“You’ve not lost your sense of humor, I see,” he said with approval. He draped his shirt over Holly like a sheet and tucked it in around her body.
“Just for the record, I thought the water would be warmer,” she said frankly.
“Well, if I was tired before, I’m wide awake now,” William said, laying down next to her.
Sometime later, a car pulled up and William slid his hands underneath Holly’s back and knees. He stood up and carried her to the car.
“I’m going to puke. Would you still kiss me if I puke?” she said. William gave her an odd look but did not acknowledge the comment. The driver appeared and held the door open.
“Mr. Fisher, charming to see you again. We’ve just been in for a dip,” Holly said to the man in a fake British accent.
She saw William exchange looks with the driver before he carried her into the car.
“Let’s get you warmed up,” he said, wrapping Holly in a thick blanket. She closed her eyes in her cotton cocoon and sighed. Being in the warm car all wrapped up in a dry blanket felt like true luxury.
William disappeared for a few minutes and returned with their clothes. He handed Holly her purse and closed the door.
“Feeling better?” he asked, shaking water out of his hair. Holly nodded with a drunken smile.
William settled down next to her wrapped in a blanket as the car began to move.
“You’re so nice,” Holly said. A tiny part of her brain sent up red flags. She knew word vomit was coming but there was nothing she could do to stop it. All of her defences were down. “I like you. A lot. I don’t even know you. But I like you.”
A dimple appeared on William’s cheek as he looked at her.
“I think you’re delirious,” he said. “But thank you.”
His tongue ran along his upper lip then disappeared again.
“Just between you and me? I like you too,” he said. Grazing his thumb over Holly’s bottom lip. Suddenly, it was stifling in the blanket.
“I just thought you should know. Because you’ve still got to date ninety-four percent girl, and we’re not a good match. But I think we should see more of each other.” Her eyes flew down and then shot back up to William’s face with a look of horror. “That came out wrong. I mean, find out more about you, like what TV shows you watch.”
William cradled her cheek and leaned closer.
“I don’t watch TV,” he whispered, his breath tickling her lips. Holly moaned.
“That’s why we don’t match. I love TV,” she said. Her lips touched his briefly.
“You could show me what you like to watch,” he whispered. But before Holly could speak, his mouth had joined hers. The contact zinged right through Holly and she thought for a moment that she had left her body and skyrocketed into space.
The kiss lasted for three seconds. Maybe less. Holly wasn’t counting. But there were aftershocks. It was like a lightbulb had been switched on and Holly wanted more. She leaned in to kiss William again, this time with more passion and abandon. But before she could play out her fantasy, the car stopped abruptly, and she fell back.
“I’ve had a great time today,” William said formally. Holly blinked at him, not understanding. The door opened and she peered out to see the front of her apartment.
“Oh,” she said. And just like that, the date was over. She gathered her things and gave William one last look.
“Well. Thanks for today. I’m going to keep this blanket by the way,” she said. William’s eyes twinkled as he nodded.
“Goodnight Holly.”
Chapter Ten
Holly walked into her apartment looking like a giant marshmallow, wrapped in a white blanket. Her heart was heavy, and she couldn’t work out why. But when she walked into the living area, all of her thoughts evaded her mind and she dropped the blanket in a pile at her feet.
“What in the world?” she said faintly.
Josie and Thatcher were making out on the couch, convincing Holly that when she jumped into the Hudson, it had transported her to an alternate reality.
Josie and Thatcher sat up, adjusting their clothes with equally red faces.
“Holly, you’re home,” Josie said in a fake chirpy voice. “Why are you wet? And only in your underwear?”
“Are you drunk?” Thatcher asked. Holly ignored their questions, shaking her head as she tried to process the situation.
“Were you two making out? Or did I just imagine that?” she said bluntly. Thatcher and Josie exchanged looks.
“We were going to tell you... about us. We just wanted to find the right time,” Josie said, looking guilty. She and Thatcher held hands and looked at her with sympathy, which only riled Holly up more.
“My two best friends are in love. Great. Well, I’m tired. I’ll be in bed, if anyone needs me.” She stomped across the room, leaving the door wide open and her blanket on the floor.
“How did your date go?” Thatcher asked, but Holly had already marched off into her room and slammed the door.
Holly took a hot shower and climbed into bed with a sigh. The king-size bed was comfortable, and she was cozy in her fluffy onesie, but something troubled her.
The events of the evening replayed in her mind. From the stilted reality TV acting and air balloon ride, to the moment she fell onto William on the basketball court. They had been flirting and the date was going well. Until Holly thought it would be a good idea to go swimming in the Hudson.
After that, everything changed. She cringed at the things she said.
Would you still kiss me if I puke?
She threw her covers over her head with a moan. How could she say that?
Then she touched her lips as she remembered their kiss.
It had all ended so abruptly; she couldn’t work out what went wrong. And now her best friends were playing tonsil tennis in her living room, so she couldn’t even talk to
