Foul Play 🩷

Thirteen

November 2022

Henry stood nervously on the front stoop, his heart pounding as he waited for Millicent's father to answer the door. The last few days had been a torturous blur since he last saw Millicent. She had been avoiding him, sitting apart from him in class, and ignoring his calls. The absence of her presence in his life was driving him to the brink of insanity. The need to see her, to talk to her, was overwhelming.

He shifted his weight from one foot to another, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the side of his leg. He rehearsed what he would say in his mind, trying to come up with a way to make her understand him. Every moment without her felt like an eternity, and he was determined to set things right.

The door creaked open, and Millicent's father stood before him, an inquisitive look on his face as he pulled on a coat. "Henry? What are you doing here?"

Henry cleared his throat, his nervousness evident. "Uh, is Millicent home? I need to talk to her."

Millicent's father raised an eyebrow, his gaze assessing Henry for a moment. Millicent's father studied him for another moment before nodding slowly. "Alright, come in." He stepped aside, allowing Henry to enter.

As Henry walked into the house, he couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that gripped him. He knew he had hurt Millicent, but he was determined to make things right, to prove that he was sincere in his intentions.

"She's upstairs in her room. Last door on the left. I was just leaving. Behave yourself, yeah?"

"Thank you." Henry's gratitude and anxiety mingled as he softly voiced his appreciation. He moved towards her room, each step echoing the rhythm of his pounding heart. Standing before her door, his hand hovered over the doorknob, a silent plea for courage passing through him. He inhaled deeply, collecting his resolve, and then knocked gently.

"Millicent?" he called, his voice cautious.

The door swung open abruptly, revealing an irritated Millicent. Emotions swirled in her eyes as they locked onto his. "What the fuck are you doing here, Henry? Get out of my house!"

"Your father let me in..." he began, knowing he couldn't retreat, not without attempting to mend things. "Millicent, please. Can we talk? I need you to listen."

She pushed the door open further, blocking his path, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "You told everyone that I'm the Dean's daughter. As if it wasn't already hard enough for me to make friends as an American."

Henry sighed, shaking his head, trying to bridge the gap between them only to find her stepping back. "Please, Milly. I swear I didn't! Why would I wait this long to reveal something like that?"

"You're the only one who knew! And you're upset because I chose not to have sex with you!"

"That's not fair! I never pressured you into anything! You initiated it!" Frustration colored his words. "And Ben knew as well. Or have you forgotten? I've been cautioning you about him. He's not what he seems!"

"Oh my god, Henry!" She pressed her hand to her forehead, exasperation evident. "I can't keep having this conversation with you! Ben has treated me well! He's been kind, and he's never hurt me. Unlike you!"

"Fucking hell!" Henry stepped further into the room as she turned away. "When will you let that go? What must I do to get you to forgive me?"

"There's nothing you can do," she replied, her voice a fragile whisper as she faced him once more, her eyes moist with tears, and Henry let out a heavy sigh of resignation.

Henry stood there, his chest heaving as he faced Millicent's anger, feeling the weight of his mistakes and her disappointment crushing him. He watched as she turned away, her frustration palpable. "Please," he begged softly, his voice a mere whisper, his emotions laid bare. He took a hesitant step toward her, his hand reaching out as if to bridge the distance between them.

She turned back to him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her expression a mixture of sadness and vulnerability. He could see the internal struggle within her as he spoke. "I know you feel something with me that you don't with him."

Millicent's breath caught in her throat at his words. Her heart pounded in her chest as the intensity of his gaze bore into her. She tried to maintain her anger, to hold onto the reasons she had distanced herself from him, but his presence, his earnestness, chipped away at her resolve.

"Maybe I did at one point. But not anymore." Her voice wavered, betraying her inner turmoil.

He took a cautious step closer, his gaze unwavering as he ignored her blatant lie. "I messed up, I know. But what I feel for you... it's not something I can just walk away from."

Millicent's eyes searched his, looking for any sign of deception. What she found instead was a vulnerability that matched her own. She remembered the moments they had shared, the connection they had formed, and the undeniable chemistry that had pulled them together.

"I'm sorry, but I can't ever trust you. Get out, Henry," she finally whispered, fighting the tears that threatened to fall as he took another step toward her.

He reached out to her, wanting to wipe away the tears and brush away the pain he caused, but she held firm, pushing him away. With reluctance, he turned away, breaking the physical contact between them. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he closed the door behind him, regret filling his every pore.