| Hollis |
The next time Hollis woke up, she was alone. Her weighted blanket was designed to help her feel like Whitney was always next to her when she was trying to fall asleep, but that unique warmth associated with another human body just wasn’t there. Much less Whitney's. She could hear faint laughter and animated conversation coming from downstairs and blinked away the first few minutes of grogginess. As if suddenly remembering something, Hollis cursed softly and lunged for her charging Google Pixel 4 XL to peek at the time.
4:15 P.M.
Fuck. She had group in an hour, and had promised to pick up Jake this go around since he'd been having some car trouble. Trying to remember if she asked Whitney to wake her up or not, Hollis quickly dashed out of bed and grabbed a random short sleeved black shirt and dark wash jeans before slipping into the guest bathroom for a hot shower.
Ok, let's go through the m
Fourteen years Prior, Auburn Maine| Hollis |“You sure you’re gonna be alright if I go to the tailgate party, Holl?” Sixteen year old Dalton asked tentatively, tossing his little sister the football he’d won at some stupid arcade in town last year. “The guys wouldn’t mind if you wanted to come, you know.” Hollis caught it and fingered the white stitching with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.“I’m meeting up with Kendra for dinner, otherwise you know I’d be there. She’s not about that scene.” The blonde shrugged, tightening the strings of her plain off-white hoodie and hopping off Dalton’s bed to hand him the ball back. Her apprehensive grey eyes shone with something her brother couldn’t read, and he only hesitated for a second before embracing her fiercely.“If it gets bad again, stay over at her place.”He
| Hollis |The next dayWhitney’s arm laid like dead weight as it remained looped around Hollis’ bare midsection protectively. Her angelic face was buried in the other girl’s neck while she continued to sleep soundly. Each breath felt light and airy as they caressed her nape, right along the crimson love bites Whitney always had a habit of leaving behind. It’d been fifteen minutes since Hollis woke up in a groggy state, but she didn’t want to risk stirring her girlfriend so she just watched Whitney with a relaxed smile. Laying perfectly still. Recollections of the previous night rushed forward, and they made Hollis infinitely grateful for the adorable woman curled up against her now.********************Hearing the despairing cries coming from Hollis’ bedroom, Whitney rushed upstairs to find her girlfriend grabbing at her hair to keep from punching the wall as she screamed blindly at nothing,
| Whitney |"Hey Californiiiaaaa!" Jake sang teasingly, grinning broadly as Whitney skipped over to give him a side hug. His silver snakebites glinted in the afternoon sun when he turned toward the petite woman slowly approaching them with a shy grin of her own. "This is Nora. We met at group about a month ago. Nora, Whitney. She's Hollis' girl." "What's up, what's up?" Whitney chirped, extending her hand toward Nora with a toothy smile. The smaller woman took it graciously, bouncing on her heels slightly as she did so. With her luminous strawberry blonde hair and peppy spirit, she radiated hella good vibes. The soft yellow romper she was rocking might have looked out of place on anyone else, but it fit her tiny body nicely. The white Keds she wore were really all that mattered, since hiking required decent footwear. "Hi! It's nice to meet you. Gosh, you're so pretty!" Her green eyes glittered like jewels as they broke their handshake. She di
| Whitney |Neither girl said anything for the first ten minutes during the drive back to Hollis’ house. The blonde kept her tired eyes on the road ahead as she casually drummed a few fingers against the steering wheel, like she often did while deep in thought. Whitney stared at her lap trying to focus on anything other than her growing irritation.Honestly, to say Whitney was irritated would’ve been a massive understatement. Hollis swore she’d stop hiding things from her as a stipulation of getting back together just before Christmas, so she’d been completely blindsided by Jake’s comment about Ringo’s. Since her girlfriend said she’d elaborate, Whitney had been biting her tongue in hopes that she would start talking sooner rather than later. As the stifling silence continued however, she sighed loudly and turned to glare out of the window.Her girlfriend drew in a deep breath, and Whitney held hers.&ldq
Two days later| Hollis |“Have you decided if you’re going yet?” Whitney questioned as she watched her girlfriend set out a pair of comfortable clothing for tomorrow morning’s flight to New York City. She was referring to Dalton’s hearing, naturally. The blonde had asked her older brother for some time to think about it after finding she couldn’t answer him right away.Nothing changed between then and now.“Nope.” Hollis grunted as she placed a pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt on top of her black dresser. “I’m still trying to figure out why he asked; Dalton knows how I am...I’m liable to get myself arrested for freaking out.” Her grey eyes flashed with fury and she let out a scoff. “I didn’t even want to know his name at first, remember?”The memory was very vivid for Whitney. As supportive as Hollis was, she c
| Whitney |"...A phone call would've been appreciated. My girlfriends' over and we're still getting ourselves ready for tomorrow. This really isn't the best time." Whitney heard Hollis address her parents icily. Animosity radiated off every word. The dark haired girl inched as far toward the staircase as she could without getting caught, and pressed herself against the wall so she'd be able to hear the exchange clearly."We wanted to do this before you left; It can't wait until after you get back so please just hear us out." Margot explained in a rushed tone as her daughter openly scoffed at both she and her husband disrespectfully. Even without saying anything in response, Hollis' disdain seeped into the overall atmosphere and lingered there like a heavy blanket. Whitney peered through the railing at the top of the stairs, invisible to the group of people just below her. Nina was seated beside Dalton's wheelchair on their faux leather couch, safe from the up
| Whitney |“Babe? I need you to start thinking about moving here pretty soon. It’s already five thirty.” Whitney heard Hollis urgently trying to coax her awake, but she was so damn tired. “Five more minutes.” She groaned, shoving her head underneath the pillows in an attempt to shield herself from the other girl. Seconds later, she felt a freezing gust of wind against her mostly bare skin and squealed in protest.Yank Hollis pulled the cozy blankets off Whitney’s sleeping body with a laugh, cocking her head to the side as she did so. ”What, so you’re supposed to be invisible now?" Her tone was affectionately playful and it made Whitney whimper in mock fear of being discovered so soon.“Yeah!” The brunette exclaimed in a high pitched languid voice as she curled into herself for warmth. Why’d she take away the blan
| Hollis |“This is really nice, Holly. Thank you!” Whitney flashed her girlfriend one of her infamously bright smiles, and lifted a glass half filled with Chateau Montelena Cabernet Napa to her heart shaped lips giddily. The girls had just gotten back from the Apollo Theatre not even an hour ago, and were currently lounging in their Aloft Harlem hotel room having dinner. As exhausting as the almost four hour long flight was, both Hollis and Whitney managed to get a decent nap in before attending the comedy show that carried them well into the evening.“Don’t mention it West Coast.” Hollis gave a halfhearted smile and glanced down at her uneaten philly cheese steak before gazing out of their spacious window at the entrancing nightlife happening just beyond the wide glass barrier. She willed herself to be in the moment with her buoyant lover, but couldn’t shake the maddening urge to use.To the blonde’s