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Her roommates cheered and laughed while she fled to the bathroom to wash her face, her lips, and brush her teeth again. Blech!
“Way to go,” Aimee said. “I thought for sure you’d chicken out.”
Holly fisted one hand on her hip as she spoke around her toothbrush. “Would you have chickened out?”
“Nope. Not one bit.”
Despite having sent away the guy wearing a dazed expression, Holly was secretly glad it had been him and not Eric. She wasn’t sure she could not like Eric if she kissed him, even on the cheek. He oozed confidence, sweetness, and good looks. He was a “yes” in every category. Except he pitied her. That was enough of a turnoff that she could effectively sweep him from her thoughts, and he could join the dozens of other guys who weren’t right for her.
4
Eric
After taking a shower, Eric dressed quickly and gobbled down a sandwich before heading to the girls’ apartment. Ever since Holly had disappeared from his sight, he couldn’t stop worrying about her. All this time, he’d been ignorant of her scars. From a distance, someone would never know anything was wrong, but up close, he could see the lightened skin, her wrinkly cheek, the side of her lip that never moved. Now that he’d seen it a dozen times or more, he hadn’t thought twice about it, but the extension of her scar to her chest was a different matter. The skin on her neck and chest had looked more scarred and prevalent.
The guilt mounted in his chest, making him eat faster. She’d caught him staring, and it had scared her away. Never had he hurt someone like that. He owed her an apology quickly. He shoved down the last big bite and stood. His roommates had left earlier, going out to play ball with some other friends. They’d asked him, but he couldn’t do anything until he made sure Holly was okay.
He knocked hard on the door in case she was in her room studying. When no one answered, he knocked again a little harder. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Aimee stood by the door. He could see Holly and Diane in the kitchen.
He smiled at the calm atmosphere. Everything was okay. But now, how was he going to get Holly alone? He didn’t dare embarrass her again.
“I was wondering if—”
Aimee stepped in front of him, batting her baby blues and twirling a piece of hair. She looked extra cute in a pair of slacks and a long-sleeved blouse. But he could wait a few minutes before drinking her in a little more.
Just as he moved away, Aimee pressed up on her toes, grabbed him by the face with both hands, and kissed him.
Just as quickly, she backed away. “The mistletoe.” She pointed to the doorway, and understanding flooded through him.
“Clever,” he said with a smile. A shiver of pleasure went through him. He definitely knew who he wanted to ask to the dance. If Aimee was bold enough to kiss him—and she’d never asked him to do a raptor impression—she was good enough to ask to the Christmas ball.
“Yeah,” Aimee said, laughing. “You should’ve seen Holly kiss creeper-Collin a few minutes ago. He came by to ask for sugar, and he got more than he asked for!”
Holly shushed her. “It’s house rules. Whoever opens the door has to kiss whoever is there.”
“Interesting.” He tucked away that bit of information. “Hey, Holly, can I talk to you for a minute? Feel like a walk?”
The other women’s attention turned to Holly, but then Aimee looked back to him in confusion. All in good time. If he did this right, he could apologize and then get Holly’s advice about asking out Aimee.
“Uh, I was going to study, but sure. Let me change.”
Holly left the room with her two friends following, and he sat down to wait.
A few minutes later, Holly came out alone, wearing a pair of jeans, a turtleneck sweater, and a pair of sneakers. So that’s why she always wore turtleneck shirts and scarves. It all made sense.
Once they were past the parking lot and on the sidewalk that led to campus, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about today, about the way I responded. When I saw your scar.” His words fell out like stop-and-go traffic. “What I mean is, I was sad to find out that you’ve been dealing with more than you’ve told us about, and I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.”
She nodded. “Thanks. I didn’t take it the wrong way, but I don’t love that people pity my situation.”
Pity? He hadn’t even thought about that. Pity was too strong of a word. “If you could, would you go back and change what happened?”
His question seemed to take her by surprise. “No, I don’t think so. I have a better life now that I’m away from my parents.”
“And did you do anything wrong that you should feel sorry about?”
“Well, no.”
“Then how can I pity you? Are you sad you’ve risen from the ashes, so to say?”
