AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Am I dreaming?” he asked, his voice filled with fear.
She laughed and poked him in the side. “No, silly. I’m right here.”
He sat up straight, wearing a worried expression. “Holly! What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
Again, she laughed and leaned into him. His arms eventually came around her too. “Thanks for dinner,” she mumbled into his chest. “It was amazing. And my bear. You went all out with the roses and the dinner. It was the best Valentine’s Day present.”
He pulled her back to look in her eyes. “Why are you here?” He pulled away from her and stood.
“I’m here because Aimee is going out with Justin.”
“Wait, what? Justin’s not here. He went to shoot hoops.”
She laughed at his sleepy answers. Putting both hands on his face, she talked very slowly. “Today, Justin asked Aimee out on a date. After dinner, she went to go find him to hang out. She is no longer mad at me for dating you.”
He blinked a few times before a grin started on his face.
“Did we flash forward to April Fool’s Day?”
She went to give his chest a playful slap, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her close, landing his lips on top of hers. She dropped her hands and gave into the kiss, closing her eyes and melting against him. For weeks, she’d imagined their eventual making-up. She knew it would come. Aimee always gave in with a new distraction. It was just a matter of waiting until she was ready.
Suddenly, he pulled back, still keeping her close enough to press small kisses against her lips, leaving her wanting more.
“I just want you to know—”
Kiss.
“I am not happy that you put Aimee—”
Kiss.
“Before me.”
He pulled away and studied her. “I’m serious. It hurt that you cared more about your roommate than you did about someone who would live with you much longer.”
“I know. I messed up big, and I’m sorry.” Holly tugged on his shirt. “You can’t just kiss me and solve everything.”
“I know.”
“And don’t think you can just fill my cabinet with food every time you see it empty. Yes, I saw it,” she said when he raised an eyebrow. “But I eat on campus a lot, so I don’t need a cabinet full of food.”
“I know. I just figured for all the times you’ve cooked for us, I should pitch in my share.”
“And that’s why I’m letting it go this time. But no more. I am doing fine without any help.”
He dropped his head. “I know, I just wanted to help.”
A future with Eric flashed across her eyes. Children, a few animals, a porch with a swing. It was everything she wanted and more. Instead of waiting for him to kiss her, because she was almost sure he was now mad at her, she grabbed the sides of his shirt and pulled him in, kissing him hard and long. When he tried to back away, she was even more insistent he didn’t move a muscle, and finally, he wrapped both arms around her, one hand holding the back of her ponytail, the other one keeping her from collapsing. Because that kiss almost did her in.
Breaking apart, they both giggled. “I’ve missed that,” she said nervously.
“You’re not the only one.”
She sighed and ran a hand through his soft hair. “I regretted my decision to take a break as soon as I said the words. I didn’t really want to break up, but that’s how we both took it, and I left it at that. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your texts. I’m sorry I didn’t put you first. The only thing that got me through each day was knowing Aimee would eventually move on and the two of us could be together. I know I didn’t communicate that very well, but I would have never let her drive a wedge between us for too long. You’re too important to me.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Can we go out then? I’ve wanted to take a girl out on Valentine’s since I was old enough to know it was a day to celebrate love.”
She blinked fast, wondering if he meant anything by that, but he didn’t elaborate. “Movies? Mall? Walk?”
