two bloody years old. I’m too old to be a virgin. It’s humiliating. At this point, I don’t even know what to do. Should I tell him this? Would he be understanding? Maybe he’s a virgin too.
My gaze flits over to where Declan is still talking to the girls at the table. If I leave, I should tell him or he’ll worry. Then again, it’s not like he’s never gone home with someone. Chances are he’ll end up in the bed of one of these women.
There’s an unspoken rule with Declan that we don’t bring people home to our room, mostly because it’s so small and our beds are far too close for anything to happen in the vicinity of the other.
But I’ve never been in this situation before. So what am I waiting for? It’s not like I can save myself for Declan. And yet I still feel a hint of guilt as I nod to Niall.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
With a smile, he takes my hand in his and tugs me through the crowd toward the door. I keep glancing back toward Declan to be sure he isn’t watching. Why? I don’t know.
“Does your boyfriend know you’re leaving with another man?” A cruel, deep-toned, nasally voice says from in front of Niall. I look up to find Malcolm standing there laughing with his big ugly, pockmarked face.
Malcolm has been a constant source of torment since we started our first year at uni. He’s disgusting, cruel, idiotic, and I suspect a bigot as well. He hates me and Declan.
“Fuck off, Malcolm,” I say as I try to move around him.
“I’m telling,” he teases, although he lets me pass.
When Niall and I reach the cool air outside the pub, I shove my hands into my pockets as we walk side by side. I let him lead the way because, again, there’s no chance I’m going back to my room, and I’m pretty sure he lives alone in a flat downtown. Or so I’ve heard.
I should probably ask where we’re headed, but I feel the need to tread lightly. I don’t want to ruin a good thing.
