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
| Whitney |Trading places with a previously restless Hollis, Whitney wasn’t managing to get much shut eye whatsoever.None at all actually. Not a wink, as they’d say down East. She was so tired, but not the least bit sleepy.Despite her hectic day starting with an early flight and ending with having to abruptly comfort Hollis through a devastating meltdown, she couldn’t seem to turn her brain off long enough to lay back against the mountain of comfortable bedding without brooding over what she’d learned only a couple of hours ago.Hollis’ addiction was rearing it’s ugly head again, and it caused her to get back in touch with her drug dealer. Whitney didn’t dare show it, but the realization crushed her from the inside out. Teetering on the edge, the struggling addict almost threw an eight month sobriety streak out the window.Her saving grace?Timing. Whit
| Whitney |"Ugggh, I think I had too much ice cream.” Whitney groaned three hours later during the short walk back to their hotel room. Clutching her pierced stomach miserably, the lingering sweetness of ‘Queen Bee’ still taunted the brunette’s taste buds. The honey flavored treat, which included almonds, chocolate covered honeycomb, and English toffee proved too delicious to stop indulging in. Whitney didn’t even want to know how much she had over the course of their fun filled tour. She whimpered, “My belly hurts, Holly!”Thankfully, her lover was keeping track. Not so much? She didn’t display an ounce of sympathy for Whitney’s self induced stomach ache.“I’ll bet! Nobody told you to have five scoops of it, West Coast.” Hollis teased affectionately with her arm draped over her nauseous girlfriend’s shoulders protectively. She cas
Five months prior, Auburn Maine| Whitney |“She’s a coward, Whit. Just let her go. You don’t want people like that in your life, do you?” Theresa York-O’Sullivan watched her younger sister’s teary gaze follow Hollis’ blue corolla until it was out of sight with tightly crossed arms. Whitney refused to face her, or their expectant parents as she shrugged out of James’ general vicinity from where he stood massaging her tired shoulders. Using a shaky hand to wipe the tears that spilled down her flushed cheeks, the brunette pulled her phone out to text for an Uber.No way was she planning on telling Kendra what happened, at least not right now. She had a bad habit of intervening and despite her very best intentions, this wasn’t something Whitney wanted her meddling hands in. Hollis couldn’t have meant any of that...she just wanted to sleep off this nightmare and g
| Hollis |Hollis watched Whitney pace around their hotel room slowly in silence, occasionally glancing at her phone’s illuminated screen before tapping the device against her trembling lips deep in thought. It’d been a good half hour since the conflicted artist begged Hollis to give her some direction regarding Theresa’s unexpected Facebook message, and the blonde swallowed the overwhelming urge to take control of the situation by gently advising her to do what she thought was best.Their food had arrived not long ago, but Whitney was still agonizing over the unread message. Hollis asked her to sit down and eat twice, but gave up after her girlfriend waved her away with a frustrated sigh.Fine. She’ll eat when she’s ready I guess. She knew Whitney was lost and it hurt her to see the woman she loved so fiercely walk around blindly in the dark, but this wasn’t Hollis’ decision and that was the bo
Three days later| Hollis |"Hey Holl! How are you two fairing out there? We finally broke 60 degrees in Auburn if you can wrap your head around that shit." Dalton's voice seemed rushed but content, and it sounded like he was rustling through a hefty stack of papers. Nina shouted something about grabbing takeout and it made Hollis grin broadly as she finished lacing up her black Timberland boots in a hurry. With just this evening and and all of tomorrow left of she and Whitney's vacation in New York, she was taking her lover somewhere special tonight and didn't want to be late for the event. Still, it was nice to hear from her brother for a few minutes while she got herself all fixed up. "We were riding in the 70's earlier, but from the looks of outside I'm sure it's dipped. 60 isn't bad. I can't wait until it gets hotter in June though; Prime swimming weather around our parts." The whole 'how's the weather' r