Page 141 of Infatuated as They Come
“Were you being serious about that?” Sawyer muttered.
“Of course I was!”
“Why are you yelling?”
“Why haven’t you painted us yet?”
Sawyer nodded towards me. “’Cause I like painting Holly.”
“Okay, well, she’ll be included in the painting, obviously.”
“I’ll let you guys talk this one out,” I said.
“Don’t leave me alone with her,” Sawyer muttered, eyes flickering over to me.
“Our routine is about to start, so we’ll continue this conversation later,” Claudia said, her hand tugging at mine. “Holly, come with me!”
“Bye!” I blew Sawyer a kiss, giggling a tiny bit at the bewildered look on his face.
We all got into position, my nerves somewhat settled after Sawyer’s very much needed pep talk. Claudia counted us in, her voice all loud and energetic, and then the adrenaline took over and we were off to the races. I felt three strong pairs of hands as I was hoisted up into the air, letting my body slip into the routine. Bow and arrow, heel stretch, my smile borderline painful, and then a full down when I felt the bases dip, my body rotating completely to the left until I was caught. There was no time to waste as we were off into the next section of the routine: the one, three, five, seven count repeating in my head over and over as I completed a round off that flowed into back handsprings.
My body was buzzing. My whole form was tingling with excitement as me and the rest of the team moved in absolute synch—every twist, every flip, every pointed toe. My muscles were burning and they’d burn even more tomorrow, but the pain was worth it for the spark of excitement I felt all over.
The performance came to an end with me and the flyers in the air. Performing the sharpest arabesque I had ever done in my life, I felt the bases lower me down until I was back on the ground. There were more cheers, more screams, and then I was wrapped up in a group hug as me and the other girls squeezed each other.
Claudia squealed. “That was amazing, girls! I think I’m gonna cry.”
“You’re gonna ruin your glitter!” Millie pointed out.
“Right, right.” She nodded. “No tears tonight. Just hugs.”
“I’m all gross and sweaty,” I said.
“Don’t care. Come here!”
I was pulled right into Claudia’s arms, her strong hands on mine until she found Millie and then Sophie. Turning to the crowd, it took me just a second or two to find Sawyer who was sitting with Nate, my heart beating fast as he shot me a crooked smile.
The rest of the night went on problem free. No falls, no mistakes, no mishaps. The Falcons winning just made it all the more better, but the real cherry on top was that for the first time in a long time, the ground felt steady, like me and Sawyer had finally found the days we were supposed to be having.
As the stadium slowly began to empty itself and me and the girls said our goodbyes, I felt hands on my waist that made me spin around quickly.
“You give me a fuckin’ heart attack every time you get up there in the air like that,” Sawyer muttered. “Can you stop doing that please?”
“You worry about me too much,” I said with a smile.
“That’s my job. Seriously, though, you were amazing tonight. Fuckin’ Evel Knievel over here…” he said, giving my waist a squeeze. “Love seeing you cheer so much, baby. Can’t believe I ever missed this. I won’t do it again. Promise.”
I let Sawyer sweep me into a hug, my face pressed into his chest. My glitter was getting all over his T-shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind that at all as his arms looped around me. Calm and solid familiarity washed over me as I took in his scent, his strong arms, his presence. Everything. There I stood, safe and loved and steady, that feeling of loneliness that had weighed there in my chest like a rock since moving to New York disappearing into the void.
Chapter 36
Holly
I was just about to carefully slide the glass flower into its vase when I heard a knock on the door. Slowly setting the vase down on the coffee table, I gave it a final once over as I crossed over to the door. I really couldn’t get enough of staring at it.
I didn’t even look through the peep hole as I pulled open the door, my hand clenching at the handle a tiny bit when I saw that it was my dad standing there. He looked casual today in a navy green cable knit sweater and some blue jeans, his eyes softening as he gave me a little smile that seemed unsure.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said quietly.
