five
Declan
“Happy Birthday!”
Holly blushes at my enthusiastic greeting. “Thanks. You want to come in?”
“Sure. Are you almost ready?”
“Um, yeah. But here’s the thing … my dad’s not here. He had to run to the store and said we aren’t allowed to go out until he gets home.”
“Why?”
She tugs at the hem of her shirt and shrugs a shoulder. “He’s just being dumb. He said because it’s just the two of us going out without Sage and Baxter, it’s a date. He wants to have a talk with you.”
“Oh, um, well … okay.”
Still blushing, she looks back up at me. “I’m sorry. I tried to explain to him that you have a girlfriend. He didn’t seem to hear me, though.”
“Well, I don’t. Have a girlfriend.”
“What? When did that happen?” she asks, taking a seat on the couch.
“She was never my girlfriend, Holly. I told you that. We were just dating casually, and we’re not anymore.”
“Why? I thought she really liked you.”
Now it’s my turn to shrug. “She did, but I didn’t feel the same.”
The door opening interrupts our conversation. Mr. Ryan has flowers and a cake in his hands. Holly rushes to him to help lighten his load, and he kisses her on the cheek. “I still can’t believe my little girl is sixteen years old.”
“Dad …” she whines, obviously embarrassed.
“Holly, go put those in the kitchen and give Declan and me a few minutes to talk, would you?”
She looks between us with a nervous glance. “Sure,” she mutters as she walks away.
Sean takes a seat on the coffee table directly in front of me. My palms are beginning to sweat, and when I rub them on my jeans, he smirks at me. “Nervous, Declan?”
“Should I be?” I’m trying to act normal, but I’m nervous as fuck.
“No, son,” he says with a chuckle. “I like you, Declan, and I know you have feelings for Holly. I’ve watched the way you’ve treated her the past few years, and she could do a lot worse.”
“Uh … thanks?”
“Look, Declan,” Sean sighs, “Holly is my little girl, and you need to move at her pace.”
“Yeah, sure … I mean, of course. I would never do anything to make her uncomfortable.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. I’m going to try to switch hats here for a minute and be a friend, not Holly’s dad. Do you have any questions? I know you’re close with your mom, but sometimes there are things a boy needs a man to talk to about. I’m happy to answer some of your questions if you have any.”
This feels like a trap. Sean and I have gotten close over the past few years, but there’s no way I can talk to him about sex with his daughter. Maybe he can help with another question, though.
“How do you know?”
“Know what?”
“When you love someone?”
Surprisingly, a smile spreads across his face and he nods. “I suppose it’s different for everyone. When you’ll do anything to make her happy, even if it’s not something you want to do. Or when you’re sad to be apart, but the second you’re together you’re happy for no reason. When you can’t think of anything else but her, or when you’re ditching your friends just to spend time with her alone. Those are all signs. If you walk into a room and your heart races when you see her, and you can’t imagine going a day without talking to her. All signs.”
“Yeah … okay.”
“Declan, do you love Holly?”
My eyes dart around to make sure she isn’t in sight, and my head bobs of its own accord. “I think I do.”
“I think you do, too, so let me give you a bit of advice. When you fall in love, it’s new and exciting. People tend to move fast because they want to experience every part of this new emotion all at once. Try not to do that. Take it slow and cherish each experience as it comes. The thing about love … real, true love … is that it isn’t going anywhere. True love grows and strengthens each day. And when you find the right person to share and reciprocate love, it will be timeless. She’ll be your best friend, your biggest confidante, and the only thing that makes you feel complete.”
Damn, he’s romantic as fuck, but it’s pretty cool. “Thanks, Sean.”
“Can I come out now?” Holly yells from the kitchen.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he calls out as he pats my shoulder. “You’re welcome. The two of you have fun tonight. Have her home by eleven.”
“Yes, sir.”
The drive to the creek is silent. I can’t get Sean’s words out of my mind. I thought I loved Holly, but after talking with him I know I do, and I’m dying to tell her.
After we park, I pull the picnic basket out of the back of the car. The sun is starting to go down, and the crickets and frogs sound like they’re having an animated conversation.
“Did your mom make you bring the basket?” she asks knowingly.
“Yeah, but I packed all the food.”
We sit across from each other, and I unload the basket. After we’re both loaded down with sandwiches, chips, fruit, brownies, and water, Holly looks up at me with her bright-green eyes. “Declan, why did you and Rachel break up?”
“You can’t break up if you weren’t together.”
“You know what I mean.”
She nervously pulls her bottom lip into her mouth. If we’re going to talk about this now, I want to be next to her. After straddling the bench beside her, I inhale deeply. She smells like apricots and vanilla, and it makes me happy.
“Do you want me to be with Rachel?”
She turns and faces me, her hair falling in front of her eyes. I reach for it and push it behind her ear before she gets the chance, and she stares up at me with wide eyes.
“I want you to be happy, Declan.”
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been right now, sitting here with you.”
“Why?” she asks on a gasp, and I scoot closer to her. The sound of her rapid breathing makes my heart beat faster.
“Because I’m in love with you, Holly.”
Her breath catches as her eyes flutter open and shut. I’m dying to kiss her. I’ve wanted to kiss her again since that day in her kitchen. The timing has never been right, until now.
“Declan, I …”
“Be my girlfriend, Holly.”
She nods, and I cup her cheeks in my hands and lower my lips to hers. I listened to what Sean said, I swear. But tonight, for just this one thing, I can’t go slow. Now that our lips have met, I have to taste her. We part slightly, foreheads touching, before I kiss her again, slowly parting her lips with my tongue. She’s hesitant; I know she hasn’t kissed anyone other than me. The thought makes my heart beat faster. I want to be her first and only everything. After gently coaxing her with my tongue, she reciprocates my kiss. It’s everything I’ve always imagined and more.
After our kiss, she pulls me into a hug. “I love you, too, Declan.”
I never realized before now how much those five words could make me feel so alive.