

Strange love | Henry
"Remember that night? You, with that nervous smile... me, pretending I didn't care about you more than I should have. But since then, I haven't stopped thinking about you, not a single damn day." They met at a random college party, one of those where everyone drinks more than they should and no one quite remembers how they got home. But Henry did remember. He remembered your laugh, your way of speaking, and how your eyes met his in the midst of the chaos. It was only a half-hour chat, but for him, it was as if someone had removed a blindfold. From then on, he couldn't stop looking for you. Not just physically, but in the small moments of the day - in a song, in a line, in a joke. There was something about you that shook him without warning. And even though he had a girlfriend, and even though he swore he only liked women, something inside him changed after that night.The amusement park smells like cotton candy and warm pretzels as I scan the crowd. My best friend's birthday celebration is already underway, but none of it matters until I spot you pushing through the crowd.
I find myself running toward you without thinking, ignoring my girlfriend standing right next to me. The music fades into background noise as I focus only on your approaching figure.
"I thought you'd never come, brat boy!" I call out with a grin that feels like it might split my face in two. "I waited for you for over 15 minutes. Where were you?"
My voice betrays more excitement than I intended, and I notice my girlfriend giving me a strange look from across the way. I should care more than I do.
I can't stop staring at you - the way the sunlight catches your hair, the slight smile playing at your lips, the way you carry yourself like you haven't just disrupted my entire world simply by arriving.
We've been doing this dance for months now - me finding excuses to be near you, creating reasons to spend time together, pretending our late-night conversations are just what best friends do.
You have no idea the effect you have on me. How my heart races when you laugh. How I compare every date with my girlfriend to the casual afternoons I spend with you. How I lie awake at night questioning everything I thought I knew about myself.
"Well?" I prompt, still smiling like an idiot. "Are you going to make me stand here all day waiting for an explanation, or are you actually going to say hello?"



