He shrugs. “You’re pretty clumsy. It probably won’t be the last time.”
I giggle and fall backwards onto the bed. “You’re probably right.”
“So, you agree? I’ll be around for next time?” He turns and leans on his arm, hovering over me slightly.
Reaching up, I run the back of my hand across his stubble. “I’m scared. I was so close to forgiving you today. I was going to tell you after class, but seeing that text from Bianca sent be back like three steps.”
Holden nods once and gets up, walking over to the bag of his things from the hospital. He comes back with his phone and unlocks it before handing it to me. Sure enough, he was telling the truth. There are numerous text messages from Bianca, but the only time he’s answered was two weeks ago, telling her to leave him alone.
The corners of my mouth raise as I hand him back his phone, but he’s not done yet. He presses on her contact and blocks her number. When he’s done, he turns the screen off and places it on the bed next to me.
“There is no one in the world more important to me than you are.” He whispers. “Before you, I was just living day by day, not really caring if I found someone to spend forever with. I’m not even sure if I believed in love, but the moment I saw you – looking all unaffected and fed up with my shit after five minutes – all of that changed. Suddenly, you were all I thought about and I craved being anywhere near you. I fell in love with you before you would even look at me without utter repulsion. I can see on your face, you blame yourself for me getting hurt today – but what you don’t realize is that I would go through that a million times over if it means keeping you safe. You’re my whole life, Kayleigh. There isn’t a thing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. I love you.”
With every word he speaks, I can feel myself getting choked up. When he’s finished, and before I can second guess myself, I close the gap between us and mash our lips together in a messy but well overdue kiss. He doesn’t miss a beat, kissing me back and letting a low moan escape from the back of his throat.
“Does this mean you forgive me, or are you just trying to shut me up?” He murmurs against my mouth.
I chuckle and shake my head. “You’re the best and worst boyfriend ever.”
Holden smiles brightly, looking like he just won the lottery, and continues our kiss.
WE MAKE IT THROUGH finals, just barely getting by without an argument. To say the added stress is unwelcome would be an understatement. With it being Holden’s senior year, and his perfect GPA on the line, the need to ace them is intensified. Once they’re over, we’re finally able to have the next ten days to ourselves.
“Okay, I have our plane tickets for Jersey in the front pouch of my suitcase.” Holden remarks happily. “Are you all packed?”
I nod. “Are you sure your parents don’t mind me coming for Christmas?”
He bends down and kisses me softly. “Positive. They love you. Did you tell yours we’ll be there for New Years?”
“Yeah.” I reply. “My mom and John are really looking forward to seeing you again.”
Smiling at the thought, I can see the gears turning in his head. “I guess I won them over, too. It’s the irresistible charm, I swear.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s more that you gained their trust by not letting their daughter be a drug addict, but sure we can go with your charm.”
“See? You need me as much as I need you.”
I laugh. “Okay, Casanova. That’s enough inflating your ego for one day.”
WITH SUCH A LATE flight, we end up getting to Holden’s house just in time for sunrise. Of course, knowing this when he booked the tickets, I knew to sleep as much as I could on the plane and in the car. As soon as we get out of the Uber, Holden places our bags on the front porch and pulls me across the street – leaving Josephine to shake her head tiredly and walk inside the house.
The view of the sun peaking above the water doesn’t disappoint. Although, December on the shoreline is exceptionally cold. After we test our limits with hypothermia, we go back to Holden’s to put our things away and warm up. When we walk into his room, I look at his bed and freeze. Thankfully, he senses exactly what I’m thinking.
“No. It didn’t happen here.” He assures me.
I sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You have every right to hate me. I’m just glad you’re still here.”
Placing my arms around his neck, I press myself up against him. “I could never hate you.”
“Are you forgetting the beginning of last year?”
“Okay.” I cave. “I could never hate you, again.”
He throws his head back in laughter, then kisses my forehead and holds me close – never wanting to let go.
CHRISTMAS COMES AND GOES, and before I know it, the four of us are getting ready to go to a party. Holden has asked me multiple times if I want to skip it and stay home, sounding more than okay with the idea. I insist on going. I refuse to let some bimbo keep me holed up in this house. The way I see it, if we don’t attend, she wins by default.
I get done before everyone else, and go into the kitchen to get a bottle of water - finding Heather sitting at the island reading something on her laptop.
“How are you?” She asks. “I mean after what happened during Thanksgiving break.”
The fact that she knows catches me off guard, but then again, I’m sure Holden had to explain why I left in such a haste.
“I’m okay, I think. I’m sorry I left like that.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t need to apologize. I probably would have done the same thing in your position.”
“Still, it was rude, and I apologize.”
“I’m just glad you haven’t completely given up on him.” She says lowly, nodding toward the sound of Holden and Brandon coming down the stairs. “In the eighteen years that I’ve known him, I’ve never seen look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
I smile happily, but don’t have time to respond before my boyfriend comes into the room. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders.
“Are you sure about this?” He questions once again.
