In February, Henry took Marley to a fancy restaurant. It had been a couple weeks since they had gotten the chance to go on a real date. Sure, they had hung out on a few occasions, but those times couldn’t be called dates. Marley was beyond excited to go out. A romantic evening was exactly what she needed to end her long week. Marley needed Henry to make her stress melt away and worries vanish. Marley needed Henry to be her escape.
“I know we’ve been seeing each other a while.” Henry said after they got their meals. Marley hated that line “seeing each other.” That meant that they hadn’t yet made it official. They weren’t yet dating. They weren’t yet boyfriend and girlfriend, not officially, and that bothered Marley. She wanted them to define their relationship. She wanted the attachment that the title would give, but she wasn’t bold enough to bring it up. So, she’d wait until Henry decided the timing was right. Henry always made the choices in their relationship. That’s just the way he was: the boss.
Henry cleared his throat, “So, I was wondering thinking that we should make our relationship official.” Marley’s heart fluttered. There was nothing she wanted more. That’s what Marley like about Henry; it seemed that they were always on the same wavelength.
Marley tried to sound nonchalant as she spoke. She wanted to sound mature, not like a little girl. Henry was older than her. So, he didn’t want a squealing college girl as a girlfriend, that’s for sure. Though, she couldn’t contain herself as much as she would have liked. “I was starting to think you’d never ask.” Unfortunately, it came out sounding shriller than Marley would have liked.
Henry just laughed, “I didn’t really phrase it as a question, Marley.”
“Po-tay-toe, po-ta-toe.” She replied playfully, rolling her eyes.
Then, Marley became sincerer. “H, I think I love you. Like I’m in love with you.” She meant it. She had fallen for Henry. She was completely in love with him. They had only just become official, but that didn’t diminish her feeling. She hadn’t even known him that long, but she already loved him more than she had ever loved a boy.
He laughed again, “I think I love you too, Marl.” Needless to say, the rest of the date made Marley feel like she was sitting on cloud nine. It was perfect. Happy couldn’t describe what Marley felt as she laid in Henry’s arms once they had returned to his apartment. Marley never wanted to move. In that moment, Marley was hopelessly in love. Marley was sure that she could never love anyone more than she could love Henry.
Towards the end of the month, Marley was working with Trevor on stocking the St. Patrick’s Day merchandise. They were working quietly, trying to get the work done as quickly as possible. The store was busy that day. So, one of them was constantly being called to go help out at the cash registers. Therefore, when they had down times, they worked diligently, barely stopping to speak.
Trevor cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Do you want to go see a movie with me sometime or something?” He asked tentatively.
“Oh, I have a boyfriend.” Marley explained to him. She liked Trevor, but Henry was now her boyfriend. That meant that they were exclusive. As tempted as Marley was, she couldn’t betray Henry.
“Yeah, I know.” Trevor shrugged, “I just thought we were friends and that’s what friends do.” Trevor said uneasily. He could be so awkward at times, but it was somewhat endearing. Though awkward and nervous by nature, Trevor often put on an air of confidence when he was around other people. It was odd. Marley figured that it had something to do with him being the son of a CEO. Trevor had probably been taught from the time he was young that confidence was important. After all, Trevor was in line to inherit the company and CEOs weren’t typically reticent wallflowers. So maybe, that was why Trevor acted so differently around other people.
“You don’t think that a movie too childish?” Marley asked with a giggle, thinking of Henry.
Trevor looked confused. “What?”
“Never mind.” Marley muttered. Then she perked up, “Okay, let’s see that movie. How’s Thursday night? That’s my day off. Oh, wait, don’t you work that night?”
Trevor grinned mischievously, the cocky smile he usually saved for other people appeared on his face. “Yeah, but I think I’m starting to come down with something.” He said with a “cough”.
“Okay, then I guess it’s a date.” Marley said without thinking. Then she quickly added, “As in two friends going out at a planned time. Not like a date, date.”
Trevor chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I knew what you meant.”
For a moment, Marley wondered if she should tell Henry about her outing with Trevor. Would he understand or would he be jealous? Marley shook the idea from her head. Going to the movies with Trevor wasn’t a big deal. Henry was her boyfriend, but that didn’t mean that Marley couldn’t hang out with other friends. She was a free woman and could do as she pleased. It was understandable why she felt she didn’t need to tell Henry her plans, but what puzzled Marley was that she felt a need to keep Trevor secret. She reassured herself that she was in no way falling for Trevor Branson. Marley loved Henry, not Trevor. Of course, she did.
Trevor was nothing like Henry made him out to be. He was actually kind of reclusive and quiet. He didn’t seem like the party boy that Henry had described. The movie had been fun. Really, fun. Still, Marley felt a little guilty. She wanted to tell Henry. She needed to tell Henry. Though, Marley wasn’t guilty of anything except having a slight crush on Trevor. She wouldn’t tell Henry that part, but she felt obligated to at least casually mention that she had gone to a movie with Trevor. At least then it wouldn’t seem like she was keeping a secret from Henry.
“So, I went to a movie with Trevor today.” Marley said as she cuddled with Henry on his couch.
“You did what? You shouldn’t have done that, Marl.” Henry said more concerned than outraged. “He’s dangerous. Something bad could have happened to you.” But then Henry’s tone turned to fury, “I’ve told you that. He’s trouble.”
“Henry,” Marley tried to appease him, but Henry didn’t let her speak.
“Why do you never listen to me?” Henry continued. “Trevor is dangerous, Marley, dang-er-rous.” Henry said, emphasizing each syllable as if Marley was too slow to otherwise understand what he was saying. Marley hated when Henry belittled her, acting as though she was a dimwit.