“You’re an interesting woman.” He says playfully.
I ponder his words for a moment before shrugging. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He laughs, throwing the towel he was using to dry the mugs at me. I catch it with ease and place it down on the counter. We’re getting ready to close the coffee shop for the week. Since everyone is going home for the holiday, the owner sees no point in staying open.
“You really don’t know if you’re going to go?!” Dawson asks again in disbelief.
I roll my eyes. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
I sigh, turning around and pulling myself up to sit on the counter. I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about this all day. Holden needs an answer by the time I get back, because if I’m going, he needs to book my plane ticket. Still, I don’t know what to do.
“I don’t even understand why he wants me there.” I murmur frustratedly.
He scoffs. “Oh, come on, you’re not that dense.” When I look at him blankly, he continues. “Kayleigh, he’s crazy about you.”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t want to go there.”
“Why not?!”
“Because!” I nearly shout before taking a deep breath, changing my tone. “I don’t want to. We’re just friends.”
He laughs dryly. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have sex with my friends.”
“Well, that’s good to know.” A girl’s voice booms through the, otherwise quiet, room.
Our heads whip toward the door, and Dawson gasps immediately. I recognize the girl’s long red hair and loose curls from his 5,000 Instagram photos. His girlfriend. She smiles happily as he runs toward her, picking her up in his arms and spinning her around – repeatedly telling her how much he missed her.
“What are you doing here?!” He questions.
She leans forward and kisses him quickly, then shrugs. “I got home a day early. I figured I’d come here instead.”
Dawson lights up, kissing her again and hugging her tightly. “I’m so glad you did!”
He’s too wrapped up in seeing his girlfriend again, that he completely forgets my existence. Thankfully, she doesn’t.
“Sorry, my boyfriend is rude. I’m Skylar.” She introduces herself, reaching her hand out. I shake it willingly.
“Kayleigh.”
Her eyebrows raise in realization. “Ah, the new best friend Dawson suckered into working with him.”
“I did no such thing.” He says defensively.
“Yeah, you did.” We both answer in unison, causing us to giggle while Dawson rolls his eyes.
Sky hangs out with the two of us while we finish cleaning up. There are a couple of customers left, finishing their coffee. While we wait for them to leave, the three of us discuss my dilemma and try to figure out whether I should go or not.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear.” A girl interrupts.
“Rude.” Dawson mumbles under his breath. Sky elbows him.
“Okay?” I reply confused.
She narrows her eyes at me, as if debating something. “Are you talking about Holden Rivers?”
I nod. Great, another girl he’s hooked up with.
“Oh. I’m sorry, I’m being impolite. I’m Laci, Holden’s ex.”
Sky looks at this girl as if she has a second head, while Dawson chokes on his iced tea. I, however, immediately know who she is. Her and Holden dated for almost all his freshman year. I nod again, this time hesitantly.
“Do you have a point? Or are you just trying to intimidate me?” I sass.
Her eyes widen in shock before she stutters. “I-I… did you say he invited you home with him?”
Sky’s expression only becomes more intense as Dawson muffles his laughter in her sweatshirt.
“He did.” I confirm. “What about it?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing, it just surprises me, that’s all.”
“Why?” I’m honestly offended.
She shrugs slightly. “He’s never brought anyone home. You two must be serious.”
Laci smiles before walking out the door, leaving me baffled. As soon as the door closes behind her, Dawson bellows in laughter.
“The nerve of that girl!” Sky scoffs.
I rub my temples, trying to rid myself of this ridiculous inner turmoil. I rest my elbows on the counter and place my head in my hands. Dawson comes up behind me and rubs my back.
“Why me?” I question, more to myself than anyone else.
“Because you’re magnificent in bed, duh.” Dawson quips. I glare at him for a short moment, causing him to raise his hands in defense and back up – smiling playfully.
“Has he told you he wants to be more than friends?” Sky inquires. I shake my head while Dawson nods.
“Not really.” I reply, slapping Dawson’s arm. He feigns injury and rubs it.
“She’s being naïve about it.”
“I’m being cautious.”
He chuckles. “Sure, hun. Whatever you say.”
I roll my eyes, turning my attention back to Sky. “He’s like, the university player.”
“Ah.” She says, nodding in understanding. “Well, what if you’re different?”
Her words bring me back to the conversation I overheard between Holden and Caleb last night. I don’t know, man. She’s different. I can’t explain it. Suddenly, I know what I’m going to do.
Dawson and I lock up and the three of us climb into his car. My knee bounces impatiently, causing the two of them to snicker. When we pull up to the frat house, they wish me luck and I jump out of the car.
I enter the house and run up the stairs, determined not to second guess myself. When I get into Holden’s room, he’s packing his bag. He turns and looks at me, his expression perplexed.
“Okay.” I breathe. “I’ll come with you.”
He smiles brightly and begins walking toward me. In one swift move, he swings the door shut and pushes me up against it, kissing me hungrily. I immediately kiss back, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. As he grinds against me, I moan into his mouth.
He picks me up and carries me over to the bed, knocking the bag onto the floor and laying me down.
