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Opening the door, she smiled at him. “Hey. Sorry, it was a busy day filled with papers and phone calls and—”
Cupping her cheeks, he kissed her midsentence. Her arms flailed for a second, as she was completely caught off guard, but then she rested them on his chest and returned the kiss. By the time he pulled back, she’d forgotten what she’d been saying.
“Hey,” he whispered, his forehead pressed to hers.
“Hi,” she whispered back, fisting his shirt. “That was quite the welcome.”
He let go of her and backed into the hallway, a hesitant smile on his face. He looked almost…nervous. “I’m not done yet. I got you something.”
“Oh?”
Her roommate and best friend, Gianna, came out of her bedroom. “Sorry, just passing through.”
Lydia cleared her throat. “Gianna, this is Holt. Holt, meet Gianna.”
“Nice to meet you,” Gianna said.
“Likewise,” Holt said, smiling. “Sorry to barge in like that.”
“Please.” Gianna waved a hand and grabbed her purse. “It’s fine. I’m leaving, anyway, so you guys will have the place to yourselves.”
Lydia smiled. “See you later.”
“You too.” She wiggled her fingers as she slipped out into the hallway. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Once she was gone, Lydia stared at Holt, who cleared his throat. “She seems nice.”
“She is.” Lydia tapped her fingers on her thigh and peeked out the door. “What were you saying earlier about not being done?”
“Oh. Right.” He reached down for something on the floor in the hallway, but didn’t pick it up. “You have been good to me when I’ve been cranky, surly, and at times…standoffish. So when I saw this, and it made me think of you, I just had to get it. As a thank you.”
She blinked, holding a hand to her heart. “Okay. You didn’t have to get me anything, though. I took care of you because…” I care about you. “…it was the right thing to do.”
“And so was this. You deserve to be treated like a princess, Lyd.” Swallowing hard, he pulled a big box out of the hallway. “This is only a tiny thing in comparison.”
She reached out with trembling hands and took the box. It was wide and not all that heavy. She sat on the couch and ripped it open, more eager than a child on Christmas morning to discover what Holt had gotten her. She couldn’t wait to see how—
“Oh my God.” When she lifted the last piece of cardboard, she gasped out loud in delight. “It’s Rose and Ten! On the wall! In parallel worlds!”
Holt relaxed, a grin taking over his previously intense expression as he’d watched her open the present. “Yep. I remembered you saying you liked that moment…”
Heart racing, she stared down at the drawing, blinking back tears. He’d gotten her a lovely depiction of her favorite couple from Doctor Who, in her favorite scene. The fact that he’d remembered her passing remark about this being her favorite part of the show made her heart melt. Heck, it made her melt.
She should literally be a puddle of goo at his feet right now.
“This is…” She trailed her fingers over the glass, staring down at David Tennant and Billie Piper. “Perfect. It’s just perfect. Thank you.”
He sat beside her and rested a hand on her thigh. “No, thank you. For way too long, I’ve believed that being alone was the thing for me. That I couldn’t trust anyone, or let anyone in. But then I met you, and for the first time ever…I want to do it. I want to let you in.”
She gripped the picture frame. “You mean…like, a real couple or something?”
“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know.” He clasped her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “I’m a hot fucking mess. I get migraines and nightmares, and I don’t really believe in happy endings for guys like me. I’ve done horrible things I will never talk about.”
“Holt…” she whispered, her heart wrenching. “You know—”
He held his hand up. “And, yes, I know you deserve more than I can give you, but will you be mine anyway?”
She blinked rapidly, fighting to keep the tears back, and set the picture down on the table safely. Turning to him, she framed his face with both of her hands. “Y-Yes. I’d love to be yours, but just so you know? I already was.”
