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𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
"would it be weird if i went by john instead?" nigel asked cindy one afternoon, as they sat on his bed with roxy music softly playing from his turntable.
"why? nigel is fine," cindy questioned, putting the record she was carefully studying back into its sleeve, "it's not because nick changed his, is it?"
"well, nick changing his made me realise being a nigel isn't as cool as i thought" he huffed.
"i'll call you john if you'd like, i like john" cindy smiled, sitting up to adjust the position she was sitting in, nigel's was was oddly comfortable and she could feel herself slipping further and further into his duvet and pillows.
"mum won't call me john, she says it's too hard to remember 'john is lovely, of course, but you're still little nigel'" he mocked, cindy laughed at his childish impression.
"couldn't you make up a name, like a really out there one?" she asked, stretching my legs out on his bed.
"well, it would be a bit weird, you know? not fit our image" he said, shuffling so his head was laying on her outstretched legs., albeit the jeans she was wearing were a bit rough on his skin.
"ah yes, your image, how could i forget" cindy joked, poking his cheek which caused him to let out an whiny groan.
"what's the time?" she laughed, her soft fingers running gently across the bridge of his nose up to his eyebrows.
"who knows" he grumbled, not willing to lift his head up and check. the clock, which cindy was sure he must've picked out when he was eleven, was perched on his bedside table but she couldn't quite see the numbers '2, 3, 4 or 5'.
"could you check? it's getting dark" she asked him sweetly, it must've worked because with a huff and sarcastic smile sent her way nigel glanced up at the clock.
"it's quarter past six, cin" he said, sitting up to move the clock into her eyeline.
cindy sighed, she didn't want to leave, but the rule was if she was walking then she had to be back before dark.
"walk me home nigel?" cindy asked, causing nigel to raise an eyebrow at her, "sorry, walk me home john?"
"with pleasure," he smiled, picking up a jumper that was laying on the end of his bed, "pull the window too, please, cindy"
"and lock it?" she asked, pulling it too after nigel shook his head at her.
the pair made their way downstairs. as nigel was an only child, the house was relatively quite but you could still make out the faint murmur of the tele in the sitting room.
"bye! thank you for having me" cindy shouted in hopes that one of his parents would hear. nigel was eager to avoid any questions by his mother so tugged cindy's hand to uhser her on.
"tie them up outside!" he whispered at her as she began to slip on her her shoes, "otherwise you won't get home for another hour!"
"wait, i need my jacket" she said, trying to find her coat that had been lost among the others hung on the banister.
"hurry up cin" he said, "otherwise you'll get an earful from mum"
cindy giggled quietly, giving up in the search for her coat. she looked at nigel with a sorry smile.
"just wear this one," he said tossing one of his jackets at cindy with a laugh, "come on then"
the pair heard some shuffling and what sounded like tea cups being picked up coming from the sitting room. nigel opened the front door as quickly as he could, pulling cindy with him.
"thanks for having me!" cindy shouted down the hallway before shutting the front door.
"can i do my shoes up now, john?" she teased, crouching down to tie her laces.
nigel perched on the short brick wall that ran along his front garden as he watched cindy tie up her shoes.
"sorry, cold hands" she said, jumping up. cindy fixed the jacket that nigel had given the sleeve of her jumper wasn't rolled up inside it.
"let's go then, cin" nigel smiled, taking her hand in his.
cindy loved holding hands, it was a way of saying 'i love you' without saying it. she lifted their intertwined hands up to their lips and placed a sweet kiss on the back of nigel's hand.
"soppy" nigel joked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"you love it, you're a sap" she teased back, using her free hand to brush some stray hair from his eyes.
