Chapter Five

Fuck. Shit. Fucking shit. Shitting fuck! Henry was smacking his forehead repeatedly as he paced around in the bathroom. What the hell just happened out there? One minute he was having fun with his best friend, and the next, he was almost kissing her. And damn, he really wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do more than kiss her, he wanted all of her in every way possible. It was almost scary how she made him feel, and he wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to resist her before he did something that would change their relationship forever.

"Come on, come on, get your shit together," the tall blond mumbled to himself as he turned on the cold water in the sink. He splashed the water onto his face to calm himself down before starting to rub the paint off of his cheek. He didn't even know when he started feeling this way about Charlotte, it felt so sudden. Maybe it was when they first came to Dystopia and his heart skipped a beat when she fell asleep on his shoulder during the plane ride. Maybe it was when they went shopping together and she tried on this form-fitting crop top and it was the first time he noticed how nicely her body had developed. Or maybe it was when they were in a noodle bar and while they were eating, she leaned over him to grab some soy sauce and he caught a whiff of her perfume and she smelled just so heavenly. Something about Charlotte had changed - besides her cyborg updates, of course - and Henry noticed. And he wanted her.

He sighed heavily and ran his wet hands over his short hair, looking at his reflection in the mirror to make sure he got all the paint off. He did, but he still had her on his mind. He had to make a choice - he was either going to fully go for it with Char, or push his feelings down, bottle them up, and move on. He wondered if she even felt the same way about him. Did she notice the way he looked at her? Did she notice how he took any opportunity he could to touch her in any kind of way, or how he did his best to make their hugs last just a few seconds longer? If she did, she never said anything about it or seemed phased by it...so, maybe she didn't feel the same way. Maybe she still only saw him as a friend. He sighed again and looked down at the sink, gripping the porcelain tightly and leaning against it. He couldn't push anything onto her, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable at all. As much as he wanted Charlotte, her happiness was all that mattered to him.

"I can't do anything that'll mess up our friendship," he told himself, "I can't risk losing her completely." He groaned a little and smacked his hand against the sink. He knew it was for the best but, shit, he craved her so badly.

"This damn super paint you got won't get off of me!" he called out, pulling off his shirt and tossing it into the hamper, "I'm gonna take a shower!"

"'Kay!" Charlotte responded and Henry couldn't help but grin a little at the sound of her voice. She always sounded so cute. How would she sound while moaning my name?

"Fuck!" He swore and smacked his head in an attempt to get those lewd thoughts out of his head. He quickly got undressed and turned on the cold water in the shower. A cold shower would help, and if not, maybe some personal time with himself would calm him down too.

***

As hard as it was to live in Dystopia, Henry had to admit that the nighttime view of the city was rather beautiful. The neon signs illuminated the sidewalks, trying to entice people to go in and shop with them or waste their nights away inside doing karaoke. He pushed the door open to his favorite noodle bar, nodding his head in greeting towards someone who was walking out of the bar. He looked around until he spotted Jasper's broad frame, walking over and smacking his back lightly.

"Hey, Jasp," he greeted as he sat on the stool next to him. Jasper smiled at the sight of his friend and passed him a bottle of beer. One of the many cool things about living in Dystopia was that even though they were only 19, they could legally drink.

"Hey, dude! Really glad I finally got you out of that damn apartment," he scoffed as he took a sip from his own bottle. Henry chuckled at that but he couldn't deny that he had been holed up in the apartment ever since he convinced Charlotte to stay with him. She went out regularly to do some shopping and run errands while he just enjoyed the freedom of not having to do anything. He did miss hanging out with Jasper though, and ever since that moment with the paint, he really needed someone to talk to.

"Dude, I really gotta talk to you, but you gotta promise to be discreet and keep your mouth shut," he said sternly, too nervous to even look at his best friend. The raspberry blond blinked curiously before shrugging his shoulders.

"Sure, whatever. What's up?"

Henry took a deep breath and drank about half of his beer in one big swig before slamming it down against the bar, "I...I almost kissed Charlotte a few days ago." It was a load off of his shoulders to finally say it out loud, evident in the way he let out a relieved sigh. It felt good to confide in someone he trusted so much. Until he noticed that the other hadn't responded to the revelation. He looked at him only to be met with a completely blank expression.

