Chapter 5

"I haven't seen him since Margaret's gathering. We've just been texting cause he's been busy."

I said to Ella as I walked to the stove with my cutting board of cubed chicken for the quesadillas I was making for our dinner.

It had only been three days since I'd last seen Henry. I'd expected a call the day after our kiss, but didn't get it.

I didn't even get a text, so initially I was let down once again, thinking I was a girl of the moment, but I made no mention of it to anyone. I tried not to think about it too much as I had to get refocused on work before I got fired, and also looking for another job. 

The day after, he sent me a text. I only knew it was him because he texted 'Hello Valerie', and he was the only person that called me by my full name other than my father. Dad had never sent me one text and whenever we spoke to each other the conversation never began with a 'hello' neither were goodbyes said, and the subject was normally related to businesses.

That day in particular my father had upset me. I tried to dive back into work and he ripped into my coding, which I felt was payback for my slip up last week. When it happened I wanted to suck it up and take it in stride, but I was so frustrated and unmindfully sent Henry a text telling him how fucked up my day was without really divulging what happened. Everytime I talked about my issues with my father, I came out incoherent, so I didn't bother mentioning that he was the source of my troubles.

I was eating almonds for lunch, having lost my appetite with how roughly my father degraded me when I received a text from Henry. It was a picture of a cat pushing another cat down the stairs when the cat was trying to take a peek below. It made me laugh and I scrolled down to read his accompanying message.

Henry: I hope that made you laugh (unless you have a real dry sense of humor and have an abnormal devotion towards cats). Sorry about your day, can't talk much now, but we will talk later.

My day got turned around instantly and when my dad walked by later in the day and saw me in cheerful spirits, he was taken aback but made no other mention of it. I made it a note to myself to rely on myself to make myself happier next time, but I definitely appreciated how much better Henry's text made me feel.

Now, Ella grinned as she poured us drinks. "I'm so happy you took his number. Peter's told me he talks about you a lot."

I tried so hard not to blush and failed, but deep down I also felt a bit uneasy. Is that why he hadn't called the day after we kissed? I still found Peter's behavior when I went to Margaret's weird. I had a feeling Ella contacted him before we got there and pleaded with him not to give me a hard time.

I also wondered how much Peter told Henry about me when I wasn't there. Ella could control the way he treated me, but Peter and Henry were friends on their own accord. Who knows what he'd told him? Especially about my past?

Ella and Peter had gotten into a huge fight in the past over him blabbing my business to a guy that tried to talk to me that I turned down, and ever since then he seemed to keep a tight lid on my business. He didn't know too much anyway. Peter and Ella had only been dating a year and he hadn't known me when the huge change in my life occurred.

Truthfully Ella was the only person that could give anyone a detailed account on my past because while we lived in different places, we spent most of our summers together. Her being the only child and me not really having that many friends made room for our close friendship.

I tried hard not to overthink things. Henry didn't say anything that implied he knew too much about my past. The texts were always pretty tame whenever we spoke.

I got done eating dinner first and Ella cringed at me. "That's all you're eating? You only ate half of your quesadilla!"

This was why I preferred to eat alone. Sometimes Ella got a bit nitpicky with what I chose to eat or how I ate. I had a very strict diet and counted calories, having to keep on a rigid one especially after how I'd slipped up at Seaburger.

"I had something on the way home," I lied to try and get her off my back.

Luckily Ella didn't nag me about it and offered to do the dishes.

Grateful that she left the subject alone, I retired to my room.

While in the shower, I tried to keep my mind on track about tomorrow and the new project we'd be starting at work, but my thoughts kept going back to Henry.

I was a big dreamer because ever since I was little, I had to use my imagination. Not having many boyfriends while being a hopeless (nope i won't say romantic), forced me to do so. As I got older I tried to keep my fantasizing in check and I hadn't really since an incident that changed my life, but Henry was making me become a dreamer again.

Now as I stood under the shower I imagined those green orbs staring at me, that hibernating mischief in his eyes as he pushed me up against the wall and…

Then the dream deflated when the image of my body came to mind and I huffed in frustration, showering quickly without looking at myself and getting out of the shower.

I couldn't stop thinking about him, wondering about our kiss and touching my lips thoughtfully, still feeling him sucking and nipping my lips hungrily.

Laying on my back on the bed, I picked up my favorite video game magazine from my nightstand This was the one thing that could always zap me out of my fantasies no matter what. All the character designs took my breath away as much as they did when I was a teenager. As I read the latest issue on the depressing sales of video games for the second quarter of the year, my cell phone rang.

When I saw the letter H lit at the center of my phone, I grinned big, took a deep breath, and answered the phone, siting cross legged at the center of my bed.

"Hey!"

"Hello Valerie."

