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He clucked his tongue. “I guess I’ll have to make up for lost time right now.” He tickled her side, making her squirm away, starting an all-out tickle war. Eric was just as ticklish, and Holly moved fast. By the time they were holding their sides from laughing so hard, Holly had curled her legs under herself and rested her head on the edge of the couch cushion where Eric was lying. For at least thirty seconds, they stared at each other, searching each other’s eyes. Holly noticed features in his face she’d never seen before, like a slight dimple right under his left eye and a small freckle on the side of his nose. He was everything she had ever wanted in a guy.
It felt strange to look at someone for so long, but it was exactly what she wanted to do. Stare. Memorize every twitch in his lips when he smiled, admire how straight and perfectly sized his ears were, and his teeth—perfectly straight. She was the luckiest woman in the world. He’d seen through the scarred mask to who she really was.
He raised an eyebrow, as if asking for permission, and moved closer so that their heads touched. When she didn’t back away, with one hand behind her head, Eric pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It had been the first time they’d kissed since their mistletoe kiss at the door. It lasted about as long as the first one and was just as tender. He sat up and pulled her to a sitting position. Then he cradled her cheeks with his hands and studied her, sending a shiver through her.
When she didn’t say anything, he leaned in again. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. As well as becoming familiar with his lips, Holly dropped one hand to his face, touching his smooth-shaven cheeks, his strong jaw, his messy hair. Even on a morning when he’d done nothing to get ready, he was handsome, and he was all hers.
Someone cleared their throat, making them jump apart. “Jack!” She gasped when she saw her dad.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said.
“Sorry.” She stood and motioned for Eric to follow her. “We were just getting to know each other better.”
Her dad cleared his throat again, a little too dramatically. “Yes, I saw that. How about let’s start dinner, and he can learn how good you are at cooking.”
She opened her mouth to apologize, but he left before she could get the words out. She peeked up at Eric, but instead of looking worried, he was smiling confidently and sent a wink her way. She wasn’t sure about tomorrow or the next day, but in that moment, she was the happiest version of herself she remembered, and that was worth continuing.
The road trip back to Salt Lake to drop Diane off at her new car went as expected. Cameron and Diane rode in his car in the front, and Eric and Holly took a leisurely time following them. They held hands and sang to songs on the radio, arguing about which artists were better, and occasionally calling Diane and Cameron to check in.
Along with Holly being the happiest she had ever been, Diane was on cloud nine herself. She’d stuck to Holly’s side since high school, never really dating much, and sometimes Holly felt bad that she had missed opportunities because she hadn’t wanted to leave Holly out. But finally, it seemed she’d found someone as equally matched as Holly was to Eric.
Once they reached the car dealership in Salt Lake City, Eric got out of the car to help Holly with her luggage. They’d decided to split ways there and come back to school separately. It would be weird to show up together, and even though Aimee knew they’d spent most of the break together, Holly didn’t want to rub things in.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stick around, make sure you get into the car okay?” Eric asked, playing with a strand of Holly’s hair. Inwardly, she groaned, wanting nothing more than to linger with him.
Diane took the lead. “Nah, I think we’re good.”
He frowned, but nodded. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours, okay?”
“Can we go to the bookstore later?” Holly asked Eric before he climbed back into the car. “I saw that my scholarship money came in.”
He kissed her lips softly, then backed away. “Absolutely. Be safe driving, Diane. Take care of my girl.”
Diane huffed, but was smiling. Once they were gone, Diane turned to her and took both of her hands. “That was the best vacation ever, huh?”
Usually, if Aimee was there, the three of them would start squealing and jumping up and down, but she and Diane were the level-headed ones of the group. Instead, they headed into the car dealership with wide smiles on their faces. For once, Holly felt hope that everything would be okay.
Diane’s new car was an upgraded mini-SUV, and they rode back to Logan in style. First thing, Holly scanned the parking lot for Eric or even his car, but it was as empty as the back seat of Diane’s car.
“Should we go unpack?” Diane asked, putting the car in park. “Aimee told me she’s already home.”
A tiny bit of fear trickled through Holly’s confidence. It would be hard to switch from thinking and talking about Eric all the time to pretending she had no life again.
When Holly opened the front door, Aimee was waiting for them on the couch.
“You’re home,” she squealed, jumping up and giving them both a long hug. “I thought you’d be back earlier. Cameron and Eric have already stopped by twice.”
Holly maintained the still-moving features of her face, but inside, her heart lifted.
“Cool,” she said. “Have you seen Justin?” Bringing him into the conversation more was bound to make Aimee more interested in him. Hopefully.
“Yeah, he’s been around, bugging me all day. We walked up to the bookstore to get our textbooks, and by the time I checked out, I’d lost him. That store is packed.”
“Goody,” Holly groaned. “I’ll be going later.”
“Me too,” Diane said.
A knock sounded on the door, and since Holly was closest, she opened it. It was Eric. Her heart raced as he sent her a smile.
