lady was here earlier today.”
Now that made sense.
We made our way onto the balcony. The view was even more spectacular from up here. Even with the hoodie on, I was really feeling the chill. Staring out at the dark sea, I put my glass down and crossed my arms, attempting to warm myself up, but as a shiver raced down my spine, I wasn’t entirely sure it had anything to do with the weather. My insecurities were beginning to surface. I was wondering what Holden saw in me. We lived completely different lives. Just standing on this balcony and taking in the view, something that was a daily experience for him felt like a fairytale come true for me, making this very clear.
Holden went inside and grabbed a blanket from his bed, then turned the light off before rejoining me. “Come here.” He sat and draped his legs over the sides of the lounge chair, making sure there was enough room for me.
I sat down tentatively, resting my back against his chest while he arranged the blanket so it covered both of us. I was tense at first but found myself letting go after a minute. Pushing my uncertainty to the side, at least for tonight, I gazed up and noticed how clear the sky was. “It’s beautiful out here.”
I felt him moving behind me as he reached for our glasses and handed mine over. “Yeah, it’s amazing how you can see so many stars without the city lights blinding you.” He clinked his wineglass with mine before we took a swig and placed our glasses down again.
It was interesting how comfortable I was in his arms. I could only imagine what it would be like to live a life where all of this was normal. Settling in further, I relaxed against his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body and the blanket we were wrapped in. The ghosts from my past had been quieted by the peace I felt.
I loved that he’d not only shared his intimate space with me, but spoke freely about himself and his life. He trusted me and more than anything, I wanted to trust him, too.
With a gulp, I stared up at the sky and began a simple story, hoping it would be enough. “When I was a freshman in high school, there was a foreign exchange student that lived next door to the house I was placed in. She missed her home and family a lot and told me, whenever she felt homesick, she would gaze up at the sky. She’d look for the same three stars she’d seen in Sweden, and it was like she was home again.” Growing up, I hadn’t gotten along with most of the girls I came in contact with, but Maria had always been genuine, and I really liked hanging out with her. “Since I moved around so much I didn’t really have friends, but I always remembered what she said, so whenever I see those three stars,” I pulled my hand out of the warm blanket long enough to point to them, “I think about her and kind of feel at home as well.”
Holden swiped my hair to the side, sending chills across my shoulders and kissed my neck like he’d done earlier. If he didn’t know how much I loved that, he sure as shit did when I moaned involuntarily.
“What do you mean by ‘the house you were placed in’?” he asked with quiet curiosity.
Well, shit. My eyes popped open, and my body stiffened. I hadn’t meant to share that I was a trashy foster kid. “Um…” I was scrambling for a decent answer.
His hands ran up and down the part of the blanket covering my arms as he peppered my neck with kisses. He’d definitely figured out what kind of effect that had on me. “Relax, you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. I would never make you do something you aren’t ready for, Jules. I just hope you can trust me at some point. I want to know more about you.”
I hesitated a moment, and even though I still didn’t understand, I knew in my heart that he was being sincere. Something about him made me want to open the vault I’d kept secured tight my entire life. “I don’t talk to anybody about it, but… I had a pretty shitty childhood.
Now that made sense.
We made our way onto the balcony. The view was even more spectacular from up here. Even with the hoodie on, I was really feeling the chill. Staring out at the dark sea, I put my glass down and crossed my arms, attempting to warm myself up, but as a shiver raced down my spine, I wasn’t entirely sure it had anything to do with the weather. My insecurities were beginning to surface. I was wondering what Holden saw in me. We lived completely different lives. Just standing on this balcony and taking in the view, something that was a daily experience for him felt like a fairytale come true for me, making this very clear.
Holden went inside and grabbed a blanket from his bed, then turned the light off before rejoining me. “Come here.” He sat and draped his legs over the sides of the lounge chair, making sure there was enough room for me.
I sat down tentatively, resting my back against his chest while he arranged the blanket so it covered both of us. I was tense at first but found myself letting go after a minute. Pushing my uncertainty to the side, at least for tonight, I gazed up and noticed how clear the sky was. “It’s beautiful out here.”
I felt him moving behind me as he reached for our glasses and handed mine over. “Yeah, it’s amazing how you can see so many stars without the city lights blinding you.” He clinked his wineglass with mine before we took a swig and placed our glasses down again.
It was interesting how comfortable I was in his arms. I could only imagine what it would be like to live a life where all of this was normal. Settling in further, I relaxed against his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body and the blanket we were wrapped in. The ghosts from my past had been quieted by the peace I felt.
I loved that he’d not only shared his intimate space with me, but spoke freely about himself and his life. He trusted me and more than anything, I wanted to trust him, too.
With a gulp, I stared up at the sky and began a simple story, hoping it would be enough. “When I was a freshman in high school, there was a foreign exchange student that lived next door to the house I was placed in. She missed her home and family a lot and told me, whenever she felt homesick, she would gaze up at the sky. She’d look for the same three stars she’d seen in Sweden, and it was like she was home again.” Growing up, I hadn’t gotten along with most of the girls I came in contact with, but Maria had always been genuine, and I really liked hanging out with her. “Since I moved around so much I didn’t really have friends, but I always remembered what she said, so whenever I see those three stars,” I pulled my hand out of the warm blanket long enough to point to them, “I think about her and kind of feel at home as well.”
Holden swiped my hair to the side, sending chills across my shoulders and kissed my neck like he’d done earlier. If he didn’t know how much I loved that, he sure as shit did when I moaned involuntarily.
“What do you mean by ‘the house you were placed in’?” he asked with quiet curiosity.
Well, shit. My eyes popped open, and my body stiffened. I hadn’t meant to share that I was a trashy foster kid. “Um…” I was scrambling for a decent answer.
His hands ran up and down the part of the blanket covering my arms as he peppered my neck with kisses. He’d definitely figured out what kind of effect that had on me. “Relax, you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. I would never make you do something you aren’t ready for, Jules. I just hope you can trust me at some point. I want to know more about you.”
I hesitated a moment, and even though I still didn’t understand, I knew in my heart that he was being sincere. Something about him made me want to open the vault I’d kept secured tight my entire life. “I don’t talk to anybody about it, but… I had a pretty shitty childhood.
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