Hollis is done with hanging around the bar on Valentine’s Day. He’s going to stay in -- alone -- and watch some movies. At least, that’s the plan. But his coworker’s half-brother’s cousin, better known as Ryan, is new in town. And although the lunch they shared was more levels of awkward than a house of cards, fate must want them to become friends, because on his way home after picking up his Valentine’s Day dinner, Hollis runs into Ryan again. The nice thing to do is to invite him up for dinner -- who wants to be alone in a new city on Valentine’s Day, right? The night leads to a dinner offer in return, a night bowling, a dinner party. When Ryan is relaxed, he’s a lot of fun, but he’s also a lot of work, facing off panic and anxiety in waves. But that isn’t a problem, because friends are there for each other. And they are, after all, friends. Just friends. Right?

Holding Hands

“Hey, how about after we get our food, we find a seat? Seems pretty crowded up here.”


It was hard to tell, hunched as he was, but Ryan looked grateful as he nodded, and while a little part of him warmed at being able to do that, it didn’t stop the sigh from escaping. The guy was exhausting. Not that Hollis could completely throw the blame on Ryan. He obviously had some social issues, and Hollis’s bright idea had been to take him to a bar on Friday night? Sure, the intention had been good, but follow-through was crap. Still, he wasn’t going to let the evening go down the flusher.


“What made you decide to go into law?”


Ryan slid his fingers through the condensation on the bar. “I wanted to help people.” Hollis could see a cheek twitch from this position—the hint of a smile? “And I’m not very good with blood. Or dealing with people who would be unhappy with me.”


Chapter 8