The Space Between Us

Chapter 29 ~ Hospital

---River's POV---

I spent the first early hours of Monday in the hospital.

The cut on my arm wasn't too bad, but I still had to get a few stitches since the bleeding wasn't stopping. A few hours later, I was free to return home.

Holly drove me back. She had waited at the hospital with me all through the night.

It was currently 6 a.m., and I knew both of us had the same thought: no school, no practice, and no work today.

We hadn't spoken at all yet. About anything. I sat in the passenger's seat, gazing out the window at the new daylight spilling over the hills, thinking of it all.

Lexi had been apprehended by the police who had arrived on the scene. We were told that Lexi could get sentenced for stalking, violent crime, trespassing, burglary, and even premeditated murder. We'd have to testify and press charges and cooperate with police, but it was all worth it to see my stalker finally brought to justice.

I hadn't realized my breathing was getting more shallow. I clutched my shirt on my chest.

I felt something warm. I looked down to see Holly holding my free hand, squeezing it gently.

My breathing steadied.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Holly as she drove.

"You're not?" I asked, sounding foolish in my head but needing reassurance anyway.

The morning sunlight was just beginning to hit her blue eyes, her glasses glinting in the light, her blonde hair matching the sun's soft glow.

"I'm not," she repeated. She glanced at me, then put her eyes back on the road. "You never mentioned that you had a stalker."

"I..."

"You don't have to talk about it now. But maybe someday, you can tell me about it. I probably deserve to know, after all that," Holly said with a small, careful smile. "Plus, I am your roommate. Roommates should know too much."

"Yeah, you're right," I said with my own smile. We met each other's gaze briefly again, both wearing smiles. Her hand hadn't left mine.

She did deserve to hear about it.

So I continued.

"I first found out that I had a stalker towards the end of last year," I said. Holly was quiet, but I knew she was listening because her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "It's not unusual for me to see the same girls, especially if they like me or hang out with the soccer team a lot, but Lexi was everywhere. It wasn't a coincidence, and it wasn't just 'hanging' with us.

"I reported her for stalking, but there was no evidence, and the campus cops couldn't really do anything without at least another witness to back up my claims. None of my teammates stood up for me or even believed me.

"I never got to confront her because the year ended, and then I didn't see her during the summer. I thought maybe she'd graduated or perhaps switched schools this year. I changed apartments and didn't see her around, but I should've known something was wrong when I came home to my stuff being moved, or when my window had been opened sometimes. I figured it was you, but I should've been more careful."

Holly squeezed my hand. "Don't blame yourself. This is her fault, not yours."

"You're right," I said again. I took a deep breath in and released it slowly. My arm stung. "So, now you know. This was a big reason why I wanted an apartment..."

"And probably why you really didn't trust me in the beginning," Holly concluded.

I was glad Holly didn't glance over at my sheepish, red face. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that. I should've trusted you more."

"No, I get it," said Holly immediately, shaking her head. "We're all good now."

"We are."

We pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building. The sun was fully up now, streaming into the windows, making me squint.

Holly turned to me after she turned off the car. She finally let go of my hand.

"I figure we'll skip all our responsibilities today," she said with a small smile, "but how about we take a nap and then have a nice day."

"Doing what?"

❁❁❁❁❁

We slept until 11 a.m., and I got up early to cook a small brunch.

Holly came out of her room in her t-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing her eyes, her glasses off.

"What are you doing up?" she asked. "Didn't we agree to an 11:30 wake-up time?"

"I wanted to thank you for saving me last night," I said with a grin. I flipped the pancake in the pan. "This is just the start of the thank-you."

Holly was more awake now. She bounded over to me with light steps and stood beside me as I cooked eggs and bacon and pancakes.

"You don't need to thank me," she said, looking at the cooking food with wide eyes. "But, I will say, I like this kind of thanking."

"You mean, me showing my gratitude through food?" I asked.

"Precisely," she said, and we both laughed.

I stacked our plates and set the table, and soon enough, Holly and I were eating brunch with the window open, the late summer breeze drafting into the space. I could hardly stop glancing at Holly as we ate. She caught me a couple of times and blushed.

"Holly..." I began. I ran a hand through my hair. Was it hot in here?

"Yes?" she asked after I had paused for too long.

I looked at her. Her beautiful eyes shined through her glasses. Her hair was down today, flowing around her shoulders.

She looked amazing.

I cleared my throat.

"May I take you on a date?"

The end.