Endless December (Sleepless November Saga Book 2)

by Kelsey Clayton

  "You printed some of us?"

  He walks toward me. "Of course, I did. They're what helped me get through the summer."

  I exhale, relieved. "I thought you hated me after I wouldn't let you visit."

  He places one hand on my cheek and the other on the back of my neck, looking deep into my eyes. "I could never hate you."

  Holden leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead. I take a deep breath, overwhelmed with the vast amount of want I have for him. It's clear there are lingering feelings between us. Yet, I still don't know if we can get back to how we were.

  I've always been one of those people who believed you broke up for a reason. Whenever Emily used to get back with one of her exes, I would roll my eyes, knowing it was doomed from the start. It's like breaking something. You can put it back together, but it'll never be the same. However, standing here with Holden, I can understand why people do it anyway.

  No. It's not the right time for one. I need to focus on hockey and the fraternity.

  His words play in my mind on a repetitive loop. Could I handle going back to being his friend with benefits? No, I don't think I could. Not after being his girlfriend - after falling completely and irrevocably in love with him.

  I sigh, taking one step back. He releases me and looks at me cautiously, as if he's afraid of what my next move will be.

  "I should really get back to Dolce." I murmur. "I'm supposed to be working."

  "Oh." Holden replies, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, yeah. Do you need a ride back?" He starts walking me out.

  I shake my head. "I drove Dawson's car."

  "Do you even have a license?" He questions, looking down at me unsurely.

  I narrow my eyes at him. "Yes."

  He walks me down the stairs and out the door to Dawson's car. Before I get in, he opens his arms for another hug. I don't hesitate, embracing him and breathing in the smell I've missed so much.

  Jasmine, Honeysuckle, and Holden.

  I open the car door and climb inside. As soon as I start it, I roll down the window. Holden bends down, placing hands on the door. He gazes into the car as I text Dawson, letting him know I'm on my way back.

  "Do you still have my number?" He asks.

  I nod. "Of course, I do."

  He smiles in the way that makes me swoon. "Good. Text me when you get back so I know you made it alright."

  "Okay."

  He leans in and presses his lips my head once more. When he retreats, it takes everything in me not to pull him back toward me and kiss him senseless. He pats the door twice and steps backward, crossing his arms and watching as I back out of the driveway.

  I don't know what will happen with him and I, but I'm glad he's back in my life.

  Chapter 5

  Iget back to Dolce right before the lunch rush. Caleb and Jason are long gone, while Dawson is tending to the few customers that have already come in. I take out my phone, sending a quick text to Holden before helping Dawson.

  Me: Got back safely.

  I deposit my phone into my pocket, throw an apron around my neck, and get to work. Once Dawson and I have the surge of people handled, I lean against the counter and think about the afternoon I just had with Holden.

  I hadn't even realized how much I missed him until I got to spend time with him again. His touch still lingers on my skin and my shirt smells like him. I don't even realize I'm smiling to myself when Dawson calls me out on it.

  "I'm guessing it went well?" He asks.

  My grin widens as I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and see a new message.

  Holden: Wow. I guess you do know how to drive.

  "Yeah." I murmur, chuckling softly. "It went well."

  It isn't until we're cleaning up later that I finally get to go into detail about what occurred. We're wiping down tables when Dawson stops.

  "So, are you going to tell me or are we just pretending like nothing happened?"

  I decide to play coy. "What do you mean?"

  He glares, taking the Lysol bottle and spraying it at me. I shriek and jump to the side, throwing the towel in my hand at him.

  "Okay, okay!" I cave. "I'll tell you."

  I spend the next twenty minutes explaining everything to Dawson – from the talk with Holden to the fact that Abby is in fact not his girlfriend. I'd be lying if I said that part doesn't make me happy. The thought of Holden with someone else is an absolute nightmare.

  When I finish telling him everything that happened today, he's just as confused as I am. He's looking at me perplexed, as if he's trying to figure out what to say. I know the feeling, it's frustrating.