“Thank you.” He says as he breaks the kiss, seeming happier than I’ve ever seen him.
I don’t respond. Instead, I pull him back down and the two of us lose ourselves in each other. The way he makes me feel is unexplainable. I just hope I don’t end up regretting this.
Chapter Seventeen
I sit at the long table with Holden by my side. The massive amount of food on my plate causes my anxiety to go haywire. There’s no way in hell I can eat all this. I try to rack my brain for an excuse, but can’t think of anything that won’t have Holden on full alert.
I look up to find his entire family staring at me. Their judgement is evident as my breathing becomes heavy. I try to look to Holden for help, but find the same disparaging expression on his face.
“What were you thinking?” His mother asks him with a strong southern accent. “She’ll never be good enough for you, son.”
I stand up. My chair makes a loud noise as it moves away from the table and I run out of the room. I find myself getting lost trying to locate the exit to this mansion. By the time I find it, everyone already standing outside. However, the only thing I can see is Holden, down on one knee in front of Brianna.
“Yes!” She yells excitedly as he picks her up and spins her in his arms.
“Thank the lord!” His mother praises, placing a hand on her chest. “I thought he was going to end up with Kayleigh.”
Everyone’s eyes land on me again, and laughter breaks out amongst them – as if the idea is the most outlandish thing they’ve ever heard. I look to the guy who has so quickly become my favorite person, but he’s laughing as well. How could I have been so stupid?
“Kayleigh.” Holden’s voice pulls me from my nightmare. “Wake up. We’re her
e.”
I open my eyes and immediately feel relieved. We’re still on the plane, just having landed at Philadelphia Airport. I lift my head from his shoulder and rub my eyes with my sleeves, trying to adjust to the light.
“You okay? You seemed like you were having a bad dream.” I try to play it cool, but he can see the alarm written all over my face. He leans forward and places a kiss on my forehead. “Everything’s going to be alright. I promise.”
The two of us stare into each other’s eyes for a moment. He smiles slightly, just enough to make my heart flutter. Maybe he’s right. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m just meeting the parents of my friend with benefits and spending a mainstream holiday with them.
Fuck.
Thankfully, before I can overthink it too much, the plane comes to a stop and everyone stands. Holden reaches up and grabs our bags from the overhead compartment. Once he’s done, the two of us follow the line of people off the plane and into the airport.
Walking up the jet way has got to be one of the most stressful moments of my life. What’s he going to introduce me as? His friend? His fuck-buddy? Will he even introduce me at all, or will he leave that for me to do myself?
Jesus, this was a bad idea. I should have stayed at school.
We make our way through the airport and down to the baggage claim. I’m moderately surprised there isn’t a large group of people holding up a sign that reads HOLDEN RIVERS written hugely across it.
Just when I’m about to ask him where everyone is, his phone rings. He holds one finger up and puts it to his ear.
“Hello?” He answers. “Yeah, we’re at baggage claim C. Where are you?” He spins around a little, brushing the hair out of his face before finally finding who he was looking for. “Yeah, you see me?... Okay cool.”
He hangs up the phone but keeps his attention focused away from me. I try to follow his line of sight, but I don’t spot anyone that resembles an excited mother or father. Finally, I see why.
“Hey man!” A guy that can’t be any older than Holden greets him, giving him a quick hug before turning his attention to me. “And you must be Kayleigh. You’re even hotter in person.”
My eyes widen in surprise as Holden laughs and pushes him away from me lightly. “Okay, enough of that. Forgive him, he lacks a filter.”
I recognize him from the many pictures in Holden’s room. Brandon – Holden’s best friend. A smile spreads across my face at how happy they both look together, catching up like they don’t talk every single day. For a moment, I wonder why Brandon is here to pick us up and not Holden’s parents, but I decide not to question it. He’s smiling, and that’s all that matters.
The two of us follow Brandon out to the parking lot, depositing our bags into the trunk when we reach his car. Just before I climb into the back seat, Holden stops me.
“You okay?” He asks lowly and I nod.
He squeezes my hand once before releasing it and opening the passenger door. We both get into the car and I take out my phone, texting Dawson to let him know we made it okay. He quickly replies with a picture of him and Skylar pouting, with a second text telling me how much they miss me. I smile, rolling my eyes and telling him I miss them too.
I scroll through Instagram, occasionally texting Dawson about my nightmare and impending anxiety attack at the thought of meeting Holden’s family. After about a half hour, I lie down across the back seat. Holden looks back to check on me. I assure him that I’m fine, sending him a bright smile and making myself comfortable. He smiles back and winks. I fight to ignore the fluttering in my stomach.
I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE when I fell asleep again, but I wake up to my name. No one is talking to me, however. They’re talking about me. Either I really need to learn not to eavesdrop, or Holden needs to stop talking about me while I’m asleep.
“Mom is so excited to meet her.” Brandon tells him.
Mom? They’re brothers?
Holden shakes his head, clicking off his phone and putting it down on his lap. “She acts like I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
“Correction, you’ve never had a girlfriend you’ve brought home.”
“Well, that’s still true. She isn’t my girlfriend.”
