Chapter 16 We Don’t Talk About Tivoli #2
Nate said nothing, opting instead to let her talk. Because if this was what she needed right now, then he was more than happy to be quiet and give it to her.
“Found out later I was part of his ‘foreign virgin collection.’” Her voice didn’t crack. Didn’t waver. “He did it with all the girls, apparently. He told someone. They told me. Guess I came home with a scar instead of a dream.”
Nate’s jaw clenched so hard it ached.
“Anyway,” she said, brushing invisible crumbs from her lap. “That’s what I think about when I think of Denmark. Fairy lights, and being the punchline in someone else’s conquest story.”
He stared at her, something hot and helpless rising in his chest. “You didn’t deserve that.”
She shrugged again, but it landed differently this time. Not careless. Just... finished. “It made me sharper,” she said. “Harder to impress. Better at spotting bullshit.”
He offered her the last beer without a word. She took it.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, voice low.
She glanced at him, unreadable. “You didn’t do it.”
“Still,” he said, “doesn’t mean I don’t want to hit him with my car.”
That pulled a huff of amusement out of her, the corner of her mouth tilting up just enough to ease the weight between them. “Thanks.”
They sat like that for a while, letting the weight of secrets shared and truths hidden settle between them like dusk over East Hollywood.
“I used to sneak into Tivoli too,” he said, thinking back with a wry smile. “There was this girl I liked. Didn’t know she liked other girls.”
She looked over, interest sparking. “Oh?”
He nodded. “She was all black eyeliner and musical theater references. We’d sit behind the pirate ship and talk about how weird it was to feel too big for a place that’s supposed to make you feel small.”
She studied him for a beat. “Did she break your heart?”
He smiled faintly. “She told me I was a good listener. And that I should probably start noticing when people don’t want what I think they do.”
Holly blinked. “That sounds... blunt.”
“Coming from you?” he teased, and she lashed out with her leg, pretending to kick him as her swing passed his. “Nah. She was nice. Just honest.” He shrugged with a laugh, obviously over it and just wanting to share it with her. “Tivoli’s good for that.”
The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was earned. He turned to her, watching the swing creak beneath her as if it were built for softer memories.
“You really never went back?”
“No. But I remember the lights,” she said with a wistful note to her tone that made him want to pull her into his arms. Because there was heartbreak there. Real and deep. And Lars fucking knew she still felt it and chose to be an asshole anyway.
He wanted to say something stupid. Something earnest and doomed, like how she looked more like herself right now than she ever did under studio lights.
Like how her easy, unguarded laugh tipped just slightly toward reckless.
How being around her felt like a shortcut to somewhere deep and dangerous he wasn’t ready to name, but already couldn’t stop circling.
Instead, he nudged her foot with the toe of his shoe, gentle, almost shy, the closest he could get to touching her without risking everything. “Thanks for dinner,” he said, because it was safe and small and didn’t give away how much space she was already taking up inside his chest.
She smiled at him, and it landed harder than it had any right to. Then she shifted closer, a subtle scoot that closed the gap between them like a decision made on instinct. Before he could catch up, before he could overthink it, she leaned in and kissed him.
It was slow and soft, warm in a way that sank straight under his skin.
Not demanding. Not heated. Just a careful press of her mouth to his, like she was testing the weight of it.
Nate went very still, afraid to ruin it, heart pounding so loud he was sure she could feel it.
When she pulled back, her eyes were wide and a little surprised, like the kiss had happened to her as much as because of her.
“Don’t make it weird,” she said, quiet but firm, like she needed him to promise her that this could stay uncomplicated for just a little while longer.
He blinked once. Twice. Then nodded. “Okay,” he murmured, and meant it. Even though he sat there absolutely gone for her, already knowing there was nothing simple about her choosing him like that.
And just like that, she stood, dusted off her hands, and tossed the empty containers into the almost overflowing trash can nearby. “C’mon. We’re getting an Uber before I lose my beer buzz and remember why I don’t do shit like this. You can drop me home.”
He stood and followed behind her, grinning like a man who’d just survived something devastating and couldn’t wait to tempt fate again.
Strictly Scandal Online:
SPOTTED : Take the Floor’s hottest maybe-couple getting cozy off-camera?
An anonymous tipster slid into our inbox last night with a grainy but very interesting photo: Holly Martinez and Nate Eriksson spotted in East Hollywood sharing takeout, beers, and what definitely looks like a moment.
The sighting allegedly took place in a small neighbourhood park not far from where Martinez grew up. According to our source, the pair looked “very comfortable,” sharing food and laughing before what appears to be a quick kiss was caught on camera.
Production insiders continue to insist their relationship is strictly professional. The internet? Less convinced.
Is this dedication to a showmance arc… or is something real developing behind the scenes? You know we’ll be watching to see if… READ MORE →
@ttfdetective on TikTok:
so we’re just ignoring the blurry pic of holly and nate kissing in some random LA park???
because that did NOT look staged
also him carrying her food like a boyfriend??? sir???
#takethefloor #ttf12 #nateandholly #hefallsfirstenergy
@dancefanatic88 on Instagram:
okay but if this is fake dating they deserve an emmy because that body language is LOUD
also someone said he was carrying her pasta and beer like a husband
looks like love is in the air at take the floor
#ttf12 #nateandholly #showmance #bedchemrehearsal