No Regrets by Roxy Queen

“What the hell does that mean?”
    He crosses his arms which make his biceps as big as his head. “It means I’ve been following your no messing around at work rule but I’m not so sure about you and Henry.”
    “There’s nothing going on with me and Henry.”
    He laughs. “Maybe not yet, but you two are getting awful chummy. Seems to me like if you guys plan on getting it on at work , then so can I.”
    “You’re ridiculous. No one is ‘getting it on’ anywhere. In fact, you’re the one inviting me to parties and hanging out at my house watching TV all night, not Henry,” I argue.
    “Not Henry what?”
    I spin and find Henry behind me jaw tight and eyes angry. I spot the wadded up note I left on his car saying I’d see him later in his hand and feel a pang of guilt. “Nothing,” I say, tossing my bag into the office and walking away from the guys.
    Half way up the ladder to my guard chair , I feel a hand on my ankle. I look down and see Henry below. “Are you angry at me?” he asks.
    I slip my sunglasses over my eyes and say, “No. I just thought we could use some space.”
    “We had space, three years. Don’t make this worse than it needs to be.”
    Tate climbs the other chair and blows the whistle, letting the kids know it’s okay to get in. He stares at me pointedly and holds his hands up in annoyance.
    “What’s that all about?” Henry asks.
    “Tate was all over me this morning about us being too close to one another and how we’re breaking the deal about not hooking up with people at work.”
    “What? We aren’t hooking up.” But he looks guilty because we both know he wanted to kiss me last night and if our world wasn’t imploding, we would have.
    “I know but he’s pissy anyway, most likely because he has a hard-on for Mrs. Robinson and he can’t do anything about it.”
    “Probably,” he snorts, looking away. His voice turns serious again and he says, “Will you talk to me about this later, because I have some things to say.”
    I swallow and keep my eyes on the pool. “If you want.”
    “Tonight,” he says, reaching for the safety buoy off the wall. “No bailing.”
    “No bailing,” I promise, even though I want to. I’m not sure I’m ready for an apology and I’m not sure I can handle it if he doesn’t offer one.
    *
    I’ve just gotten into bed when my phone buzzes.  The screen lights up my room and I know who it is. I know what he wants.
     
    Home?
    Yeah.
    Can we talk?
    I guess.
    Do I need to come get you?
    No. I’ll be there.
     
    He’s waiting on the step, no weed this time, thank god, because I need us both to be levelheaded. I move across from him and lean against the railing, in an attempt to keep my distance. Henry has his hair pulled back in a stocking cap even though it’s hot as hell out here. His black T-shirt accentuates his tan and his bare feet tap nervously on the bottom step.
    “This is messed up,” he says, breaking the silence. “What did you mean yesterday when you said Josh and Tricia put you up to this?”
    “I had this grand plan to seduce you and show you what you missed all those y ears ago by ditching me at prom,” I confess.
    “You think I don’t know what I missed out on?” he asks. He stands and closes the distance between us. “I knew I messed up the Monday after the dance. I knew I lost my chance with you and I regretted it every day since, but then Josh and Tricia moved in upstairs. I kept my distance, but then you moved in and it was like some kind of cosmic fate. I knew I had to play my cards right. I saw you coming in and out in that stupid ice cream uniform and I convinced Tate to tell Josh about the job, so that we could work together.”
    “You set this whole thing up?”
    “Yeah, most of it. I thought you’d work with us at the outdoor pool and that took some convincing.”
    “To be fair,” I say. “That was Tate’s fault. Him and his hyper-libido.”
    Henry smiles and takes a step closer. His hand hovers in