Page 12 of Holly Jolly
“I know this has been a whirlwind, but can I take you out tomorrow?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
11
Ethan
December 26th
My heart raced as I stepped out into the chilly winter evening. I had taken particular care in selecting my outfit for the night, wanting to make sure I was dressed just right for this occasion. I had chosen a light blue collared shirt and a pair of dark jeans.
As I made my way across town to pick up Holly, I felt a strange mixture of anticipation and anxiety. I couldn't deny the nervousness.
As I finally reached Holly's house, a wave of relief washed over me. By this point, I was so nervous my hands were shaking. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I knocked on the door and waited.
A few moments later, Holly opened the door with a wide smile, and I was immediately taken aback by how beautiful she looked. She wore a form-fitting sweater dress that showed off her curves and brought out the color of her eyes. Her hair had been done up in an elegant updo, and she wore subtle make up that highlighted her natural beauty.
We exchanged greetings and she stepped out of the house, grabbing a small purse before locking the door behind us. We began walking down the street together in amiable silence as we made our way to our destination. As we went, I found myself stealing glances at her every now and then; unable to believe that this beautiful woman was actually with me.
We eventually reached the small cafe, and as we took our seats, I found myself in awe of the moment. There wasn't a whole lot of places to go in this town, and Holly suggested we just go to the cafe.
This wasn't where I wanted our date to be, but it was what she wanted, and it was nice not to have someone who was very high maintenance. She didn't care where we went as long as we got to enjoy each other's company and that meant a lot.
Holly brought up graduation and our breakup, not to stir the pot, but like me, I think it was time we talk about our past. We can't move on and build a future without talking about our past.
"How did you feel when we went our separate ways?"
I had to admit that it was hard for me, as I didn't want to let her go, but we needed to go our separate ways for that time being. Our dreams of going away for college wouldn't have been fulfilled if we stayed together. We both had gotten into our first choice of colleges.
So instead of trying to fight it, I wanted to let her go with my blessing - but not without some heartache.
The night we broke up all those years ago, my heart was shattered. She was the one person besides my mother that truly helped me through the pain and grief of losing my father and brother. For this reason, I knew that either of us asking the other to give up on their dream, wasn't who we wanted to be. Our whole friendship and relationship had been based on being supportive and honest with each other.
I had to be honest and tell her how hard it was for me to let her go. I wanted to be supportive, but it was hard to see her walk away. But I understood why we had to do it, so I tried my best to honor that decision and let her be on her path.
"It was hard," I said quietly, "but also a relief in some ways. We were both headed down different paths and sometimes we just need to take those paths alone. Even if it's hard."
Holly nodded in understanding, her eyes glistening with emotion. She reached out for my hand across the table and gave it a squeeze before letting go.
"I felt the same way," Holly admitted, her voice wavering. "But I also knew it was what we had to do if we wanted to pursue our dreams."
"Exactly," I replied, feeling grateful that we were finally having this conversation after all these years.
"It's just...it's been hard seeing you again and not knowing where we stand," Holly said softly. "I know things can't go back to how they were before, but part of me wishes they could."
I couldn't deny the yearnment for the same thing but at the end of the day, we still needed to take things slow.
"I understand how you feel," I replied gently. "And trust me when I say that those feelings aren't one-sided."
The air between us grew thick with tension as our eyes locked in an unspoken understanding.
"But right now..." my voice trailed off as my gaze drifted towards her lips - full and pink and tempting. "The first thing I need to do is get back here permanently."
"I missed you a lot," Holly said with tears welling up in her eyes.
I squeezed her hand back and wiped away the tears falling down my own face.
"I missed you too," I admitted. "But I'm so glad to see that you chased your dreams and succeeded."
