Welcome to New Haven

by Dawn Doyle

“Not funny Dev!” Holly almost growled.

  “I was wrapped around his naked torso. I can’t look at him without seeing him, or feeling him like that.”

  Holly felt embarrassed that sexy thoughts of her friends’ brother were making her crazy, and said friend was the only one she could tell! Dev had her hand over her mouth, stifling her giggle as Holly glared at her.

  “I don’t think I can face him yet.” She said. “Not without losing my mind and probably drooling all over the place.”

  “That’s my brother! Ew!” Said Dev, still laughing.

  Holly knew she didn’t mean it because she’d encouraged Holly to talk about it before.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do. You’re the only one I can talk to now.” Holly said, her voice pained.

  “You can talk to Riss and Kayla too.” Dev said with a glint in her eye. “They’re not blind Hol. They can see you have feelings for him.”

  Holly groaned at the thought of everybody knowing.

  Obviously she wasn’t as good an actress as she’d thought. Dev looked as though she wanted to say something else, but stopped herself.

  “Oh God!” Holly said as she rubbed her forehead. It was a good job the teacher had the class discussing their subject between them; otherwise they would have been busted.

  Holly saw Dev was about to look behind her.

  “Don’t look!” Holly said quickly. “He’ll know we’re talking about him!”

  “Wow, you really are a wreck, aren’t you?” Dev asked as she shook her head.

  “Dev, you have no idea.”

  When the lesson was over, Holly and Dev made a quick exit.

  “See you later. If not, I’ll text.” She said as she put her things into her locker.

  “Ok Honey, I’ve got you covered.” Dev said with a wink.

  “Oh, give this to Alex.” Holly took the clean T-shirt from her locker.

  “Um…Ok.”

  Alex caught up with Dev, just as Holly disappeared around the corner.

  “What the hell’s going on?” He asked, confused. “Why Were you both running out of class?”

  “No, we were just leaving…quickly.” Dev replied.

  “Yea, like there was a fire!” He said in annoyance.

  Alex had felt that he was finally getting somewhere with Holly. She had let her guard down, and some of her nervousness had seemed to ease up, until Ryan stupidly threw her in the pool. But, even then, she’d spoken to him even as she’d had her legs wrapped around him.

  Her legs...

  Alex shook his head to clear it. It wasn’t the time to go off into dreamland.

  “Holly’s a little…embarrassed…about Saturday.” Dev replied.

  Alex could tell that Dev was hiding something.

  “She shouldn’t be. At all. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

  “Mmph!” Dev made an angry sound as she shook her knees.

  “What’s the matter? You look like you’re having a tantrum.” Alex said with a light scowl but also a smirk.

  Dev having a tantrum was funny to watch but he was still confused as to why Holly was embarrassed about her phobia.

  Dev blew out an exasperated breath.

  “I can’t say too much but…the freaking out part isn’t what she’s embarrassed about.” Dev had said it quietly incase anybody could overhear.

  “Then What?” He was still confused.

  If it isn’t her phobia, then what is it?

  “Hey, Dev, where’d Holly go?” Riss asked as she walked to them with Kayla and Ben.

  “Dude, why’d you take off?” Ben asked.

  “Holly has a free period after lunch, so she went home. I think she’s still a little embarrassed from Saturday.” Dev said to Riss.

  “I wanted to catch up to Dev to see why Holly took off.” Alex said to Ben.

  “What took so long?” Kyle asked, as the all met up with him and Ryan at the table.

  “Holly took off.” Said Kayla.

  “Why?” asked Ryan.

  “She’s embarrassed.” Said Dev. “Just give her today, at least. I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow.”

  “Oh, Ok.” Said Kyle as he nodded whilst tucking into his lunch.

  Ryan looked a little sad that he’d caused it.

  “Don’t worry Ry. It’s not as bad as you think.” Said Dev, rubbing his arm.

