A Week With the Hollands

Chapter Six

     Day three.

Friday.

     Tom shook me awake. At first, I didn't even remember where I was, or who was shaking me. But then I saw his head hovering above mine, him grinning like a goose.

     "It's time to wake up, darling. You've been asleep forever." He spoke softly, with a smile, as if it amused him that I hadn't woken up yet.

     I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "What time is it?" I asked. It hadn't even registered that he'd called me "darling." Again.

     "Almost nine o'clock." He plopped himself on the end of my bed and just looked at me, like he expected me to do something.

     "Tom, that's not even late." I laughed, and threw my pillow at him. I was actually a little annoyed, but didn't let him know that. I was not a morning person.

     "It is for me. I've already had my run and showered. Oh, I forgot to give you your coffee. Mum said you liked it, so I made you some." He stood up and walked across the room to the dresser and picked up a mug. He handed it to me, and I took a long sip.

     "Hmm, not bad," I said.

     "That was one of my first coffee-making experiences," he laughed. "Well, I'll leave and let you get ready for our big day of shopping."

     Before he could close the door, though, I said, "Tom, thank you. I appreciate it."

     "You're welcome, Emily."

     In thirty minutes, I was all ready. I walked into the kitchen, and ate a couple bites of an apple, then Tom and I were off. We drove in his car, and he asked me what stores I usually shopped at. I named off a few, but he didn't recognize any of them.

     "I'll just take you to the mall first, and we can work from there," he said.

     "What happens if people mob you though?" I asked. I'd wondered this before, but never asked him. "And what if someone sees you with me? Or takes a picture of us? The rumors will fly."

     At this, he only shrugged. "Well, it is annoying, but I've become used to it. I don't think anyone will mob us, but I'm sure some fans will ask for pictures or something. And as for you, I don't really care what the rumors say. There's always rumors."

      "But what about me? What if they-I don't know, what if they're mean?" I asked.

     Then he looked at me. "If anyone wants to be mean or nasty to you, I'll be there to set them straight. That's all."

     He didn't see it, but I smiled.

     We arrived at the mall and visited a couple stores. I tried on some bathing suits, but none of them quite were my style or what I was looking for. So by lunchtime, we were still empty-handed.

     Tom and I decided to stop to get something to eat. We ate at a restaurant and bar called Chesterfield's. It was a pretty nice place, and, of course, we ordered champagne.

     While waiting for our food to get there, I said, "Let's ask each other questions. Just to get to know each other better."

     "Alright, I'll go. Um, have you always lived in California?"

     "No, I actually haven't. I was born in Georgia, and lived there until I graduated high school. Then I moved to California, and I've been there ever since."

     "Cool. Have you-oh, it's your turn." He laughed.

     "Okay, let me think. What's your favorite fruit?" I tried to stray from the typical questions, like What's your favorite color? and stuff like that.