By the time they arrived on the sidewalk, Henry had been given a lot to think about. It was clear that Malia wanted him to fight for Sterling. But there was something holding him back â€" that intimacy was a big part of his relationships. Henry joined making love and it had been far too long since he and Sterling had been in such a place. Even now, all they did was kiss and get a little handsy, but nothing ever came of it. The more he tried, the more he found that he just couldn't get past the scars.
He looked up at Malia as they stood there on the sidewalk. He knew he should probably just walk her home, but something kept his feet firmly planted on the sidewalk. He had to know. He had to make sure that he was capable of intimacy. It was wrong to use Malia for sex, but he had to know.
Slowly, he stepped closer to her and pulled her towards him. His hand moved to the small of her back as the other moved to reach up to cup her cheek. He allowed his eyes to look at the low-cut dress before his lips pressed to hers. At first the kiss was innocent, but he knew that such a kiss would never spur on the part of his anatomy that had yet to work when Sterling was around.
After several moments of the kiss growing deeper and his tongue begging for entrance, he pulled back. He could feel his body stirring, the pants he wore growing tighter. He could feel lust. He still functioned as a man should. What did that mean for he and Sterling if he could not achieve such a state with him? He didn't know.
Knowing that Malia would be confused, he did not want to leave her feeling vulnerable. He had to be truthful with her. She deserved at least that much. "I had to know if I was capable of feeling desire at all..." A small part of him had hoped that he would not react like he did with Malia. It would tell him that he just did not work as a man. At least that could be explained to Sterling. But now, now he knew he couldn't feel those feelings with Sterling...what to do with that information was a whole new set of problems.
However, instead of drowning in confusion, he looked up at Malia. "Do you want to come back to the Ark or to a hotel with me?" His intent was clear â€" he was giving her the option of going home to Frost or spending the evening with him. No doubt he had spurred on both their hormones. But he had to know. He had to know if he could achieve complete vulnerability in intimacy with someone else. Sure, there were some hookers down the street, but he'd rather explore this with Malia. She meant a lot to him. She was his best friend.