The next morning, my alarm went off and for a second I forgot where I was. I was laying on my back with Henry next to me on his side facing me. He had one arm draped over my stomach. The memories of last night came flooding back. How did I get so lucky? I was so in love with this beautiful man. And he was in love with me.
When I tried to get up, he pulled me closer to him. I didn't even realize he was awake. He still had his eyes closed but was making an attempt to go under my shirt. I stopped him before he started something.
"Henry we don't have time for that. I have to get back to my room and take a shower."
"Can I take a shower with you?"
"No, I don't think the rest of the girls on my floor would appreciate that."
He snickered and released me. He was so adorable in the morning with his hair disheveled and a sleepy grin on his face. I jumped up before he could stop me again.
"You know, we could skip classes and spend the day in bed. Think of how much fun we could have."
"I'm not skipping my classes this close to finals. And you shouldn't either. School is too important and too expensive to blow off."
"Fiiiiiine. We'll be good little college students and go to class." He was now full on pouting but it was not going to change my mind. I wasn't going to let anything mess with my grades. Even the thought of spending the day in bed with an incredible guy like Henry.
I changed back into my clothes fully aware of Henry watching me. I forgot how nice it was to feel wanted.
"You need to get up. You promised to have me back to my room by 9."
I left the room to go to the bathroom and maybe see if there was any coffee in the kitchen. When I walked into the front room, Jess was sitting by herself at the table eating a bowl of cereal.
"Hey girl, I'm surprised you're up so early. I would ask how your night was but I pretty much could hear all of it so no explanation needed."
She was cracking up at herself and I just shot her a go fuck your self look. I knew she probably heard us but it's not like Jess was ever modest about her sex life. Why should I be?
I noticed Chris was asleep on the couch snoring away. I felt a little bit guilty about kicking him out of his room. I wonder if that happened a lot around here.
"Henry wasn't kidding about his snoring. It sounds like he's sawing wood. There might be something wrong with him."
"O there's something wrong with him but it has nothing to do with the snoring."
We both started giggling. It felt good to be back to normal with Jess. Henry walked out dressed in his clothes from last night including the shirt I slept in and his hair sticking up in every direction.
"What's so funny? Chris's epic snoring? Try dealing with that every night."
"Pretty much. He should really see a doctor about that."
"You ready babe?" He said turning towards me. Jess looked shock at his use of 'babe'. Honestly so was I but I liked it. I grabbed my bag and followed Henry towards the door.
"Hey Em, see you at lunch today?"
"Of course!"
I was ready to heal my friendship with Jess. I could forgive and forget everything she had said to me now that I knew where it was coming from. I shut the door behind me and made my way down to Henry's car.
The ride back to my dorm was mostly quiet. I got the impression that Henry wasn't much of a morning person. Either was I until I had some caffeine. When we got to my building, Henry parked in his usual spot.
"Do you want me to wait for you and I can drop you off at your class?"
"No that's okay. When is your first class today?"
"Not till 1. I scheduled all my classes in the afternoon because I'm usually up late rehearsing."
"Do you want to get dinner tonight? I have to work till 6 but I'm free after that."
"Okay, I'll pick you up from work. I have to go to band practice but not till after 8."
I gave him a quick kiss, told him I loved him again, and got out of the car. If I didn't hurry up, I was going to be late for class. When I got back up to my room, I wasn't surprised to see that Bill had slept over. I tried my hardest to be quiet and not wake them. After a quick shower, I didn't have time to blow dry my hair so I just pulled it up into a bun. I threw on a pair of leggings and a long top with my jean jacket. It was chilly again today and looked like rain. I wish the weather would make up its mind. No time for breakfast so I just grabbed a granola bar. Coffee would have to wait. After practically running to class, I managed to get there just as the professor was beginning her lecture.
The rest of my morning dragged on. When it came time for my lunch with Jess, I was a little nervous. Everything seemed okay with us but I was worried that she would have more to say now that Henry wasn't around. Surprisingly, she kept any negative opinions to herself. We mainly talked about some new guy that Melissa was hooking up with. Jess hadn't met him yet but Melissa was spending all her time at his place. I was kind of glad to hear this. Maybe if she was distracted with a new relationship, she could leave me and Henry alone. I was over all the drama of the last two weeks.
After lunch, I had to go straight to work. I wanted my shift to go by quickly but the bookstore was completely dead. I couldn't wait for Henry to pick me up. Finally it was six o'clock. As I was logging out of the store's computer system, Henry came strolling into the store. He was wearing his usual jeans and a t shirt but because of the chilly weather he was also wearing a zip up hoodie. He hadn't shaved today and his five o'clock shadow was starting to show. It took my breath away how hot he looked.
When I finished signing out, I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. Even though we were together this morning, I missed him all day. How where we ever going to get through the summer? He wrapped his arms around my back and squeezed me tight. He whispered in my ear, "I missed you too."