Intrepid » n.h. au

Chapter 41

"Niall? Niall. Niall."

I'm not caving in. I won't look up.

"Niall. Niall Niall. Niall Niall Niall. Niall-"

"I won't talk to you, Seth," I mumble, succeeding at not looking up at him, practically sprawled across the dining table from his seat to mine in order to get my attention. Him being 6'5, I'm amazed that I'm still looking at my textbook.

"Is it because of what I said about you-know-who?" He asks, laying his head on his hands that are gripping the edge of the table beside me. I blink several times, not letting his unruly long hair and the fact that he's purposefully getting it in my stuff distract me. "That her chest resembles You-Know-Who's face?"

"Seth." I close my eyes once again, refusing to laugh at that while laughter rumbles from his chest, the way he's lying on a flat, hard surface making him sound like a goddamn demon.

"Seriously though," He turns on his back, and I take that as a chance to drop my head on the table for a second — here I thought he'd leave if I got my books and acted like too big of a nerd. Guess not. "How did she even become a stripper? I mean don't they have to be like..."

Once again refusing to look up, afraid of what gestures he might be making with his hands, I shrug reluctantly. "Push-up bras. Big cups. Dunno. Drop it."

I'm not sure why I'm acting like this, almost like I'm defending her. I'm not telling Seth to drop it because I'm still having a hard time dealing with what I did, I'm actually doing pretty well. But I generally don't like it when he starts talking that way about women. Could be because I'm a sensible human being.

"I'm not saying it as an insult," He continues, and I'm genuinely thinking about flipping the table over and beating him up with a chair. "I'm just curious. I reckon it's because she was really flexible, I mean, even you've seen her do her thing."

"Good theory," I mutter, praying to God he'd get the hint and get the hell out.

"I personally don't find it degrading, you know, being a stripper." He's really clueless, isn't he? "Women taking their clothes off. So what? Men do it all the time, everywhere. It shouldn't be any different. You know what's degrading? Men having to pay women to take their clothes off, because they're incapable of finding a woman that would do that for them for free."

At first I snort, but I just can't hold my laughter back. That's probably the only thing he could've said to get my attention and no matter how weird it sounded coming from Seth, the guy who bet five hundred goddamn dollars on Mitt Romney winning the election and eventually lost the money, I can't help but feel a little proud of the giant.

"You're automatically smarter than most of your generation for just saying that," I say with a smile, but then sigh in annoyance as I hear the door bell ring. "Can you go check who it is? Everyone is either asleep or in class." Or asleep in class.

"Sure," He hops off the table, and I can't help but watch him as he leaves the room. Not because he's finally left, something I've wanted since the moment he walked in, but I can't really wrap my head around how different his opinions on certain things have become, since I first met him. If he continues, I think I could finally teach him that 'gay' is not a synonym for 'stupid' and what things he shouldn't say when he goes out with Kassidy.

"Uh, Niall?" I look over my shoulder, to see him at the door frame, his face blank but his eyes, the way he's looking at me is almost fearful. "It's for you. But I recommend you wear a helmet."

I frown, already getting up, knowing that he's overreacting no matter who it is at the door. "What? What are you talking ab-" But as soon as I walk past him out of the kitchen and into the hallway, I get a feeling that I probably should've waited for him to get me a helmet; at the front door that's wide open, is Harry. Sweet, caring Harry, who would beat the living shit out of anyone who hurt his loved ones. Which means I should dig a fucking hole and hide in it until he leaves.