“Nothing important.”
“Dee?”
“Dee”?, I think with a small smile. The only other person who calls me ‘Dee’ is Ashton, and hearing the nickname falling from Holden’s lips fills me with warmth. Instead of mentioning it, I say simply there’s a song stuck in my head. I should have known he would prod for the title, for any indication of what the song is, but I hadn’t thought about it. I hesitate before capitulating.
“I don’t remember the name,” and God, does the lie come easier than it should, “but it sounds like—”
I hum the beat of the chorus ofToo Little. When I finish, the damning silence deafens me. My skin crawls, prickles with the buzzing electricity zipping along my nerves. Checking the screen of my phone tells me he hasn’t hung up. A chill crashes over me at his lack of speaking. Picking at a stray thread on the hem of my top, I close my eyes when Holden sighs.
“Guess you know now.”
“I know what? All I know is it’s a good song.”
“Dealla—”
Tristan was right. “Look. Holden, you’re still you. You’re still the guy brave enough to interrupt an incredibly beautiful stranger so you’d have a place to sit in a crowded coffeeshop. You’re still the guy who came over to hang out and entertained a toddler and cleaned my apartment. So you sing, too. Who cares? Doesn’t change the fact that the guy I know is a pretty cool dude I’ve enjoyed getting to know over the last month.”
“I like getting to know you, too,” he admits after a pregnant pause. My cheeks burn as I smile. His voice lowers, softens. “Thanks, Dealla.”
“You can thank me by not making this weird.”
“I’ll try.” He pauses. “So… An incredibly beautiful stranger, huh?”
“I just—”
“No, no, don’t take it back. It’s true, y’know.”
My heart clenches beneath my ribs, and I stretch out on the couch with my legs hanging over the arm. Deciding to ignore that comment and go all-in, I ask him to tell me more about himself—music included. There isn’t much I actually know besides the personality he’s shown and the fact he lives just outside Franklin, Tennessee.
Thankfully, Holden obliges, and I settle in to listen.
I step out of the car and glare at the sky outside the parking garage as damp air clings to my skin. Clouds have begun to roll in and threaten rain, and the forecast says this storm will be a bad one. Sliding a hand over my sweat-soaked hair, I press the lock button on the key fob and, as my SUV beeps twice, I had toward the door.
Opening the door causes a blast of cool air to envelop me, and I shiver and cross my arms over my chest. My footsteps quicken, leading me through the corridors, around the myriad of turns, until I reach the end of the hall that holds my apartment door.
My voice rings out in the quiet as I approach: “What the hell.”
Holden looks up from his phone, smiling brightly. His gray eyes are washed out by the fluorescent lights, but they’re alight with his happiness. I want to run from it. I’ve never had that before—no one has come close enough to me, except Tristan and Luci who wouldn’t let me say ‘no’. Not like I gave anyone else much of a chance. It frightens me, this nebulous thing I have yet to examine. I’ve had schoolgirl crushes before, but this is different. This is adulthood. This is “getting on a flight and coming to see someone who’s still a near stranger”.
Shaking it off—after all, he hadn’t come strictly to see me, it’s just a happy coincidence that I live in the city he’s visiting—I raise a brow. “Hi. What are you doing? And how did you even get into the building?”
“Followed someone in. And I’m mostly scrolling through social media.” He pauses, frowns. “Did I not tell you I was here?”
“I don’t think so.”
I pull my phone from my bag and show him a screen devoid of notifications. Holden’s lips pull down in the corners as he swipes and taps on the screen of his own phone. When he meets my gaze again, his face is twisted up.
“I didn’t press ‘send’.”
I don’t bother hiding my laugh. Gesturing for him to move, I unlock the door and push it open. He follows me inside and locks the door behind us. My throat tightens with the realization he remembered. He hasn’t been here in over a month, and heremembered. I can’t find it in me to tell him it isn’t necessary now that Ashton isn’t here. I wish Ashton were here.
“Okay, so I kinda need to shower,” I admit slowly then bite down on the inside of my cheek. After a second, I gesture vaguely around the living room. “Um, there’s a remote to the TV somewhere, so you can watch a show or something while I’m, y’know, busy. Sorry for the hunting you’ll have to do.”
“It’s okay. I can watch something on my phone.”
“Alright. Well... I’ll be right back.”
I duck into my room and hurry to grab clean clothes. It isn’t until I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror that I see how out of sorts I look. My skin is still mottled from exertion and heat, and my hair clings to my skin. I yank the band from my ponytail, shaking the damp strands loose, and lean over to start the shower.
