A little under a half hour later, Holden pulls into the parking lot of a restaurant called The Fiddlehead. Just by the look of it, I can see why we're dressed up. He climbs out of the car and runs around to my side to open the door and help me out. I thank him quietly and stay close as he leads me inside.
"Good Evening. How may I help you?" The hostess asks.
"Reservation for Rivers."
"Ah, yes. Right this way, sir."
She leads us back to a separate room with one table in the middle. As I take my seat, I notice how dark it is in here. However, just before she walks out, she flicks a switch and a bunch of twinkling lights above us turn on. It's beautiful.
"You planned all this?" I ask once we're alone.
He tilts his head slightly to the side. "I had a little help." When I eye him curiously, he smirks. "Bree."
My jaw drops. "That's what you two were hiding?!" He chuckles and nods. "Oh, my God. I'm such an idiot. I am so sorry."
"Don't be. Your jealousy was adorable."
I roll my eyes playfully. I can only imagine what he was thinking as I accused him of getting back together with her. Meanwhile, they only were planning a surprise for me. I really need to learn how to relax more.
Dinner is mouthwatering. The two of us eat every bite, all while having great conversation. It's amazing to me how comfortable we are with each other. Despite everything we've been through, being around him still feels like home. However, we're once again dancing around the most important topic – us.
The night begins to wind down, and I start to feel disappointed. I had hoped we would leave here with a better understanding of what's going on with us. The thought of that not happening makes me uneasy. I'm terrified of getting hurt.
"Are you ready for dessert?" The waiter asks.
Holden looks to me but I subtly shake my head. "No, I think we're okay. Thank you."
The waiter excuses himself to get our check, and Holden reaches for his jacket.
"Oh, before I forget." He murmurs, taking a long box out of the inside pocket. "I have something that belongs to you."
He hands it to me gently. I place it down on the table and glance at him as I open it. Inside the box is my locket – the same one he took from me when he dropped me off at rehab.
"I wondered what happened to this." I whisper. "You held onto it?"
"I had to. It was the one thing I had of you."
I don't need to open it to know the previous contents aren't still inside. I'm sure Holden got rid of that as soon as he could. I thank him and pull the locket out of the box. Moving my hair out of the way, I clip it around my neck and adjust it to lay against my chest. I've missed this necklace, but I miss being with Holden more.
He looks as if he wants to say something, but decides against it. Instead, he just smiles and reaches out to hold my hand. Every part of me is screaming to say something, but the words just won't come out. For now, this will just have to be enough.
Chapter 13
The sun peaks through the blinds, landing on my face and waking me from a peaceful slumber. My eyes blink open while the back of my hand drapes across my forehead – effectively blocking the light. Looking around, I see that it's empty in here, however, just as I sit up, the door opens.
"Oh, good. You're awake." Bree greets me. "I brought you tea."
I grab Holden's sweatshirt from the end of my bed and pull it over my head. "You're a saint. Thank you."
She hands me the cup before taking her own and sitting on her bed. "So? How was last night?"
A broad smile spreads across my face. "It was beautiful, but you already knew that, you sneaky bitch."
Laughter bellows out of her mouth as she throws her head back. "I can't believe you thought something was going on with us!"
"In my defense, it looked really bad. You suck at lying."
"That's exactly why I don't do it." She chuckles. "But tell me everything, because I may have helped him plan it but I wasn't there."
I take a sip of my tea and snuggle deeper into the hoodie. "We went to dinner at a really nice restaurant, and then we went for a walk in the park nearby. It felt good to really talk again. I've missed that with him."
She looks confused for a moment, but quickly covers it with a smile. "Aw. Well I'm glad you two are in a good place."
"What was that look for?"
"What look?"
I narrow my eyes. "You're a horrible liar, remember?"
She shrugs guiltily. "Nothing. We just discussed something else, but I guess he changed his mind. That's all."
