Niles stopped trying to hide his excitement to hang out with Miles. He didn't want to wait to see him, and, after realizing he didn't have any afternoon classes, decided to check out the Hot Topic after lunch.
Niles tried to hide the smile growing on his face as he coyly entered the store, his hands in a nervous twist behind him. He lit up as soon as he saw who he wanted to see behind the counter.
Niles approached the counter and was silently thankful for the empty line. "Heeey," he said, drawing it out.
"Hey, what can I help you with today," Miles replied, smiling slyly.
"I was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out," Niles said.
"Sure," Miles replied. "What do you want to do? My shift ends in, like, 15."
"Whatever you want," Niles replied, smiling. "Maybe we can walk around the mall for a bit?"
"Sounds good."
Niles ambled around the Hot Topic absentmindedly, then increasingly awkwardly. Both boys were acutely aware of each other's presence in the room, and Miles eventually snuck into the back of the store after about ten minutes.
He came back out and awkwardly approached Niles. "My manager's letting me leave early," Miles whispered.
Niles checked his phone. "Two minutes early?"
Miles nodded seriously.
Niles laughed. "Whatever. Let's go!"
The boys left the Hot Topic, Miles sauntering and Niles watching him affectionately while walking at his side. Miles noticed and Niles glanced away, blushing, but still smiling. "Do you know this mall?" Miles asked.
"Not well," Niles replied.
"Then I can get us around. Do you want to go to Ross? It's cheap enough," Miles suggested.
"Sure."
The pair walked through the mall side by side, occasionally nearly bumping into each other. They kept looking at each other and smiling, Niles glancing at the floor and blushing and Miles facing forward to where they were going.
They eventually made it to the store, and Miles smiled at Niles yet again as they made their way into the store. "What are you shopping for?" Niles asked.
"Nothin' much, I'm just looking," Miles replied. The pair made their way to the T-shirt section and Miles began browsing through the shirts while Niles simply watched him happily.
After a minute of browsing, Miles pulled out a neon green T-shirt. 'SATIRE ALERT' read the shirt in bold red.
Niles winced. "...I will literally not be seen out in public with you if you wear that."
Miles laughed as if Niles had made a joke, laying the shirt over his other arm. Niles decided not to push it.
"Were you planning on actually buying stuff?" Niles asked, letting Miles continue to browse.
"If I see cool stuff," he replied. Niles continued to watch as Miles pulled out an oversized gray T-shirt reading 'Beer runs are my cardio' with a 6-pack of cans printed in the middle.
Niles smiled in spite of himself. Miles grinned back and added the shirt to his growing collection. "See? You like my style," he gloated.
"You dress like your mom started letting you dress yourself too early," Niles replied.
Miles looked offended, then laughed. "You look like your mom started letting you dress yourself too late!"
"Shut up!" Niles rebutted. "At least I have a style!"
