Welcome to New Haven (11 page)

“Maybe I should go.”
 
Holly said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.
 

“What?
 
No!
 
You just got here! Come on…”
 
Dev said as she pulled Holly to the stairs and up to her room.

“What’s the matter? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost!”

“
He’s
your brother?”
 
Holly asked nervously.
 

“Yep.
 
The one and only.”
 
Dev smiled but her smile dropped when she saw Holly’s expression.
 

“What’s the matter?”
 

“Nothing…”
 
Holly replied, trying to take in a deep breath to steady her nerves. “…Forget it.”
 

Dev cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, staring at Holly for a moment.
 

“Oh my God…”
 
She suddenly said, her eyes widening “…Is
Alex
the guy you were talking about?”
 

The look on Holly’s face must have said it all, and Holly was
not
amused when Dev burst out laughing.
 

“I’m sorry”
 
Dev said.
 

“Maybe he just wanted to introduce himself as your brother.” Holly interrupted, trying to make sense of why Alex was looking for her at school.
 
“Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed.”
 
She said with her hands over her face.
 

“Well, he already thought you knew who he was.”
 
Dev said as her laughter subsided.
 

“What?”
 

“Yeah. He really thought you did. He looked confused, actually.”
 
Dev told Holly the conversation she’d had with Alex in Math class, after lunch.
 

“Well, he knows who
I
am, obviously.
 
The teacher introduced me to the class,
and
he called me by my name.”
 
Holly said as she waved her hands, trying to fan her face.
 
“I guess he just took me by surprise.”
 

Holly tried to dismiss it, but she could tell Dev had an idea that there was more to it than that.
 
After all, she’d said that Dev’s brother was ‘cute’.
 

“Let’s get to studying. I have provisions.”
 
Dev said as she pointed to the snacks and drinks.
 

Thinking that they were safe in the confines of Dev’s bedroom, Holly relaxed a little and got her books out of her bag.

Holly helped Dev with some of her algebra work.
 

“You explain this so much better than our teacher.”
 
Dev said with a huge grin.
 
“I actually understood what you were showing me.”
 

“I think they just like to over complicate things sometimes. More than necessary.”
 

Dev completed a few more problems, under Holly’s guidance and she was grateful for Holly’s help.
 

“Ok señorita, vamos a trabajar en su español”
 
Dev said.
 

“What?”
 
Holly hadn’t understood what Dev had just said.
 

“I said, ‘Ok, miss, let’s work on your Spanish”
 

“Oh”
 
Holly got out her book and pad of paper.

Alex had been listening in his room for a while.
 
He hadn’t gone up to his room straight away, just in case the girls suspected he was spying on them.
 
He intentionally left his door open so that he could hear them talking.
 

His room was opposite Dev’s, and her door was slightly open, allowing him to hear the girls talking. He knew he shouldn’t be listening in, and if he heard any ‘girl talk’ he’d promised himself that he’d shut his door and not listen.
 

He could hear Dev asking Holly some questions and there was a pause before Holly answered.
 
He loved the sound of her voice, her accent too.
 
God, he could listen to her all day!
 
It made his body go all…’funny’.
 

He imagined what it would be like to have her in his room with him…
 

Where are these thoughts coming from?

He’d never had a single hint of wanting a girl in his room before.
 
Now, he was imagining Holly there.
 
Alex pulled himself out of his haze and listened in some more.
 

“Me llamo, Holly.” He heard her say.
 

“You can also say “Mi nombre es.”
 
Dev said.
 

“Ok.
 
Um…Tengo una hermana.”

Oh my God, she’s so adorable!

Alex grinned enormously.
 

“Dónde está…um.”
 

“Come on, Holly, you
know
this!”
 

Alex put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
 
Not because Holly didn’t know any Spanish, but because he was so happy.
 

“You know the words to some Pitbull songs, for Christ's sake.”
 
Dev was giggling at that point.
 

“Yeah, but I have no idea what I’m saying!”
 
Holly replied.
 

She was just
too
cute.
 

Alex knew that Holly would probably be leaving soon, and he wanted to catch a glimpse of her now
and
before she had to go.
 
Maybe he should knock…He got up.

Dev opened the door and Alex saw Holly sitting on the floor, legs crossed, looking down to her writing pad.
 
She looked up at him but as soon as their eyes met, she quickly looked down again.
 
He thought that he could see her blushing so he turned his attention to his sister.
 

“Can I get you guys anything?”
 

“Holly do you want anything?”
 
Dev turned to ask Holly.
 

“Um…No…thanks”
 
she almost whispered.
 

“Nah we’re good, but thanks for asking.”
 
Dev said with a smile as she caught Alex looking at Holly.
 
“Did
you
want something?”
 
he heard the amusement in her voice.
 

“No…I’ll see you at dinner.”
 

Dev shut the door, tight.
 

“Sorry about that.”
 
He heard Dev say, through the door.

”No worries”
   

Alex didn’t know whether Holly meant that it was Ok that Alex had interrupted or that he’d been a pain in her ass and Dev was apologizing for it.
 
His head was messed up.
 
Five days!
 
He’d known her for five days, not even had a full conversation and he was in a mess over this girl.
 