Bree grabs her phone and starts to text. Meanwhile, I get lost in her words. Was he going to ask me back out? Why didn't he? Did our date make him realize he doesn't want to get back together? I really hope not.
As I'm brushing my hair, my roommate snorts from behind me. I quickly turn to see her looking at her phone, snickering.
"What?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Nothing. You two are adorable."
I want to pry further but my phone dings, effectively distracting me. I reach over and take it from my nightstand, seeing a new text message.
Holden: Come hang out with me.
"The two of you make me nervous." I mutter to Bree suspiciously. She looks up just long enough to wink at me.
"Okay." She says, getting up from her bed. "I'm going to Carson's before my big mouth gets me in trouble. Love you!"
"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."
I text Holden back, letting him know to come pick me up in an hour, then toss my phone on my bed and go shower. I guess I'm spending my day off with my 'boy toy', as Sky likes to call him.
BY THE TIME I'M straightening my hair, there's a knock at the door. I open it to find Holden standing there. It takes me by surprise a little – he usually just texts me when he's outside.
"Hey." I greet him, turning and walking back over to my desk.
He steps in and closes the door behind him. "Almost ready? I have to be back soon."
"Yeah. Just trying to straighten the back of my head." I struggle to see in the small mirror.
Walking closer, he gently takes the brush out of my hand and runs it through my hair. When he takes the straightener in the other, I jump.
"Do you even know what to do with that thing?"
He laughs. "I have a sister, remember?"
I hesitantly turn my head back so he can straighten the rest of my hair, relaxing when I see that he does, in fact, know what he's doing. He bites his bottom lip as he concentrates on the small section of hair. I never thought I'd see him doing this, but I can't help but smile – it's endearing.
"Alright, I think you're done." He remarks, putting the hair straightener down and brushing one last time.
Taking a mirror into my hands, I go into the bathroom to look at the back of my head. "It looks good, and you didn't even burn me."
"Ha ha." He answers sarcastically. "You ready to go?"
I nod, and the two of us walk out the door. He waits for me to lock it before we head down the hallway.
"Nice sweatshirt, by the way." Holden quips.
I smirk. "Thanks. Some rando let me wear it, and it’s comfortable so I'm keeping it."
A bark of laughter emits from his mouth. "Some rando, huh? That's what I am to you?"
"Maybe." I shrug as he looks at me with amusement.
Reaching over, he takes my locket between his fingers. "I'm glad you're wearing it. It looks good on you."
"Thanks for returning it, thief."
"Alright, enough from you. Get in the car, brat. We've got places to be." He smacks my ass as I step in front of him, causing me to squeal.
I climb into the SUV and watch him in the mirror while he walks around to the driver's side. He's gorgeous. When he gets in, he puts on his seatbelt and starts the car before backing out of the parking space.
"What are we in such a rush for anyways?"
His eyes glance over at me and then back at the road. "Someone's coming over."
"Someone? You're not going to tell me who?"
"Josephine." He mumbles.
"WHAT?!" I can feel my anxiety spike. "D-does she know? About our break up and everything? Who am I kidding? Of course, she knows. She's your sister. Oh God, she probably hates me. She hates me, doesn't she? I-I don't need to go there. You can just take me back home. We can hang out another time. It's fine, really."
"Kayleigh!" He chuckles, cutting off my rambling. "Relax. She doesn't hate you. She knows we broke up, but that's all she knows. It'll be fine, okay? If you want to leave after you see her, I'll bring you home." He removes one hand from the steering wheel and places it on my leg. "Just trust me."
His touch causes a warmth to spread through my body – it somehow calms me down. "I do. I'm just nervous."
He smiles. "Some things never change."
I'M SITTING AT THE kitchen island when the doorbell rings. Holden gets up happily and walks toward the door.
"Why do you look like you're going to be sick?" Caleb asks.
I look away from Holden and over to him. "I haven't talked to his sister since we broke up."
