by Laura Burton
Holly was buzzing as she watched William work the lock on a door in a back alley. She kept a lookout, her imagination running wild, but no one came. The door clicked and William pushed it open.
“Where did you learn to pick a lock?” she asked. William tapped his nose and gestured for her to follow.
“This is the service entrance. It’s a terrible security flaw if you ask me. But tonight, I’m not complaining.”
Holly followed him inside and the door slammed shut behind them. The sound echoed all around them and Holly flinched. William shot her a look.
“Sorry,” she whispered. They walked through a narrow hall that smelled like feet. “Where are we?”
“Come and see,” William whispered back, marching forward. They reached a set of doors and William held one open for Holly. As she stepped through, she squinted into what seemed to be a very large, dark hall.
“I don’t––” she began, but William thrust up a handle and huge lights flooded the place. Holly gasped.
“Is this… a basketball stadium?”
William nodded. A huge basketball court sat in the centre of stadium seating. A scoreboard hung on every side. Holly was giddy.
“We’ve just broken into a stadium. Aren’t we going to get caught?” she said, as they descended the steps.
“They don’t have a game on tonight. I know a few NBA players,” William said. “Oh, look!”
He hopped onto the metal handrail and slid down to the court with ease. Then dashed to the other side and picked up a ball. He held up it like a trophy.
“Want to play a game?” he asked with a wry smile.
Holly glanced down at her tight denim dress and wished she was wearing something more suitable. But despite her worries, she lifted herself onto the handrail to follow William to the court. Once she was perched on the rail she leaned forward and let go, expecting to go sailing down to the bottom. But what happened instead made William snort with laughter. Holly slid a couple of feet and then came to a squeaky halt as her denim dress got stuck to the metal. She rocked side to side in a weak attempt to get herself going again, which only created more squeaks. William doubled up with mirth.
“Why don’t you just use the steps?” he called out. Holly bit her tongue with concentration. She was not a quitter. She frowned as she moved around to unstick herself from the rail. Finally, she repositioned at an angle that had her flying down at mammoth speed, her hair flying.
William promptly stopped laughing and ran over just as Holly flew from the end of the rail and collided with him. They both ended up on the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” Holly said, pushing herself off of his chest. William rested his hands on her hips and stared at Holly in shock for a moment. Then his face flooded with color and the two of them broke into a fit of laughter.
“If only I caught that on camera,” William said as they got to their feet. Holly elbowed him.
“I’d make you delete the footage,” she said, failing miserably to hide the amusement from her tone.
“You’re hilarious. You know that, right?”
Holly rolled her eyes and straightened out her dress.
“I’ve been told.”
William shook his head, gave her a curious look then shook his head again.
“What is it?” Holly asked, suddenly self-conscious. She wondered if one of her clip-in hair extensions had fallen out, or if her lipstick had smudged. William scratched the back of his neck and thrust a hand in his pocket.
“You’re not like other models,” he said frankly. Holly twisted her hair around her finger.
“I’m sure you’ve dated lots of models, huh?” she teased. William’s face turned red.
“Actually, you’re the first,” he said sheepishly. Holly cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment.
“How am I different from other models?”
William picked up the basketball and avoided eye contact.
“I don’t know… How good are you at shooting hoops?”
Holly knew he was trying to change the topic, but she let it drop. She kicked off her boots and followed William to the end of the court.
“My dad taught me a thing or two,” she said casually. William ran and jumped, letting go of the ball. It bounced on the back board and fell through the hoop. Holly got the impression he had done that a million times before.
He threw the ball to her and she caught it.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” William said, crossing his arms. Holly shook her hair back from her shoulders and took a deep breath. Suddenly, William held up his hands and looked at her with a frown.
“Wait!” he said, tip toeing to the side. He crouched down and sheltered his head with his arms. “Okay. Now go ahead.”
Holly resisted the urge to throw the ball at him and rolled her eyes instead.
“Oh, very funny.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. William grinned and stood up again.
Holly was good at shooting hoops. She had a basketball net on the drive of her parents’ house. Growing up, she would go out and practice every night.
She took the shot and the ball fell through the hoop without even hitting the backboard. William whistled.
“Nice,” he said with a nod.
The two of them bantered back and forth and shot hoops for an hour before either of them became breathless and ready for a break. William’s forehead was shiny with perspiration as he panted. Holly tied her hair back and walked up to face him.
“You know, even when you’re all sweaty you’re still hot,” William said, brushing a strand of damp hair away from her face. His soft gaze sent shivers of delight through Holly.
“Funny,” she said. “I’m hot and sweaty. Wild, huh?”
She smirked at William’s appreciative chuckle. When he stopped, Holly took a step closer and rested her palms on his chest. He tensed under her touch and Holly sensed his nerves. Which only made her want to move closer.
“I think you’re pretty hot, too,” she said in a silky voice.
It wasn’t the perfect moment for a first kiss, granted. But not kissing felt wrong. So much of this man was a mystery. She hardly knew him. But there was something about him that made her feel… different. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Kissing him would provide all the answers. Of that, she was certain.
