Welcome to New Haven (36 page)

Alex just grinned.

“I see.”
 

“Who have you been talking to?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
 

“Ben. He had the crazy idea that Holly bolted because she’s embarrassed that I…” Alex held his fingers up in air quotes “…got her hot.”
 

“You did
not
just say that!” Dev squealed.
 

“Dev, you don’t tell me anything, probably because Holly asked you not to…” Dev nodded slightly agreeing that she had. “…And Ben suggested that reason.
 
If it’s true then I promise I won’t harass you for details.”
 

“But I haven’t told you anything.” She said. “I’m not going to break Holly’s trust.”
 

Alex, thinking as a bystander, took that as confirmation.
 

“You don’t have to.” He smiled.
 

“So I still can’t say anything to her? Even after what you said to her on Saturday?”
 

Alex knew Dev had heard that conversation, but nothing more was mentioned because of what happened next. Dev looked hopeful that she was going to get the go-ahead, but Alex didn’t want that yet.
 

“No.” He said flatly. “I want to do this myself.
 
I want to show her that I can tell her how I feel
without
playground help.”
 

“So what are you going to say?” Dev asked and then put on her Alex voice. “Hey Holly…I want you to know I’m so hot for you.
 
So hot; in fact, I have to take a
lot
of cold showers.”
 

Alex glared at her as she cracked up laughing.
 

“No. Not at all!” He said, slightly raising his voice.
 

“What then?”
 
Dev fidgeted with excitement as if she were going to hear some juicy news.
 
She was going to be disappointed.
 

“You’ll see.” He grinned.
 

“What?! That’s it? You’ll see?” Dev’s voice was going higher in pitch with each question. “I want details, Alex, deeeeetailllls! I have been denied for
weeks
!” She said as she brought on the dramatics.
 

“There are no details.
 
I’ll just be myself. Just…closer.” He smirked.
 

“Fine.” Dev huffed.
 
“Just don’t take too long.
 
A girl needs stuff like this.”
 

“Yeah, yeah.
 
It’s what you live for.” Alex said as he rolled his eyes.
 

“Correct” Dev said as she turned and left his room with her nose in the air.

Later on that night, Alex was thinking about how he was going to go about approaching Holly so she wouldn’t avoid him.

We have tech tomorrow. She can’t avoid me in that class.
 

At least he
hoped
she wouldn’t ignore him if he spoke to her.

He got into bed and silently wished that the nightmares he’d had since Saturday didn’t come back.
 
Holly, drowning, he couldn’t get to her in time and when he finally pulled her out…she was dead.
 
He would wake up shaking and, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it, crying.
 
Lucky for him though, when he had calmed down enough to get to sleep again, Holly was alive.
 

Just like the dreams he had before the pool incident, Holly would be with him. It didn’t matter where because it was a different place most of the time.
 
She would be walking towards him, her long dark hair swishing in her ponytail.
 
She’d be smiling at him in a sexy way that made his heart pound in his chest.
 
When Holly reached him, she would tell him ‘Te amo’. He was so happy but when he would reach for her, he would wake up.
 
Maybe because he’d never felt her in his arms before, so he didn’t know exactly how she would feel. Since Saturday; however, he knew
exactly
how she felt wrapped around him, holding him tight. His arms caging her in, keeping her safe.

Alex fell asleep thinking about the dreams when the nightmare began.
 

Holly was drowning, and Alex was swimming to help her.
 
He couldn’t go fast enough, and he was panicking.
 
The fear had him in a vice grip, and he pushed through the water as hard as he could.
 
When he finally reached her, Holly was lifeless.
 

“
No!
” He screamed.

Alex pulled Holly out and turned her over.
 
He expected her to be dead, but she was looking up at him, smiling.
 

“Alex.” She whispered. “You saved me.”

He couldn’t believe it.
 
She was alive!

Alex had thought she was gone, and he was all alone, but she was really there! Joy and relief flooded his entire body, and he felt her arms wrap around his neck and her legs around his waist.
 
She pulled him down on top of her. “Te amo.” She whispered, looking into his eyes. Her big green eyes showing how much she loved him.

She loves me.

He moved his hands to her waist and then up her ribcage as he began to take off her wet shirt.
 
Holly took a sharp intake of breath.
 
His hands slid up her body as he pulled up the hem of her shirt.
 
Holly moved her arms from his neck and rubbed her hands down his bare chest and as she reached his shorts, she grasped the side of the waistband and began removing them.
 

“Holly” He whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Alex woke up with ragged breath and sweat across his forehead.
 
He looked down to see that he was sporting a major tent pole in his bed.
 
This was worse than the others he had woken up with after dreams of Holly.
 

Cold shower time…again.

He
walked to his bathroom and ran the shower. He removed his underwear and stepped into the cold water.
 

“Agh” He yelped as the freezing water hit him.
 

He needed to cool off. When his raging libido had finally begun to soften, Alex’s teeth were chattering so he slowly increased the temperature.

“
Twenty
minutes this time.” Dev laughed as Alex walked into the kitchen to get breakfast. “You should be careful you don’t get hyperthermia.”
 

“Har har.” Alex said sarcastically.
 

“You’re going to go blue…all over… if you’re not careful.” She said, still chuckling.
 

“Dev! You shouldn’t be saying stuff like that to me. You’re my sister. You’re supposed to be sympathetic, not taking the piss.” He said in annoyance.
 

“Yeah. I can take the piss, but can you take
a
piss?” Dev howled again and Alex scowled.
 

“Something funny?” Rami, their Dad, said as he entered the kitchen.
 