I bit my bottom lip when the smooth baritone spoke through the phone. This was the first time I was talking to Henry on the phone. I suddenly felt very shy and a bit confused. Nice guys weren't supposed to be intimidating?  Maybe he wasn't as nice as I thought? I don't know.

"How are you?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

"Good. Just got to my hotel, back from a workshop. It was a good one."

He sounded exhausted. Adorably exhausted. His voice was raspier than usual.

"A workshop?"

"Songwriting workshop."

"You still go for songwriting workshops?" I asked, biting my giddily smiling lip. His voice was making me want to climb the walls and everything.

"Yep. Have to stay on top of my game," he said. "Your day get any better?"

"Oh yeah." I laughed nervously, sounding like a damn fool. Where was all that bravado I had at Seaburger? Oh, it was two Painkillers away, that's where. "Especially after that picture you sent me."

"That cat's amazing, init? Cheeky little thing, that cat is."

"I like the way you talk," I blurted, then winced at how ignorant I sounded.

He chuckled and said observantly. "You like the way I talk…" 

"Yes."

"Why thank you."

"So what exactly happens at those workshops?" I asked next when an awkward silence began. Why wasn't he talking and why did I get the feeling he was smirking the entire time? But Henry rarely smirked. He was the sweet smiling type so I'm not sure where all these thoughts and vibes were coming from.

Finally, Henry responded. He spent the next few minutes explaining what songwriting workshops were to me. I was surprised that someone as accomplished would still take it back to the basics from time to time, but that showed me his humility. Even though he was currently one of the big producers in popular music, he still felt his humble beginnings were important.

He was making my heart sing too loudly.

"That sounds really interesting," I said as I hugged my bare legs close to me, deciding I could listen to him all night.

"It's alright," he said in his unhurried voice. "One of my mentors runs the workshop I went to, so it was really good to see him again after a while."

"That's pretty cool that you still keep in touch with him."

"He's a good mate, a good man. So tell me why you had a bad day?"

The sexiness of his raspy voice was making me lose my freaking mind.

"Oh I was just being dramatic." I waved off but with a nervous laugh. "The work load my father has put on me has become a bit stressful."

"You work for your father?"

I realized I'd never told him this and I groaned with a roll of my eyes. "Yes. Don't get me started on him."

"Are you and him not close?"

"I mean I love my dad, we just have different opinions. He's a very hard worker so he expects the best from everyone at all times." I was about to say it put lots of pressure on me, especially when I hated the profession, but didn't want to come off whiny. Hell, I was surprised he still wanted to kiss me after how I acted the first night we met.

"I see," he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah…" I didn't know what else to say and it became a bit quiet.

"You're probably wondering why I called, yeah?" he asked.

"A little bit," I said with a small smile.

"I like your voice."

My cheeks became scorching hot and I bit my bottom lip.

"Was that corny too?" He asked and I could hear his smile.

"Yes but it was nice. I like yours too. Do you get that a lot? That you have a nice, unique voice?"

"I've gotten that I have a creepy voice for the most part," he quipped and I laughed.

"What are you wearing?" I asked randomly unable to help myself. This time the loud laughter that cannoned out of him was loud. It hit me hard, pleasantly so.

"Umm..I'm in a tank top and jeans. I just took my shoes off. And I got a beanie on."

"Oh god…" I murmured, feeling hot all over. I'd taken a liking to beanies now all because of him.

"What? Do I sound hideous? Should I have said i'm wearing nothing? I can strip now if you want."

"You are silly. You sound gorgeous, trust me. Speaking of beanies, I have yours. I'll return it I promise."

At least it gave me an excuse to see him again.

"You can return it tomorrow. I'm making bangers and mash. Don't ask, it's a British thing. I want you and Ella to come. I did say I would cook for you didn't I?"

I let out a soundless scream while flopping back onto the bed, feeling more excitement than I ever thought I could.

"Of course I'd love to come!" so long for trying to sound cool and reserved. I cleared my throat and tried a more reserved approach. "I mean, yeah sure that would be nice."

He laughed at my obvious attempt at hiding how excited I was to see him again.

"Well you take care, and if you ever want to talk about work just let me know."

"Thank you! You too. Like if work ever bugs you or something."

His throaty laugh sent shivers down my spine. "Trust me, you don't want me to start talking. I'm known to give massively long, detail-oriented, boring stori--hey!!!"

He stopped when I started to snore loudly and I laughed at his reaction.

"That was good." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I look forward to more. Have a good night, Valerie."

"You too, Henry."

I hang up with the biggest smile on my face that night.

And just when I the thought crossed my minds, the demons from my past raced to the forefront and reeled me back to reality.

But not for long, because I drifted off into sleep daydreaming about Henry anyway.