High Noon [H.S]

study buddies

"Oh my god, Holland!"

My voice startles her and she immediately pushes her unknown partner away and jumps up from the couch. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is ajar in shock, completely oblivious to the fact that she was now proudly showing off her birthday suit to the both of us in all its glory.

"Oh my god. Oh god, that's a bloody vagina. That is a vagina," Niall cries out, shielding his eyes almost instantly at the image in front of us and I don't blame him.

Out of all of the things I had on my to do list today, walking in on the image of Holland almost fucking a guy in our joined living room, on our joined couch was not one I had anticipated on.

"What are you guys doing here?" Holland screeches out in a panic, before she's sitting back down on the couch and grabbing two pillows to cover her modesty. Coincidentally, using my favourite ones, too. Great. "You said you weren't gonna be home for at least a few hours."

"We came back cause I left a textbook. What are you doing?" I shoot back before I get a good look at the boy beside her. I'd recognize those blue eyes and his barbwire shoulder tattoo anywhere. "Is that... Ben?"

"Hey," Ben greets, finally acknowledging the elephant in the room. He waves awkwardly at the two of us. "What's up?"

What's up? Was he serious?

"Ben?" I ask incredulously, directing the question to Holland.

Holland was not the type to sleep with a guy more than once, let alone the type to bring someone to our flat. Her one night stands usually kept to just that; one night, but despite that notion, here Ben was again for the second time... or maybe even more than that, I couldn't be sure at this point and to say I was shocked at her sudden change of pattern was an understatement.

Holland bites her bottom lip, and then squeezes her eyes tight at the situation, her nose crinkling in embarrassment.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," she whispers, like she only wants me to hear it, but obviously that doesn't work out. There are two other people in the room besides us.

If she was about to tell me that her and Ben were seeing each other I was going to spontaneously combust. Not because I was jealous, dear god that was far from it and not because I didn't want her to be happy, but because I would literally be in for the biggest shock of my life.

Holland Rich? With a guy more than once? It just didn't happen. It was like trying to get me to give up chocolate for the rest of my life. It would never happen, it was a non-existent idea.

"Oh my god," Niall voices, again, the sound muffling into his hands. "Oh dear god."

"Shut up, Niall," Holland barks, her head finally shooting in his direction for the first time. "Stop acting like you've never seen a vagina before."

It's now that he tears away his shielding hands from his eyes and glares at her.

"Well, I never wanted to see yours, that's for sure, but I guess that's now off the table. Thank you for scarring me for the rest of my life." He scowls, pointing towards the two of them. "And tainting our couch while you were at it."

"You don't even bloody live here! This isn't even your couch."

"You did kind of taint it," I shoot back, lowly at the same time Niall's response pours out of his mouth.

"I'm an honorary roommate. That couch is technically mine, too." Holland rolls her eyes at this. "I made out with Brooke O'Ryan on that couch, okay? It holds a lot of sentimental value for me."