Simple Complexity

Part 4

'Holtzy?' Patty encouraged.

'Abouttttt....?' Holtzmann said drawing out the response, narrowing her eyes as if in confusion.

'About....Erin,' Abby supplied, the three of them eating lunch in the kitchen together, Erin was at Columbia, assisting with a class.

'Oh....about.....Erin,' Holtzmann said, her tongue sitting in the corner of her mouth and she narrowed her eyes again, shaking her head, 'nope.'

'Nope?' Patty said incredulously, slamming her palm on the table playfully.

'Holtz you have a beautiful woman who it's clear you're into, but you aren't going to do anything about it?'

Holtz chewed her bottom lip, picking at her sandwich, popping bits of bread into her mouth.

'Nope.'

'Why Jill?' Abby asked softly, sipping her iced coffee.

'Um, in case you two hadn't noticed, she's dating someone.'

There was silence.

Abby and Patty looked at each other.

The engineer stood up from the table, pushing her half-eaten sandwich back into its paper bag, pushing in the stool, letting it screech loudly against the floor.

'She told me about the dancing Holtz,' Abby said quietly, 'and the picnic.'

Holtzmann froze, swallowing, running her tongue over her top teeth.

'What...what..did she say?'

Abby pursed her lips,' It wasn't what she said, it was how she said it, the look on her face as she talked about it.'

'She wanted romance,' Holtz paused, blinking a few times, feeling them begin to water, 'I wanted to give her that.'

'What if she feels the same,' pleaded Abby.

'She doesn't,' Holtzmann snapped.

'How do you know? You haven't asked,' Patty said frustrated, her lips in a tight smile.

'She's dating someone,' Holtz answered quietly.

'Talk to her? Tell her?' Patty suggested.

'We comfort each other,' Holtzmann said quietly, turning the leftover sandwich in its bag over in her hands, 'we always have, it's just normal.'

Abby shook her head softly, the blonde still looking down, in obvious thought.

'Is it normal for her to return here after her date, to obviously spend time with you, time dancing with you?'

Holtzmann didn't respond and the brunette nodded in thought.

'So, you'd take me on a picnic on the roof and then we'd star gaze?' Abby questioned, her eyes creasing.

Holtzmann looked away, shaking her head, 'Funny Abs, funny.'

'I'm serious Holtz,' Abby said, her face scrunching with worry, 'you wouldn't take me but with Erin it's different.'

'You gotta see that baby,' Patty said.

'It's just a comfort thing. We have an Erin and Holtz bubble.'

'Do you think maybe she's only going on dates with this guy because you haven't asked her out?' Abby asked softly.

'If she felt the same, she would have asked me out.'

Holtzmann looked up at the two women.

'I think she does feel the same,' Abby said, 'I just don't think she realises it.'