𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

Henry and Holly allowed their lips to part, tears falling down both their faces. Sniffles could be heard from both of them, and they removed their hands from one another.  

"So.. does this mean we can't be friends anymore?" Holly questioned, unable to stop more tears from falling down her face. 

Henry cut her off almost immediately by moving his hand back to her face, caressing her cheek. "No. Just because we can't be romantic does not mean we can't still be friends."

"But won't it be weird?"

"Maybe, but just for a little bit. This is all so new. To all of us. There's obviously going to be a shift in dynamics for little bit. But, when we get used to it, things will return to the way they were. Maybe not exactly as it was, it will never be the same, but things will get less awkward with time. You just need to trust the process."

Henry spoke those words with complete certainty, but if he was honest, he had the same worries that Holly had expressed. No matter what though, he wanted to believe that his words would at some point in time, ring true. 

~time skip to the next morning~

Holly awoke the next morning while the boys were still asleep. She looked at them both and decided that she wanted to do something sweet for them. She also wanted to give Henry a little something to cheer him up after last night's conversation. Holly may be hurting right now, but she couldn't imagine what he was feeling. Seeing the woman you love want to be with your best friend? That can't be easy. 

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed some pancake mix from the pantry. She began cooking and once she was finished she walked into the living room with two plates of pancakes. She set the food down on the table and woke the two boys in the most kind way she could. She knew that if she didn't wake Toby up right he got very very grumpy. Toby and Henry got up, and their tiresome exteriors quickly faded once the smell of pancakes enveloped their senses.

Toby eyed the food hungrily as Henry shot Holly a smile. "These are really fucking good., Holly. Thank you." The brunette boy regarded as he stuffed his face. Henry was pigging out too, but nowhere near the level that Toby was. "Yeah, they're so good. You didn't have to do this." Henry added, taking another bite. 

"I'm glad you guys like them! I usually don't really make pancakes so I was kinda scared I'd burn them a little." Holly confessed, a look of happiness on her face. "But I'm glad I didn't!"

Not long after, the boys had finished their breakfast and Henry offered to do the dishes. Whilst Toby and Holly were sitting on the couch just watching the morning television programmes, Holly got a notification. 

"T4yl0r_Br0wn sent you a message."

T: "Hey."

Even though it was a simple greeting, Holly couldn't help but wonder about whether or not there was a hiding meaning. Was she trying to start another argument? 

Holly's nerves overwhelmed her and she placed her head on Toby's shoulder and shut her eyes. 

"What's wrong?" Toby asked, resting his head against hers. 

"Taylor texted me."

Almost immediately, Toby removed his head from where it was laying and looked at Holly with widened eyes. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He asked, a sense of anger, worry and confusion evident in his voice.

"No, I'm not. I mean she just said 'hey', so I could be reading too much into this, but if my past experiences are any constellation then I have a small feeling this won't end well."

After the initial shock passed, Toby returned his head to the top of Holly's and he intertwined his hand with hers, stroking her thumb. 

"You'll be okay. You have me and Henry here, so if anything goes wrong we'll back you up. You know this."

Holly's mouth quirked up slightly, portraying a small smile. 

"Thanks, it means a lot." 

Holly and Toby stayed there for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. After a few minutes, Holly opened her phone yet again and reopened the chat with Taylor.

H: Hey. 

T: Hru?

H: Fine, u?

T: I'm good lol 

H: So what's up?

T: Just wanted to talk. Are u free anytime today?

As soon as she read those words, she felt as if her heart had stopped. What did Taylor wanna talk about? Was there some ulterior motive in place? What she hadn't noticed was that Toby was peering over her shoulder, trying his best to monitor the situation. 

"You don't have to go, but if you want I can come with you and find somewhere where she won't see. I'll be like some sort of support if you need it."

Holly turned to him, shooting him a smile. 

"Thanks, but I feel like bringing you to a meeting with Taylor isn't exactly the best choice. I'll probably text Tianah and see if she's down to come with."

"I totally get that, but don't you remember what happened last time Tianah came into contact with Taylor? It was a complete shit show!"

"Exactly. That means that if I really need any physical support, Tianah will be there. If you were to hit Taylor, not only would it look bad on me, but it would ruin your reputation. Besides, you don't have the coldness in you to hit a girl, even if they're hurting me. Tianah's got me. We all know that."

Toby couldn't really argue with Holly's logic, so he agreed on letting Tianah go instead of him. 

"Make sure you guys call me if something happens. I don't care if it's from Tianah's phone or yours. Just call me."

Holly nodded in agreement as she opened her phone app to call Tianah.