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For now, Troy had decided to stay with her for a few weeks, and he'd been handling any issues that arose.
When he'd asked his father why he'd chosen to stay in Vegas, he'd said he wanted to spend time with family—Eli included—if he was up for it. He'd stored up a lot of vacation time from work.
His father had looked him straight in the eye and told him to take a break because it really looked like he needed one.
Since that conversation, Eli had slept long and hard, yet he was still mentally exhausted. He couldn’t deny that the break was desperately needed. Lately, he felt like he was barely holding on.
He forced himself to get up, brush his teeth, and take a shower. He stayed under the water until it ran icy cold, and he began to shiver.
After towel drying his hair, he yanked on a clean pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt.
It was time to talk to Holly before he lost his nerve. What the hell he was going to say remained to be seen.
Even after a few days away from her, he still couldn't wrap his head around everything.
But he missed her, and he needed to see her face. Maybe then everything would fall into place.
* * *
Eli walked up the stairs of the small building to the second floor and rang the buzzer to Holly's apartment.
When she opened the door, he was surprised to see her all dressed up in a black skirt and a pink button-down shirt with a fitted black blazer on top. She'd pulled her hair into a bun and done her makeup.
"Eli?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could talk." He gestured at her outfit. "Unless you're going somewhere."
"No, I'm not going anywhere. I have a job interview in a little while via video chat, but I have some time. Come in."
"A video chat interview?" he asked, frowning.
She shrugged and held the door open for him.
Eli glanced around at the sunny yellow walls. The place was tiny but neat and cheerful with all the bright paint.
"You said you wanted to talk?"
She sounded so formal, and it broke his heart. This wasn't how it was supposed to be between them. Though the blame for that could be laid squarely at his feet.
Miss let out a soft mew from her spot in the corner of the living room, and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey, fuzzball. How are you doing?”
The cat did a slow blink and curled up further in her cushy bed, then closed her eyes.
"Guess she's settling in well?"
"Seems to be," Holly replied, shutting the door behind him.
"Look, I just... I wanted to apologize for stomping out of the penthouse the other day. And for saying what I said." The words tumbled out of him. "I was upset and blindsided."
"And now?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm really struggling to wrap my head around this."
"I never meant for any of this to happen the way it did," she said. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't mean to hurt you."
She stared up at him with solemn hazel eyes, full of regret and sadness.
"I know you didn't." He wanted to pull her against him. To kiss her and tell her that it was all going to be okay. That they'd figure it out.