"Ooh." He mouths and nods. "Yeah, I'd probably be shitting myself too."
A few moments later, Holden comes into the room with Josephine in tow. "Jo, this is Caleb and Jason, and well, you know Kayleigh."
"Hey!" She greets me, coming over and giving me a hug. I return it instantly.
"How've you been?"
She runs her fingers through her hair. "Really good. I transferred to Husson University, so I'm really close now."
My eyes widen in surprise. "Seriously? That's awesome!" I turn my attention to Holden. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugs. "Wasn't exactly on the top of my priority list."
"Oh, thanks." Jo sasses.
The five of us move to the living room. Jo and I catch up while the boys sit around looking bored. After twenty minutes or so, Jason jumps up from where he was sitting.
"I have an idea!"
"Oh, this should be good." Caleb remarks.
Jason rolls his eyes and waves him off dismissively. "Let's go play laser tag!"
Holden and I laugh while Caleb looks like he's actually considering it.
"What are we, twelve?" Holden asks.
Jason crosses his arms. "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Grown Up. Would you rather sit around here all day and listen to girl talk?"
He cocks his head to the side and then chuckles. "The idiot has a point, but we don't have enough people."
"I can invite Bree. She's already with Carson. Dawson and Skylar would probably come too." I suggest.
Caleb also seems into the idea. "Jacki’s coming over, but I'm sure she'd be down for it."
"Alright, fuck it. Let's go play laser tag."
After texting Bree and Dawson, they agree to meet us there. Dawson is just as excited as Jason is about it, which makes me laugh. Caleb hangs back and waits for Jacki, while the four of us climb into one of the SUV's.
"I can't believe I'm going to play laser tag." Holden mutters.
Jo laughs. "Oh, shut up. If I remember correctly, you and Brandon used to love laser tag."
"You really don't need to tell people that."
"Not sorry."
Jason and I snicker at the way they are together. No one could tell that they're not actually related. The drive to the arcade is filled with stories of embarrassing moments. It starts to become a competition between them of who can humiliate the other more.
"When Jason first moved into the frat house, he brought his blankie with him."
"Ay! Leave me out of your little war, thank you." Jason scoffs playfully.
When we pull up, Dawson, Skylar, Bree, and Carson are all waiting outside. I take Jo over to them and introduce her.
"Guys, this is Jo, Holden's sister. That's Dawson, his fiancé Skylar, Bree, and her boyfriend Carson."
"Nice to meet you." Jo says sweetly. "I love your hair color. Is that natural?" She asks Sky.
"Oh, I like you." Sky replies, putting her arm around Jo and leading her inside.
Holden comes up next to me and rests his arm on my shoulder. "Did Skylar just kidnap my sister?"
"Yeap." I answer, popping the p.
"Great. Just what she needs, more sass and attitude." He jokes.
We all go inside and check in. The employee at the front desk lets us know there is a 45-minute wait, but that we're welcome to play some of the arcade games in the meantime. We thank her and step out of the way for the customers waiting behind us. It's pleasantly empty in here, which means we shouldn't be stuck on teams with random people.
Fifteen minutes later, Holden and Jason are playing air hockey while Caleb watches - with Jacki closely tucked under his arm. He had introduced her when they got here, but she seems shy. I'm sitting across the room on a table next to Bree while Dawson, Sky, Carson, and Jo stand around us.
"So, did you finally get answers last night?" Dawson questions.
I shake my head. "Not yet."
"Answers about what?" Jo questions.
I'm about to brush it off when Dawson answers for me. "Whether her and Holden are just fucking or actually serious about each other." His words cause me to cringe, knowing exactly how Josephine is.
"We're not fucking." I point out.
"Wait, you two aren't back together?!" Jo says in disbelief.
I shrug. "Not exactly? I don't know. I'm trying not to be pushy."
"Fuck that. I'll settle this right here, right now."
