Butterflies (boyxboy)

Chapter 25: Car journey

"He has been the only guy I've liked who I thought might just like me back." 

☆

"Oh hey Honey...Dale." Blake says with surprise, when he sees the guy standing at his apartment door, about to knock on it. 

"Hey Blake. I'm here to see Henry. I owe him an apology."  Dale replies, scratching himself, just behind his ear. 

"You owe him an apology?" Blake says, the words coming out a little surprised, as he fishes his key from his pocket. 

"Yeah. I ruined his party." He says a little sheepishly.

"Oh." Is all Blake says. He didn't quite know what Dale was talking about, nor did he think Dale knew all the facts, but it wasn't his place to divulge. "Well, he should be home." Blake adds as he pushes open his door and gestures for the visitor to enter first, with Blake following after.

"Dale!" Henry says almost in shock as he nearly drops his fresh cup of coffee on the floor. 

"Hey." Dale replies, again with the same sheepish expression he had displayed to Blake outside. 

"Uh, coffee?" Henry offers, putting his mug down on the kitchen table and heading back to the coffee pot. 

"Sure, thanks." Dale replies.

"I'll have one too if you're offering." Blake adds. 

"Yeah." Henry says as a bit of an afterthought. Just seeing Dale so soon after his scandalous night was enough to send his brain haywire. 

Dale gets himself comfortable on the couch as Henry makes two additional coffees. He hands one to Blake, who is still standing by the kitchen table, watching on like a spectator as Henry grabs his own drink on the way to the couch. 

"Thanks." Dale responds as he takes the drink from Henry's  hand. He takes a sip before speaking. "Look I just wanna say sorry about last night. I swear I didn't know how that chocolate peanut got in the jelly beans and I'm meant to keep my EpiPen with me at all times." 

"It's fine." Henry responds, almost immediately. 

"No it's not. I feel like I made you and Alfie leave the party to take me to the hospital. It was your party and you weren't even there for it." 

"Honestly, it's fine!" Henry repeats, the guilty feeling in him rising. It felt like Henry had cheated with his feelings, even though he and Dale were just friends. 

"Well...I'm sorry all the same." Dale repeats. Patting a friendly hand on Henry's arm. 

Henry cannot take it. He cannot take the good will intentions from Dale. "I slept with Alfie!"  Henry covers his own mouth at outbursts of tourette's which couldn't help leave his mouth. 

"What?" Dale responds, a light laugh leaving his lips at the sudden outburst. Even Blake's eyes widen at the sudden divulgence of information. 

"I'm sorry....I didn't mean to!" Henry feels like his face may burst a blood vessel at the news. 

Dale is confused at the apology. "Henry, you don't need to apologise. You can sleep with who you like."

"But..." Henry begins to mess with the strings of his oversized hoodie. "I...I like you Dale...I like you!" He can't bring himself to look up at the guy. Rather wanting his hoodie to swallow him whole instead. It could just happen if he pulls the strings hard enough!

He hears the faint sigh come from his friend. "Henry...you know I'm not gay right?" Dale nudges the side of Henry's arm lightly. "But it's good to know I've still got it." He continues to nudge Henry's arm, making him wobble in place until Henry cannot help but smile and finally look up. Dale catches his gaze. "I knew you fancied me." He says under a smile. "You weren't exactly subtle you know." 

"Ok ok enough now. Are you actually trying to kill me?" Henry says through an embarrassed grin. 

"But Alfie... Seriously? I'm gonna have fun with this!" Dale says with a cheeky smirk. "Was he worth it?"...

..."Hey, are you ok?" Alfie glances over to the passenger side of his car at a fractious and slightly drunk Henry, who was nervously biting on his thumb nail as if deep in thought. 

He removes his thumb from his mouth, making a slight pop, before trying to force a smile at the driver with whom he hadn't even met an hour previous. "I'm just feeling a little guilty I guess. I should have checked what I was doing, what was going in that bowl." 

"Hey, it's just one of those things." Alfie tries to reassure. "Dale said himself he would be fine. It's his own damn fault for not having his bloody pen with him. I tell him.  I do!  But will he listen? No, of course not. He should know better. He works with nuts!" Alfie adds, trying how best to make the guy feel better. 

"I guess. But still...I feel shit about it." Henry sighs, now turning his gaze to the window. The street lights whizz past as they head back to the party. 

The car goes quiet again, with Alfie again glancing over at the nervous guy with far too much on his mind. "I...I hope you don't mind me saying but...I couldn't help notice how you were looking at Dale....at the party." 

This causes Henry to freeze a little in place and he turns to look straight ahead out of the car's front window. "That obvious huh?"  Henry says a little nervously, his light laugh trying to mask his inner panic.

"Apparently I have an eye for these things." Alfie says, smiling back. "But I've known Dale for a while. I don't want to presume, but I'm pretty sure the guy is straight."

"Story of my life!" Henry responds with an eye roll.

"I hear you." Alfie says, joining in with the injustice of having feelings that just couldn't be reciprocated most of the time. 

"You're gay?" Henry looks across to Alfie a little surprised, but not at the same time. Maybe his tunnel vision for Dale had blindsighted him to everyone else around him. 

"100% homosexual baby!" Alfie says. The pride in his voice radiating in volumes. 

This causes Henry to giggle at the reaction. "Well it's nice to meet you. Believe it or not, I don't really know many fellow gays...apart from Blake that is, but he's more bi." 

Alfie frowns at the comment. "Henry, where have you been? This is London! I seriously need to take you on a night out." 

Henry looks down on himself a little sheepishly. "I don't know, I just work, then go home. I only met Dale by chance when I went into his... well your sweet shop." He slumps a little further into his seat. "He has been the only guy I've liked who I thought might just like me back." 

Alfie again looks across to see Henry once again feeling sorry for himself. He pulls over to the roadside by the industrial estate, momentarily turning off the engine. He faces Henry, who still in his pitiful state, doesn't seem to notice the engine quieten down. "Hey, look at me." Alfie says, turning to face his woeful passenger, trying to catch his gaze. He places a hand on Henry's shoulder. Finally getting his attention. "I'm sure Dale would most definitely sweep you off your feet if he liked men that way...I mean, you're pretty fit Henry."

Henry now looks up at Alfie, who was slightly leaning across towards him. He takes in the cute creases forming around Alfie's eyes as he conveys a smile. The guy's maturity and possible wisdom projecting an allure which Henry didn't realise he felt an appeal for until that moment...