“Oh just Alex with his…” Alex glared at Dev. “…Girl troubles.”
 

“You have a girlfriend?” Rami asked questioningly.
 

“No” replied Alex.
 

“Not yet” added Dev.
 

“Holly?” Rami said with a smile.
 

Alex’s eyes widened and Dev grinned.
 

“How did you know?” He asked, looking at Dev accusingly.
 

“I’m your father, not an idiot. Besides, I walked past your room, last night, and I heard you shout ‘Holly’”
 

“Oh my God.” Groaned Alex, heat creeping up his neck to his face. Dev screamed with laughter.
 

“I guess you don’t want a ride to school then?” Alex asked, which made Dev stop laughing.
 

She was biting her lip, and Alex left the room to get his bag for school.
 
He was so embarrassed.
 
If his Dad had heard him call out Holly’s name, then what else had he said out loud?
 

“Dad said he heard you shout ‘Holly’ as if you were in pain.” Dev said after she got into the car.
 

“What?!”

“Yeah. He said he walked past your room last night, to go to the laundry room and heard you.
 
Was it worse than last time?” Dev asked, her eyes full of concern.
 

“No, actually.” He replied. “She didn’t die this time.”
 

Alex had woken up, screaming Holly’s name, on Saturday night, and Dev had run into his room.
 
She’d hugged him tightly until his frantic breathing had evened out and then listened when he told her about his nightmare.
 
She’d assured him that Holly was fine, because of him, and he should think about that.
 
He had, but it didn’t stop the nightmare returning the next night, or the one after.
 

“Well that’s great, isn’t it? Maybe they’ll go away now.” Dev said as she squeezed his hand on the steering wheel.
 

“I hope so.”
 
He really did. Well, the drowning part anyway. He liked what came after.
 
It was the waking up before he wanted to that was pissing him off.
 

“What happened after?” Dev asked as if reading his mind. Alex felt his cheeks flush.
 

“Um…she said thanks.” He said.
 

“Oh!
 
Oh
! No way!” Dev burst out laughing.
 
Laughing! “Oh my God, Alex, that’s why you had a cold shower.”
 

“Dev, shut up! And no, it’s not what you think. Besides, siblings don’t talk about this stuff. Anyway, how would you know the temperature of my shower?”
 

“You just told me.” She said with a smug grin.
 
“Also we
can
talk about this stuff. Except for specific details; of course.” Dev said as she shrugged a shoulder.
 

“I’d rather not.”
 

“They’re just dreams Alex.
 
I’m not saying we should engage in deep conversations about real life experiences.
 
That’s just gross.”
 

“Agreed.” Real experiences, or non-experiences, weren't a topic of discussion.
 
“I’m still not going to tell you.”
 

Dev stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.
 

“Pwetty pwease?” She asked.
 

“No.” He smiled.
 

“Aww, you big meanie.” Dev said as she batted her eyes and made a sad expression.
 

Alex groaned.

“Fine! We…almost kissed.”
 

“Is that it? What a let down.” She said as she shook her head. “I thought you were going to say ‘we got heavy and started taking each others’ clothes off.”
 

Alex was stunned by what Dev had said. His mouth hung open in surprise.
 

“Well, fuck, that was it. Wasn’t it?” Dev squealed. “You two were getting heavy, and you woke up before you kissed.
 
Bummer.” She said before she laughed.
 

“Ok Dev, you’ve had your laugh. I can’t help the dreams I have about the person I love.” Alex paused when he realized what he’d just admitted to his sister.
 

“You
love
her?” Asked Dev. “Like, actually,
‘Love’
her?”
 

Alex took a deep breath.
 
Ben had already told Dev about the conversation in the gym about his being in love with Holly. He hadn’t actually said it himself but, saying it out loud only confirmed it.
 

“Yeah, I think so.”
 

Dev beamed as she looked at him.
 

“That’s amazing Alex.” She gushed. “I know what Ben said in the gym, but now…I
knew
you two would be perfect together.”
 

Alex smiled at Dev and cocked an eyebrow.
 

“Yeah I know. Don’t tell.” She said rolling her eyes as they pulled up outside Ben’s house.

Chapter 13

Holly was already in homeroom when Dev walked in.
 

“What’s up Hol? You look tired.” She sounded concerned.
 
“Nightmares?” she asked.

That would be normal, considering the circumstances, but nightmares were
not
what was on Holly’s mind.
 

“Not exactly” Holly replied.
 
She moved closer to Dev and lowered her voice.
 
“The
other
kind of dreams.” She said shyly. Dev looked at her in shock.
 

“Holy fuck!” Said Dev. “You’ve been having sexy dreams about Alex?”
 

Holly nodded her head.
 

“Deets.” Dev said as she leaned closer still.
 

“No. He’s your brother.” Holly whisper shouted.
 

“I can overlook that part, now spill.”
 

“Well…ok.” Holly said, and she told Dev the part were Alex rescues her and then he’s over, leaning down to kiss her.
 

“Oh that is
so
not all of it.” Said Dev.
 
“There’s no way you would lose sleep over that. Did you start to take each others’ clothes off at least?”

Holly looked at Dev with an expression, that she could only describe as questioning.
 
Dev had asked her, as though she’d already heard it before.
 

“Um…maybe…kind of.” Holly replied and Dev grinned.
 

“Whoa baby!” She said as she waggled her eyebrows.
 
Holly shook her head and smiled at Dev.
 
She sure loved her ‘deets’.
 
Speaking of deets…

“Did you hear about Stacey?” Holly asked.