Inevitable

Mixed Signals

Did that conversation really just happen? This was turning into the strangest night. I put on Henry's jacket and could still feel his warmth on it. It smelled like a combination of fabric softener, soap, and another scent that I assumed was all Henry. It was hypnotizing. Snapping me back to reality, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw I had a text from Jess and a text from Liam. I was also surprised to see that it was after midnight already. Both texts were asking me where I was. I texted Jess back that I was outside but I would meet her back inside. I decided to ignore Liam's. I wanted to forget about what happened with him for the rest of the night.
I headed back into the house and made a quick stop at the bathroom to make sure my makeup was okay. By some miracle, it hadn't smeared. At least I didn't look like a hot mess when I talked to Henry. I found Jess, Nick, and Jane still in the same spot they were in when I left. Henry was back up on stage singing Bon Jovi. I realized I still had on his jacket so I took it off and tied it around my waist. Jess gave me a funny look. She was probably wondering where it came from. So much had happened since I had left to get a drink with Liam. I would have to explain everything to her later.
I was having trouble trying not to stare at Henry. I kept replaying our conversation over and over in my head. I hate how I always over analyzed everything. He was probably just being polite to me because his roommate was going out with my best friend. I was obsessing over a short conversation that probably meant nothing. After a few more songs, Jess shouted in my ear that they were ready to go. I followed her out of the living room, through the hallway, and back out to the alleyway.
"It feels so good out here. It's like a million degrees in there!" said Jess. She turned to me with a smirk on her face and asked me where the jacket came from. I swear she could smell drama from a mile away. I shrugged my shoulders and responded "Um it's sort of Henry's. It's a long story. I'll tell you later. What should we do now?" I didn't want Jess to know that I wanted to go back to Nick's apartment to see Henry. I was hoping she would be the one to bring it up.
She looked at me suspiciously like she knew I was withholding information. She knew me too well. Nick spoke up before she could interrogate me any further. "Speaking of Henry, his band is planning on going back to our place after they are done here. Do you all want to go there? I can get an Uber." We all agreed to go as long as we could order a pizza when we got there.
The Uber didn't take as long as I expected for a Friday night. Nick's apartment was only a 10 minute drive from campus. It was a typical off campus apartment. You walked in to the front room that served as a living room and dining room. There was a small kitchen off of the dining room area. Then a short hallway that led to two bedrooms. I also noticed a small balcony off of the living room. Nick ordered the pizza and offered us whatever he had to drink in his fridge. I decided to just drink water. I didn't want to be anymore drunk when Henry got here. I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment. There is no way a guy like that could be interested in me.
Jane and I sat down in the living room with Nick's other two roommates. Their names were Chris and Bill and seemed nice enough. Jane and Bill seemed to be hitting it off. Jess and Nick had disappeared, presumably to Nick's bedroom. The pizza came and Chris was nice enough to pay for it. I felt my phone vibrate again and saw that Liam had texted me again. I didn't even open it up. He wasn't going to ruin anymore of my night.
The pizza had done its job and sobered me up quite a bit. It was now after 2am and I was starting to get tired. Maybe I shouldn't have come here. I was considering getting another Uber to take Jane and I back to campus when the front door opened and a big group came walking through. It was Henry, 3 other guys, and a bunch of girls. For the second time tonight, I felt like a complete fool.