Life Imitating Art?
Holden and Gwen entered The Octagon House Historical Museum and Art Gallery.
Holden turned to Gwen; things had seemed just fine between them on the bike ride over to the museum, but he just wanted to make sure everything was alright. The past two days had been a mix of best friend behavior with flirtations, and then general awkwardness. He just wanted everything to be alright between them, although he would not give up persuing Gwen, whatever the cost. He would sacrifice his dignity, his career, anything, just to prove to her that he was in love with her, and that they were right together.
Holden and Gwen joke around again, just like old times!
“So, you know, you were a bit of an ice-queen today, Gwen, But Im willing to forgive you that after our awesome bike ride.” Holden prodded.
“Well, Holdy, you were a bit of a gremlin yourself, but all is forgiven since your treating me to the art museum!” Gwen prodded right back.
“Oh, so I’m paying then?” Holden asked,a bit suprised.
Gwen was no dummy. This was exactly what she had wanted Holden to say, so she could tell him why he should be paying. Maybe she was not doing such a good job showing him her truest feelings, but telling him to pay for a date might get him thinking!
"Well this is a date, isn't it?" Gwen hinted.
“Well, this is a date, isn’t it?” Gwen hinted. She hoped that Holden would take the bait, she hoped that by bringing up the elephant in the room, he would start to show her whether he could be romantic toward her or not.
Despite being closer than most married couples, the transition for Gwen and Holden from best friends to a romantic relationship would not be easy. It would be a big, huge change.
Holden squinted up his brown eyes, and looked at Gwen with a searching gaze. She didn’t appear to be joking around anymore. She had asked him a very serious question, with no speck of humor hidden within it, anywhere. He was dumbfounded, and then Gwen spoke again:
“Well, if it is, in fact, a date that you’ve asked me on, Holdy, than you have to start acting like we’re on a date.” She said, a little more matter-of-factly.
Holden, once again went inside himself for a moment of reflection, and came out with his “now or never” attitude again. Gwen had thrown him a bone, and he wasn’t going to be dumb and not take it.
“Well, then I guess we are on a date. So you better start acting like it too, I guess.” Holden said, proudly.
“Sounds like a plan.” Gwen nodded, with a twinkle in her eye that only Holden could detect. “Come on, you big guppy!”
“Guppy, I’m not a guppy!” Holden protested, as he followed her into the room to the right of the entrance, that displayed some of the most ornate furniture from some of the most influential and famous families of Old Riverview. “Im more like a big-eyed puppy, and Im going to follow you around wherever you go, just like I’ve always done. See? Im following you right now!”
Holden, the ever-faithful, follows Gwen into the Museum.
Gwen smiled, and felt a huge warmth timgle within her. She had a quesy stomach, the best kind of quesy stomach that there was: full of butterflies! Holden was her date, and he was starting to be more open with his feelings, something she wished he had done along time ago.
It didn’t take long for Gwen and Holden to start getting in touch with their emotions, and sharing them with one another in a series of varied flirtations. They goofed around, touched each other ever so slightly,and complimented each other over and over again. They began to find one another very alluring. Both Holden and Gwen now had themselves, and each other, believing that maybe they could be a real item!
Holden and Gwen stare into one anothers eyes, and hearts...
“Holdy, do you realize how this is my favorite visit ever to the Octagon House, and we haven’t even moved on from the first room?” Gwen asked, tilting her body closer to Holden’s. She really meant it, too, and she had been there at least two dozen times since childhood.
The Unlikely Pair's flirting gets serious...
“Im glad to hear that Gwen. I honestly didn’t realize that we hadn’t even left the first room yet. You can probably tell I don’t care about the art as much today.” He sheepishly grinned. Holden didn’t think he was any good at flirting; after all, he had never flirted before, because he had never loved anyone, or even liked anyone, like he loved Gwen. But whatever he was saying, and doing, she seemed to be loving it. A lot.
“And I have to tell you something: I secretly love it when you call me Holdy. Your the only one who’s ever called me that, except for my crazy Polish grandmother. Somehow you’ve managed to make it sound…” he struggled for the perfect word. Why couldn’t he choose one, he was a writer, for God’s sake!
“Sexy?” Gwen offered innocently.
“Yeah. That’s the word.” Holden agreed. “Sexy.”
Gwen and Holden went home that night, very late. Both were incredibly happy that their inpromtu “date” had gone so remarkably well. There hadn’t been any kisses, or any romantic hugs, but both felt very confident that the next day would be even more pivotal for their relationship.
Gwen was going to make sure she was the one to make the next big move. Holden had been coming out of his protective shell a lot, trying to show her that he cared for her. He had awkwardly put the moves on her, and Gwen was liking it, a lot. She felt terrible that she had never tried to show him how she felt before. He had been a loyal and faithful friend all of their lives. He had never done anything less than make her feel infinitley special.
She loved him so dearly, yet she had always expected the man to be the one to make the moves. Well, that had never worked for her in the past, had it? Before she fell asleep that night, she decided to be the one to give Holden the first kiss.
