As soon as the lecture's over, Henry quickly starts picking up his notes. His papers end up a little messy and he knows it's going to come back and bite him later, but for now, he has more important things to worry about than his homework getting ruined.

He tries not to run, but it's a near thing as he manages to find exactly who he's looking for. He waits outside of the room and only steps up once he's sure she isn't already caught in another conversation.

Taking a deep breath, Henry walks up to her. "Hey! Um...hi." Shit.

She turns and looks him up and down nervously. "Hi? Do you need something?"

He freezes, then tries to remember what William said. "I just noticed that you like to draw stuff and I think that's pretty cool." He shoves his hands into his pockets, giving her a -hopefully- nice smile.

She blinks. "Thanks. Um, I have to get somewhere, so-"

"Wait!" He startles her and quickly backs away. "I mean...I just wanted to talk about it with you. Sometime. Not in a date way, but a friend way." This is horrible. The ship is crashing, he's spiraling down a cliff and it's only going to get worse. He should pull away now and save her the embarrassment of knowing him.

"I don't really want to, but thanks for the offer." She gives him a fake smile, then runs up to her friends. Henry stays rooted in place, all too aware of the way they laugh after she joins them.

He swallows hard, accepting his defeat, and walks down the hall at a snail's pace. It's fine. He'll get another chance and maybe...maybe he shouldn't try to aim for dating this quickly. Dad didn't give him a deadline or anything -though, Valentines day is coming up soon. He should focus on just being friends and if something sparks, good for him. If not, then he shouldn't have to force it.

He also needs to remind himself of his conversation with William. "Treat them like everyone else. Girls aren't some strange creature that he has to figure out."

With that slight encouragement, Henry moves forward.

He's out eating lunch when it happens next.

"Hey! I saw the Elton John sticker on your Violin case and wondered if you like his music."

She looks up at him slowly, then nods. "I wouldn't have the sticker if I didn't like his music."

Right. "I mean...yeah. Could I sit with you? I haven't met any other fans and I think we-"

"He's pretty popular." She interrupts, looking skeptical. "And I don't really like talking about music artists that much. It's awkward."

"Oh." Henry looks down, still very aware of the fact he's just standing next to her table. "Well, we could talk about something el-"

"No offense, but I don't really want to talk with strangers. Maybe the next person with a sticker can help you, but I have a lesson." She stuffs her mouth with fries, grabs her violin, and leaves. She doesn't even bother to throw way her wrappers and he's left wondering what on earth just happened.

He ends up throwing her trash away and saves the rest of his lunch for later, when he gets his appetite back.

Sunday. He's been working on this for two days now and if he hasn't gotten so much as a conversation going. But maybe today will be different. He doesn't need to search for topics this time because he can just talk about today's lesson. And he's already met a few of them, so maybe it'll feel less like he's just some random guy creeping up on them.

Hopefully.

"Turn your books to Genesis chapter three. Who would like to start us off?"

Henry leans over. "Hey, Janet? Could we share scriptures? I forgot mine." He smiles, but at this point, he's given up on looking nice. She wordlessly scoots closer, letting him see the page. He follows along for a few verses, then looks at her again. "This is really cool, huh? It's crazy to learn about how God created the earth. I mean, the number of things a human needs in order to survive on a planet is-"

"Sh!"

He stops. He waits about ten minutes, which is pretty pathetic, but at least they're supposed to be reading together this time. "I really like the book of Nephi." She doesn't look annoyed, but she also doesn't respond. "It's cool to think about the fact they actually lived that long ago. We look at history and disconnect it from our own lives because of how the world is now, but when you compare the actual land itself, it's not too different. The mountains these prophets prayed on are probably all still there right now."

"Are you a history nerd or something?" She asks quickly, her voice low in a whisper.

"Well, not really. I'm more of an engineer."

"Okay." And that's the end of the conversation. She just goes back to reading and Henry doesn't bother trying a third time.

"Freaking crap!" Henry announces his presence to the empty dorm room. He slumps over his bed like a dead animal and just lays there. His legs are still on the floor and it's really uncomfortable, but he can't bring himself to move.

He managed to scare away everyone from his classes. Well, almost everyone. There's still Carmen, but he already knows she doesn't like him. She's been glaring at him since the first day of the semester and he really doesn't know why, but guessing from his record so far, it could be a number of things.

Maybe he's just a hateable person. Maybe there's something about him that every other human immediately doesn't like. It would make sense, honestly. He can't remember anyone who immediately liked him besides his boss and they aren't best friends either.

The door swings open and Henry just groans. He can already smell the coffee on William's work clothes.

"What's this about?" William says in a laughing tone. Henry doesn't look at him for a while, waiting until the sounds of rustling clothes stop. Then, he flops onto his back.

"I think I'll just accept the lonely life." He sighs dramatically. "I swear I'm broken or something."

"Or something."

Henry sits up. He waits for an explanation, but he doesn't get one. "What?"

William answers without looking at him. "You said 'I'm broke or something'. I don't think you're broken, so I said 'or something'."

It's just stupid enough to make Henry smile. He lays back again, his eyes moving the the ceiling. "That was so dumb." The room is quiet for a moment longer and Henry feels the despair return. "I just don't know what to do. I'm trying not to look creepy but there's no way to talk to a stranger without at least putting someone off. Maybe I'm just annoying-"

"Don't put yourself down." William's voice is firm, but not angry. "Perhaps you're simply going about this the wrong way. Instead of trying to strike up a conversation, you could..."

