Welcome to New Haven

by Dawn Doyle

  “Oh!” She squeaked. She would have to get him back for that one, later. Evie looked between the girls, confusion on her face.

  “Mom.” Said Dev and she leant towards Evie and cupped her mouth to whisper.

  “Ohhh!” Said Evie. “You could’ve said earlier before I asked Holly too.”

  “But then that would’ve been boring.” Giggled Dev.

  Ben rolled his eyes again and Holly saw that Dev caught him.

  “For those of us with a sense of humour, that is.” She said, waving her hand in the air. ”But I won’t go into specifics.”

  After dinner, they went into the hangout room.

  “Why do you do that, Dev?” Ben asked as soon as the door was closed.

  “Do what?” she asked innocently.

  “You know what Dev, don’t be difficult. You were trying to start an argument.”

  Dev glanced at Holly and back to Ben.

  Holly knew Dev had listened to what she’d said in her room. He was trying to stay calm and not rise to Ben’s pushing.

  “Look, Ben. I was merely making a comment. Plus, I didn’t want to start an argument with you, or anybody for that matter. In fact, I don’t want to talk to you if all you’re going to do is throw everything back in my face. So I’m going to sit here…” Dev pointed to the sofa, next to Holly “…and watch TV. If that bothers you, then that’s your problem.” Dev sat down.

  Holly and Alex were watching Ben. Holly knew he wasn’t going to leave the conversation there.

  “You’re not going to talk to me? All you do is make comments to annoy me and then get pissed when I say something back!” Dev glared at Ben. Then looked back at the TV without saying a word.

  Good! Stay calm Dev.

  “So that’s it?” He continued as Dev remained silent.

  Holly squeezed Alex’s hand as he was about to say something to Ben. She could feel his annoyance with his best friend. He was arguing with his twin sister, after all. She shook her head when he looked to her.

  “You’re not going to say anything?” Ben asked, still glaring at Dev. When Dev still hadn’t replied, he ran his hand over his face and sat down.

  “Have it your way…little girl.”

  Holly knew that comment would get Dev’s back up. She saw her hands curl into fists, and Holly rested a hand on her arm. Dev still refused to speak. It was obvious, to Holly that Ben had added that last comment to get a response from Dev, knowing how much she hated being referred to as a kid. As soon as he realised he wasn’t getting one, he crossed his arms over his chest in a sulk.

  “I’ll explain later.” Holly whispered to Alex as he glared at Ben.

  ‘The Big Bang Theory’ was on TV, and it was one of Dev’s and Ben’s favourite shows. Dev laughed when Penny, one of the characters, said something funny and Ben glared at her.

  He stood suddenly.

  “I’m just going to go, Alex.” He said. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the gym.”

  “Ben wait!” Said Alex as he walked out after him.

  “What’s going on?” Said Alex. He didn’t like seeing either his friend, or his sister fighting with each other.

  “Nothing. She just got under my skin today, that’s all. I just need to go home and calm down.” A

  lex knew there was a lot more to what Ben was telling him. Holly knew, and she would tell him later.

  “Ok then, but hey man, thanks for today. This morning. You know…”

  “Yeah, no sweat.” They’d tried not to think about Stacey breaking into the house that morning. Because they’d tried putting it out of their minds, it felt like it was weeks ago, not just that day.

  Alex and Ben shared a bro hug before Ben left, and Alex returned to the hangout room.

  Holly and Dev were talking.

  “See what I mean about the kid comments?” Said Dev.

  “It was to get you to react, Dev. You didn’t, and he tried again. Sweetie, stay with it. He’ll soon see that fighting with you isn’t getting him anywhere.”

  “He’s a pain in my ass!” Dev complained.

  “Who is?” Alex asked as he walked in and sat down next to Holly.

  “Ben. He’s an idiot, Alex. He gets on my nerves, treating me like a kid when he’s only a few months older. Who the fuck does he think he is? He intentionally pisses me off!” Dev then ranted a lot of expletives in such rapid Spanish, Holly couldn’t make out any of the ones Dev had taught her.

