"Just because"

Henry looked a bit lost before he scratched the back of his neck and said, "I... don't know. You just seemed like the type to have trouble with guys like me, and Sky has also asked us to stop coming over since you didn't like it, and it made me quite sad because I kind of feel like I'm the cause, and it's just... I don't know. You also seemed angry when Collins held your briefs, but trust me, that's not what happened. We were just..." 

Chris looked at the guy rambling and wanted to tell him it was fine, but Henry just kept going. It seemed as though he had rehearsed what to say and was trying not to miss a line.

"The room was quite filled that day and since Collins is kinda like a neat freak and would rather die than sit on the floor, we asked him to sit on your bed." He started.

"Collins didn't think you'd like it, but Sky said he thought you were a nice guy since you've been talking, and he didn't think you'd make trouble out of it."

"When Collins was still hesitating, Noel pushed him on the bed, and he had his face on your briefs, which he was still in denial of until he raised it in horror. Unfortunately, you entered just as we were laughing at him. So you probably... misunderstood," 

Chris rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for the guy to stop talking, and thankfully, he finally concluded his story. 

"I guess I misunderstood then. And you also misunderstood me. I don't have a problem with you. I was only pissed the first day because I was knocking outside for a while. And then the next day, the room was fully crowded. It's not something I'm used to."

"Oh... really?" He looked hopeful. 

"Yeah."

"Sorry about that. We'll sure stop coming." 

"You don't have to."

"Sky already talked to us about it."

"No need for that. You are his friends. I can't tell you all to stop coming." 

Henry smiled so widely that Chris had to raise a questioning brow at him. 

"I knew you were a lot cooler than you looked," Henry told him happily.

"Is that... a compliment?" Chris asked. 

"It is. It so is!" He said with a grin as he went to open Sky's wardrobe. 

"You aren't doing anything tonight?" Henry asked with his back to Chris, who had just returned to his bed. 

"Why are you asking?" Chris asked suspiciously, hoping he wasn't about to start hitting on him just because he said he was fine with it. 

Henry turned around immediately as he said, "You should tag along with me."

Okay, this was getting weirder. 

"To where?" Chris asked uninterestedly.

"The pub."

"What pub?" 

"That's the name. "The pub". Tonight's the grand opening. Sky's band is performing. I came to get his jacket." 

Chris remembered seeing some leaflets about the opening, but he hadn't bothered to read through them. Sky was performing tonight? Why hadn't he mentioned it?

"So what do you say? Instead of being stuck in here on a Friday night, let's go there. I swear, it would be fun."

Chris didn't have to ponder it for long. He also didn't want to be here alone on a Friday night. He hadn't had the chance to do anything fun since he arrived, so maybe he could just go there and have a few drinks. 

"Uhm... okay? How am I supposed to dress?" 

"You can wear anything. It's cold outside, so keep that in mind." 

Chris nodded and went to get a sweatshirt with a zipper at the front and a white turtleneck shirt. He stripped out of the t-shirt he was wearing before he remembered Henry was behind him and turned around to look at the guy. As he had expected, Henry's eyes were fixed on his back, and they slowly went up to meet Chris's eyes before he smiled in embarrassment. 

"It's a harmless stare, I promise." He said, raising both hands in a sign of peace.

Chris only smirked before he put on his shirt and went to pick up his specs. When he wore it, he noticed Henry giving him a curious look again. 

"Are you going to wear a lens and specs at the same time?" Henry asked. 

Chris almost panicked when he heard that question. How did he know he wore contact lenses? But he already took them off.

Wait, he already took them off!

He blinked in confusion, not sure what to do first. 

Hesitantly, he took off the specs and laughed awkwardly. "Sometimes, I forget I'm actually wearing it." He spoke sheepishly. "Guess I should keep this." He dropped his specs back on his desk and forced out a smile. 

Henry laughed and nodded. "It kind of suits you. Why did you settle for blue? "It's quite... striking." 

Chris didn't want to continue this conversation, so he just shrugged and said, "Just because."