Holly slowly rose to her tiptoes as William bent his head to join her. But just before she could capture him with a kiss, a door banged, and an old man shouted from the top of the steps.
“What are you two doing in here?”
Holly jumped back from William and looked up at the old caretaker standing in the doorway.
“Run!” William shouted. Holly grabbed her boots and followed him.
Moments later, the two of them burst out of a fire door, laughing and panting while a high-pitched alarm ricocheted off the walls of the alley.
“Come on,” William said, grasping Holly’s hand as she slipped into her boots. “We’re not safe yet.”
The two of them dashed down the dark alley and ran along the streets. Sirens followed.
Holly had no idea what time it was, nor where they were heading, but she didn’t care. As the air whipped through her hair and William tugged on her hand, she couldn’t stop herself from beaming.
Never had she felt so alive.
They finally ended up beside the Hudson river, and settled on the bank, gasping for air. Holly’s lungs burned. She hadn’t run for that long in years.
“See, breaking the law can be fun,” William said, he was splayed out on the bank, his chest heaving. They fell into a comfortable silence as Holly waited for her heartbeat to calm down.
The summer night was warm, and she was drenched in sweat. Struck by an idea, she stood up.
“You know what would be really fun?” she said, kicking off her shoes again. William’s face was pale in the moonlight and his dark brows lifted as he watched her peel off her denim dress.
“What are you doing?” he sai
d.
“I’m going to cool off,” Holly said, now standing in her black underwear. This was the most reckless thing she’d ever done. But right now, it didn’t feel reckless. She was soaked in sweat and overheated. Going for a dip in the Hudson to cool down seemed perfectly logical.
The look on William’s face made her wonder if it was downright scandalous.
“Are you coming?” she asked innocently as she skipped to the edge of the bank.
There was no hesitation. Within seconds, William had stripped to his boxers and joined her. She took his hand.
“Jump on three?” she asked. William nodded; his eyes wide. They counted to three and jumped at the same time.
As soon as Holly crashed into the water, all of her common sense returned, and she immediately regretted the idea.
Idiot. Now you’re going to drown.
Despite the hot evening, the water was icy cold. So cold, Holly couldn’t catch her breath. She gawped like a fish and shivered uncontrollably. The movies lied. She had watched lovers jump into water at night, as if it was a beautiful and romantic thing to do. But no. It was impossibly cold and now Holly was probably going to die. At least, that was what she thought.
William seemed to read her mind––or perhaps seemed to notice that she still hadn’t caught her breath yet. He grabbed her and pulled her in close. If she was not so starved of oxygen, she might have noticed that her body was pressed up against his. But she could have been hugging a cactus for all she knew. Her whole body had gone numb.
“I’m going to lift you up, and you’re going to grab hold of the edge,” William said in a shuddery voice. He was freezing too. But he was able to talk. How was he breathing? Holly wished she knew.
William pushed her up to the edge, his hand cradling her butt; a memory that would send heat to her cheeks later. She grasped the side and took her first greedy gulp of air.
Her head was spinning, her ears were ringing, and every part of her body tingled as Holly crawled out onto the bank again. She collapsed on her back and stared up at the dark sky, taking in as many breaths as her lungs would allow.
Moments later, and with a splash, William got out of the river and walked over to his clothes.
“You okay?” Holly called out with her eyes closed. Her head was pounding, and every part of her body ached.
“Can you bring the car over here; we need warm blankets too.” William’s low voice was barely audible.
“A warm blanket sounds so good right now,” Holly said as William returned to her side. She blinked drops of water out of her lashes and looked at him. Water clung to his perfectly sculped body and his muscles glistened in the moonlight.
“You could be a model, you know,” Holly blurted. Apparently, her filter was still in the Hudson. William made a pose.
“You’ve not lost your sense of humor, I see,” he said with approval. He draped his shirt over Holly like a sheet and tucked it in around her body.
“Just for the record, I thought the water would be warmer,” she said frankly.
“Well, if I was tired before, I’m wide awake now,” William said, laying down next to her.
Sometime later, a car pulled up and William slid his hands underneath Holly’s back and knees. He stood up and carried her to the car.
“I’m going to puke. Would you still kiss me if I puke?” she said. William gave her an odd look but did not acknowledge the comment. The driver appeared and held the door open.
“Mr. Fisher, charming to see you again. We’ve just been in for a dip,” Holly said to the man in a fake British accent.
She saw William exchange looks with the driver before he carried her into the car.
“Let’s get you warmed up,” he said, wrapping Holly in a thick blanket. She closed her eyes in her cotton cocoon and sighed. Being in the warm car all wrapped up in a dry blanket felt like true luxury.
William disappeared for a few minutes and returned with their clothes. He handed Holly her purse and closed the door.
“Feeling better?” he asked, shaking water out of his hair. Holly nodded with a drunken smile.
William settled down next to her wrapped in a blanket as the car began to move.