Brandon laughs. “Still?! Hasn’t she basically been living with you?”
He nods and then shrugs. “It’s not for lack of trying. I’ve dropped hints a few times.”
“Has the infamous Holden Rivers lost his touch? Come on, man. Since when are you shy?”
He turns back to look at me, and I quickly shut my eyes – hoping he didn’t catch me. “I just don’t want to fuck this up.”
“Aw, Little Holden has a heart.” Brandon mocks, causing Holden to chuckle. I feel the car come to a stop. “I’ll get the bags out of the trunk while you wake up your girlfriend.”
“Not my girlfriend.”
“Mhm.”
I hear the driver’s side door open and close, before feeling Holden begin to lightly rub my arm. I pretend to stir, blinking my eyes open to see him looking at me softly.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
I give him a tired smile, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair. I look out the window to see we’re in front of a house that isn’t small by any means, but still manages to look cozy. We climb out of the car, only for me to feel a breeze and hear the sound of waves. I turn around to see the beach right across the street.
“This is where you live?!” I ask, amazed.
“Yeah. Nice, isn’t it?”
“Gorgeous.” I breathe.
Brandon closes the trunk and hands Holden one of the bags. I follow them into the house, trying to rid myself of my building anxiety. It’s going to be okay. It’s only his family.
“Mom! We’re home!” Brandon yells through the house as the two of them drop the bags by the stairs.
A beautiful woman with black hair comes down the hall, greeting Holden and immediately wrapping her arms around him.
“We’ve missed you so much!” She says, squeezing him tightly.
Holden smiles, returning her hug with the same strength. “I missed you too.” As they pull away, they turn their attention to me. “Kayleigh, this is my mom, for all intents and purposes. Mom, this is Kayleigh, my… Kayleigh.”
Brandon snickers at his mistake while I’m still stuck on the way he introduced her. However, she holds her arms out for a hug and I go willingly.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Kayleigh.”
“It’s nice to meet you too Mrs…”
“Reese, but please, call me Heather.” I smile and nod, finding solace in how easy this is. “Why don’t you two bring your stuff to your bedroom and then meet me in the kitchen?”
Holden agrees, picking up the two bags and gesturing toward the stairs. I follow him up and down the hall. When we reach his room, he opens the door and motions for me to walk in first.
The first thing I notice is the way it smells. Jasmine and Honeysuckle. It’s completely Holden. One of the walls holds many photos, much like his room at Kappa Delta Phi. However, these pictures are different. They show a younger version of him – high school Holden. I can’t help but notice Brandon in almost every picture.
Holden walks over to the window and pulls back the curtains, immediately displaying a perfect view of the beach.
“Woah.” I breathe, walking towards the view. As soon as I’m close enough, he wraps his arm around me. “It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.”
Holden sighs happily. “Almost.”
I look up at him to see him already looking at me. I giggle, hitting him playfully. “Sap.”
He grins brightly and bends down, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” I respond honestly.
THE REST OF THE day is spent listening to stories about how much trouble Brandon and Holden used to get into. At one point, Heather even brings out the photo albums. I can’t help but notice there are no pictures of
Holden before school age. I don’t question it though. If he wants to tell me, he will.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about coming at first, but now, I’m glad I did. Everything I was worried about was for nothing. His parents are two the sweetest people I’ve ever met.
I end up meeting Mr. Reese, or Dan as he prefers, when he gets home from work. He, Brandon, and Holden drink beers while talking about what the two boys have been up to. Heather and I continue to look through the albums, her pointing out little things and telling stories as we flip through the pages. I learn that Brandon chose to go to school in Philly, not wanting to be too far from home. Holden had tried to convince him to go to Maine with him, but he wouldn’t budge.
Apparently, there are five more family members that I’ll be meeting tomorrow - their sister Josephine and all four of the grandparents. The thought makes me remember my grandmother and how much I miss her. She’s all the way in Florida though, so I don’t get to see her often.
A little after 11pm, everyone says goodnight and retreats to their bedrooms. Even Brandon decides to go to sleep, which doesn’t go without teasing from Holden about him being an old man.
Holden and I slip into bed. I don’t even realize how jet lagged I am until I lie my head on his chest. He kisses the top of my head, once again telling me how glad he is that I’m here. We fall asleep tangled up in each other’s arms.
I WAKE UP TO Holden whispering my name. It’s still dark, but with the amount I slept yesterday, I’m not overly tired.
“Babe, wake up. Come on.” He pushes, brushing the hair from my face.
“I’m awake.” I mumble, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. I glance out the window, seeing dawn just barely breaking.
“Get up. I want to show you something.”
I look at him as if he’s crazy, but cave when he gives me one of his heart melting smiles. He hands me one of his heavier sweatshirts. I put it on and then take his hand and allow him to lead me down the stairs and out the front door.
The two of us cross the street and step up onto the boardwalk, just as the sun starts peeking up from the water line. Between the colors and the atmosphere, it’s breathtaking. Holden wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his head on my shoulder.
Sleepless November (Sleepless November Saga Book 1) Page 11