Fall from Love

class.
    I wave off her excuse. “Really, it’s not a big deal. I’m not missing anything.” Actually, that isn’t true. I’m missing a test review in a class where my professor has already brought my tardiness to my attention. Doesn’t matter, though, I’d skip the damn test rather than leave her here with the guy standing next to me. Plus, bonus, I get to spend the entire day with her.
    She swallows hard and licks her lips. “Okay, I just feel bad,” she says finally.
    “Don’t feel bad.” I shake my head and smile.
    She stares at me for a long minute and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from hers.
    “So…” Patrick draws out the word and clears his throat, breaking the trance we have on each other.
    “Oh, God, sorry. How much do I owe you for the tire?” Holly mutters and looks down to fumble around in her purse.
    “Don’t worry about it. It’s on me,” Patrick says and I look over at him, wondering what kind of game he’s playing.
    “What?! I can’t let you do that.” She looks up at him.
    “Really, it’s not a big deal,” Patrick says and glances in my direction. “I’ll just put it on Carter’s tab. He’s rung up a big one with how often he brings in that piece-of-shit car he’s got out there.”
    I glare over at him, though my expression drops when I see Holly’s head turn in my direction. “He’s full of shit, but don’t worry about the tire,” I tell her. “He’s been robbing me blind for years and he owes me a few favors. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
    Without even thinking about it, I grab her hand and lead her towards the door. Even if we’re not a couple, it won’t hurt to make Patrick think we are more than just friends. We walk out of the shop and she hands me the keys to my car. The snow is still coming down, but it’s let up a bit.
    On the way over to her house, my cell phone beeps, letting me know I have a voicemail. I don’t check to see who’s called until we arrive at Holly’s and she’s in the bathroom. Hell, I need something to distract the thoughts I’ve been having about her the last couple hours.
    All the thoughts of Holly are quickly erased the moment I hear Kelly’s voice. I now see that she called twice and there are two messages. I delete the second one without even listening to the whole thing and shove my phone back in my pocket. It’s the same message she’s been leaving me all week. I really don’t want to deal with this shit right now, but I know that I can’t run away from her or my problems forever. Raking my hands through my hair, I hang my head in my hands, trying to drown out her words from my memory.
    “Hey, is everything okay?” Holly asks.
    I look up and see her standing just a few feet in front of me, her hair is up in a bun on the top of her head and she looks so sweet, so safe, so warm. I know it’s not right to be having these thoughts right now, but I really want to ask her to lay down on this couch with me and just let me hold her. I feel like, if I could just have her in my arms for a minute, I’d feel better, but as I scan over her face and see the way she’s looking at me, I don’t have it in me to involve her in any of my depressing problems.
    “Yeah, everything’s...” I search for the right word, but nothing comes to mind. “Actually, I’ve gotta go. Will you be okay here? I mean, I can take you somewhere if you need me to.”
    Her eyebrows draw downward and she shakes her head. “No... I mean, I’m okay here.”
    The confused look in her eyes is killing me and I hate that I’m making her feel like this. It was just a couple minutes ago when she left me in the living room and I was fine, but now my whole attitude has changed. She’s too nice to ask any questions and, I hate to admit it, but I’m thankful for it.
    I get up and walk towards the front door, yet something stops me before I reach it. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I ask her.
    She forces out a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I really appreciate your help today.”
    Damn, her sad eyes are making me rethink if I should really walk out the door. The past few weeks I’ve gotten used to seeing the real smiles that light up her face. Now, it’s easy to see the smile on her face is forced and I’m tempted to give her an explanation, tell her why I have to leave, but I don’t. There’s no need to involve her with the depressing shit in my life.
    “I’ll call you later, okay?”
    “Okay.” She nods and I leave, knowing