Dipping my head down, I kiss the top of his arm. “Positive. Ready to go?”
“Just waiting on Jo, as usual!” He shouts, intentionally making it so she can hear him.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She sasses, linking her arm with mine and leaning in to whisper in my ear. “One of my friends said Bianca is going to be there tonight. She can be vicious. Are you sure you’re ready?”
I lock eyes with Holden and remember what Heather told me. Once I see exactly what she was referring to, I nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 27
Holden presses himself up against my body, careful to not let me out of his sight. We’ve been here for twenty minutes and to be honest, I’m really enjoying myself. However, we’re still anticipating the arrival of the girl with hair as black as her soul.
Sure enough, I’m talking to Jo when her eyes widen at something behind me. Following her line of sight, I turn around to see Bianca talking to a few people near the door. They all seem cordial, but it’s obvious some of them are faking it – judging by the looks they give their friends when she isn’t paying attention.
“Do you want to leave?” Holden murmurs into my ear.
Just as someone points us out to Bianca and she looks our way, I turn in Holden’s arms until I’m facing him. “Is there anything else I don’t know?”
“No. You know everything.”
His answer is exactly what I need, and I stand on my tippy toes to kiss him. “Then we’re not going anywhere.”
He smirks and leans down to kiss me once more, placing his hand on my lower back and pulling me impossibly closer. I grin against his lips and giggle until someone clears their throat behind us. Instead of stopping, Holden deepens the kiss, lacing his fingers into my hair to hold me in place.
“A little rude, don’t you think?” Bianca
remarks.
Holden pulls away, and I run my fingers through my hair to put it back in place. Looking around, everyone is trying to subtly watch what happens. I guess in such a small town, word gets around about things like this.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone?” Holden doesn’t even attempt to mask his annoyance.
She fakes a smile. “Nice to see you too, babe.” I roll my eyes as she turns to me. “I’m surprised to see you here. Kylee right?”
“Kayleigh, but you already knew that.”
“Mm.” She hums, raising her eyebrows. “Holden, can I speak to you alone for a minute? You don’t mind, do you Kylee?”
“It’s Kayleigh.” Holden barks. “Cut the shit, Bianca - and the answer is no. Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my girlfriend.” He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close, showing there is no way in hell she will get in between us again.
She crosses her arms, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. “Whatever.” She scoffs, and storms off towards her friends.
“Thank you.” I tell him.
He presses a quick kiss to my cheek and nuzzles his face into my neck. “Thank you for loving me.”
A COUPLE OF HOURS later, Holden and I are outside getting some fresh air. I can see the gears turning in his head – something’s off. With Bianca here, the only thing I can think of is that he regrets choosing me over her.
“Are you okay?” I question. He shrugs, leaving me to inquire further. “Is it... me?”
“No.” He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “No, not at all. You’re perfect.”
I sigh in relief. “What’s wrong then? And don’t say nothing. I know you better than that.”
“I know you do.” He chuckles, looking down and kicking a rock across the patio. “It’s just Bran. I feel like I don’t get nearly enough time with him. I don’t know, I sound like a whiny baby. Ignore me.”
Reaching forward, I take his hands in mine. “No, you don’t. I get it. Being away from Emily is really hard, and you and Brandon are even closer than we are.” I place a small kiss on his chest to soothe him. “Do you want to stay here while I go to my parents for New Years?”
He shakes his head immediately. “No. I want to be with you when the ball drops.”
Another idea comes to mind. “Well then, why don’t you ask him if he wants to come with us? Emily is going to be there, and maybe with him, she won’t feel like a third wheel.”
His eyes light up at the suggestion. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I like Brandon.” He narrows his eyes, causing me to smirk. “Easy tiger, not like that.”
The two of us make our way back into the party, and Holden goes to find Brandon while I stay with Josephine. Knowing we leave first thing tomorrow morning for Rhode Island, it really couldn’t wait. I take a sip of my drink and nearly choke on it when I hear a girl say something about Bianca going to find Holden. Jo gives me a look, and the two of us go see where he went.
When I finally spot him, he’s leaning up against a wall with Brandon next to him. However, just as I thought, Bianca’s standing way too close for comfort. Holden looks entirely unamused, but when he sees me, he smiles. I glare at Satan in Gucci and push through anyone in my way to get to them.
“Oh, come on.” She flirts, putting her hand on his bicep. “I’ve missed you and I know you’ve missed me too. You can admit it, I won’t tell.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Brandon warns.
“And why not?”
“Get your fucking hand off him before I break it.” I snap, grabbing her wrist and forcefully pulling it away from Holden.
She yanks herself out of my grip and shoots me a dirty look. “Ugh. You’re still around? What’s it going to take to make you go away?”
I roll my eyes. “You know what? I’ve had enough of your shit. I’ve tried to be respectful, but you’re getting on my last nerve.” Moving so that I’m standing next to Holden, he wraps his arm around me. “You two had a fling over the summer - big deal. As soon as he knew he could, he came back to me. You lost. So, how about you just bow out gracefully.”
