Page 4 of Holly Jolly
“Well, law just wasn’t in the cards for me, so instead, I decided to follow my passion for writing. Turned it into a career.”
Holly was a girl I had a crush on all throughout high school, but never had the balls to ask her out until senior year. We split up before heading off to college. She had gotten even more beautiful with age. Her sea blue eyes popped with her long brown hair in waves almost down to the small of her back. My mom looked at me as I set the boxes down and I darted my eyes, hoping maybe she would catch the drift that I’d like some privacy to talk to Holly alone.
“I’m gonna go see if there’s anything I want. Come find me when you’re done,” she said, smiling.
My hands sunk into the front pockets of my jeans. “Well… a writer, huh? That must be great? I remember how much you loved creative writing in high school. Didn’t you win a couple awards or something like that?”
“Yeah, won two writing contests and featured in three youth magazines.”
When Holly was younger, you didn’t see her without a book in her hand. So, there was no surprise that she found a career using her passion to craft bingeable fiction.
I ran my hand over the back of my neck. “Wanna grab a cup of coffee and catch up? I’d love to hear more. I’m only in town for a couple of days.”
She looked around the store, and then back at me. “I’m due for a break, but I’d have to be back in an hour.”
Seeing her again had brought back old feelings. Honestly, if we would have gotten accepted to the same college, we would have stayed together, but we were on opposite ends of the country.
“Let’s go then. I’ll have you back in an hour.” I stopped by to let my mom know that we were going for coffee and she seemed thrilled that I’m even speaking to someone.
4
Holly
December 23rd
Our reunion someday replayed over and over in my head for years, the way our eyes would meet, the way our hands would brush just for a second, the way the whole world would seem to stop as we collectively paused to behold one another. I imagined it in a thousand different ways, laying in bed, staring out of my bedroom window at the night sky. But in my wildest dreams, I never imagined that I would be standing in the middle of Fa La La Toy store and him, the boy I had loved since high school, the boy who had broken my heart, who had walked out of my life would be standing right in front of me.
Was this a joke? Why would Ethan be back in town?
After I moved back about five years, he hadn't been back in town as far as I knew, but maybe he just didn't venture outside of his mother's place.
We have seen each other around in town, and said hi, but nothing more. The woman had been through a lot in her lifetime including losing one of her son's and husband in the same night. Even after that, she continued to be brave and strong. I admired her for that.
He had walked right into the store without me noticing, until he said my name. I had spun around, my heart suddenly beating so fast that I thought it would burst out of my chest. All the years between us seemed to vanish as I looked at him, handsome as ever, with that same twinkle in his eye. He smiled, warm and inviting.
I couldn't quite believe it was him. My mind grazed over him at least once a week since that fateful graduation day. I even changed my number and moved away, never quite able to forget the pain and heartache that had come along with our break up. But here he was, Ethan, in the flesh, and now he was asking for me to go for a cup of coffee.
Anticipation creeped through my body as I followed him out of the store. He walked with a determined stride, shoulders firm and straight, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. The thrill of being next to him after all these years sent a shiver down my spine.
Each step we took felt like an eternity as our eyes met occasionally and then looked away shyly, only to meet again seconds later.
He reached out to touch my hand ever so slightly, sending electricity pulsing through me that made my heart skip beats – just like how it used to when he would brush past me all those years ago back at school functions or parties.
For years I had imagined what it would be like to see him again; would there be awkward silences or heated arguments? But now that he was here in front of me looking nothing short of perfect- his hair tumbling over his forehead just like it used to - everything else seemed unimportant.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice laced with regret.
My heart raced as I waited for him to continue. It wasn't often that someone apologized after so many years had passed.
"I never should have left you like that," Ethan continued. "It was cowardly and selfish."
Tears stung at my eyes as I listened to his words. For so long, I had tried to move on and forget about the pain he had caused me all those years ago when he broke things off between us. Even though we were both going to different colleges, I wanted to try long distance but he was absolutely against it. Looking back now, I could see he made the right decision.
"I wanted you to be able to do whatever you wanted. We were both young and had our whole lives ahead of us. I wasn't expecting to see you during this visit, but it'll help me to make amends with you."
He was being genuine. Ethan was already a very sweet man so it was no surprise it carried into his adulthood. Unlike all the other guys in high school, he wasn't playing the field. After our first real conversation back then, he told me he wanted me to be his girlfriend but we would take things slow and we did. He had always been a gentleman.
"It's so good to see you. You barely look any different. Tell me your secret," I said, pushing him a little with my shoulder.
