Welcome to New Haven (58 page)

“I just
hate
her.” She sniffed.
 
“What she’s done to you…to you both. She needs locking away in a psych ward.”
 

“Let’s just hope the cops can deal with her and that’ll be it.” Said Holly, rubbing Dev’s back.

Holly hoped that was true.
 
If that was the end, then great, but Holly had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.
 

“No going out on your own. I’m serious.” Said Dev.
 

“Ok, Mom.” Chuckled Alex.
 

“I mean it! If she’s released tomorrow she could be anywhere and Alex, keep your car locked in the garage.”
 

“I agree.” Said Holly.
 
“Doors and windows too.
 

“Who are the parents here?” Joked Rami.
 

“They sound so grown up.” Said Evie.
 

Holly’s phone rang, and she looked to see who it was. It was her Mum.
 

“Hiya Mum.” She answered.
 

“Have you left Alex and Dev’s yet?” Kim asked with worry.
 

“No. Not yet. I’m still here.
 
Mum, they picked Stacey up at the restaurant.” She said and heard relief in her mums voice.
 

“They did?” Thank fuck for that!” Are you coming home soon?” Holly could see Alex frantically shaking his head and she smiled.
 

“Er… something’s telling me I should stick around a bit longer.” She said as Alex beamed his panty melting smile.
 

“Ok, well, phone me and we’ll come and pick you up.”

Alex pointed to himself and mouthed “I’ll take you.”
 

“Alex said he’ll take me.”
 

“I
bet
he did!” Her Mum laughed.
 

“Mother!” Holly squealed, and Alex burst out laughing, putting a hand over his mouth to contain it.
 

“Bye, Mum, I’ll text you later.” She said flatly and ended the call. She put her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment.
 

“Everything ok?” asked Evie as she saw Alex was having a fit of hysterics whilst Holly’s face glowed red.
 

“Oh my God!” Holly whispered.
 

“My Mum likes to make embarrassing comments.” She said shyly.
 
Evie looked a little confused for a moment before recognition showed on her face.
 
“Ohhhh. Oh my!” She giggled.
 

“Mom! You’re not supposed to find that funny!” chuckled Dev.
 

“Somehow I don’t think Holly’s mother was serious.” She said with a raised eyebrow.
 

“Not really.” Said Holly.
 
She just likes to get a reaction and a laugh.
 
She likes to embarrass me and my sister.
 
She thinks it’s hilarious.”

“So, what are you going to do now that the ‘obstruction’ is gone?” Rami said with quote fingers.
 

“I’ve got an idea.” Said Alex as he took Holly’s hand and led her to the front door.
 

“Keep us informed where you are!” Dev shouted after them.
 

“What time will you be back?” Asked Evie.
 

“We will, and no later than midnight!” Alex called back to answer them both.

Holly sent a text to her Mum when she got in the car.

H: We’re going back out.
 
Will be back before midnight.

 
I’ll text you where I am when we get there.

K: Ok, baby girl.
 
Keep me posted and stay safe! ;)
 

I love you.

H: >:| I love you too.

Chapter 20

They drove off, and Alex clasped Holly’s hand again.
 

“Where are we going?” she asked as Alex just smiled to himself.
 

“It’s a surprise.” He said and winked.

They drove for about twenty minutes with the road getting quieter and more remote.
 
A lot more trees and plant life.
 
Fewer and fewer houses, until the roads were really quiet.

Alex pulled over to the side of the road, right under a large oak tree.
 
It must have been at least six meters tall.
 

“Where are we?” she asked.
 

“We’re in five oaks park forest.
 
My Mom and Dad used to bring Dev and I here as kids. I used to come here sometimes with the guys.”

It was peaceful, and the guys never got bothered by anyone.
 
They would go there occasionally during school breaks, just to hangout without the noise and, sometimes, suffocating feeling they had from being in the city.

Alex told Holly about what they’d get up to.
 
Making rope swings and jump off them into the lake in the summer, see whether they could still climb trees as agile as when they were small kids and just sitting down, talking.

Holly looked around.
 
She was taking in her surroundings with avid interest.
 
The place was so serene and beautiful.
 
Tall trees of different sizes, shapes, and colours.
 
Lots of smaller ones had taken root from the previous falls’ seeds, and they were coming up out of the ground.

Small and youthful like a child standing next to their parent.

The songs of countless birds could be heard in the air, and the sky was turning a darker shade of blue as the sun was setting, casting intimate shadows between the spaces in the trees.

Alex opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a blanket and a small cooler.
 

“You planned this?” She asked, but more of a statement.
 

“Yeah, I did.
 
Well, we were supposed to go to the park but…anyway, since it was still early and I thought we could come here instead. He said a little shyly.
 

“It’s absolutely gorgeous.” She said.
 

“This way” Alex said as he took her hand.

They walked through a narrow pathway between the trees until they came to an opening.

The view was incredible!

The lake was surrounded by various trees and colourful foliage of reds and greens.
 
The sun was shining on the water as it was setting, causing a beautiful orange glow to reflect off the surface onto the plant life.

Alex led her further still to a flat patch of grass right next to a tree with a long rope hanging from it. It had a huge knot at the bottom that looked grey and well worn.
 

“That’s where we used to swing from.” He said quietly.

He showed her the markings on the tree. ‘AV, BS, RL, KM’

“We carved them two years ago. We haven’t actually been here for over a year.”
 

“Why not?” Holly asked. It was great. It was the kind of place you could go to relax with friends, as Alex had done, or a ‘special’ friend, like they were.
 
