Hello everyone! I wanted to switch and see what the other side of the coin is like. So here we have a chapter exploring the feelings of Holly and why the abrupt exit from last chapter.

Chapter 3

An incessant buzzing coming from her nightstand woke Holly. Seeing the bedside clock blink 2:35 am in its hazy greenish glow did nothing for her mood. She violently grabbed her phone off the stand and growled "Hello" into the speaker.

"Hey Holly!" said a very familiar voice

"Tin! This better be good. It's 2:30 in the morning and you just woke me from a very nice dream." Holly said with a hiss.

"First, it's 2:30 am on a Saturday. I am just getting home from the club we were supposed to be at last night, until you ditched me to go be with your copper friend." Tin said sweetly.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. Turns out I should have just gone ahead with our plans I was home by 8 pm."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I had a few things to think about. And a club full of people isn't going to help with any of my thinking." Holly said as she rolled over in bed and put her free arm on her forehead.

"Please don't tell me you're revising your over-expose strategy this late in the game. Holly, we talked about this. I thought you've decided that you'll make sure that you're conveniently available to Gail at all times so that she'll be able to sort out if she likes you or not." Tin said through the sound of shuffling.

"Where are you?" Holly asked as she tried desperately to change the subject.

"I'm just coming in the door of my apartment. I was in a cab when I called you. And don't change the subject! What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened; we were having pizza and beer at her place. Then she started blushing when I caught her checking me out." Gail said quickly hoping her friend would miss the last part.

"How is that nothing?!" Tin sounded like she was under cushions now.

"I don't know." Holly answered shortly.

"Holly, come on it's me. Just tell me what's on your mind. I for a fact know that you can over think things sometimes. Not that it's a bad trait. It's good for deciding where to invest your money and such. But sometimes you have to lead with your heart."

"I don't want to lead with my heart! She's straight Tin. That's all there is to it. I'm scared that I am interpreting things one way when she's actually just being a normal woman hanging out with a friend."

"What about the 'checking-you-out' part you said earlier?"

"She said she was tired. I don't know, maybe she was just zoned out. Again, I maybe just imagining things." Holly said dejectedly.

"What happened after that?" Tin said not giving-up.

"Well… there may or may have not been a moment between us by the door as I was leaving."

"Leaving? You left? You ran? Why the hell did you do that? I swear I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you anymore. I thought you liked her?" Tin was obviously exasperated now.

"I do! I really do. But I don't want to ruin a good thing. She's a friend before anything else. She just got out of a relationship. Or to be more truthful she just got dumped. There's no way that there's no residual feelings from that break-up. I just helped her home a few weeks ago while she was crying over said ex." Holly was almost out of breath after saying this.

"I'm hearing too many excuses right now. I got wasted remember? I just called to ask how the plan to make her fall for you is working and you tell me nothing but excuses." Tin said while stifling a yawn. "We're all afraid Holly. Afraid that people will know us well enough to call us on our bullshit. And I understand that you're scared that this copper'll break your heart. But what's life without a little fear? A little unknown?" the woman continued.

"It's easy for you to say that cause it's not your heart that'll be broken."

"Why are we going at this like you're a lost cause? We don't know yet! Can you promise me something please?"

"What? What do you want me to tell you? That I'll try? I don't know Tin. I'm afraid this is going to hurt more than anything before. I haven't even been out on a proper date with her and the thought of not seeing her anymore, and not being able to hang-out almost cripples me." Holly finally admits.

"That is something to run towards Holly. Not something you run away from. Gail seems like a nice girl for you to like her this much. When all is said and done and you still want to be friends with her then you can just ask her and let her decide. What is the point in playing it safe if you'll never know if you had a chance with her?"

Holly was silent for a while.

Then Tin added "I will leave you in peace to mull it over. Do you want to do lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Yes sure. I'll text you. I need to get back to sleep, if I can. After all the things you gave me to think about I have no doubt the sun will be out before I get some shut-eye."

"What did I tell you? Stop thinking and start doing. Lead with your heart. It has led you wrong before, but feelings like the one you have for this girl needs to be given a chance. It's the kind of love people write sonnets and novels about." Tin said finally.

"Whatever Tin, I'm starting to think you're more drunk than you lead on." Holly laughingly said as she hung-up.

So here she was, awake at 3 am. 3:07 to be exact. It's going to be hard to get back to sleep after letting her ghost out to play. Not that her ghost is scary. It's quite the opposite; her ghost is blond lean and has eyes that can pierce through any armor.

She tossed her phone on the unoccupied side of the bed and got up. Leaving her slippers off she walked to her kitchen to get a glass of milk.

While finishing her glass she notices her bat at the side of the front door. She is then flooded with snippets of memories. Gail trying and failing to actually hit the ball. Herself teaching Gail a few basics. The unintentional body contact made during the said tutorial. Holly snaps herself out of the memory and stares down her arm. She has goose bumps, she wasn't even cold.

Ghost indeed Gail Peck.

She pads back to her room and lies down. Contemplating until past 5 am if exorcising Gail from her life is something she could do at this point.

There we have it. Turns out it's not only Gail who needs to put herself out there eh? Did this chapter make you happy? Sad? Or did it make you feel nothing? Leave a review and let me know.