My Henry

Untitled Part 9

When Henry wakes  his is alone, he reaches across to Alex's side of the bed, the sheets still holds traces of warmth under his palm. The pillow still carries the indentation of his head and the warm and woody traces of his cologne, and something else distinctly Alex, like the earth before the rains, almost electric. Henry rolls over an inhales the scent deeply.

"Alex?"Henry scans the room sleepily, his shirt still lays discarded crumpled on the carpet but Alex's clothes are gone. Henry listens closely to the sound of the brownstone, silence except the soft snoring from David, curled at Henry's feet.

Henry slides his legs from the bed and into soft grey sweats and a knitted vest over his sex warmed skin."Alex?" he calls from the bedroom door, no answer. Henry had envisioned finding Alex in the kitchen, coffee pot and kettle on, standing in the shaft of light thrown from the window, warm and disheveled but when he arrive there, the kitchen is cold and empty.

"Alex??" Henry's voice pitches an octave too high, he checks his phone, nothing, dials Alex's number but there is no answer.

Henry looks around the room, Alex's coat is missing from the hook in the foyer, his wallet and keys gone from the coffee table where he threw them last night to stop them digging into is hips.

A call startles the phone from his hand and he almost drops it on the hardwood floors.

Bea.

"Sooooo how did it go?" she asks.

"I thought it went well, but umm I woke up and he is gone"

"What?! Ok tell me everything" she says.

"Well, dinner was amazing, we talked and laughed and even slow danced, and you know... he stayed the night."

"Oooh, details please!"

Henry laughs low "Beatrice!"

"Oh come on H, you know I am living vicariously through you"

"The sex Bea, it was it was extraordinary, I've never.. we've never... it was unlike anything I've ever had, I lost the  feeling in my legs for Christ sake", he laughs, "but I woke up and he's gone. No note no call -just gone"

"You had the talk right, the I want you back can we try again talk.. right?"

Henry's stomach turns, " Yes I thought we were on the same page."

"and he was good with the whole running away, acting like a prat and shagging my ex thing?"

" Yes? ...I mean I think so, shit Bea what if I was wrong? What if last night was the swan song not a new start? He didn't answer his phone..."

"It's ok, stop catastrophizing" Bea admonishes.

There is a sudden banging coming from the foyer like someone kicking the door,"Bea, I'll call you back" Henry says and pulls open the door.

There Alex stands, a tray of drinks in one hand and a large paper bag in the other and the relief knocks the wind out of him.

"Morning, sorry I forgot I don't have a key..." he starts and Henry grabs him by the nape of his neck and pulls him in kissing him passionately.

"I take it you're hungry? If I knew that danishes could illicit that kind of response I would have gotten them more often" Alex laughs.

"Sorry, let me take that," Henry says taking the large paper bag and moves towards the kitchen.

"Not that I'm complaining, but do you want to explain that? Alex asks lift one enquiring brow.

"I thought you'd left," Henry admits sheepishly.