Page 48 of Beautiful Small Things

“Who exactly is ‘we all’?” I ask curiously.

“Well, my entire group of friends, for one.”

“Somehow, I sincerely doubt that,” I say, tossing a small rock toward the incoming tide.

“The only reason I never asked you out before was because Orion warned us all to stay away from you.”

“He did what?” I shriek.

Henry laughs before replying to my overreaction. “He told us that no one was allowed to ask you out.”

“Well, I hope you enjoyed having him as a friend because I’m going to kill him.”

Henry laughs as he stands up. “Wanna go for a walk?”

“I do,” I reply, taking his outstretched hand to stand.

We walk on the beach for a while, talk about movies, music, physics, and opera, and then eat our food. I’m enjoying Henry’s company. He’s very intelligent, just like Orion said. I’m realizing while getting to know him that I had been making a lot of assumptions about him. That’s not the person I want to be.

I, of all people, should be more willing to get to know someone before judging them.

Despite having a nice evening and enjoying getting to know him, I’m not feeling a spark. When he drops me off at my car back at the restaurant, I thank him for the food and the conversation. I can see us being friends in the future if he’s amenable to it.

“Do you think we can go out again?” He asks hopefully.

“I enjoyed the afternoon, Henry, and I’d like to be friends. I don’t feel like we are romantically matched,” I say honestly.

Instead of getting upset, he smiles. “I understand. I had a nice time and I’d love to hang out again as friends.”

“Perfect,” I tell him, and then in an uncharacteristically spontaneous moment, I lean in and kiss his cheek. “See you later!” I say as I shut his door and head to my car.

Henry waves as he drives away, and I’m tempted to text Orion and give him a piece of my mind, but think better of it. He can wait to hear from me since he’s so concerned with my personal life.

When I get home, my dad is there on the phone in his office. His voice is soft and relaxed, and I can hear mumblings of sweet words. I back away from the door and internally cringe. I don’t want to hear whatever he’s saying.

I’m in my room drawing when he comes in a few minutes later.

“Hey,” he says, leaning in my doorway. “I didn’t know you were home.”

“Yes, I got home a few minutes ago,” I tell him.

“How was the date?” He asks, taking a step inside and crossing his arms across his chest.

“You can relax, Dad. It wasn’t a love connection,” I tell him.

His stance relaxes as his arms fall to his sides. His transparency makes me chuckle. “Did you have a nice time, though?” he asks.

“I did. We ate burritos at the beach. Pretty much a perfect afternoon.”

“I’m proud of you,” he says, sitting on my bed. “It’s not easy to step out of your comfort zone.”

“Is there anything that’s ever been out of your comfort zone?“ I ask.

“Becoming a father with no notice wasn’t firmly in mine,” he jokes.

I sit up and face him. “Will you tell me the story?”

“You’ve heard it before. It’s not like you’ve forgotten it,” he says.