  "I don't get it. Are you two back together or what?"

  I shake my head. "I don't think so. I guess we're friends?"

  Dawson chuckles. "The two of you have never been friends without some kind of benefits package. Is that what this is? Are we back to that?"

  "No." I don't hesitate. "I'm not going back to that."

  "But would you get back with him?"

  I don't respond. Not because the answer isn't what he wants to hear, but because I'm not willing to admit it to myself yet. The last thing I need is to get my hopes up, only to have my heart broken again. It's been a long three months without Holden, and having him back in any way is enough for now.

  A COUPLE DAYS LATER, I'm scrolling through Facebook when there's a knock at my door. Bree must have forgotten her key again. I get up from my bed and walk over to open it.

  "I swear to God, Brianna, I'm going to glue your key to your hand." As soon as I see who’s on the other side, I light up. "Sky!"

  She smiles. "Do you always threaten your visitors?"

  I roll my eyes playfully as I hug her. "Only the best ones."

  "Then I feel honored." She laughs.

  She walks into the room and places her purse on the desk. I'm surprised to see she's alone. Normally, Dawson is attached to her hip – making the best of the time they have together.

  "Where's the boyfriend?" I question as I close the door.

  Skylar smirks. "About that. He, uh, doesn't know I'm here."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah. I kind of, well, transferred."

  My jaw drops. "Seriously?! To where?!"

  "Here."

  My excitement builds. The two of us have become such good friends since we met last year. While we haven't gotten to hang out much, we've texted almost every day. She's one of the very few people who know about my addictions. I couldn't ask Dawson to keep it from her. They tell each other everything. Again, another reason they have such a great relationship.

  "That's great! Wait..." I pause. "Why haven't you told Dawson?"

  She runs her fingers through her hair. "I was afraid he would tell me not to?"

  "Are you kidding?" I balk. "He's going to be ecstatic! He always misses you when you're apart."

  "Yeah, I know, but he said the distance helps us appreciate the time we get together."

  I can't help but laugh, remembering the time he said that to her. When he got off the phone, he was so upset. He told me how the first few days of being apart are always the hardest, and how he says what he has to, to make her feel better. I guess he didn't realize his words were doing more harm than good.

  "Hey." I say, getting her attention. "He loves you. He's going to be thrilled about it."

  She smiles, exhaling a breath of relief. "Okay, good."

  "So, how are you going to tell him?"

  The question sparks an idea between the two of us. Something this big needs to be told in a special way. However, Dawson is one of the hardest people to catch off guard. He can read people like an open book, and with Skylar it's magnified. One look at her and he would know something's up.

  We sit on my bed for hours, brainstorming different ways to tell him. A lot of ideas are mentioned between the two of us, but none of them feel good enough.

  "Sky writer?" She suggests.

  I raise my eyebrows. "Pun intended?"

&
nbsp; The door opens and Bree walks in, tossing her books down onto her bed before whining. When she finally notices Skylar, she stops.

  "Oh, hello." Bree greets her.

  I laugh at her embarrassment. "Bree, this is Skylar. Dawson's fiancée."

  "OH!" Bree shouts happily. "I thought you looked familiar! You're the infamous fiancée."

  Skylar chuckles. "And you're the poor soul that gets threatened by this one." She nods her head toward me.

  Bree looks at me curiously. "Do I want to know?"

  "I thought you had forgotten your key. I said I was going to glue it to your hand." I answer, waving dismissively.

  "Hmm." She thinks for a moment. "Not a bad idea."

  I stand up and go to the mini fridge, grabbing three bottles of water from it. I pass one to Skylar and another to Bree, then open my own.

  "So, where is the sarcastic pain in my ass?"

  Skylar giggles, knowing how he can be. She explains to Bree the short and quick version of everything. She transferred here, Dawson doesn't know yet, trying to think of a cute way to tell him, etc. Bree listens carefully, clearly glad to have another friend at school.

