Inevitable

Chapter 57

It was both scary and exhilarating to hear Henry say I was it for him. We were so young but what we had doesn't come along everyday. I can't imagine ever loving anyone as much as I loved him.

"I love you Henry."

He leaned in and gave me a quick soft kiss. Even though we were at a party with a bunch of people, we were both oblivious to everything going on around us. I laid my head on Henry's shoulder and he pulled me even closer to him. I just sat and listened to the conversation going on around me. Henry and his bandmates discussed the show they played earlier and it sounded like everyone was happy with the crowd's reaction. Eventually, Jess joined our group. She was smirking at me and I just rolled my eyes. She was never going to let me hear the end of this.
I started to feel my eyelids get heavy. It had been a very long day that started at 7am. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Henry was carrying me upstairs. He took me into the room we were in earlier and laid me down on the bed. Since I was sort of awake, I sat up to take my dress off.

"Can I wear your shirt to bed?"

He smiled at me and pulled his shirt over his head. He dropped it on the bed next to me and helped me out of my dress. I pulled on his shirt and I was overwhelmed by his scent. I had missed this so much. If I was being honest, I hadn't been sleeping well since we broke up. He made me feel safe and loved and it was hard to lose that.
Henry took his jeans off and slid into bed next to me. I laid down with my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around my back. I was so happy to be here with him again.

"Henry, I'm sorry I gave up on us."

"You don't need to apologize. We both fucked up. Me more than you. I can't really blame you for dumping my ass. I deserved it."

"It was a mistake. Now that I know what it's like to live without you, I never want to do it again."

"I know baby. Me neither. It'll be different this time."

He started stroking my back and I started to fall back asleep.

"Sweet dreams Em."

When I woke the next morning, for a second I had no idea where I was. And then I remembered and I was flooded with so many emotions. I was on my side with Henry behind me with his arm wrapped around my stomach. I never wanted to be apart from him again. I nestled closer to him. He made a soft humming noise in his sleep. I didn't want to wake him so I tried to stay still. I still couldn't believe that last night happened. I remember thinking before how we were inevitable and it was still true. It seemed like no matter what happened, we always came back to each other. It was just a fact that we couldn't live without each other.
    Last night, Henry said that he would do whatever it takes to make this work. We just needed to get through the next six weeks. It wasn't that long. I could visit him and he could come stay with me when he didn't have a show. I had time off coming up so we could maybe plan something. It hit me at that moment that he was leaving soon. We only had a few more hours together. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.
     I needed to go to the bathroom so I very carefully slipped out of his arms and tip toed out of the room. I grabbed my phone on the way out. The house was completely quiet. I wondered what time everyone finally went to bed. My phone said it was 11am. I went to the bathroom and decided to head downstairs in search of food. I was starving. In the kitchen, there was a pile of pizza boxes on the kitchen island. I guess they ordered after I fell asleep. I opened the fridge and I was happy to see that someone had put the leftovers away instead of leaving them out all night. I grabbed a slice of cheese and opened the sliding door to sit outside. The sky was overcast and it smelled like a thunderstorm was coming. The patio was littered with empty beer bottles and paper plates. I grabbed a trash can and started cleaning up. The door opened and Henry walked out in just his jeans. I still had his shirt on.

"Em, you do realize you aren't wearing any pants, right?"

"I know but no one else is up. And this mess was bothering me."

He took my pizza and took a big bite.

"Hey!"

"I didn't get to have any last night because you fell asleep on my lap. I'm starving."

"So am I. I didn't really eat dinner last night. I was too nervous."

He came over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned down for a kiss.

"I was nervous too. I was afraid you were maybe seeing someone else. Maybe even Liam."

"No, I haven't really spoken to him this summer. To be honest, I haven't really spoken to anyone. I guess I was avoiding anyone or anything that reminded me of you."

"That's all over now."

The sliding door opened again and Jess walked out.

"Jesus Em put some clothes on."

"Okay okay, I'll go put some pants on. No one was up!"

I went back inside and ran up the steps to Jess's bedroom where I had left my overnight bag. Rachel was asleep on an air mattress and Erica was asleep in Jess' bed. I wondered how many people slept here last night. I guess Henry and I were lucky to have a room to ourselves.
     I quietly grabbed my bag and went back down to the room I slept in. Henry was waiting for me. I barely came through the doorway before he grabbed me and kissed me. He shut and locked the door behind me. So much for getting dressed.