BOO

Ice cream

– Alex –

I thought Henrik would get out of me as soon as we got up from the bench, but the very opposite happened. He put his arm around my shoulders and guided me through the crowd in the house's main hall.

Some people greeted him, without an ounce of suspicion that he had spent the last fifteen minutes crying a river. Maybe they thought that the red eyes were part of the vampire's makeup, or they just couldn't see them. Henrik just smiled in response.

Outside the house, in the front yard, I tried taking his arm off my shoulders.

- What's wrong? - He asked, not even budging a bit away from me.

- Your arm's heavy. - It wasn't a lie. But, in fact, I was starting to feel weird with all that proximity.

- Oh, sorry. - And he quickly took his arm off me. - Can I hold your hand?

- No! - I noticed the eyes of a few people near us. Maybe I was too loud. I cleaned my throat and continued: - Why don't we walk normally side by side 'till wherever you wanna go?

Once again Henrik looked at me with that pitiful puppy face.

- But you'll try to run away. - He said that almost crying.

For God's sake, he is so unbearable when he is drunk. In truth, there wasn't a minute that he wasn't a complete pain in the ass tonight.

I felt my head starting to ache. Dealing with Henrik like that was tiring me up and the music was just too loud to allow me to think further in ways to dodge his needy ass.

- Fine, come here. - I extended my hand and he took it, intertwining our fingers together.

I felt a chill run down my arm and my ears burn.

It was funny. I didn't get that embarrassed when I was in the bedroom with Henrik, him on top of me and touching me all over. But there I was: blushing hard because he was holding my hand.

We started walking and when I asked him where we were going he answered that he knew a convenience store near there that was open late at night.

For a few minutes we walked in complete silence. Once in a while I felt his eyes on me, but every time I turned my head to certify it I only saw his head moving to the opposite side.

Bored to death I started watching the flowers blooming on the perfectly cut bushes along the sidewalk. Even in the dark, brightened only by the moonlight and some streetlights, I could see the healthy green in the leaves and the redden tone of the flowers. I was really far from home, this neighborhood doesn't even know it's autumn.

Even if I teased the idea of running away from drunken Henrik, what would I do next? Go back to that chaotic party? Walk home? That was a stupid idea. I couldn't even remember the route Bianca took to get here, nor I knew where she parked the car. I would definitely get lost trying to find it. Also, I didn't have enough money to even get a bus home.

Wait, would there even be any bus running at this hour? Thinking about it, I didn't see any bus stops around.

I heard a soft sob and looked at Henrik, confirming it came from him. Why was he crying again?

I sighed, probably the hundredth one tonight, before asking him the reason for the tears.

- We got along so well, y'know? - No. I didn't know.

- Yeah, of course.

Henrik sniffled and wiped the tears with the back of his free hand. The eye makeup, now all blurred, made him look like a raccoon.

- Why did she do it? Why did she cheat on me? And with a girl! - He complained. - Not that it would be any better if it were with a guy, but... Damn it! - Henrik shook his hands up and down without letting go of my hand, confused and frustrated. He was a mess, honestly. And I was seeing the moment he would dislocate my shoulder.

I remained quiet. Didn't know what to do. I don't personally know Alexis, only knew that she was Bianca's lab partner. Though they seemed way too close to be just lab partners. Even Henrik was almost a complete stranger to me.

We studied together for more than a decade and everything I know about him is what everyone else knows: rich, handsome, seemingly great personality. Well, now I also know that he is a terrible drunk.

- She could have told me. - He said, now calmer. I looked at him confused and he sighed and completed: - She could have told me she liked girls. I would have understood.

- Well, yeah. I guess. - I never know what to say in this kind of situation. - Sorry you went through this.

He mumbled a "thank you" and we, once again, remained in silence for a great amount of minutes. Not in complete silence since Henrik sometimes sniffled. I kept watching the plants around us and started to wonder if that trail of bushes and flowers were infinite.

- We arrived. - Henrik's voice sounded less melancholic now that we were at the little convenience store's entrance. A great contrast with the giant houses in this neighborhood.

A small bell rang as soon as we walked past the door and a middle aged man stood up from behind the counter. He smiled wide when he saw Henrik.

- Henrik, lad!

- Good night, mister Liebermann. - He was smiling. The very same one from when he was talking with the people from the party.

- Coming from a party today? - He laughed while Henrik nodded. - Some youngsters in costumes popped up here earlier tonight, but I liked your zombie one better.

I held back my laughter. He looked awful. At least as awful as he could possibly look. His makeup was all blurred and messy, his blond hair was going in every possible direction. The eyes and nose were red and swollen, his clothes disheveled and stained with fake blood that ran from his mouth to his neck and even managed to get to his hair. He looked like a zombie, yeah, but if you told me that all of this was part of a concept to a photoshoot of some sort I would have believed you without a doubt.

After picking our ice creams, Henrik paid and he took me to a table in front of the store. It was cold and windy. Now it really looks like autumn.