Chapter Six: The Holeb Date

Holly spent several hours on Saturday morning debating date outfits with Rachel for her date with Caleb. During that time, Holly Skyped Izzy for a second opinion. Unfortunately, Izzy was with Josh, so was a little pre-occupied.

"Izzy, does this dress look ok, or is it too much?"

"Yeah, looks great," Izzy murmured, mesmerised in something Josh was doing off camera. Holly rolled her eyes. "Hello! Earth to Izzy!" Izzy turned to face Holly. "Sorry babe, Josh was distracting me!" Holly laughed. "I could tell!"

"Look, Hol, you'll be fine and you always look amazing. Caleb will like you no matter what you wear!"

"And I'm sure if I turned up in a bin bag then he'd love that?"

"Of course!" Izzy laughed. "I'm really sorry Holly, but I have to go. Josh is taking me out. Text me as soon as the date is over and tell me everything! Got to go, bye!" With that, the call ended. Izzy was an amazing friend, when you had her attention. Once she started talking about Josh, Holly completely lost her!

Rachel, who had been waiting in the spare room for Holly's call to finish, came back into Holly's room. Somehow, even in her pyjamas, Rachel always managed to look flawless. She was at that moment nursing an extreme hangover. "Ugh, my head feels like it will explode! Never drink that much, Cupcake! In fact, never drink!" Holly giggled. "Don't worry, mum. I won't follow your example!"

"So, what outfit have we decided on?"

"I don't know, mum! I think I'm more nervous for this than I was for my Glee audition!"

Rachel grinned. She remembered her first dates with some of her high school boyfriends. There was Finn (of course), Jesse, Puck, Blaine (though she wasn't sure that counted) and Sam (Rachel regretted that one. It was possibly weirder than her and Blaine!). Rachel didn't think about any relationships she may have had when she wasn't in high school. The only ones she properly included were Jesse and Finn.

Holly laid out a pale blue blouse, black skinny jeans and the gold star necklace that Rachel had given her for her 13th birthday. "How does this outfit look?"

"That is perfect! Not too casual, but not too smart. What shoes are you going to wear?" Rachel reached for the draw of shoes under Holly's bed. She rummaged around and pulled out a pair of plastic, glittery jelly shoes. They were silly, but also Holly's favourite. "How about these?"

"Mum, you know me too well!" Holly took them from Rachel, picked up the rest of her clothes and went into the en-suite to change. When she returned, Rachel had already set out the hairgrips to do her daughters hair.

3 o'clock on the dot and Caleb pulled up outside the Anderson-Hummel household in his red Mini Cooper. Holly's heart fluttered as she heard the doorbell ring. She turned to Rachel, looking for some support. Rachel smiled and pulled her daughter into a hug. "Don't look so nervous, Cupcake. You'll be fine." At that moment, Kurt poked his head round the door. "Holly, there's someone here for you!" He winked and disappeared. Holly turned back to Rachel. "Time to go!" She squeezed her mum's hand and walked downstairs to meet Caleb.

Caleb stood by the front door, holding a bunch of red roses. He wore a red, button-up shirt and blue jeans. The butterflies in Holly's stomach multiplied as soon as she saw him. Caleb smiled as soon as he saw her. It was just them in the hallway, so neither felt embarrassed. "You look so pretty, Holly." Holly blushed and looked at her feet. Caleb took a step forward and lifted her chin to face him. He lightly pecked her lips, and then offered her the roses. "Thank you! They're beautiful!" She took them to the kitchen to put them in a vase.

The Lima Bean was full, but the cloudy weather meant the outside tables were free. Caleb and Holly ordered their coffee and took a seat with a view of the nearby park. Holly shivered a little, wishing she'd brought a jacket. Noticing this, Caleb lent over and draped his jacket over her shoulders.

It was quick and light, but as Caleb put the jacket over Holly's shivering arms, he pecked her on the lips. The kiss lasted less than five seconds, but it still made Holly's cheeks flush. Caleb pulled away, a little embarrassed. "Sorry, was that too much?"

Holly shook her head fervently. "Definitely not!" She answered, with maybe a little too much enthusiasm. Caleb raised an eyebrow and chuckled. Holly looked down, a strand of hair falling in front of her face as she did so. Noticing this, the red-haired boy lifted a finger and tucked the loose strands behind her ear.

This time it was Holly who made the first move.