Page 57 of Only Ever Yours
Weturned our attention to the space that had been cleared for dancing. Barney and Lenora stood in the centre, her arms around his neck, gazes locked together as the first strains ofBaby, I’m Yoursstarted to play. The assembled guests broke into an impromptu round of applause as they swayed and twirled around the floor. Barney had always been shit at dancing, and I was glad he didn’t seem to have made any concessions for his wedding day. I glanced over at Hollis. Her eyes were a little glassy. Whether it was from the emotion of the moment or something else, I didn’t know. All I did know was that I loved her with everything I had. The song ended, and Barney swept into a low bow in front of Lenora. He gestured for other people to join them as another track started, either John Legend or Ed Sheeran, I couldn’t be sure.
Holding out my hand to Hollis, I nodded towards the dance floor. “Would you do me the honour of dancing with me? Now we’re official and everything, I feel like we need to show the whole world we’re together.”
She swiped a hand across her eyes and smiled. “Yes, please.” I steered Hollis onto the floor, sliding my hands to her hips and lacing my fingers together at the base of her spine. She nestled against my chest, one hand on my shoulder and the other on my waist. We didn’t do a lot of actual dancing; just having her close to me was enough.
Once the music changed back to a popular song that didn’t require slow dancing, the floor started to empty. A part of me wanted to stay there, lost in the bubble Hollis and I had created, safe in the knowledge we no longer had to sneak around. I pulled her towards me even closer, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “I don’t know if this is a corny time to admit this, but…”
She tilted her head towards me, confusion flitting across her face. “What?”
My heart beat almost painfully in my chest as I plucked up the courage to say what I wanted to. “Like I told you earlier, I love you, Hollis. I think I always have.”
Her breath caught. “I know.” She reached up and placed a finger on my lips. “I feel the exact same way, Jase. I love you, too.”
Replacing her finger with her lips, we shared the most intimate, tender kiss I’d ever had in my life. And I intended to have many, many more with Hollis.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hollis
The house was empty when we got home shortly after midnight. We had both messaged Finn to see where he was, but neither of us had received a reply and had expected him to have headed home.
“I’ll see if Ella’s still with him.”
Is my brother with you? He’s not at home and we’re obviously concerned about him. Let me know? xx
While I waited for a response, I headed up to my room to get changed into something more comfortable and take my make-up off. Even though everyone who mattered now knew the truth about Jase and me being together, I still felt a slight sense of unease. I hadn’t spoken to Finn myself to explain how I felt, and how I knew this was for the long-term, that it wasn’t just a fling. By the time I’d pulled on leggings and a hoodie, Ella still hadn’t replied, and there wasn’t any evidence she had even seen the message. I went back downstairs to find Jase similarly dressed,in sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, perching on the edge of the sofa, his head bowed as he looked at something on his phone.
“Have you heard from Finn?” I dashed over to him and dropped onto the cushion next to him, glancing over at his screen.
“No. Nothing.” He passed the device to me, and I saw his message thread with my brother: a string of unanswered messages he’d sent.
Defeated, I sank back into the sofa. “I don’t want to go to bed until I know he’s okay. Even if he’s with Ella or Liam, or whoever, and isn’t coming home tonight.” I wished I’d had the chance to talk to him before he’d disappeared.
Jase turned to me. “It’s going to be pretty cosy on this sofa then. I’m not prepared to move either.” He stood up. “Let me go and get some pillows and a duvet. We can camp out here until we hear something, or Finn gets home.”
While he was gone, I reached for my phone again.
Ella, if you know anything at all about where Finn is, please let me know. Jase and I are both worried xxx
I knew my brother was a fully grown adult. It didn’t stop me being concerned, particularly after the news we’d dropped on him. Deep down, I was sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid even if he had overreacted.
Jase re-entered the room, arms laden with a duvet and pillows from his bed. I got up while he made up a makeshift bed on the sofa for the two of us.
“Come on, let’s try and get some rest. I think we’ve done all we can tonight.” He patted the cushion next to him. “Liam hasn’t seen Finn, and I’ve not had a reply from Barney for obvious reasons.”
“You don’t think he’d be with Felicity, do you?” I snuggled into the crook of his arm.
“Don’t think he’s that fucking stupid. But I’ll drop her a message just in case. At least, we can say we covered all bases.”
I chewed on the inside of my lip. “Jase, do you think this is a bad idea?”
He shifted so he could look at me, brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Sleeping on the sofa?”
“No.” I didn’t want to say it, but I had to. “Us being together. If Finn can’t handle it, then…”
“Hollis, I love you, and you said you love me, too. Why would I want to give up on that?” Jase took my face in his hands, his rough hands brushing against my cheeks. “You are everything for me, and I want the world to know. Finn and I have been best friends for almost our entire lives, and if we can’t work this out, then I don’t know what the fuck we’ve been doing all this time.”
I blinked back tears. “You’re everything for me, too. I don’t want to have to give this up, but…”
