”If I recall, it was late, and then there wasn’t much talking, though we might get a noise complaint from your neighbors, again.” I smile, and dig under the covers into the seam of the couch where the cushion meets the arm, ”He left me this.” I hand Holly the book, suddenly serious. ”I just wish things had been different…” I sigh.

She is reading the inscription now, with a soft expression on her face. She looks back up at me and pulls me close. ”Tell me…” She arches her eyebrows at me, her face says it all.

”I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last few days,” I look into her beautiful, brown eyes, and never want to be anywhere else. ”I’m sorry if I haven’t been the best girlfriend lately. But I wanted you to know, that I’m done with Nick. He has no right to say anything about me, or you, or us! I am so angry with him for breaking in here and hurting you. I want to kill him, dead! But I have to work with him, and I don’t know what to do.”

”Really Gail, he didn’t hurt me, he did shake me up, but he didn’t hurt me.” Holly says, trying to sooth me, but she won’t look me in the eye.

”Whatever.” I say, clearly not impressed. ”You mean more to me than anyone, more than he ever did.” I hear myself admit.

Holly looks up, suddenly emotional, unspilled tears glistening in her eyes.

”I don’t know how this happened, or where it will go, ” I take a deep breath and go on in-spite of myself, ”but I’m so glad you found me when you did! All I know is, I want to be your plus one forever. For real.”

”Are you asking me what I think you’re asking?” Holly says in a hushed tone, her eyes growing wider.

”Yeah, yeah, I think I am.” I smile at her, and kiss her like this time could be the last. ”I want to come home to you, and make you smile, and see what you look like in the morning when you wake up for the rest of my life.”

The tears come silently now, escaping from her eyes as she bites her lip and smiles again. ”Yes!” She whispers, ”The answer has always been yes!”