She turns around to find Holden, and once she spots him, she starts walking in his direction. Bree and I both open our mouths to stop her, but ultimately decide against it.
I watch as she walks over there with an attitude and immediately gets her brother's attention. It looks like she even yell at him a little, but he doesn't miss a beat. He glances over at me and then smiles before leaning down and whispering something in her ear. Her jaw drops before she starts laughing.
As she walks back, I can only imagine what he said. However, when she gets to me, she simply chuckles and pats me on the shoulder before walking away to the bathroom. Confused, I turn my attention back to Holden only to find him smirking. He winks at me and then goes back to playing his game.
Fucking hell, he's infuriating.
Chapter 14
The game starts and immediately the tension is high. We had decided on girls against boys, due to the fact that we had an equal amount of each. The girls got red while the guys took the blue.
Bree and I try to stick together, but eventually Carson shoots her and she ends up running off to chase after him. I do my best to shoot the guys. I end up getting Dawson a couple of times and Caleb and Jason each once. Yet, I can't seem to find Holden at all.
It's halfway through the session, and I'm somehow yet to get shot once. Just when I'm about to go around a corner, Holden pops out and aims his gun at me.
"No, no, no. Don't." I raise my gun to shoot him but he knocks it out of my hand and onto the ground. I try to use my hands to cover the targets on my body, but it's no use. He takes a step closer, causing me to back up. I hit the wall and I realize there is nowhere else to go.
"Stuck?" He asks.
"Don't come any closer."
"You don't mean that." He takes another step toward me.
I get lost in the look in his eyes, and suddenly he's right. I don't mean that at all. He closes the distance between us and places his free hand on my hip. Glancing down at my lips and then back to my eyes, he's silently asking for my permission. I run my fingers up his arm, and that's all it takes before he leans in and connects our lips.
My hands move to his head and lace into his hair, using what grip I have to pull him impossibly closer. He squeezes my side tightly as his body presses up against mine, breathing me in while our mouths move together.
I slide my hands down to his neck and arch my hips to grind against him. A low moan comes from the back of his throat, effectively sending chills down my
spine.
"Seriously?!" Jo yells from about 20 feet away.
My head snaps toward her but Holden doesn't look away from me. He lifts his gun to the side and shoots, striking her dead in the target and causing the noise of her being hit to sound.
"Bastard." She murmurs and walks away to recharge her gear.
I look back at Holden to find him smiling at me cockily. "Now, where were we?"
WE GET BACK TO the frat house a little after six and order a couple pizzas. It's nice to hang out with everyone, without a big party taking place. We all sit around the kitchen, eating and drinking beer. I, however, decide to drink water instead. My head still isn't in the right place to have a drink.
Once we're all done eating, Caleb comes up with the idea to have a bonfire. We migrate out to the backyard and wait while Holden, Jason, and Caleb get it lit. I sit in a chair between Bree and Skylar, only to see Holden pout from across me. I take out my phone and compose a quick text.
Me: What's wrong grumpy?
His eyebrows furrow when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulls it out and leans forward, looking at me curiously as he opens it. Once he reads the message, he smiles. It only takes a few seconds before I have a response.
Holden: You're too far away.
I roll my eyes playfully before standing up and slipping my phone back into my pocket. I scoot past Bree in one chair and Carson in the other. When I finally get to Holden, he looks up at me and smiles. Leaning back, he makes grabby hands at me like a child. I giggle and sit on his lap.
"You're a clingy boyfriend." Bree remarks.
"Not my boyfriend." The words tumble out of my mouth by habit, and I internally face-palm.
Everyone around us makes little comments such as 'yeah okay' and 'you keep thinking that'. I chuckle and turn back to look at Holden. Thankfully, he doesn't seem too affected. He smiles and places a light kiss to my shoulder.
"We have to have the nosiest friends in the world." He quips.
Endless December (Sleepless November Saga Book 2) Page 8