  “Uh oh, she’s really mad.” Alex said quietly.

  When Dev had finished, she was out of breath.

  “I’m sorry to vent on you guys. I want to go to my room to sulk. I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Dev hugged them both and left.

  “So, are you going to tell me what that was about?” Alex asked as he pulled Holly closer.

  “Are you going to tell me about the ‘talk’ with your Dad?” Holly countered.

  “Yes, but you first, babe.” Alex kissed her deeply.

  “You’re very persuasive.” Holly whispered as her legs turned to jelly.

  Alex waggled his eyebrows and gave her his panty melting smile.

  “Ok. Here’s what happened, and my theory…”

  Holly told Alex all about hers and Dev’s bathroom, and bedroom conversations. She also told him about her theory that Ben uses their fighting just to be able to talk to Dev.

  “So they like like each other?” He asked.

  “Yes they do. I’m pretty sure of it.” Holly replied, and Alex rubbed his forehead.

  “I think I already knew.” Alex told Holly about the times he’d seen Ben ‘noticing’ Dev. The feelings and friend zone conversation she’d missed at lunch when she was driving Emily to the airport. It was as if they were telling each other something, yet still bickering over it.

  “I don’t like it though, babe.” He said, with a shake of his head.

  “She’s my sister, he’s my best friend.”

  “Emily’s my sister. If she told you to stay away from me, how would you feel?”

  Alex looked horrified.

  “Well, I’d just laugh at her and say some things that she may not like. Your sister might be crazy, but nothing will keep me away from you. Besides, Emily’s not my best friend.”

  “True, but doesn’t Ben being your friend make it less weird? You know him. You know he’s not going to hurt her, and if he did he’d face the wrath of a brother, and a friend, in one complete package. He wouldn’t want to risk that.”

  Alex thought about it for a few moments.

  “So he’s not said anything because of what I might do?”

  “I think so, babe, yeah.”

  “Oh shit. I always warned him off. I kept telling him to stop looking, and he’d say ‘Dude I’m not! She’s like my sister!”

  “Because he didn’t want to make you mad, probably.”

  “Shit! Have I fucked things up for Dev?” Alex was visibly concerned for his sister’s feelings and that made Holly’s heart swell.

  “No, babe.” She said, cupping his face. “You’re just being a brother. Also, Ben needs to get his head out of his arse and figure that out for himself. He doesn’t need permission to love her. The sooner he realises that, the better.”

  “He loves her?” Alex groaned. “Oh my God, he does, doesn’t he? Thinking about it, it’s so obvious!”

  “Let him calm down and if he hasn’t stopped trying to fight with Dev to talk to her in a few days, then maybe you should say something.”

  “You’re so amazing.” He said.

  His entire being full of love for Holly.

  “You’re so great with this stuff. You helped Ryan and Riss and now Dev and Ben. You would have totally given them great advice on Monday.”

  ”Not with you there I wouldn’t.” Holly laughed.

  “Why not? Wouldn’t you have wanted me to hear?”

  “Considering my earlier problem, my input would’ve been ‘Alex has a fabulous arse and I also want to chew on his lips.’ Somehow I do
n’t think that would have helped…at all.”

  Alex laughed loudly.

  “So it would seem.” He said and reached over to her hip to squeeze her butt. “I guess I should tell you about my Dad’s ‘talk’. He said smiling.

  “You also need to tell me what you said this morning and in the bed shop, when you said I’m a bad influence.”

  “What do you want to know first?” He said, his voice lowering and he cocked an eyebrow.

  “I’m a bit scared of both.” She said, becoming breathless.

  “Scared? Why?”

  “Because of how I might react.”

  His smile got bigger.

  “Well I suppose I could mix it up a bit.” He suggested and began, without giving Holly time to decide.

  “In the dining room, I said…” He moved closer to her and whispered against her mouth “…I had naughty dreams about you, Very, very, hot.”

  Holly swallowed and licked her lip into her mouth.

