Come Back To Me

As soon as Hollis left the restaurant, Brian didn't know if he was supposed to follow her or leave her alone. He looked outside the window and saw that she had retreated to her car where she was sitting in the driver's seat, obviously crying. Not sure what to do, he pulled her phone out of his pocket and hit the first speed dial button, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey what's up?" Zacky's voice came through the phone.

"Hey I need help."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm at lunch with Hollis"

"I don't want to hear about it Brian." He said shortly, not wanting to hear about anything that involved Hollis.

"No, Zacky just listen to me for a second."

"Brian if it involves her I don't care. If you're getting involved with her again you're just screwing yourself and Norelle over. I don't want to hear it Brian."

"You're being a dick. Will you just listen, this is important."

"I don't care. If she is part of it I don't care. Good Bye." He said shortly before hanging up the phone.

"Fucking dick" Brian mumbled to himself before redialing his number, only to have it go straight to voicemail.

Brian sighed at his best friend's immaturity but ultimately decided that he wasn't going to let Hollis sit alone in her car crying. He threw out their trash and left the restaurant, walking up to the passengers side of her car and climbing in.

She immediately climbed over the center console and his arms wrapped around her as she cried into his chest.

"Climb in the back babe, it will probably be more comfortable." He whispered to her and they both climbed into the back seat so he could hold her comfortably. They didn't say anything for a long time, she cried and he was content to just hold her until she was ready to tell him what had her so upset.

"Shhh. It's okay." He whispered to her, keeping his arm around her and smoothing her hair with the other, anything to try and calm her down.

She didn't say anything, but she shook her head against his chest.

"It won't be okay" She murmured after a few more minutes.

"What's wrong Hollis?" He finally asked.

She took a deep breath and sniffled a few times as she lifted her head off of his chest and sat up, facing him in the back seat. "My brother's dead." She said simply and Brian's face fell.

"I'm so sorry Hol."

"His transport ran over a land mine in Iraq. No one survived."

Knowing exactly what it was like to be injured and lose people to the war, his body was on autopilot when he pulled her back into his embrace.

"I'm so sorry babe. So, so sorry."

"Thank you Brian" She said, her voice muffled by his shirt, "I love you."

"Hol..." He started, unsettled by his words.

"Brian I'm serious." She said, sitting up so she could look at him. "I made the dumbest mistake of my life walking away from you. I loved you then and I love you now and more than anything I want you back."

"Hollis, you're letting your emotions run away with you."

"No I'm not. I'm serious Brian."

"Hollis, Norelle and I have been together for over a year. I love her and she loves me and I'm pretty sure she is the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I'm not going to throw that away, no matter how much I loved you."

"Brian..."

"There's nothing you can say Hollis. There's nothing you can say or do that will make me leave Norelle, try as you might, it won't happen. Now I feel terrible about your brother and I will be here for you whenever you need it, but as a friend and nothing more. I need you to understand that...please."

"I can't accept that."

"You're going to have to. You are the one that walked away. Norelle is the only one for me now Hollis. Please just be happy for me and let me be a friend to you."

"Brian you can be whatever you want to me, but I'm always going to love you."

"I can accept that, but please do not try and jeopardize my relationship with Norelle, we're both helping you with this paper and I don't want you being selfish."

"Brian I'm more mature than that. Don't think that I would act like a middle school girl, we're both adults. And I'm sorry for just laying this on you. But it's not just me being emotional because of Ben...this is who I feel. And I've wrestled with these feelings for years...so many times I wanted to call you or come back and tell you everything but I never had the guts to. And now I do."

"You're a little late for that Hollis." He said simply before opening the car door, "Remember, I'm here for you if you need a friend. I really care about you."

She nodded and he closed the car door behind him, returning to his own vehicle and driving away. Hollis laid down on the backseat of her car and let herself cry until her body was out of tears. She then climbed to the front seat and drove teary eyed back to her apartment.