"In this world it's just us, you know it's not the same as it was."
* * *
She's a silky Honey grieving the loss of her dead girlfriend Sydney, whilst raising her two year old twin siblings Arlo, and Tobias, and her beloved snorting, (albeit, slightly gassy) white English Bulldog, Piggy at the age of twenty-two. All she has is their Aunt Jenny to lean on, until Harry comes along and makes her see she doesn't have to do things on her own.
Arlo's talkative, wants to see everything the world has to offer kind of girl. Toby's quiet, non-verbal by choice, only using sign language to communicate with his siblings and Aunt.
Holland's not good with change, hence the last two years have been hard. Letting in another person scares her for the possibility to lose him when she starts to want him around all the time. When the two become inseparable best friends, they never try to fix each other, only be there to pick up the phone when one wants to snort cocaine to fill a void, and the other wants to get drunk or cry herself to sleep. Even when Harry leaves for tour, they find ways to be there for each other, even if it means going to greater extents to be there with each other.
Holland can only sleep when she's next to Harry knowing he'll be there if she wakes up, and Harry's wondering how long he can stay in this bubble they have. He thinks of where his home is, and he looks at her every time. In every sold out show, sticking his tongue out -when he like a magnet- finds her, and in every kitchen where he knows she's dancing.
He's fallen in love with her, he knows he shouldn't, it burns because she's not even into guy's. But what happens when Holland realizes she's faced all of her fears with him? Not just crowds, but falling hopelessly in love with someone that's not Sydney, a woman. It's Harry, a man.
Only to find out she may be too late.
A poet and a singer, Novelists would say this is a perfect story.
"I don't know what kind of girl you think I am Greg" I mumbled. I was not the kind of girl who slept with guys on a whim. I wanted him, but not enough to abandon all reason.
He took a step toward me, ignored my narrowed eyes and wrapped his arms around me. I wriggled and tried to pull away, but he only held me tighter. His face was impossibly close to me, expression serene to my fury. I could feel him already, pressing into my stomach. Fear shot through me, but the anticipation was equal.
"I know exactly what kind of girl you are Maddy... that's the problem" He said simply.
His lips crashed into mine, tasting every inch of me. I wanted more than anything to pull away, leave and never mention this again.... but I couldn't do it. The feel of him naked, warm and muscular against me rendered me speechless. I couldn't explain it, but our bodies seemed to fit together somehow and the anger I'd felt just a minute ago. That firey anger at him invading my privacy was gradually merging with the previous lust from last night. Now all I felt was an all consuming need for him to touch me.
.......................................................................
Maddy Reynolds' life is a mess. Her best friend's brother Greg has just died and her two best friends Mel and Dom aren't speaking to each other. She has no one to talk to about her confusing feelings towards Greg or why Mel is so distant. Then at the funeral, she becomes friends with Tom Winter by pure chance and he seems to be the only one who understands her.
And yet.... even he is keeping secrets from her. The sort of secrets that have the power to change everything.
Maddy now has to decide to trust him or find out the truth on her own. Things would have been a whole lot simpler if she'd chosen the latter.