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"I did."
"And?" The shakiness of his voice tells me he's nervous.
"I wish I could, but I have to help Dawson close tonight."
"Oh."
"That's not me making an excuse. I really want to go. It's just, there’s a lot to do here and it's too much for him to do on his own. Can we go tomorrow night?"
"I'd rather go tonight."
"Me too." I reply sadly.
Holden's breath hitches and I can hear him jump up. "We're going tonight. I'll be there to pick you up at seven."
"What? No, Holden, my job. I can't ditch."
"Just leave that to me. I've got to go, but I'll see you later. Okay?" His tone tells me it's not up for debate.
"Okay."
We hang up the phone and I lean against the wall for a moment, letting it sink in that I'm going on a date with Holden tonight. What's going to happen? Are we going to finally have that constantly impending talk? Are we going to get back together? God, I hope so.
I compose myself and slip my phone into my pocket before walking back out to the front. Ignoring the impatient stares of my friends, I take the waiting customers order and write it on the cup. Once I pass it to Dawson, he rolls his eyes and starts making the drink.
Skylar and Bree continuously watch me, waiting for me to tell them what's going on. I, however, decide to wait until the order is made. The last thing I want is for someone to be listening in on our conversation. Besides, I'd rather bask in this feeling for just a little longer.
A couple minutes later, Dawson passes me the finished drink and I slide it across the counter to the girl. She thanks me before taking the cup and walking out the door. It hasn't even closed again before Bree speaks.
"Okay, spill. The anticipation is killing me!"
I chuckle, pulling myself up to sit on the counter. "We're going out tonight."
"Really?!" They all yell excitedly, and I nod.
"Wait." Sky remarks. "What about Dawson and work?
I shrug. "He said he's going to take care of it and to leave it to him."
"Aww." Bree coos. "It's so cute how he's willing to do anything for you."
"It is." I giggle.
"And he sends you ridiculously large flower arrangements." Skylar mentions as she still checks out its large size.
Bree and I laugh. "It's a tree."
THE HOURS UNTIL SEVEN o'clock crawl by impossibly slow. Every few minutes I either check the clock or my phone. Holden hasn't said anything since I called him. It's unusual, but I don't think too much of it.
Right on time, the door opens and Holden walks in. He's dressed in a suit and I need to remind myself to breathe. Fuck, he's flawless. It takes me a moment to realize he's with six other guys, two of them being Caleb and Jason.
"Did he mention it being a group thing?" Dawson says lowly into my ear. I shake my head.
Holden approaches the counter. "Hey you."
"Hi."
The two of us stand there, just smiling at each other. With every second that passes, I can feel myself falling back into everything Holden. The way he smiles, the sparkle in those emerald green eyes, the way he smells – it's all pulling me under and I'm completely defenseless.
