Chapter 20
Holden
Itry to be cool as I leave my brothers but once I’m out of their eyesight I rush to my room. She just messaged so hopefully she’s still online. I still haven’t figured out why I’m so obsessed with this girl even though I don’t know her. But I am.
Once I’m in my room, I drop down in my computer chair and turn on my laptop. I take another bite of my taco, chewing the steak aggressively as I impatiently wait for my laptop to run through the whole startup process.
“Come on,” I mutter under my breath. It’s as if the powers that be hear my words and the screen comes to life. Then it hits. I’m a fucking idiot. This whole time I’ve been waiting for the fucking laptop I could’ve been messaging her from my phone.
Shaking it off I don’t waste any time logging into the school messenger service.
To Holden: Thanks for reaching out. I didn’t even realize we’d been partnered up yet.
Also, it was nice of you to tell me a little about yourself.
Like you, I’m a junior and I’m twenty. I live with my family too.
My brother and his pack. Thankfully, I don’t live in the main house with them so I do have some privacy.
I like to eat as well, though I’m sure I don’t have as big an appetite as you.
She lives with her family. Sounds like she doesn’t have a pack, and something deep inside of me likes that. Okay, think. What do I say back?
To River: Yeah, I do. Not as big as my brother Roman. He owns his own construction company and I’m not sure if I should tell you, LOL, but he’s also a cage fighter. We actually just got back from a fight he had tonight.
I hit send, then sit there nervously waiting to see if she replies. If I were a drinker I’d need one to calm my nerves, but alcohol never appealed to me or my brothers. Now I wait for her while I take another bite of my taco. I swear, suddenly this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
The seconds tick past and nothing. Shit, did I scare her off? Maybe I shouldn’t have said that about my brother. Him being a cage fighter is so normal to me that I don’t ever think twice about telling anyone. Then it happens. She responds.
To Holden: Did he win?
A simple three word question, but it’s more telling than any answer she could ever give me.
To River: Undefeated. He’s a beast inside those metal bars. My other brother Nash goes to school with us. He’s 21, 6 months older than me, so he’s a junior too.
To Holden: 6 months. That math ain’t mathing, sir. But you get to graduate with him. That’s pretty cool. It’s almost like he’s your twin.
To River: I was adopted. Technically he’s my cousin. But his parents adopted me. Even before that, before I lived with them, I thought of both of them as my brothers. And the three of us became a pack.
To River: I’m the beta to their alpha. LOL.
She doesn’t immediately respond as she did before. No, now there’s a lag in the flow of our conversation.
“Get it together, Holden, she’s probably doing something and couldn’t respond right back.” Not wanting to seem like a pathetic creeper, I take the last bite of my taco and pick up the plate. Might as well go clean it real quick.
I take the steps at a run, jumping off the bottom one. When I enter the kitchen, I see Roman still sitting at the table, but now he has a stack of papers in front of him and his laptop.
“Already done talking?” he asks, looking up at me with a smug look on his face.
“Just bringing the plate back down,” I say, stepping over to the sink and washing it quickly, then placing it on a dishtowel on the counter to dry.
“Shit bro, it’s a joke. Damn, I’ve never seen you worked up like this over a picture on a screen.” He holds up a piece of paper, his eyes darting from it to what he sees on the screen.
“What are you doing?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.
“Verifying that all the information on the contracts match my estimates so they can go out tomorrow to be signed.”
“Boring,” I sing out, drawing out the word to emphasize my true thoughts on it. I give him a thumbs up before rushing out of the room and heading back to my laptop.
I stop just outside my door, bracing myself in case there isn’t a reply from her.
But Lady Luck is on my side, and there’s one waiting.
To Holden: I just realized I never answered your question. I haven’t gotten any information about what our project is. Guess we’re both in the dark on that.
We continue chatting back and forth until finally she tells me she has to go to bed. When I look at the time, I notice it is nearly two in the morning. I cringe knowing I have to be up at seven for school. Fuck, tomorrow is going to suck.
***
To River: I had a good time getting to know you last night. Have a great day. Hope we can talk some more. Not project related talk just in case you were wondering.
I type out the message to her while Nash drives us to school.
“So, did you get her to send you a picture?” Nash asks, as he comes to a stop at the light, flipping on his turn signal.
“Didn’t ask,” I reply, stretching my legs and lifting my hips so that I can slide my phone in my back pocket. While I’d love to see what she looks like, I don’t want to spook her by asking for a picture.
“Why the hell not?” He scoffs. “What if she’s ugly as sin? Or a stalker. I mean, if she’s hot, I don’t think I’d mind being chased through the woods and tied up by her. Just as long as she isn’t batshit crazy like that woman in the movie Misery.”
“You really are insane, you know that?”
“Yeah, but it’s why the ladies love me. You see the way they flock to me, beg me to walk them to class.” “I wonder if it has anything to do with your knot.”
Nash just waves me off as he pulls into a parking spot and turns off the car.
“I’m glad it’s fucking Friday.” Nash moans, as he reaches into the floorboard of the back seat, picking up his backpack.
“Me too. We have that estimate to do with Roman tomorrow, then I plan to be a vegetable,” I add in, opening my own door and getting out. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and we head to the main building.
I’ve barely made it out of the parking lot before I hear my name being called by a familiar voice. Henry.
“Holden,” he calls out to me again, and we stop to wait for him to catch up.
“Dude, does he have a LowJack on you or something?” Nash whispers a little louder than he should because a student walking back laughs at his question.
“Seems like it,” I mumble.
“Hey man, shit, I’m out of breath.” Henry gasps between his labored breaths, barely able to speak.
“You might want to think about getting on an exercise program, man.” Nash announces not even caring how crass it may sound.
“Yeah, I probably should.” He wipes the sweat from his forehead before turning his attention to me.
“We’re on our way to class. What did you need?” Nash asks.
“Are you sure you don’t want to swap partners for our assignment?”
“I told you yesterday, no. Why are you asking again?” I let out a heavy sigh. As much as I like Henry, this is really frustrating me. Like suck it up and get to know your partner.
“We’re just not meshing with her. I think you’d get along great with her, and you’d do a killer assignment.
I can talk to the professor, let her know it’s more of a compatibility thing and that you’re feeling the same way about your partner.
” He smiles, like what he’s saying actually makes sense and I should fully go along with what he’s saying.
“Henry, it’s been one day. How can you know you’re not compatible in that short time?
And you keep saying we. This is a class assignment, not let’s find a new pack member.
I’m not switching.” I don’t even wait to hear his reply.
I nod at Nash, and we both turn and head toward the building.
I can hear Henry call my name, but this time I ignore him.
Why he has this need to switch partners is beyond me.
This isn’t his normal character. It’s this new group he’s hanging around with, hoping to join their pack.
One I’ve warned him about already. I just hope he heeds my warning before it’s too late for him.
“Henry’s got a hard on for your partner,” Nash whispers.
“That’s an understatement.”
“I bet you he will ask you again,” Nash says playfully.
“Not taking that bet. Because I know I’d lose if I bet against you.” We reach the end of the hallway and turn in different directions, each of us heading to our own class.
Pulling my phone from my pocket. I open my messages with River. She hasn’t read my last one, and I’m suddenly feeling a little bummed.