It would be a once place to just go and think or even to study.

Holly couldn’t imagine why anybody would just stop visiting a spot like this.
 
Maybe because they were older and had more responsibilities with school?
 

“Uh…we…Kind of got followed here a few times so we just…stopped.” Alex looked saddened.

Holly felt bad. Alex was harassed at school and even when he was enjoying time with his friends.

“By her?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
 

“Yeah.” He said quietly as he laid the blanket on the ground.

Holly sensed that he didn’t want to discuss it.
 
They were still on their first date after all and
she
wasn’t ruining it.
 

“I figured we could come here because we can now.”
 

They sat down together on the blanket and looked out over the lake,
 

“This is amazing.” Holly whispered.
 

“It really is” Alex said but he wasn’t looking at the scenery.
 
Holly turned to Alex, and he was looking straight at her.
 
His brown chocolatey eyes twinkling with the reflection of the sun.

His hair falling over his forehead to his eyes, with the gentle breeze blowing throughout the strands.

His cheekbones and strong jaw made for a magazine cover and his full, pink lips that felt soft and strong at the same time, as they’d mingled with her own.

Holly took a deep breath as Alex smiled down at her and he began to chuckle.
 

“What?” She asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
 

“Nothing.” He grinned.
 

“It must be something.” Holly was getting a little paranoid that she’d said something out loud again.

Her eyes widened.

“Did I say something out loud?” Alex chuckled again, and then he licked his lips a little, which Holly automatically focused on.

“Well, now I’m intrigued as to what you were thinking” He said.
 

“Oh, no, no.” She said playfully.
 
“If I didn’t say anything then it stays in my head.” She tapped her temple with a finger.
 

“Ok.
 
I’ll tell you what I was thinking if
you
tell
me
.” He said.

Holly thought for a second.

“I don’t think I should.” She replied as a flush crept up her cheeks.

“Why not?” He asked.
 
His tone lower. Holly’s breath hitched before she spoke again.
 

“Because it’s private.” She whispered secretly.
 

“Please?” He batted his eyes and pouted.

Damn his eyes are sexy!

Holly closed her eyes.

“I’m not falling for that!” she giggled.
 

“Pwitty pweeeaaase?” He asked again in a childish voice.
 

“Aagh, ok!” Holly caved. But, you have to tell me, first, why you laughed.”
 

“I wasn’t laughing
at
you.” He said. “I was laughing because I’m happy.”
 

Holly’s heart jumped into her throat. He was happy.
She
was happy too.
 

“I thought you laughed because I was staring… again.”
 

“A little bit but, I love the way you look at me like that.”

Holly blushed, as usual. She was worried about her involuntary actions around Alex.
 
She’d already spoken her thoughts aloud in class and tripped over her words goodness knows how many times, and the ‘Alex fog’ constantly increasing in number.
 

“How do I look at you?” she asked.

It was Alex’s turn to blush.

“Um…Kind of like…uh…” He didn’t know how to say it without sounding forward or assuming. “Like you see only me.”

Phew.

He almost said ‘like you
want
me.’ But, she might have taken it the wrong way and assumed he meant it in a ‘have sex’ way.

Holly bit her lower lip and smiled shyly.
 

“What were you thinking? What did you think you might have said out loud?” He narrowed his eyes playfully.

Holly laughed.

“I was thinking… I think you’re mighty purdy!” She said with a southern accent and giggled.
 

“Seriously?”
 

“Yep.” She replied as she lay back onto her elbows, her knees bent.
 

Alex had a great view of all of her as she lay like that. Her jacket opened out, showing her amazing body underneath her vest top.
 
Her breasts pushing out, the skin of her stomach peeking out the waistband of her jeans.
 
Her thighs…
 

“Actually…” Holly’s voice broke his lustful thoughts. “…I
was
thinking you could be on the cover of a magazine, like Mens’ Health or something.”
 

Alex lay on his side next to her, propped up on his elbow.
 

“Is that so?” He said with a smirk. Alex knew the guys on the covers of those magazines had a tendency to be shirtless, so if Holly was thinking of that specific magazine, then she must have been thinking about
him
with no shirt on.
 

“Well thank you. I’ve never even thought about it, but I think if there were a chance I’d be on a cover, and never in this lifetime, I would prefer it if I were
fully
clothed.”
 

Alex tried to keep a straight face but failed.
 

“Wha…? I wasn’t thinking…” Holly blew out a sharp breath.
 
“Ok, truthfully I was, but I didn’t mean for other people to see.
 
Just me…Oh God! I’ll shut up now.” She said as she lay back and put her hands over her face.
 

Alex was a little stunned, yet jumping for joy inside. God, how he loved the way she reacted to him.
 
He hoped she would never stop.
 

“Oh my goodness.” She whispered from behind her hands.

Alex watched her closely.
 
Her skin flushed pink and he wanted to taste it.
 
Her breasts were showing a little more of the skin above the neckline of her vest as she lay down.

Her stomach exposed a little more, begging to be touched.

Her jeans caressing her hips where his hands should be and her legs that needed to be around him whilst he made lo…
 

“I’m sorry.” Holly said, bringing Alex back to the here and now and his throbbing groin area.
 

“Why are you sorry? I like that you think of me that way.” He really did.
 
There was no point in denying it.
 
He wanted Holly to have thoughts of
him
like he had thoughts of her.
 

“You do? I thought, maybe, you’d be sick of people drooling over you? I mean, you can’t help how you look but it
has
to be annoying what people do.”