  “Also, Missy. You didn’t tell me about your dream.” He said as he grazed his lips across her cheek.

  “Um. It was naughty too.” She whispered, closing her eyes as Alex’s hot breath blew across her neck as he moved further down.

  “How so?”

  “Uhhhhh.” Holly was heating up fast. “We were…at five oaks… and we…almost…”

  “Yeah?” He said as he lightly pressed his lips under her ear lobe.

  “Oh God!” She squeaked. “Not many clothes.” Holly couldn’t talk properly.

  “Did you wake up, before we almost…?” He asked, leaving the words in the air. Holly nodded.

  “I had the same dream.” He said.

  “Really?”

  “I sure did.” He replied. “I have those dreams…a lot.”

  “Holy shit!” Holly whisper shouted.

  “Do you still want to know what my Dad said?” he asked as he squeezed her firm ass cheek.

  “I think I’m too scared now.”

  “I’ll tell you anyway.” He said, sitting back.

  Holly’s face was flushed, as was his. Thy needed some room to cool off, so Holly moved, only slightly, away as she fanned her face with her hands.

  “My Dad asked what we’d been doing in your room.” Alex told Holly why his Dad had asked him about it and the ‘talk’ when him and Dev were fourteen.

  Their parents had sat them down on their birthday and decided to have the sex talk with them. They said that sex was special and should be with someone you love and not just something ‘to do’. They were told that boys, and girls, should be respectful and not treat each other like their next ‘dipping pot’.

  Alex made a face at remembering that part.

  Their parents also made them promise they would wait until they were at least eighteen , not just the legal age of the state, and that it was also an unspoken tradition, in the family, that everyone would wait until they were legal adults.

  “So when we came downstairs, my Mom thought that maybe… but I said no.”

  “That explains that one.” Holly said.

  “My Dad took me into the study and started saying that we’d gotten close, quickly and that he understood. My parents were the same. He then blurted out ‘have you had sex?’ I told him no, but he said we’d been gone for a long time. I told him we’d kissed. You’re my girlfriend, and I love you.” Holly smiled. “And that’s when he asked if I wanted to…have sex…with you. I told him neither of us were eighteen…”

  “Do you…?” Asked Holly, flushing again. “…Want to?”

  “Holly, do I even need to answer that question?” He asked as he cupped her face.

  “I want you to say it.” She whispered.

  Alex moved closer until their lips were almost touching. His tongue moved over her lower lip.

  “Yes. I. Do.”

  Holly bit her lip and whimpered as a new surge of heat flooded her.

  “…And for what I said about you being a bad influence?”

  “Mhmmm?” Holly was close to combustion. She swallowed. Her breath caught in her throat as her pulse raced. Alex’s voice lowered, almost into a growl.

  “I said that’s fucking fantastic.” Alex took her mouth, and her tongue, to his.

  Holly grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pressed up against him. He cupped her butt and pulled her in…and Holly’s phone rang.

  “For fuck’s sake!” She said, looking at the screen.

  “Oh shit. Hiya Mum, what’s up?” She said as she answered. “Yeah I’ll come back soon. Ten? That’s early. Oh ok, sure. Yeah, Ten o’clock.” She pressed ‘end’ other phone. “She said she wants me home by ten, for her own sanity, and to not give my Dad a heart condition. He’s going to pick me up so you don’t have to drive me.”

  Alex didn’t want Holly to go. He felt sick thinking about her leaving. If he felt like that now, how was he going to cope when she had plans with Dev and the girls? He’d already had a gym schedule with Ben and the guys, and he didn’t want to go. But then again, Holly liked his body the way it was, so he’d keep working out. It was his hobby too.

  “Are you ok?”

  “Yeah. I was just thinking that I don’t want you to go and that…it’s going to be difficult when you or I have plans with the others. I don’t want to leave them out, but I don’t want to leave you. Ok, now I sound like an idiot.”

  “No you’re not.” She said with a warm smile. “I was thinking that too. Like you said, we don’t want to leave the others out, but we’ll see each other every day.” She stroked her hand on his chest.

