Things We Don't Normally Do

THIRTY NINE

Alex couldn't help but feel nervous about going out with Harry that night. She felt silly for feeling as anxious, nervous and restless as she did about the dinner. It wasn't their first time out together. And they've already been consistently inseparable whenever they were in the same country. Hell, she was already staying with him at his flat. She knew dinner should not be a big deal.

But there she was anyway, try as hard as she could to hide the fact that she was feeling all sorts of ways about the upcoming date. And perhaps that's what it was, they had labelled it a date—their first one since mutually admitting that they loved each other. As if it was ever necessary to admit it for either of them to know for sure. Everyone around them could tell they were both smitten.

Alex was in the kitchen listening to Cal ramble on as he cooked himself breakfast at half past noon. Meanwhile Harry and Ethan were in the living room watching sports highlights, having a mid-day beer. Not that Alex was one to judge as she drank her third ranch water of the day.

"So you and Bog last night, aye?" Cal gave her a knowing look.

Alex could feel heat rising to her face and was thankful that her tan skin didn't give away her embarrassment with a blush. She felt like she'd been caught out, but not for the same thing that Cal was trying to insinuate.

"What about us?" Alex steadied her voice, hoping not to give herself away.

"I know you're a lady, but these walls are thin, lass." Cal grinned, "You lot didn't even care to come out when we got in. There was an entire party while you two got it on."

Alex laughed easily, mostly because she was confident Cal didn't actually overhear anything to support what he thought was happening behind closed doors. There was nothing to overhear. Her and Harry still haven't sealed the deal. So she was relieved to know Cal wasn't even close to how her and Harry's night went the night before—which Cal probably would've found boring anyway, at least compared to what he had been imagining.

"I have no idea what you're on about." she shrugged.

"Alright, alright." Cal said with his hands up, continuing to give her a knowing look, "I'll stop prying."

Alex just rolled her eyes at Cal, knowing he was just trying to fish for more information.

In the living room, a very similar conversation had also unfolded between Ethan and Harry. Except Ethan had gone for more direct approach.

"How's it progressing with you and Alex then?" Ethan asked during an ad break.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, Ethan's directness seemingly still not direct enough for him.

"I don't know, mate." Ethan gave him a look as if to urge the younger boy to just spit it out and give him some details, "Have you sealed the deal? Have things progressed? Are you two together now?"

Before Harry could consider a response, Alex walked into the living room. Cal closely followed with two plates, one for himself and the other for Ethan.

"You guys are nosy!" Alex commented. Earlier she told Harry how she couldn't imagine him and his friends just talking about his personal life, but now it's becoming clear just how much of a tight knit group they were—as if that wasn't clear enough before.

She realized that she was being very unprogressive because the main reason she couldn't imagine the boys talking about her and Harry was just that—they were boys. It was behaviour she would've expected from her girlfriends but not boys.

"Allow it! I'm not nosy!" Ethan protested, "Just a supportive friend, curious how his friend is doing."

"Is that right?" Was Alex's response, not buying Ethan's defence.