He took a deep, calming breath and went downstairs.

Holly couldn’t help the butterflies in her stomach.
 
Alex had been there, right at Dev’s door, asking whether they’d needed anything.
 
He’d also looked right at her.
 

Holly could feel the heat travelling up from her neck to her face, yet again, as thoughts of Alex’s eyes, his lips, his voice…
 

”He normally just shouts through the door if he wants to ask me something.
 
He’s behaving strangely.”
 
Dev shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
 
“Let’s get back to it.”
 

Holly was relieved to have the subject, of Alex, changed.
 
She’d heard footsteps going down the stairs, and she relaxed more knowing he was gone from outside the door.

“I need to get going now.
 
I told my Mum I’d be back at six.”
 
Holly packed up her books, preparing to leave.
 
She was nervous as Dev opened her door incase Alex was there.
 

As they had come up the stairs quickly, Holly hadn’t noticed Alex’s room.
 
It was opposite Dev’s.
 
The door was closed, and she wondered what it was like inside.
 

“You ok?”
 
Dev asked as Holly didn’t move forward.
 

“Yeah, just thinking about school.”
 
She replied, hoping Dev would accept her answer.
 

“I’d rather not.” Dev laughed as they began to walk down the stairs.
 

When they got to the bottom, Holly could hear Alex’s voice coming from another room as he was talking to someone.
 
She began to walk to the front door when a woman walked into the hallway.
 

She looked like an older version of Dev. High cheekbones, brown eyes, and flawless olive skin.
 
Her dark hair was tied up in a loose knot, and Holly thought she looked very much like a doctor.
 
A supermodel-turned doctor.

Are they all so tall in this family?

Dev was only a few inches taller, Alex was…huge…their Mum, she assumed that’s who she was, was taller than Dev but not much.
 

“Hey Mom.” Dev said.

Holly could only think of how she was going to get out of the front door.

“Hey sweetie. You must be Holly.”
 
She said.

“Hello, Mrs. Valencia.” Holly said shyly.
 

“Oh call me Evie.
 
Would you like to stay for dinner?
 
We have plenty.”
 

Holly felt a shiver just before Alex walked into the hallway.
 
Her knees weakened, and her throat felt dry.
 
The heat creeping into her cheeks.
 

“I…have to go home, but…thanks…Evie.”
 
Holly managed to say, averting her eyes away from Alex so that she could speak.
 
Evie smiled at her, seeing Holly’s discomfort.
 

“Ok well, maybe next time.”
 

“Yes, I’d love to…thanks.”
 
Holly glanced at Alex, and her stomach flipped.
 
“I have to go.” She said to Dev, turning for the door.
 

“Bye Holly.” Evie said with a wave.
 

“Bye Holly. See you at school”
 
Alex said to her, making Holly pause for a split second as she nearly melted into the floor.
 

Dev walked out with Holly.
 

“Text me when you get home. See you tomorrow and, thanks for your help.”

As Dev and her Mum stood at the door, watching Holly get into her car, she noticed Alex watching her from the front window.
 
She released a deep breath before starting the car, waving to Dev and driving off.

Holly started to relax now that she was on her way home.
 
She really had a serious problem when it came to Alex.
 
She couldn’t speak when she looked at him.
 
To hide her obvious attraction, she had to look away as it was the only way she’d been able to string a sentence together.
 
She didn’t know why she was acting that way.
 
She was never nervous around boys before.
 
She’d never been attracted to any of them, though.
 
Maybe that’s why she hadn’t had any problems communicating with them at all.

Chapter 6

Alex couldn’t help the huge smile on his face.
 
Holly was right there!

Why am I acting like this? I’ve known her for all of five days! Get a grip dude!

He knew there was really no point.
 
He took a resigned breath as he finally admitted…

I have a crush on Holly.

As Alex, and his family, sat around the table for dinner, Dev’s phone beeped.
 
Alerting her to an incoming message.
 

“No phones at the table, honey.”
 
Evie said to her.
 

“Holly texted me that she’s just gotten home.
 
I’ll put it away now.”
 
Dev said as she sent a reply, before looking at Alex with a small smile playing on her lips.

“Is she ok?"

He knew she was, otherwise she wouldn’t be texting that she had just gotten home.
 
He just couldn’t stop his mouth from spilling the words before his brain could stop it.
 

“Yep. She got home fine.”

Alex didn’t miss the look that was exchanged between Dev and his Mom.
 
Luckily, his Dad seemed oblivious.

All through dinner, Dev talked about school, and how great Holly was for helping her with her algebra.
 

“That’s so sweet of her.”
 
His Mom said, with a warm smile.
 

Dev didn’t make friends easily.
 
She was very picky about the people she let into her life.
 
Her only friends had been Riss and Kayla.
 
She didn’t trust many people and she’d said, in the past, that other girls would only try to be her friend to get an ‘in’ with him.
 
Dev was pretty perceptive and if she had
any
thought a girl was doing that, she wouldn’t entertain them at all.
 

Dev talked to people though.
 
She wasn’t
completely
antisocial.
 
She was just careful whom she let in and didn’t give anybody a chance to use her, or annoy her brother.
 

“I’m helping her with her Spanish”
 
he heard Dev say.