Inevitable

The Beginning

Once again I had read too much into a situation. Henry wasn't interested in me. He felt bad for me earlier because I was alone in an alleyway crying. He carried in a guitar case and headed straight for the bedrooms. Thankfully none of the girls followed him. Everyone else either plopped down on the rest of the living room furniture or went over to the big table to set up beer pong. I turned to Jane and asked if she wanted to leave. She smiled shyly at me and said, "Do you mind if we stay a little while longer? Bill just asked me to be his beer pong partner." I couldn't say no to her. Jane never really went out with any guys so I was really happy that she was enjoying Bill's company.
    I grabbed my water bottle and decided to head out to the balcony that was off of the living room. The small apartment was starting to feel overcrowded. There were already two girls out there smoking. They politely said hello to me but then went back to their whispered conversation. I walked over to railing and looked out at the parking lot. It had gotten much cooler since we left the frat so I pulled Henry's jacket back on. It still smelled like him. I heard the sliding glass door behind me open and I figured the two girls went back inside.

"I'm never getting my jacket back, am I?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Henry's voice. I turned around and he was laughing at me.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I figured you heard me come out."

He came over and stood next to me at the railing. I noticed the two girls were no longer out here. When did that happen?
I started to take his jacket off to give it back to him.

"I thought you were someone else."

He put his hand on my arm to stop me and his touch made me shiver.

"I was just kidding. You keep it on. You're cold again. Plus, it looks cute on you."

I had to turn my face away from him so he wouldn't see me blush.

"So what is with you and being outside by yourself?" he asked me. I thought for a second how to respond.

"Sometimes I just need to take a break from crowded places. All the people and the noise can be overwhelming. I know it's weird but it's just how I've always been."

He looked at me with a straight face and said, "Its not weird at all. I'm the same way. I know that seems unlikely because I get up on stage and perform but it's different when I'm playing. I can handle it better when I'm playing music."

"That makes sense. It's like a distraction. I wish I had something like that. I sometimes feel like it takes all my energy just to be social. I don't think I've ever told anyone that." How did this conversation get so serious so fast?

"So how did you end up being friends with someone like Jess?"

"Well I guess it's the whole opposites attract thing. We balance each other out. What is the deal with you two? Why don't you get along?"

He smirked and said it was a story for another time. We were both quiet for a few minutes and I sensed he was grateful for the silence. I couldn't help but feel elated that he was out here with me instead of inside with everyone else. He turned around and leaned his back against the railing crossing his arms in front of him. I wanted to touch him but I stopped myself. I've never been able to make the first move with a guy.
When he spoke again, his voice was lower and softer.

"Do you want to talk about what made you upset earlier? I know you said it was allergies but it seemed like something else."

I turned away from him. I didn't want to be reminded of what happened with Liam.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just thought I could listen and maybe it would help."

I was touched that he wanted to make me feel better. I didn't really expect him to be such a nice guy after our initial meeting this afternoon.

"Well it has to do with the friend I said had invited us to the party. The frat guy. There was.....a misunderstanding and I just felt like an idiot."

My voice caught in my throat as tears threatened to spill over again. Before I knew it, Henry had pulled me into his arms and I buried my face in his shirt. His body was solid and warm. I didn't want him to let go. I could have stood there forever with him holding me. After a few minutes, it started to feel like more than an innocent hug. One of his hands was rubbing my lower back and he rested his chin on the top of my head. I leaned into him and I could hear his heartbeat.
It felt intimate the way we were holding each other. I lifted my head away from his chest to look up at his face. He was looking down at me with a hungry look in his eyes. He brought his hand up to my cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. He leaned in towards me and I closed my eyes. He wrapped one hand behind my head and brought his mouth down to mine. It started out as a soft kiss but became more urgent as we both lost ourselves. He parted his lips and I responded by opening mine. I felt his tongue circle mine. The hand on my lower back had found its way under my shirt and was now on bare skin. I was coming undone in his arms. I think we both forgot where we were.
I had never kissed anyone like that. It felt like every nerve in my body was humming. All of a sudden there was a loud knock at the sliding glass door. We both jumped and pulled away from each other. I turned to see who had interrupted us. There was a very angry Jess staring back at me.