  “How?” He asked. With a shrug of his shoulders.

  Dev chewed her lip as she was thinking. Alex knew that look. She was definitely hiding something.

  “Mmm… It’s not so much as to what you did…” She said carefully “…But I’ve been trusted, by Holly, to let you guys know she’s absolutely fine and not to worry.”

  They carried on with their lunch when Alex met Ben’s eyes. He knew questions were to follow, and he would probably corner him in the gym. It was their free period too, and Alex was grateful to be working off some of his frustrations.

  “Ok, what’s up with you?” Ben asked as soon as they got to the quiet corner of the gym.

  Alex shook his head but then blew out a breath.

  “Holly left before I could talk to her and Dev said that Holly was avoiding me because she was embarrassed but not because she freaked out…” He ranted, waving his hands for emphasis. “…And also, she gave my shirt to Dev, to give to me.” He quietened a little as he said this because he knew he sounded like a child with a tantrum.

  Like Dev had earlier.

  Dev had given him the shirt after lunch and he’d secretly smelled it before putting it into his bag. It smelled like detergent and not like Holly at all. Well, a little but not the coconut and sweet scent that she smelled like.

  “Okaaayyy.” Said Ben, his eyes widened at Alex’s outburst. “Think. If it’s not because of her freak out, then why would she be embarrassed?”

  “I don’t know!” Said Alex, frustrated.

  Ben chewed on his fingernail as he thought.

  “Oh. My. God.” He said as if realizing something.

  “What?” asked Alex with avid interest.

  “I totally get it.”

  “And…?” Alex was getting impatient with Ben.

  “Remember how I said how she looks at you?” said Ben with a huge grin?

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, she did the same thing on Saturday and…” Ben lowered his voice. “…You…with less clothing…”

  “So?” asked Alex. Seriously, he didn’t get it. Why did Ben have to be so cryptic when he just wanted a simple explanation?

  “If she looks at you like that and then she has her arms and legs wrapped around you…” Ben said, dragging out his sentence as if Alex would catch on.

  “She’s embarrassed because I had no shirt on?”

  “Dude?!” Ben said in a ‘what the fuck?’ kind of way. “You are seriously the dumbest smart person I know.” Ben said before he carried on. “You got her all hot! I bet that’s why she’s avoiding you. Probably picturing you in your swim shorts coming to her rescue.” He said, batting his eyes and clasping his hands together against his chest.

  Alex’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “You really think so?”

  “Alex, man, you are so clueless. You’re like one of the most chased down guys at this school, and yet you don’t see how you affect this one girl?” Ben shook his head in disbelief.

  “Well she doesn’t act like the other girls. I can tell then, but Holly’s different. I don’t know what she thinks of me.”

  “That’s a good thing. You don’t want a girl that gropes you and drapes over you in public.”

  “Mmhmm.” Said Alex, in thought.

  Holly could do that in private, or anywhere, whenever…

  “Dude? Again?” asked Ben with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

  “What?”

  “Holly haze. That’s what I’ll call it. Holly haze.” Said Ben.

  “Shut up” Alex pouted.

  “No man. That’s some serious Holly haze you have going on.�
� Ben laughed and they carried in their playful banter until Alex decided to throw something Ben’s way.

  “Oh and don’t think I didn’t notice the thing between you and my sister yesterday.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Said Ben, his face straightening.

  “Yeah, whatever.” Said Alex. “Now, I understand why it’s easier seeing what’s going on from the outside.”

  “She’s your sister, Alex, and my friend too…sometimes.” Ben said as his eyebrows pinched together.

  “Uh huh.” Alex replied. Ben just grunted as they started their training.

  Alex went to his room, when he got home, to carry on with his picture that he’d been working on. Just a few details to perfect and then it’d be finished.

  He started thinking about when they were sitting at the pool, where he’d choked listening to Holly sing in Spanish, he’d almost straight out told her that he liked her.

