18

11

"So, hurry to tell us before Louis arrives. What happened?" Niall asked on Monday.

"I tripped over a big stone." Harry answered and took a sip from his coffee mug.

"Not that! Between you and Louis!" Niall said.

Harry looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on the conversation.
"Hush it. Nothing happened."

Niall looked disappointed.
"Nothing?"

"Of course not. What did you expect?" Harry said, sounding amused?

"Don't ask him that!" Liam laughed.

"When are you gonna ask him out?" Niall whined.

Harry seemed taken back by that.
"I'm not asking him out. We're work colleagues and sort of friends. What if he says no. That would make things awkward. He probably would say no. Why would he want to date me? Just drop it, Niall."

Niall gave him a calculating look but he didn't push it and then Louis arrived and that was definitely the end of that discussion. But Niall didn't leave it there. When he found himself alone with Louis later that day he asked him the same thing.
"When are you gonna ask Harry out on a date?"

"Ehm, I don't know. Never? We're just friends." Louis answered, sounding unsure.

Niall let out a huff as soon as Louis was out of sight. Those two morons wouldn't get their act together before it was too late. He needed to do something. A smile spread over his face when he came up with a plan. A genius one if he may say so himself.

The next day he cornered Harry in the morning.
"Harry, would you like to go out to dinner with me on Saturday?"

"Sure. Where?" Harry asked.

"I always wanted to try Rossington Hall." Niall answered.

Harry wrinkled his eyebrows and let out something between a snort and a peal of laughter.
"Fancy, and quite romantic. Are you asking me out on a date Nialler?" Be joked.

Niall laughed.
"Of course not, still straight. Can't two friends go to a fancy restaurant together?"

"Absolutely. Okay, Saturday at eight? Do you want to go together? I can pick you up." Harry offered.

"Just meet me there. I have some things to do before." Niall answered, looking innocent.

Harry wondered what he was up to but he shrugged it off. Later that day Niall managed to be alone with Louis as well.
"Do you have plans on Saturday?" He started, trying to ease into it.

"Not really." Louis answered.

"Wanna go out to dinner with me? Rossington hall." Niall asked excitedly.

"I knew you had a crush on me." Louis smirked.

"Ha ha very funny. Why does everyone thinks I'm gay all of a sudden?" Niall muttered.

"Everyone?" Louis questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Never mind. So?" Niall asked.

"Sure, I would love to go out to dinner with you." Louis smiled.

"Great! Eight o'clock. Meet me there and dress nicely." Niall grinned and ran off.

Louis watched him leave with an amused look on his face. What was Niall up to?

He hadn't really thought this through. Niall had to spend the rest of the week making sure that neither Louis nor Harry talked about the dinner on Saturday. He even tipped a cup of hot coffee over himself at lunch on Thursday just to get Harry to think about something else when he started to talk about their dinner plans. He might have gotten a second-degree burn from it but it was worth it. Somehow he managed to keep them from spilling the beans and realizing his plan.

He had booked a table for two and made some preparations. If only he could be at the restaurant as well to see how things progressed but they deserved their privacy. Maybe he could hack into the security cameras later? But then he needed to learn how to hack them first. He googled it but he didn't understand much of it. Too bad.

They were all busy at work. Harry worked hard on the musical and teaches his regular classes as well.
Louis held his gym classes and coached the football team. Zayn was planning a vernissage for his students and Niall and Liam taught their classes as well, getting ready for midterms. They saw each other in the mornings and during lunch and the other teachers glared at them once in a while when they were laughing too loudly.

When Saturday finally arrived Niall was excited. He went to the restaurant early to talk to the manager and they came to an agreement. He went home and watched some golf, constantly glancing at the time, and when it was time he got up and started to pace back and forth in his apartment.

Harry arrived ten minutes early and waited for Niall outside the restaurant so they could walk inside together. His mouth fell open when no other and Louis crossed the street, heading in his direction. What was going on?
"Harry?" Louis said, sounding surprised.

"Hi, Lou. What are you doing here?" Harry asked?

"Niall invited me to dinner." Louis replied.

"Funny thing, he invited me as well." Harry said.

"That's great, so, where is he?" Louis asked and looked around.

"I haven't seen him. Maybe he's inside already." Harry suggested.

"After you." Louis smiled and they both entered the restaurant.

A waiter came to greet them.
"Our friend has made a reservation. Horan. Is he here?" Harry asked.

The waiter smiled.
"This way."

They followed him to a table. Louis looked at it and burst out laughing.
"A table for two? Where the hell is Niall?"

"Here's a note." Harry said and sat down.

Louis took a seat as well.
"I'll give you a minute." Their waiter said and walked away.

Harry unfolded the note and started to read out loud.

When both of you are stubborn idiots and refuses to ask each other out I decided to take matter into my own hands. I won't make it tonight. Please stay. Eat, laugh, and have a wonderful first date. You can kill me later. Dinner's on me! Enjoy! /Niall

"I can't believe he did this!" Harry gasped and turned crimson red.

Louis laughed again.
"I'm not even surprised. It's Niall!"

"True. Ehm, so what now?" Harry asked shyly.

"I say we enjoy our first date, if you want to. I thought about asking you out to be honest but I wasn't sure you would say yes so I chickened out." Louis confessed.

"I would have said yes." Harry answered.

Louis gave him a bright smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. Wanna stay and eat dinner with me then?"

"Absolutely!" Harry smiled.