⇢ CHAPTER 89

known as a day to celebrate love and all it's joyful blessings with the ones you love the most.

Holly, growing up a lonely, bullied child in her father's farm, grew to dislike the love-filled holiday— feeling it was a day mostly spent as an excuse for paired up couples to show off their romance to single people, or at least, that's what her sisters, excluding April, did whenever they would be paired off with a suitor.

And that was the truth— until she met George.

George O'Malley, the first ever love of her life which filled it with such beauty and happiness, had laughed in confusion when he realized the cheerful girl despised the holiday— and made it a mission of his to get her to love it when they became a couple.

It was a night filled with dancing, jell-o cups, and studying for George's intern exam— it was perfect, and while Holly still found the idea stupid, she slowly found herself liking the holiday— growing excited for the next one to come to see what George would whip up next.

"What's got you all down?" Jackson questioned, snapping Holly back to reality as she blinked rapidly before meeting his eyes.

Shaking her head lightly, she cleared her throat as she responded, "Nothing. I just..." She scrunched her nose as she watched the Seattle Grace Mercy West couples gifting each other gifts before she exhaled, "don't like today."

"Don't like today?" Reed scoffed, quirking a brow as she joked, "Who broke your heart and turned your soul dark?"

"Reed..." April shook her head softly, pulling her friend to the side as she attempted to stop her friend from harmful teasing.

"Oh, come on." Charles reasoned, rolling his eyes at Reed as Holly walked away, hoping to talk to Lexie, "You don't even like Valentine's Day either, Reed."

✧

"Oh, crap." Lexie's eyes widened as she stressfully ate a chocolate bar Mark had given her, "It's your first Valentine's Day after..."

"Yeah." Holly exhaled, sliding down on the wall as she shook her head, "I-I'm fine— you know? If it was any other day, I'd be fine. But..." She scoffed, "The guy just to make me like the day and then..."

"...Chocolate?" Lexie asked, handing out a chocolate bar to Holly with a soft smile.

Chuckling lightly, Holly nodded and grabbed the bar, "Thanks." She exhaled deeply, "I'll be fine— it'll all be good and..." She paused, "it's just another day."

✧

Resting her face on her palms as she softly cried into them, Holly ignored the feeling of someone sitting next to her as she continued— not caring who caught her.

"Love day's overrated." Jackson voiced, unsure of what to do as he leaned against the wall.

Holly frowned her brows as she sniffled, wiped her face clean of tears before facing the man, "Who sent you?"

"No one." Jackson admitted, "I saw you— thought you shouldn't be alone, and came over."

"Well," Holly remarked as she sniffled, "aren't you a charmer?"

"Guilty." Jackson joked, raising his hands in surrender as he exhaled softly, "I, personally, think the day should just be gone, you know?" A smile lifted his face as he joked, "Have the calendar go and so on."

Holly laughed as she shook her head, "."

Jackson chuckled lightly before shrugging, "I don't know— I think the day was just created so every other couple could be reminded they actually to show their appreciation to their significant other in some way so they could stay together."

Holly grinned as she looked at him, "I thought the same thing!"

"Exactly." Jackson nodded, "I mean, what? Suddenly gifting your loved ones flowers and saying you love each other can only be on day before you forget to be nice?"

Holly snickered and nodded, "And chocolates are meant to be '.'"

"Mhmm." Jackson hummed, shaking his head as he thought out-loud, "I honestly can't see people going crazy over this day— like, unless you love someone and to show them love on this specific day, it's just another day."

"Yeah..." Holly trailed off, glancing forward as she cleared her throat.

"Oh..." Jackson's eyes widened, "I didn't mean—"

"You're good." Holly assured, "I..."

Blinking as he remembered the incident from the very first day of his arrival, he exhaled softly, "I'm sorry for—"

"Don't say ." Holly begged, closing her eyes tightly as she exhaled, "Let's just... say I got out of a relationship and I'm sad, okay?"

Jackson pursed his lips, nodding slowly, "Okay."

"I got tissues, jell-o, and chocolates!" Lexie listed as she approached the two before quirking a brow at the Mercy Wester's presence, "Hello?"

"I better get going." Jackson excused himself, looking down at his pager, "I think I'm getting paged."

"Okay..." Lexie nodded, watching him walk off before she quirked a brow at Holly, "You okay? Was he bothering you—?"

"I'm good, Lex." Holly chuckled, sniffling as she grabbed a jell-o cup, "If you're canceling a date with Mark, I'm fine, you can—"

"He's off with Derek since Meredith doesn't like love-day either." Lexie assured, grabbing a chocolate bar as she leaned comfortably against the wall, "Let's relax, cry, and talk about anything and everything, okay?"

Holly smiled softly, "Okay."

✧ ✧

"Okay, Kepner!" Jackson announced as he looked off of his checklist while Holly tiredly yawned into her hand, "Let's look at the festivities we have planned for today—"

"Jackson," Holly began, squinting at him as she knew what the first activity was since it was the same as last year, "can't you just tell me the morning nap?"

"Nope." Jackson cheekily smiled before reading off, "First off, morning nap— then a coffee date, a small chat from me to Matthew is planned on the schedule—"

"Oh, right." Holly nodded, rubbing her eyes, "I forgot— you have to say how much you love your boyfriend."

"," Jackson continued, squinting lightly at Holly as she snickered, "we'll go to work, save some lives— afterwards, I have an

Holly cupped her hands around her mouth, "Boo!"

"Night planned at Joe's—" Jackson turned his eyes to slants as he looked at Holly, "You said to make sure we had no alcohol—"

"Well," Holly shrugged as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I regret my decision now."

"Too late." Jackson remarked, grinning at the sound of Holly's scoff before continuing, "Then we'll come back here, watch movies and eat pasta or popcorn, and then fall asleep."

"Sounds like a good plan." Holly yawned, pointing to their bedroom— the very one Jackson carried her out of to wake her up, "Can we go back to sleep now?"

"Yes." Jackson chuckled, carrying Holly back into the room as he commented, "Sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay— I know you go crazy with planning sometimes." Holly nodded, smiling to herself as she admitted, "And that's why I have a separate plan from yours this Valentine's."

"What?" Jackson's eyes widened as he dropped Holly onto the bed, "What do you have planned?"

"If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise." Holly raised her hands in surrender.

"If you don't, it might ruin the schedule." Jackson countered, quirking a brow at her.

"Oh, look at that." Holly yawned dramatically before resting her head on her pillow, "I'm tired—"

"Holly—"

"You can either argue with me or you can sleep next to me." Holly reasoned before scoffing at his hesitance— making her reach over to pull his arm down, "Join me!"

Jackson chuckled at Holly's clinginess before wrapping his arms around her as he rested his head on his pillow, "Okay." A few moments of silence passed, "...Sweetheart—"

"Sleep time."

"But—"

"Sleep time."

"Fine..."

✧✧✧

LMAOO I'M CRYING— HOLLY'S PLAN WAS LITERALLY TO JUST GO TO THIS RAMEN NOODLE PLACE CLOSE TO THEIR APARTMENT AND JACKSON WENT ✨✨ he wanted to buy the entire store but holly had to be like ASKDFAKSJHF hUHH

btw. credits for this idea goes to @bxbycXkess :} i asked a while ago for ideas and i was reminded of this one! () 

jackson made holly love love-day again— i— *cries* I JUST LOVE JOLLY ASDKJFHALSDKFJH 

all of you expecting to see a wedding next chapter meanwhile there's me knowing what happens next chapter