Henry's POV
Growing up, I've always been a light sleeper, so immediately when someone stood
close to me, I felt it. Opening my eyes a little, I saw Andrew—though not clearly, it
was unmistakably him. Why was he standing so close to my bed? His presence was
overwhelming, standing so close that I could feel his gaze roaming all over me. My
breath got caught in my throat. If he listened closely, I'm sure he could hear my
heart pounding hard. Suddenly, the space beside me felt empty. Opening my eyes slightly more, I saw him
trying to make his way back to his bed. I was shocked and surprised—why was he
standing beside me? Trying to make sense of it, I couldn't wrap my mind around it, and that's how I fell asleep: confused, with my mind in a daze. The next morning, waking up as I felt movement around me, I glanced around and
saw that everyone had woken up except Mason. The sound of the bathroom door
opening caught my attention. I turned around and saw Andrew coming out of the
bathroom. His chiseled chest and abs felt like they were crafted by ancient Greek
sculptors themselves. I must have been staring too hard because I heard someone
whistle and saw Julian staring at me with a strange expression—same with Andrew, who had a devilish smirk on his face. I didn't like it when he stared at me like that. When the bathroom was free, I walked past Andrew on my way in. I couldn't hide
my blush when I saw him staring at me. "Like what you saw?" he said, confusing me
with his words. One moment he was making snarky comments about me, then
standing up for me, and the next he's standing beside my bed. What does he want
from me? I'm confused. Andrew's POV
Coming out of the bathroom, I caught Henry staring intently at me. This sense of
satisfaction just welled up inside me. I watched him with a small smirk when I saw
the color on his cheeks and ears—my mood just got a whole lot better. I was pissed
that something so little could make me happy, but that little anger could do nothing
to stop my joy. When he walked past me on the way to the bathroom, I saw his blush
deepen. Then I said to him, "Like what you see?" I saw the color on his face creep
further; knowing I had that effect on him made me smile. I felt satisfied that I was
able to get some reaction from him, and that improved my day by a whole lot. A few minutes later I saw him walk out. I glanced at him—he had this after-shower
glow which made him seem more cute and vulnerable. I found myself smiling, which
I quickly wiped off my face, trying to maintain a straight face. I saw him ignore me
when he walked past this time. I was angry, but the events of earlier came back—I
smirked and thought, Try as much as you can to pretend you don't know me, but you
can't deny the effects I have over you.
"Henry," I heard my name being called out by Julian as I was getting ready. I met his
gaze—his dirty blond hair scattered across his face. I'll admit he was really handsome.
I heard a sharp voice cut across the room from Mr. Grumpy himself. "What are you waiting for?" Andrew said. Julian responds, "Trying to invite Henry to the party later tonight. So are you
coming?"
I say yes, trying to sound brave despite being terrified inside. "Great, we'll see you
later." We all go our separate ways.
I met up with my friend Jenna later on my way to class. "Hey, big guy, what's up? We
couldn't see each other later yesterday."
"Yeah, I was really tired yesterday, so after dinner I passed out," I said to her, and
proceeded to fill her in on the events of yesterday and my new roommates. When I got to the part about Andrew, she was surprised, asking me if I was sure if it
was the same Andrew she had heard about, because he was already the talk of the
campus as the hottest new freshman. "Well, that was to be expected," I told her about the party, to which she said she was
already invited and she'd definitely be there to be my backup. I laughed
halfheartedly, saying it'd be needed, and we both laughed as we went about our day.
I was so happy she was here with me. I wouldn't know how to cope otherwise. Luckily, I was able to find my classes easily. My lectures were all fun—studying to
become an entrepreneur just like my dad. After lectures, I met up with Jenna and Lena. Jenna and I study the same major, while Lena is more science-y—she's studying to be a marine biologist. Pretty cool,
"Earth to Henry," Jenna said, drawing me from my thoughts. "What?" I said, looking at her. "I was just telling Lena about the party for later. She's coming with us."
"Cool," I said. "All the more the merrier." Laughing, we got close to my dorm.
"So we're on for 8 p.m.?"
"Yeah, see you then," I said, heading back to face Mr. Grumpy. I don't know why he
affects me so much. I feel like I've seen him before, but I can't remember seeing him. But I feel like I know him, which is strange, because if I had seen him before I would
know—I never forget a face. Reaching the door of our dorm room, I took a deep
breath before going in.