“You’re so nice,” Holly said. A tiny part of her brain sent up red flags. She knew word vomit was coming but there was nothing she could do to stop it. All of her defences were down. “I like you. A lot. I don’t even know you. But I like you.”
A dimple appeared on William’s cheek as he looked at her.
“I think you’re delirious,” he said. “But thank you.”
His tongue ran along his upper lip then disappeared again.
“Just between you and me? I like you too,” he said. Grazing his thumb over Holly’s bottom lip. Suddenly, it was stifling in the blanket.
“I just thought you should know. Because you’ve still got to date ninety-four percent girl, and we’re not a good match. But I think we should see more of each other.” Her eyes flew down and then shot back up to William’s face with a look of horror. “That came out wrong. I mean, find out more about you, like what TV shows you watch.”
William cradled her cheek and leaned closer.
“I don’t watch TV,” he whispered, his breath tickling her lips. Holly moaned.
“That’s why we don’t match. I love TV,” she said. Her lips touched his briefly.
“You could show me what you like to watch,” he whispered. But before Holly could speak, his mouth had joined hers. The contact zinged right through Holly and she thought for a moment that she had left her body and skyrocketed into space.
The kiss lasted for three seconds. Maybe less. Holly wasn’t counting. But there were aftershocks. It was like a lightbulb had been switched on and Holly wanted more. She leaned in to kiss William again, this time with more passion and abandon. But before she could play out her fantasy, the car stopped abruptly, and she fell back.
“I’ve had a great time today,” William said formally. Holly blinked at him, not understanding. The door opened and she peered out to see the front of her apartment.
“Oh,” she said. And just like that, the date was over. She gathered her things and gave William one last look.
“Well. Thanks for today. I’m going to keep this blanket by the way,” she said. William’s eyes twinkled as he nodded.
“Goodnight Holly.”
Chapter 10
Holly walked into her apartment looking like a giant marshmallow, wrapped in a white blanket. Her heart was heavy, and she couldn’t work out why. But when she walked into the living area, all of her thoughts evaded her mind and she dropped the blanket in a pile at her feet.
“What in the world?” she said faintly.
Josie and Thatcher were making out on the couch, convincing Holly that when she jumped into the Hudson, it had transported her to an alternate reality.
Josie and Thatcher sat up, adjusting their clothes with equally red faces.
“Holly, you’re home,” Josie said in a fake chirpy voice. “Why are you wet? And only in your underwear?”
“Are you drunk?” Thatcher asked. Holly ignored their questions, shaking her head as she tried to process the situation.
“Were you two making out? Or did I just imagine that?” she said bluntly. Thatcher and Josie exchanged looks.
“We were going to tell you... about us. We just wanted to find the right time,” Josie said, looking guilty. She and Thatcher held hands and looked at her with sympathy, which only riled Holly up more.
“My two best friends are in love. Great. Well, I’m tired. I’ll be in bed, if anyone needs me.” She stomped across the room, leaving the door wide open and her blanket on the floor.
“How did your date go?” Thatcher asked, but Holly had already marched off into her room and slammed the door.
Holly took a hot shower and climbed into bed with a sigh. The king-size bed was comfortable, and she was cozy in her fluffy onesie, but something troubled her.
The events of the
evening replayed in her mind. From the stilted reality TV acting and air balloon ride, to the moment she fell onto William on the basketball court. They had been flirting and the date was going well. Until Holly thought it would be a good idea to go swimming in the Hudson.
After that, everything changed. She cringed at the things she said.
Would you still kiss me if I puke?
She threw her covers over her head with a moan. How could she say that?
Then she touched her lips as she remembered their kiss.
It had all ended so abruptly; she couldn’t work out what went wrong. And now her best friends were playing tonsil tennis in her living room, so she couldn’t even talk to them about it.
Holly went to sleep disgruntled and with her stomach knotted. Sleep provided her with no rest. Instead, she fell into weird and twisted dreams.
Morning came and Holly woke up to her alarm. Despite its piercing tone, it was a welcome relief from her wild imagination.
When she walked into the kitchen, she stopped at the sight of Thatcher leaning over the sink, washing dishes.
“You stayed over?” she said. Thatcher spun on the spot and met her gaze with an unabashed smile.
“Josie and I were thinking, as it’s Sunday… we could spend the day together.”
Holly opened her mouth to react, but Josie bounded in through the front door. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. She was far too energetic for the morning.
“Oh good. Are you setting up the blender?” she asked Thatcher, who waved a broccoli stalk at her. Josie beamed at Holly. “Morning, sleepy head. Are you feeling okay? I’ve got the perfect hangover cure for you.”
Holly raised her hand and looked at her friend like she had gone mad.
“Hangover? Who said anything about a hangover?”
Josie and Thatcher exchanged looks.
“Oh no. It won’t be that easy,” Holly said, resting her hands on her hips. “I saw you two last night. I wasn’t drunk and I remember everything.”
Josie’s eyes turned into the shape of saucers.
“But Holly… you weren’t wearing any clothes,” she said in a hushed voice. Thatcher walked round from the breakfast bar as Josie took her arm gently.