  ‘You could give a guy a heart attack’ he’d said about the words she’d sung.

  ‘Kiss your mouth’.

  Alex had been thinking of doing exactly that when Holly had said it, completely catching him off guard. Then smiled to himself thinking about the conversation with Ben.

  Is it true that I make Holly hot?

  Alex grinned at his thoughts.

  I’m going to test that theory out real soon.

  Alex had never been a flirtatious person, but he knew how girls came on to him. Slight brush of the arm, bat of the eyes, flicking their hair back. Ok, so he could do the first but the others… well that would be weird.

  Fuck it. I’m getting so much closer to her this week. I’ll definitely know how she feels.

  If he could somehow get her alone that would be better. He just had to figure out how without her realizing what he was doing. Alex felt guilty because he didn’t like that being done to him.

  But, if she likes me, wouldn’t she be ok? If she wanted to get me alone, I would soooo be ok with it. But, isn’t that what the girls at school had thought when trying to get me alone?

  Stacey didn’t care that he didn’t like her, she would try anyway, but the other girls had asked him to talk in private and he hadn’t wanted to go anywhere with them, seeing the look in their eyes had made him feel uncomfortable.

  He decided against that tactic. He didn’t want Holly to feel uncomfortable and cornered. He knew she was still nervous, more so now, according to Ben.

  I’ll have to be careful.

  Alex closed his drawing pad when there was a knock on his door.

  “Hey Dev” He said as he opened the door.

  “Hey Alex. Whatya doooooin?” She asked playfully as she walked in and sat on his bed.

  “Just drawing” He said. “Oh Dev?”

  “Yeah?” She said with a bright smile.

  “Did Holly mention to you why, exactly, she was embarrassed? Or can’t you say?” He knew a ‘girl code’ of some sort was sworn between them. Dev had even told him she couldn’t say anything.

  “Uh…yeah” Dev said as she looked uncomfortable, the bright smile gone. “Look…” she began to say when Alex cut her off.

  “Did it have anything to do with my lack of shirt and her legs wrapped around me?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

  Dev gasped.

  “What…? Who…?”

  Alex just grinned.

  “I see.”

  “Who have you been talking to?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Ben. He had the crazy idea that Holly bolted because she’s embarrassed that I…” Alex held his fingers up in air quotes “…got her hot.”

  “You did not just say that!” Dev squealed.

  “Dev, you don’t tell me anything, probably because Holly asked you not to…” Dev nodded slightly agreeing that she had. “…And Ben suggested that reason. If it’s true then I promise I won’t harass you for details.”

  “But I haven’t told you anything.” She said. “I’m not going to break Holly’s trust.”

  Alex, thinking as a bystander, took that as confirmation.

  “You don’t have to.” He smiled.

  “So I still can’t say anything to her? Even after what you said to her on Saturday?”

  Alex knew Dev had heard that conversation, but nothing more was mentioned because of what happened next. Dev looked hopeful that she was going to get the go-ahead, but Alex didn’t want that yet.

  “No.” He said flatly. “I want to do this myself. I want to show her that I can tell her how I feel without playground help.”

  “So what are you going to say?” Dev asked and then put on her Alex voice. “Hey Holly…I want you to know I’m so hot for you. So hot; in fact, I have to take a lot of cold showers.”

  Alex glared at her as she cracked up laughing.

  “No. Not at all!” He said, slightly raising his voice.

  “What then?” Dev fidgeted with excitement as if she were going to hear some juicy news. She was going to be disappointed.

  “You’ll see.” He grinned.

  “What?! That’s it? You’ll see?” Dev’s voice was going higher in pitch with each question. “I want details, Alex, deeeeetailllls! I have been denied for weeks!” She said as she brought on the dramatics.

  “There are no details. I’ll just be myself. Just…closer.” He smirked.

  “Fine.” Dev huffed. “Just don’t take too long. A girl needs stuff like this.”