Henry sighs when William can't think of anything. "Look, I appreciate it, but maybe it's just not for me. It's not like I really care about getting a girlfriend. I'm doing this for my dad, mostly."

"Your father? Why would he be so interested in your dating life?" There's a pause. "Are all fathers like that?"

Henry shrugs. "I don't know if they're all like that, but my dad is. But I don't think he actually cares that much about me dating and more..." Should he say it? He hasn't mentioned this to anyone but the family. But when he looks at William's expectant gaze, he feels like he can be honest. "He wants me to get a girlfriend because my sister's gay."

There's a series of emotions and Henry only catches the shocked and neutral ones. The silence drags out for a moment, but Henry doesn't feel the need to back track or correct himself. He just waits for a response. "Aren't you religious?" William asks carefully.

"Yeah, but I don't think it has to do with Jen's feeling about God. It's just how she loves, you know?"

"So you're in support of gay people?" Henry nods after a moment. William looks away, his emotions still carefully neutral and it's only then that Henry wonders if this was a mistake. What if William's like Dad? What if he's worse? But then William nods slowly and Henry relaxes. "I can see how that may be an issue in your family. But I still don't think your father should force you into a relationship like this."

Henry shrugs even though a part of him wants to agree. "It's whatever, I guess. I don't mind getting a girlfriend. It's just...I'd rather be doing something else."

There's a long pause where both of them silently agree on the matter. Then, William sits up, a smile on his face that always gets Henry nervous. "I have an idea." There is it. "Meet me in your car. I'm driving."

"What?!"

Henry holds onto his seat for dear life. William is, to say the least, a bad driver. He could blame it on the fact he's from England and doesn't currently own a car himself, but most of it is just too bad for that excuse. He goes too fast, doesn't look in the right directions, turns too sharply, and stops too hard. By the time they get to their destination, Henry's a little sick and he feels like kissing the ground.

"You're never driving with me again." He says after a moment.

William gets out of the car like he didn't almost jack up Henry's car insurance three times. "Don't be silly. It wasn't that bad." Henry's about to retort, but then he looks up. They're at the local park. He can see the playground a ways away from them, as well as an empty baseball court. It's a slightly warmer day today, which means Henry just slipped on a heavier sweater and called it good. William has a long sleeved turtle neck that definitely frames him well.

"Why are we here?" Henry asks, still very confused about this new idea. And of course, William doesn't give an answer. He just grabs Henry by the hand and pulls him to a busier area. People are walking along trails and there are a few skaters too, but they're far enough to not be a hazard. "Will-"

"I'm going to teach you how to dance, Henry." William says at last, looking proud of himself. "It may not help you talk to strangers, but it may boost your confidence."

Henry's heart picks up as he looks around them, suddenly very aware of everyone else. "Couldn't we have done this somewhere more private? I don't want to look like an idiot."

"But that defeats the purpose. I want you to mess up while people are watching."

"But-"

William gets this certain look and Henry's words cut off. "Trust me. Most of these people don't care what we're doing. Just focus on us and nothing else, okay?"

It takes a lot of strength, but Henry eventually nods. He lets William adjust his arms until he's grabbing the man's hand and waist. William's own are on Henry's shoulder. The contact makes him warm and it helps ground him. Don't focus on anyone else. Just them.

"I'll lead at first, just to show you how it's done. Then you can take over when you're comfortable." And with that, William starts pulling him into a small circle. Every step is deliberate and Henry follows along clumsily. He feels out of rhythm and he still turns to look around them every so often, but as he starts to learn the patterns, the nerves feel less present. They're still there, but he has something else to focus on.

After a minute or so, Henry is finally ready and he picks up the pace just slightly. He feels William let himself get pulled along, a knowing smile on his face. Henry can't help but smile himself, his entire chest warming with various emotions. He's doing it! He's actually dancing!

They switch directions after a moment, but William follows him easily. Henry slows them down, feeling his legs get tired, but he's not quite ready to stop yet. He's enjoying this too much. His eyes never leave the taller man's.

They pull apart when Henry sees someone coming closer. He drops his hand from William's waist a little awkwardly, his anxiety returning in full force as a tall woman stands in front of him, looking very determined.

"I recognize you from church. My name's Tenisha." She offers her hand to Henry and he stares at it for a moment. He looks to William, who just stands there, then finally takes it. Her hand is surprisingly shaky and he wonders if she's just as nervous as he is. "Janet said you're weird."

"Oh." Henry's heart sinks. "I mean...I guess." He really doesn't want to remember his failed attempt just an hour ago.

"She also said you're an engineer. I'm not too great with machines and stuff, but I like seeing how things are put together. Would you like to hang out?" As she talks, her tone stiffens and he can see the confidence melt into anxious panic.

It makes him feel a little bit better about his own clammy hands and stuttering nature. "Um, yeah! Sure. I'd love to show you some of the things I'm working on."

"Good. Um..." She fishes through her pockets and grabs a pen. She then silently asks for his hand again and he gives it to her. With the neatest handwriting Henry's ever seen, she writes a number own on his palm, then leaves without another word.

He watches her go, his eyes tracing over her hunched shoulders, shaky legs, and bouncing curls. Then, he realizes what he just did and gapes up at William. "I did it!" He shouts, not caring who hears. "I just made friends with a girl!"

William doesn't give him much of a reaction but it doesn't really matter, because Henry's already smiling wide. Would it be too quick to call her as soon as they get back to the dorm?

I have no idea what to say about this. Just take it and enjoy.