Chapter 6
"I am so, so sorry about that," Harry apologized for the third time.
Nick laughed. "It's okay, really. I didn't mind."
Harry felt his face flush with embarrassment again, thinking of Molly chattering the entire movie. About mid-way through, Nick had moved to put his arm around the back of Harry's shoulders when Molly had suddenly stretched, preventing him from completing the move. It could have been accidental, but Harry was beginning to suspect something was amiss. Something that started with a Toe and ended with a Moss.
"I had a good time," Nick reassured him.
Harry sighed, feeling a reluctant grin tugging his face. "It was pretty good," he admitted. "So what comes next?"
"Next," Nick said, winding his arm around Harry's waist again, "you decide it's a beautiful night and go for a walk."
Surprisingly, Harry found himself enjoying the touch. Feeling a bit high from the combination of good conversation, good food, and a date that so far had not gone entirely disastrous, aside from the intervention by, he was sure, well-meaning but inevitably bothersome friends, he leaned a little bit closer to Nick's side. He cleared his throat, widened his eyes and glanced around ostentatiously. "My, but what a beautiful night it is."
"I'm glad you think so," Nick smiled. "Maybe we should go for a walk."
"I would like that."
Chicago nights always seemed to be either swelteringly hot or chillingly cold, but the Fates had conspired to end Harry's evening on a high note. Fall had settled in two weeks ago, comfortable within the confines of the high-rise towers and historical buildings, and made itself at home. The breeze was just cool enough for Harry to welcome the additional heat from Nick's hand on his hip and the warmth at his side.
"Autumn's my favorite time of year," Nick suddenly broke the quiet. Harry looked up at him inquisitively and Nick gave a sheepish smile. "I love the colors, the weather, everything about it. Halloween was always my favorite holiday as a kid. I liked it better than Christmas."
"Yeah. So did I," Harry said. "Then again, it was also my birthday."
"Really?" Nick grinned at him. "So I guess you got spoiled rotten, huh."
"Oh yeah." Harry smiled fondly at the memory of his dad bringing home an entire bag of mixed candy. They would stay up, trading each other for their favorites and eating enough to make them sick the rest of the night. "My dad and I spoiled ourselves for dinner. He always made sure to bring home some caramel apples, too. Never knew where he found them every year, but without fail, he would have some no matter where we were."
"That sounds nice."
"It was," Harry nodded.
A sudden coughing broke his memories and he looked up to see a shock of black hair curling wildly above a newspaper. Suspicion lowered over him again.
"Excuse me," he said, extracting himself from Nick. He stormed over to the bench and used one finger to pull the newspaper slowly down, revealing the nervous face of one Waldo Butters.
"Butters," said Harry evenly. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Oh," Butters said weakly. "Hi, Harry. I didn't expect to find you here."
"Really? What were you doing out here, then?"
"Um, reading the paper," Butters held up his cover with trembling hands. Harry glanced around at the deserted park, noting the lack of light except from the dim guides placed along the path. Like parking garages, the lights in parks were strategically designed to shine just enough to create a creepy atmosphere while doing absolutely nothing for real visibility.
"In the middle of the night, in the park."
"It's just such a lovely—"
"Butters," Harry interrupted sharply. "I want you to call Thomas and tell him that if he doesn't call his merry band of spies off, I'm going to set him up on a blind date just as soon as I can find a man weighing over 300 pounds named Butch. Got it?"
Butters gulped. "Got it."
Without bothering to say goodbye, Harry walked back to where Nick was watching with a bemused expression on his face. "Now, where were we?"