Page 9 of Infatuated as They Come
“Be. Nice,” she mouthed out.
Seemed like she knew when her husband was being a pain in the ass. I had no idea how she had been tolerating him for so fucking long. The rest of Holly’s family had been pretty nice too, just like her. I had been worried they’d all be like her dad, that I’d have to sit through hours of stares and not so quiet whispers about how they couldn’t believe that Holly was with someone like me, but instead, I was welcomed with open arms as Holly introduced me to all of them, a big smile on her face as she said again and again, “This is my boyfriend Sawyer. He’s an artist.”
“You saw that,” her dad said next to me. “Be nice.”
“She was looking at you when she said that,” I said, making an immediate beeline for Holly. My hand found hers and I was pretty sure my heart leapt right out of my goddamn chest when she looked over her shoulder at me.
“Hi,” Holly said, voice all soft.
“Can I borrow you for a minute?” My other hand squeezed at the box in my pocket.
“Not for too long,” Annie said. “She was showing me photos of your new apartment.”
“Just for a couple minutes.” I pulled Holly away from the crowd, eager to get her all on my own. The whole day had been a bit chaotic. “Happy birthday,” I said when I got Holly alone in one of the many quiet hallways of her house. “Again.”
“Thank you,” she said, her soft hands on my chest. “Again.”
I brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “You look really beautiful.”
“Thanks. Are you having fun? Did you like the cake? My mom put aside plenty of leftovers for you and Brodie if you want them.”
“Brodie will definitely take your mom up on that offer.”
She pressed herself up against me, the scent of her flowery perfume in the air. “I really missed you today. I’m sorry it’s been so crazy.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s your special day and all that.” I ran a thumb along her chin. “I don’t mind.”
“I know a boring birthday party at my house isn’t your idea of a fun time.”
“It’s not boring. I’m having a good time. Just thought I’d get you alone for a minute so I could give you your…” My voice trailed off and the box suddenly felt like it weighed a million pounds.
Holly’s head tilted. “What?”
“I’m kinda nervous,” I admitted, voice all low despite the hallway being empty.
“About what?”
“Your gift. I really hope you like it.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m sure it’s lovely.”
I took the box out of my pocket. “I thought you’d like it. Maybe you don’t. But you wear a lot of silver stuff so I thought maybe you’d want something else silver and the lady at the store said it was the classiest thing they had and you’re classy as fuck.” I was rambling as I opened the lid of the velvet box, watching carefully for Holly’s reaction.
“Sawyer,” she whispered. “It’s—”
I snapped the box shut, hating the way the sound made Holly flinch for a second. “I shouldn’t have got you this. I thought jewelry would be a nice idea.”
She pulled at my sleeve. “Wait. No. It is nice.”
“No, it’s… You know, jewelry is really hard to steal.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “They make it fuckin’ impossible. It’s bullshit. But I can steal you some fancy dress or something if you want. Clothes are easier to steal. Just pick something out and I’ll get it for you.”
“But I like the necklace.”
It was a dumb idea to begin with. I had seen the stuff Holly wore: the sparkling, blindingly shiny earrings and rings and bracelets. One look at them told me that they cost more than I could ever afford. “I can get you something nicer. I’ll take it back.”
“If you take it back, I’ll be really sad.” She looked up at me, eyes big as she pouted, and God, it was really hard saying no to that face. “Do you wanna make me sad?”
I chuckled a little. “I never wanna makeyou sad.”