  "Doesn't Dawson live in the dorms?" Bree asks, causing Skylar to nod. "Are you applying for housing, or are you going to get a place with him?"

  I open my water bottle to take a sip while she responds. "My parents are paying for an apartment."

  Suddenly, a brilliant idea comes to mind. I get so excited that I gasp. However, the mouthful of water gets in the way. I cough, spitting the rest of the water onto the floor. Skylar panics while Bree just laughs, rolling her eyes at me.

  "Are you okay?!" Sky lightly pats me on the back.

  "She's fine." Bree answers. "Kayleigh's a special snowflake. She does idiotic things sometimes, like breathing while drinking."

  "Ha, ha." I say sarcastically. After a couple more coughs, they subside. "I know how you should tell him!"

  "Oh, this should be good."

  I glare at my roommate, causing her to chuckle. "Do you have the apartment yet?" I ask Sky.

  She nods. "Yeah. I picked up the key this morning. There's nothing in it though."

  Bouncing on my bed excitedly, I start to explain my idea. "We'll move you in and get the apartment all set up. Then, when we're done, we’ll somehow get Dawson there and you'll be there to surprise him. He won't expect it at all, because he won't know you're here!"

  Skylar and Bree giggle at my behavior, sharing a look before turning back to me.

  "That's great and all, Sherlock, but how are the three of us supposed to move heavy furniture into an apartment?" Bree questions.

  I grin deviously. "Oh, don't worry. I've got that covered."

  Chapter 6

  Iwalk up the porch steps of the frat house, internally debating whether I should knock or just walk in. Holden and I are friends, but we're not dating. Not to mention, I don't live here. As I lift my hand to knock, the door opens.

  "Shit, Kayleigh!" Caleb jumps. "You scared me. What are you doing here?"

  I chuckle softly. "I'm looking for Holden."

  He glances back in the house then back to me. "I think he's in the kitchen. Wait, are you two back together?!"

  "No, we're just friends."

  "Oh, so we're back to that."

  I roll my eyes. "Why does everyone think that?"

  Caleb deadpans. "Because we know you." I snicker into my sleeve, stepping past him and into the house. "Holden! Your girlfriend’s here!" He yells, causing me to slap his arm.

  Holden comes walking out of the kitchen, smiling when he sees me. "Hey you."

  "Ignore him." I point to Caleb.

  Holden smiles brightly. "I usually do."

  "Yeah, yeah." Caleb mumbles. "Alright lovebirds, I'm leaving. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

  I give him a pointed look. "I've seen you at parties. That isn't saying much."

  Holden chuckles while Caleb waves his hand dismissively and walks out the door, shutting it behind him. I look at Holden, then down at the floor - smiling at the slightly awkward tension between us.

  "Aw!" Jason coos. "Look at you two being all shy like you haven't seen each other naked."

  My cheeks turn red as a bark of laughter comes from Holden. "Alright, that's enough from the peanut gallery. Want to go to my room?"

  I nod and he turns toward the stairs, leading the way up and down the hall. Once we reach his bedroom, he waits for me to enter and closes the door behind me. I forgot how cold he keeps it in here. I shiver slightly, goosebumps rising across my skin.

  He goes into his walk-in closet and comes back out a few seconds later with a hoodie, grinning as he hands it to me. "Some things never change."

  "You mean like your tendency to think you're an Eskimo?" I reply, tugging the sweatshirt over my head.

  "I was thinking more along the lines of you never wearing a jacket, but yeah there's that, too." He quips.

  The two of us sit on his bed, talking about how the first week of classes went. He mentions he had to skip the first day of Chemistry due to a hockey meeting, which leads to me finding out we're in the same class. I'm glad because finding a lab partner was one thing I was stressing over.

  After a little over a half hour of talking about random topics, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, seeing a text from Skylar.

  Sky: So? Is he going to help us?

  "Shit." I mumble. I almost forgot why I came here in the first place.

  Holden eyes me carefully. "Everything okay?"

