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5
Holly
At four o’clock Monday afternoon, Holly headed to the exit of the Family Life building. Her class had been enlightening, including the dos and don’ts of parenting in public. Her favorite piece of advice had been removing a child from the grocery store with a backup plan, meaning drive the child home and leave the shopping for another time, have a friend pick the child up so the shopping can continue, or leave the cart where it is and take the child home. All good ideas.
Since she could only count Diane as a sibling, she’d never experienced having little kids around. Her parents didn’t do much of anything but work and sleep—and drink, later in her father’s life. Despite this, Holly couldn’t wait to have a family of her own. She’d make sure to give her children the love, care, and meals she’d never been given.
Her heart stumbled as Eric came walking down the walkway toward her building. He was smiling and looked so carefree. For a second, he almost looked as if he would walk by, forgetting his promise to walk home with her. She stood just inside the doors and watched. In seconds, she got her answer. He walked by the building, not even turning to face her direction once.
She sighed. What had she expected? It had been nice of him to offer, but he was busier than she was. At the end of the school year, he would start his internship, and he was almost as studious as she was. It was admirable for a guy to take his studies so seriously. Still, she couldn’t help the twinge of disappointment she felt. And then frustration for being disappointed. They were only friends, and it was only a promise in passing. Anyone could easily forget.
Once she was sure he was gone, she exited the building and started the walk back to the apartments. Finals were in a few days, and everyone seemed to be on campus at the same time. Tests didn’t trip Holly up as much, but the completion of day-to-day assignments had been a nightmare. Couldn’t she just read, absorb, and then regurgitate onto the test? There was no need for all of these mind-numbing assignments that took her away from her textbooks most of the time.
Her mom had called her a bookworm since she was in preschool, but it hadn’t bothered her. Reading was her escape and—
Someone grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her to the side. It was Eric, waiting by a tree close to her building.
“Where are you going, little miss?”
Heat filled her cheeks as she recognized Eric’s voice. He hadn’t forgotten! She ducked her head to try and hide how much it pleased her. “I saw you walk right by the building and thought... it would’ve been totally fine though. I’ve walked home alone every day this semester just fine.” She was rambling.
His lips twitched as he watched her. “Well, I’m not fine. You’re my friend, and I want to make sure you’re safe. If that means I escort you home every day, then you better believe I’m not going to forget it. How was class?”
“Not bad. How was yours?”
Suddenly, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture in her direction. “Was that of me?” she asked.
He nodded to the tree behind her. “Nope, I was just getting a picture of that pine. Aren’t the trees great here? Not like the rest of Utah.”
She laughed to herself. Of course he was taking a picture of a tree. She noticed him taking a few more shots on the way home. “You must be interested in photography.”
“Not really. Just happen to have a few things to record today. Anyway, my day was great, but let’s get home. I’m sure you have as much homework as me.”
Holly loved how easy it was to talk to Eric. She gave him a short rundown of her class, getting really excited about the parts of the class that she loved. By the time she was done, they were standing next to her apartment. How long had they been there? “Sorry, I was rambling.”
“It’s all right. You’re cute when you’re excited.” He ran a hand down her hair a few times. Shivers erupted down her face and into her shoulders. He was just being nice, that was all. Even if she had this sudden and unexpected crush, it didn’t mean he felt the same. “Your eyes light up when you talk about children. I can’t wait to be a parent one day too.”
“Really?” Most guys didn’t talk about being a dad—not that she had been around many guys lately.
“Sure. I have lots of siblings, and it makes the house more alive.”
She cocked her head to the side to remember, but finally asked. “How many again?”
“Three sisters, two brothers. An even split, though my sister claims the girls win, because we have a female cat and dog.”
Holly laughed. “That is fun. I always wished for a sister, and I got Diane.”
“Diane? Diane, your roommate? I didn’t know you two were family.”
“It’s a long story, but in every sense of the word, except through blood, we’re sisters. And Aimee is like a sister to me too. Hurry and ask her out. I think she’s mad that the two of us spent time alone together yesterday.”
Eric adjusted his backpack and stared at her. “Why would she—okay, never mind.” Again he held up his phone and snapped a picture, but when she turned to see what tree he’d found, she didn’t see one close by. Only the apartment building and parking lot.
“How about let’s do a picnic dinner at the grill today,” he asked, grabbing her attention. “And we’ll approach the idea of the dance with everyone. It’ll be cold, but we can all gather around the grill. And don’t worry, Justin is on board to ask you out. So, get ready! The dance is this weekend, so make sure you plan some time to get a dress.”
Despite the fact that they were talking about her being matched up with someone other than Eric, a thrill of excitement went through her. There was no way she could afford a new dress, but Aimee had at least three or four she could look through and possibly borrow. Once Aimee knew why Eric and she had been talking, Aimee would stop giving her the cold shoulder and would be happy to lend one to her.
“Sounds good. Thanks for walking me home. I didn’t even notice Collin the Creeper.”