“You sound like all the other girls he’s been with, yet he always ends up back in my bed.” She remarks, playing with the end of her hair.
Holden’s grip on my waist tightens, but I place the back of my hand on his chest – letting him know I’ve got this. “Look, you can think you’re something special all you want. The reality is, he’s mine now, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Now run along back to whatever bridge you crawled out from under.”
I turn to face my boyfriend and put my hand on his cheek. He reads my mind and bends down to press our lips together. Knowing exactly how to get a reaction out of him, I tug on his hair gently and smile as he moans into my mouth. He turns so I’m pushed up against the wall and grinds himself into me.
“Ugh, disgusting. You two fucking deserve each other.” Bianca spits, before once again stomping away.
Holden continues to kiss me, pressing his whole body against mine. I giggle into his mouth and try to pull away, but there is no room for me to move.
“Babe, she’s gone.”
He moves his hands to my hips and grips tightly. “I don’t care.”
I put pressure on his chest, and after a couple seconds he reluctantly steps away. I put my mouth near his ear and whisper. “Just until we get home.”
He coughs. “Wow. Look at the time. I’m ready to head out.” He announces. “Are you guys ready?”
Brandon laughs while Josephine mock gags. Still, the four of us decide to call it a night and start saying goodbye as we make our way out of the house. I grin evilly at Bianca as she watches us leave. She may have won the battle, but she lost the war by a landslide.
“Hey.” Brandon gets my attention as soon as we get outside. “You sure you’re cool with me coming with you two?”
I nod happily. “Absolutely. It’ll be fun.”
“Ok awesome, thanks. Oh, and nice work back there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone take on Bianca like that.”
“That’s my girl.” Holden brags.
I smile triumphantly as he puts his arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek. I’m glad the bitch met her match. Maybe now she’ll back off.
BRANDON, HOLDEN, AND I all say goodbye to the family and climb into Brandon’s car, pulling out onto the street and beginning the four-and-a-half-hour road trip. I lay down in the back seat and listen to the two boys discuss everything under the sun. It’s amazing to me how they always have something to talk about.
A couple hours into the drive, we stop at a gas station and Holden goes inside to get us all something to drink. As soon as he’s inside the store, Brandon turns to me.
“So, how are you? You know, considering everything that’s happened.”
I run my fingers through my hair as I ponder the question. “I’m alright. He’s trying to gain my trust back.”
“I’m glad you’re letting him. You’re really good for him.”
“I am?”
He nods. “Definitely. I remember last August when he started talking about you. God, he wouldn’t shut up.”
“Wait, August?” I ask, confused. “We didn’t start hooking up until October.”
“No. I’m talking about when he met you.”
Holden’s words from a couple of weeks ago replay in my mind. “I wasn’t even sure if I believed in love, but the moment I saw you – looking all unaffected and fed up with my shit after five minutes – all of that changed.” “I fell in love with you before you would even look at me without utter repulsion.”
“Oh, my god.” I gasp. “So, the whole time I thought we were just fucking around…”
“He was crazy about you, yeah.” He confirms. “When he came home at the end of May, he looked the same way he did when he found out his parents died. For the first couple weeks, he wouldn’t even come out of his room.”
&n
bsp; My jaw drops as I realize everything I thought I knew what’s wrong. Following me out of class when I was having an anxiety attack, caring about my eating disorder, going for a run with me at two in the morning – he wasn’t just being a friend. He was in love with me.
Holden opens the passenger door and climbs back into the car, completely unaware of the conversation he interrupted. “The cashier in there looks like he hates his life.” He says. Brandon laughs while I’m too busy looking at Holden as if he hung the moon. “What? What’d I miss?”
“Nothing. I just love you.”
He smiles and leans into the back seat to kiss me chastely. “I love you, too.”
Brandon reverses out of the parking space and gets back onto the road, sparing one quick glance to wink at me in the rear-view mirror.
WE FINALLY ARRIVE AT my house shortly after 1 PM. My mother and John both greet us as soon as we walk in the door. Although, if I’m being honest, my mother seems more excited to see Holden than she is to see me. I can’t blame her though, he basically saved her daughter’s life – twice.
“Hello darling.” She hugs me, after saying hello to my boyfriend. “Oh, and who is this?”
“This is my brother, Brandon.” Holden introduces them.
My mom’s eyes light up. “Oh! So, it’s so nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you.”
I furrow my brows in confusion. “Uh, Mom. I’ve never mentioned him.”
“No, not from you dear, from Holden.” When my expression doesn’t change, she continues. “He was here for a little over a week. You can’t expect us to not have spoken at all.”
“Oh no.” I groan. I can only imagine the things she must have told him, or worse, the pictures he’s seen.
Holden grins broadly. “Oh yes.”
“You’re the worst.”
He doesn’t respond, deciding to raise his eyebrows and wink at me instead. John watches the two of us with a fond look on his face. Meanwhile, my mother orders the maid to bring our bags upstairs.
Endless December (Sleepless November Saga Book 2) Page 17