  "Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine." I answer. "I have a favor to ask."

  "And here I was thinking you came over because you missed me." He smirks. "What's up?"

  I play with the sleeve of the hoodie, where the end is frayed a little bit. "Well, Bree, Skylar, and I need to borrow a few of the new guys."

  He raises his eyebrows. "Decided to start dating younger?"

  Laughter bubbles out of my mouth. "God, no." I reply, seeing Holden visibly relax. "Skylar is Dawson's fiancé. She transferred here and we need to move her and Dawson's stuff into their new apartment, but Dawson can't know. It's a surprise."

  "A surprise apartment?"

  "Not exactly. The surprise is that Skylar transferred, but yeah, kind of."

  He lays down, propping himself up on one arm. "What's in it for me?"

  My jaw drops and my brows furrow. "Uh, the satisfaction of knowing you helped with an awesome surprise?"

  He hums as if he's thinking about it. I'm starting to become angry when he cracks. "I'm kidding. Of course, we'll help. When's the move?"

  All the tension within me melts away. "Tomorrow?" I answer nervously.

  He sighs, chuckling softly. He reaches back and grabs his phone off the nightstand. After messing with it for a second, he puts it to his ear. I can hear it ring a couple of times before someone answers.

  "Hey. I need a house meeting for tonight. Make sure the rushes are all there.... Yeah... Thanks man." He hangs up. "Just text me the address for where we need to be and what time."

  I lunge across the bed, hugging him tightly. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

  He wraps his arms around me and places his hands on my back. "You're welcome."

  Upon realizing our compromising position, I blush and back away quickly. "Sorry."

  "Don't apologize. Not for that." He whispers.

  Suddenly feeling entirely way too much, I stand. "I should get going. I have to help Sky finalize plans and such." It’s a horrible lie.

  "Oh, okay." He sounds disappointed. "I'll walk you out."

  The two of us walk down the stairs and to the front door. "Thank you again." I tell him sincerely.

  "It's no problem, really. Make sure you text me."

  "I will." I take a couple steps out onto the porch before stopping. "Oh, and Holden?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I did miss you. I could have just texted you about the favor."

  He smiles, but I don't wait for him to respond. I turn
back around and continue my walk down the stairs – already excited to see him tomorrow.

  I CLIMB THE FLIGHT of stairs to the apartment, putting the large box down as soon as I get inside. Throughout all the discussions we had about this place, Skylar failed to mention it was upstairs – something Bree made sure to point out the second we got here.

  "I'm not saying you're more than friends, I'm just saying I don't know how you went over there to discuss the move and ended up in his sweatshirt." Bree remarks, placing her box on the counter.

  "I told you, it was cold in his room."

  "And what? His big strong arms weren't enough to keep you warm?" Sky quips, making Bree snicker.

  The three of us walk back down the stairs to the moving truck, just as two black SUVs pull up. Holden climbs out of one, having a total of nine other guys with him – Caleb and Jason are among them.

  "You are my lifesaver." Bree mock swoons. "Remind me again why we broke up? Oh, that's right. You fell in love with my roommate."

  "Easy, Bree. Your jealousy's showing." Jason says, causing all of us to laugh.

  She flips her hair over her shoulder. "Nah, I have Carson now. And besides, these two make a cute couple." She gestures toward Holden and me.

  I glare at her while Sky snorts. "Go ahead, Kay. Tell her she's wrong."

  As I glance at Holden, everyone is looking at me intently – very interested in what I'll say. Instead of answering, I sigh. "Come on. There's a lot to do."

  THANKS TO ALL THE manpower, Skylar, Bree and I hardly have to lift a finger. I sit on the kitchen counter, dangling my feet while Sky points to where she wants the couch. At one point, I had started to unpack, but Holden told me to stop and one of the new guys took over.

  "We've got beer!" Caleb yells as he and Jason enter with two 30 packs.

  Holden walks over, grabbing two and coming back to me. He hands me a can, but I hesitate.

  "Oh, I don't..."