Inevitable

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Jane was already in bed when I came into the room so I quietly changed into my pajamas, plugged in my phone, and slipped into bed. My mind kept replaying the events of the night. The incredible kiss with Henry and the way he nervously asked me out. I still couldn't believe that any of it actually happened. I finally fell asleep with Henry's blue eyes on my mind.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of Jane typing on her laptop. I grabbed my phone to check the time. It was 11:30. I had a bunch of new text messages. Three of them were from Liam and came at various times throughout the night. He wanted to know if I got home okay and he was worried because I wasn't answering him. Another message was from Jess asking me to call her when I woke up. And the last message was from an unknown number. It said "Sweet Dreams Emily." It was the text that Henry sent me in the car last night. These sweet little gestures were the most surprising thing about him. Jess called him an inconsiderate jerk yesterday but he was anything but that with me. The jacket, the ride home last night, and now this text. He made me feel special. Maybe Jess didn't really know him. Not that I did either. But my gut was telling me he was a good person. Maybe just a little misunderstood. I hoped I wasn't wrong.
I guess I needed to text Liam back. I made the decision to try to forget about what happened last night with him. It's not like Liam was a big part of my life anymore. I probably wouldn't even see him again this semester. And I had a date tonight with a guy that I really liked. It was time to let him go. I sent him a short message letting him know that I was fine and I didn't respond last night because my phone died. I didn't expect to hear back from him so I threw my phone on my desk and left the room to take a shower.
When I got back, Jane had left me a note on our white board saying she was going out to lunch and she would be back later this afternoon. I wonder who she was meeting for lunch? I got dressed in my work uniform and pulled my hair back in a French braid. I decided to grab something to eat on my way to work since all I had in my dorm was a bag of chips and Easy Mac. I picked up my phone and noticed there were 2 new texts. One from Liam and one from Henry. I pulled the one from Liam up first. It said, "I need to talk to you about last night. Can we meet up sometime today?" I really didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to forget about it. I responded back "I can't meet up today. I have to work and then I have plans tonight. Don't worry about it. We were both drunk. Let's just forget about it."
I turned my attention to the text from Henry. It said "Good morning. Random question....what's ur fav food?" I couldn't help my smile. I texted back the taco emoji. He immediately responded back "Good to know. Pick u up at 730." I guess we were going out for Mexican tonight.
I headed out the door and decided to call Jess on my way. I told her what happened with Liam and she didn't seem surprised.

"Being in a fraternity has changed him so much. I wish he hadn't hurt you. I'm going to kick his ass next time I see him." I had to laugh at that. Liam had about 6 inches and 50 pounds on Jess.

"Don't worry about it. I think it actually gave me the push I needed to move on. I can't keep waiting for him."

"So you decided to move on with Henry? Talk about doing a total 180."

"Speaking of Henry, he asked me out when he dropped me off last night." I waited for her disapproval. I heard her sigh on the other end of the line.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing Em? Is this your way of trying to get over Liam? It just seems a little extreme for you."

Did I know what I was doing? Henry was the first guy since I met Liam to make me feel anything. And I didn't want to overthink it for once in my life. Couldn't I just enjoy myself and worry about the consequences later?

"I appreciate your concern Jess. I really do. But it's just one date. It doesn't have to be a big deal." I doubt she believed me.

"Okay. It's your life. I'm not going to try to tell you how to live it. Just know I'm here for you no matter what. And just be careful."

After I hung up with Jess, I decided to grab a bagel and coffee before work. I worked in the university bookstore that took up most of the first floor of the student union. The second floor was set up like a food court with several different options. There was also a large area with tables and chairs. The top floor had a common area with couches and lounge chairs that students used to kill time in between classes. I had about 30 minutes before my shift started so I grabbed my food and headed up to the third floor. It wasn't too crowded since it was the weekend. I found a chair in a mostly secluded corner. I decided to pass the time by scrolling through my phone. I was so engrossed in my friends' Instagram posts that I didn't even notice the person walking over to me.

"Hey Em, glad I found you! Can we talk?" I looked up to see Liam standing in front of me with a nervous look on his face.