Life's a Game but it's not Fair

A week after leaving Vermont behind, Holly had enrolled herself into the University of Toronto as an Addictions Counselling major, taken out a student loan to pay for her schooling, and began looking for a job. All of this had been put into action thanks to Viktor. Holly smiled to herself as she watched Viktor as he was deep into an intense foosball game with Tyler. He had been so amazing for her; not that it was anything new. She just wouldn't have been able to do any of this without him. He had been her backbone. When she was unsure or when she was close to giving up he was right there to make sure that she kept going. Like always he had her back and she loved him for that.

Viktor threw his arms up victoriously after sinking yet another ball on Tyler’s goal and Holly felt a surge of pride run through her. Viktor’s eyes left Tyler and set on Holly momentarily and her heart melted in her chest. She didn't know why, but lately whenever Viktor’s deep blue eyes were on hers her mind went blank. She was unable to carry out a train of thought when her best friend was looking at her, and it baffled her. All of these feelings that she was suddenly facing were starting to freak her out. Viktor was her best friend. She wasn’t supposed to get butterflies when he looked at her. She wasn’t supposed to have to worry about going into cardiac arrest when he cuddled on the couch with her. She wasn’t supposed to want to jump him whenever he walked around without a shirt on, but she did. Viktor was making her feel things that she hadn’t ever felt with Paul or anyone for that matter and she didn't know what to do.

“Hols! Have you heard back from that bar you applied at?” Viktor asked Holly as he stepped out of the dining room and approached her.

“No. Not yet.” She replied as she shook her head disappointedly. Viktor nodded and felt slightly relieved. Holly needed to get a job, but he didn't want her working at a bar. If she worked at one of those places he would either a- never get any sleep because he would be waiting up for her to get home safely, or b- he would turn into an alcoholic because he would be there every night she was working. If he went with option b he would most likely wind up in jail for killing all the guys that tried to hit on her or even looked at her for that matter. He had always felt the need to protect Holly. Back in college he had done so day in and day out in a brotherly way. He just had to be sure that she was safe. Now, however, he was finding that those big brother feelings that he once had towards Holly were nonexistent. They were replaced with stronger feelings; feelings that would cause him to knock a guy out for feeling about her. Whenever he saw Holly talking to other men he was filled with jealousy. The thought of her working at all hours of the night in bars with drunken men everywhere made him territorial; as if Holly belonged to him. Viktor grinned slightly at the thought of being able to call Holly his.

“I know you don’t want me working at some bar, but could you at least try to hide your enjoyment over the fact that I am unemployed just a little bit?” Holly asked bitterly.

“I'm sorry!” Viktor told her. “I'm not happy that you haven’t found a job. I'm just kind of thankful that you haven’t heard from that place.” As the words left his mouth, Holly rolled her eyes at him. “What?! Do you really think that I would be comfortable letting you go off and..”

“It’s a bar! It’s not a strip club or a brothel or a street corner. It’s a..”

“It’s a place where men go to get drunk and hit on women in hopes of taking them home.” He informed her.

“Oh whatever, Viktor.” Holly exclaimed out of frustration as she stood up from her seat. “You always know what's best, right?” She asked sarcastically.

“Yes. I do.” He replied. He did think that he knew what was best for Holly because he always had her best interests in mind. “I'm a guy, Hols. I know how we think. When we see a girl like you in a place like that we..”

“A girl like me?”

“Yah...you know...a gorgeous...” Viktor trailed off as he tried to put his thoughts into words that wouldn't completely give away the fact that things had changed for him. “You’re not like other girls Holly. Yah you’re gorgeous, but your personality makes you a million times sexier than you are on the outside. Guys see you and they want to get with you. Throw in that personality and they're really gonna be going after you. It’s going to be hell for me to try and keep them away from you.”

Holly felt slightly defeated at Viktor’s reasoning as to why he didn't want her working at Body English. A part of her...a large part of her was hoping that he didn't want her working there because he was jealous. That was too good to be true though, right? Life would be way too easy if Viktor was feeling the same things that she was feeling. Holly nodded slightly at her best friend. “Sooner or later I'm going to have to meet someone Vik. Maybe you shouldn’t have to fight guys away from me anymore. You don't need that burden.”

Holly left the living room and made her way into the bedroom leaving Viktor somewhat wounded. Sooner or later I'm going to have to meet someone Vik. The thought of Holly with someone other than himself at this point was almost unbearable. Maybe you shouldn’t have to fight guys away from me anymore. You don't need that burden. Burden?! He thought. Taking care of Holly had never been a burden and it certainly wasn’t a burden now that he felt like this.

Viktor jumped to his feet and began down the hallway towards his bedroom that Holly had been staying in since she showed up in the city. He burst through the bedroom door not quite sure why he felt so enraged and saw Holly laying face down on the bed.

Before she heard the door open Holly felt the wind that resulted from the force at which Viktor had pushed it open. She quickly wiped the stray tears that had managed to escape her eyes and she turned to face him. “You think that you're some sort of burden to me?” Viktor questioned, stressing the word burden with disgust. “Is that what you think?!” He prompted.

“I show up on your doorstep with all of my emotional baggage and invade your life...I don't know, I just...I don't know!”

“You’re right.” Viktor stated. “You don't know. You have no fucking idea.” He stated before leaving the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.