  “We will?” He asked excitedly.

  “Definitely! At school and after. If you need to go to the gym with Ben, then that’s ok. I won’t like being apart from you, but the girls and I could do something at the same time.”

  Alex grinned.

  “You don’t think I’m sounding like a needy wimp?”

  “Goodness no!” She said, giggling. “I’d attach myself to you if I could.”

  “Well…” He said looking at his watch “…we still have twenty minutes, so you can attach yourself right now.”

  Alex pulled her close again and kissed her sweet, soft lips. He held her butt, squeezing, as he pulled her hips towards him. Holly lifted slightly and wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck and tangled her fingers in his hair. Alex leant back as Holly lifted.

  He liked where it was going.

  He’d been above Holly twice, now. Actually four, but twice with their bodies pressed together.

  Now it looked like…

  Is she?

  Alex kept his hand around her body and on her butt as he lay back. Adjusting the position of his leg, next to the back of the sofa so it wasn’t in her way, his other foot on the floor. Holly went with him, laying her body onto his. Her braid fell to one side, and Alex gently threaded his fingers into her hair.

  Holly’s hand ran down his hard pecs and his chiseled abs. She moaned, and Alex’s pants tightened even more than before. She stroked her hand around to his tight, muscular rear and pulled so his hips pressed into her and he squeaked.

  “Oh my God Holly!” He panted as he broke their kiss. “You drive me crazy!” He said as he moved his hands to her ass and squeezed with enough pressure to make Holly gasp with pleasure. “We shouldn’t do this…” He said. “I want you so much…we shouldn’t.”

  He moaned again as Holly bent to kiss his neck.

  It was her turn to torture him.

  She lifted up to look him in the eye, panting, pupils dilated with arousal, heart thumping, body crying out with need…

  ”Now you know how it feels like for me.” She kissed him softly. ”When you…” she kissed his lips again. “…Do this to me…” she kissed his jaw “…but believe me, Alex…” she kissed his neck “…you’re torturing me just as much.”

  “Fuck!” He whispered, and Holly put her hand up his shirt to feel his perfectly contoured body.

  She closed her eyes and bit her lip.

  “Holy hell.�
�� She said.

  Alex stroked one hand up and under the hem of her top, and she opened her eyes to gaze into his. His own pupils dilated, turning his eyes almost back.

  “I love you so much, Alex.” She whispered. She really did, and she was also telling him that everything was Ok. That he could touch her without him worrying about it.

  “I love you too Holly…you have no idea.”

  Holly brought her mouth down to his. His full, sexy lips were sinful; they were so tasty. His tongue found hers, and they stroked over each other passionately. Slower than before, savouring every moment they had left together that night.

  Alex’s hand roamed further up, over her bra strap, his ‘friend’ twitched in acknowledgement, and further up to her shoulder blades.

  As Holly’s hands roamed over his own body, Alex could feel the stirring getting stronger. Thinking of sports wasn’t helping at all.

  He knew they had to stop.

  He would embarrass himself if they didn’t.

  Holly’s breath was quickening too.

  Her fingertips pressed into his skin, and it felt fucking amazing for him.

  She pulled away from their kiss.

  “Alex.” She whispered. “I think…we should stop now. “I’m…oh God!” she scrunched her eyes closed and took a deep breath.

  “Agreed.” He said in a strained voice, as though he had to concentrate just to talk.

  Holly got up and adjusted her top, as did Alex and they looked at each other.

  Both had very flushed faces and guilty expressions.

  “Well…um…that…” Alex said, as he was the first to speak.

  “Mmhmm.” Said Holly. Alex blew out a controlled breath.

  “You’re a bad boy, Alexandro.” Holly said as a smile split across her face. ”You barely touched me, and…well…” Holly pressed her knees together.

  Alex laughed and shook his head.

  “It’s all your doing, babe. Even thinking about sports wasn’t helping.”

  Holly’s eyes widened.

  “I think we should both try to be good. For a little while anyway.” He said with a wink.