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

The chest rose and fell five more times before the trembles started to fade, and Hollis stopped stroking his back. “Better?”


Ryan nodded, stood, and straightened his clothes. Hollis let his hand fall casually away, the skin tingling from rubbing against the shirt. Ryan’s face was bloodless and sweaty, but his brown eyes were dark with determination. “Okay.”


Hollis wished he could reward him for being brave. Sure, it didn’t seem like much, and for him and Debra and all his friends, it was an average night. But Ryan was overcoming panic attacks and anxiety just for a taste of normal. It made Hollis wonder how much Ryan would actually enjoy the evening. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.


“Hey,” he said, reaching out to squeeze Ryan’s arm. “Remember, if it gets to be too much, you can excuse yourself to the kitchen or the bathroom and no one will care.”


Chapter 12