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s what you live for.” Alex said as he rolled his eyes.

  “Correct” Dev said as she turned and left his room with her nose in the air.

  Later on that night, Alex was thinking about how he was going to go about approaching Holly so she wouldn’t avoid him.

  We have tech tomorrow. She can’t avoid me in that class.

  At least he hoped she wouldn’t ignore him if he spoke to her.

  He got into bed and silently wished that the nightmares he’d had since Saturday didn’t come back. Holly, drowning, he couldn’t get to her in time and when he finally pulled her out…she was dead. He would wake up shaking and, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it, crying. Lucky for him though, when he had calmed down enough to get to sleep again, Holly was alive.

  Just like the dreams he had before the pool incident, Holly would be with him. It didn’t matter where because it was a different place most of the time. She would be walking towards him, her long dark hair swishing in her ponytail. She’d be smiling at him in a sexy way that made his heart pound in his chest. When Holly reached him, she would tell him ‘Te amo’. He was so happy but when he would reach for her, he would wake up. Maybe because he’d never felt her in his arms before, so he didn’t know exactly how she would feel. Since Saturday; however, he knew exactly how she felt wrapped around him, holding him tight. His arms caging her in, keeping her safe.

  Alex fell asleep thinking about the dreams when the nightmare began.

  Holly was drowning, and Alex was swimming to help her. He couldn’t go fast enough, and he was panicking. The fear had him in a vice grip, and he pushed through the water as hard as he could. When he finally reached her, Holly was lifeless.

  “No!” He screamed.

  Alex pulled Holly out and turned her over. He expected her to be dead, but she was looking up at him, smiling.

  “Alex.” She whispered. “You saved me.”

  He couldn’t believe it. She was alive!

  Alex had thought she was gone, and he was all alone, but she was really there! Joy and relief flooded his entire body, and he felt her arms wrap around his neck and her legs around his waist. She pulled him down on top of her. “Te amo.” She whispered, looking into his eyes. Her big green eyes showing how much she loved him.

  She loves me.

  He moved his hands to her waist and then up her ribcage as he began to take off her wet shirt. Holly took a sharp intake of breath. His hands slid up her body as he pulled up the hem of her shirt. Holly moved her arms from his neck and rubbed her hands d
own his bare chest and as she reached his shorts, she grasped the side of the waistband and began removing them.

  “Holly” He whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.

  Alex woke up with ragged breath and sweat across his forehead. He looked down to see that he was sporting a major tent pole in his bed. This was worse than the others he had woken up with after dreams of Holly.

  Cold shower time…again.

  He walked to his bathroom and ran the shower. He removed his underwear and stepped into the cold water.

  “Agh” He yelped as the freezing water hit him.

  He needed to cool off. When his raging libido had finally begun to soften, Alex’s teeth were chattering so he slowly increased the temperature.

  “Twenty minutes this time.” Dev laughed as Alex walked into the kitchen to get breakfast. “You should be careful you don’t get hyperthermia.”

  “Har har.” Alex said sarcastically.

  “You’re going to go blue…all over… if you’re not careful.” She said, still chuckling.

  “Dev! You shouldn’t be saying stuff like that to me. You’re my sister. You’re supposed to be sympathetic, not taking the piss.” He said in annoyance.

  “Yeah. I can take the piss, but can you take a piss?” Dev howled again and Alex scowled.

  “Something funny?” Rami, their Dad, said as he entered the kitchen.

  “Oh just Alex with his…” Alex glared at Dev. “…Girl troubles.”

  “You have a girlfriend?” Rami asked questioningly.

  “No” replied Alex.

  “Not yet” added Dev.

  “Holly?” Rami said with a smile.

  Alex’s eyes widened and Dev grinned.

  “How did you know?” He asked, looking at Dev accusingly.

  “I’m your father, not an idiot. Besides, I walked past your room, last night, and I heard you shout ‘Holly’”