"Jasp-"

"I'm sorry, you did what?!" the other practically screamed, quickly controlling his volume when Henry smacked his shoulder. He spoke in a hushed whisper, "You and Charlotte are a thing now?! Is that why you won't let me stay with you?"

"Bro, no," the short haired male sighed, "Char and I aren't a thing. A couple of days ago we were painting the apartment and we got into a sort of paint fight. She ran, I chased her, I tackled her against the couch, and I looked down at her and...I wanted her." His voice dropped an octave and he gripped Jasper's arm so firmly that he had to lean back, uncomfortable by the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"You 'wanted her'?" he hesitantly repeated, watching as Henry nodded his head quickly.

"If Piper hadn't called, dude..." he shook his head and let go of his friend, sitting up straight on his stool and turning towards the bar again, "I'm down bad."

"...for Charlotte?!"

"Yes!" he exclaimed and turned to the other again. He looked around briefly before licking his lips nervously and leaning in to whisper, "I jerked off to the thought of her right after it happened...and ever since then, I keep having...dreams."

"Oh God, not the dreams again..." Jasper bemoaned, "Last time you two had dreams, you could barely look at each other and I thought Char wanted to kiss me! I still think Charsper could've worked out." Henry rolled his eyes and rested his elbows atop the bar, rubbing his hands over his exhausted face.

"I don't know what to do man, I've never wanted someone so badly in my life!"

"Well, tell her..." he shrugged, looking at Henry as he pulled his hands away from his face and shook his head.

"Can't. Remember when she dreamed about us kissing? She freaked out so badly that she wouldn't let me save her from a fucking lion. She doesn't see me in that way and I can't risk losing her as a friend because my dick is going crazy."

"She was like 17 then! Things are different now!" Jasper reasoned but the other only sighed.

"No, I can't mess anything up. I just gotta deal with these urges," he looked at Jasper, "How do you handle the fact that no one wants to fuck you?" He realized his poor choice of wording as the other backed away from him slowly and turned away, the look of shock painted on his face like a classical painting.

"I didn't mean-"

"WOW!" he exclaimed with dramatic flair, "Well, excuse me Henry 'Ooh Look at Me, I'm So Pretty, I Have Great Hair, I Look Good in Anything, Girls Flock All Over Me' Hart! Just because I'm not a man whore like you, doesn't mean no one wants to fuck me!"

"I didn't mean to say it like that..." Henry tried to explain and grabbed his arm, rolling his eyes when Jasper snatched his arm away.

"Noelle wanted me," he boasted with his chest puffed out. The other rolled his eyes as he drank more of his beer.

"She was a villain who was using you for your teeth and nearly got you killed."

"Courtney really wanted me! So badly that she tried to kill Charlotte!"

"You really wanna claim the girl who was clinically insane?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, there was Patina!" Jasper countered.

"Oh!" Henry exclaimed with faux excitement, "and how did you two bang with the fact that she was allergic to air and in an airtight sealed suit?" Jasper's face fell and his shoulders slumped. He really was a loser. Henry looked at him and saw how his friend was now sulking, earning a heavy sigh from him as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Dude, look, I'm sorry. I'm being a dick, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do about my feelings for Charlotte."

"You're just horny! Go find one of the millions of girls who like you and have sex!" He brushed him off with a dismissive wave of the hand and ordered another beer, preparing to stew in his misery.

"I can't do that-"

"Why not?"

"Because..." Henry thought it over. Jasper might have actually been onto something. Maybe what he was feeling was just lust and not some deep feelings for Charlotte. All he had to do was hook up with someone and he would be fine, and things between him and Char could go back to normal. He patted his depressed buddy's back.

"You're right, actually." He scanned the bar to see who caught his eye, grinning when he spotted a brunette sitting alone at a table. He ordered two rum and cokes and grabbed the glasses, getting up from the bar and heading over to the table, biting down on his lip.

"Is this seat free?" he asked, getting her attention as she looked up from her phone and smiled.

"Sure, it's all yours," she said sweetly. He nodded and placed the drinks down on the table before sitting down in the empty chair, offering his hand to shake.

"I'm Henry."

"I'm Lillie," she introduced herself as she shook his hand. He smiled at her warmly and nodded, deciding that getting to know her and getting closer to her would be for the best. He'd just have to ignore the part of him wondering what Charlotte was up to right now and the other part of him wishing he was holding her hand instead.