Unwrapping Holly

“So?” I repeated. “That’s like… it’s… wouldn’t it be weird to—”

“Not at all,” she shrugged.

I shook my head. Leave it to Jocelyn to take something that would’ve bothered any other girlfriend in the world, and just shrug her shoulders at it.

“You’re not getting anyone,” I said. “I’m not even getting them.”

Jocelyn stared at me like I’d grown seven more heads. “Why the hell not?”

“Because I have a very big problem!” I cried. “I have to pick one, Jocelyn! And they’re all so incredible, I have no idea which one I—”

“Wait. Why do you have to pick just one?” my friend countered.

“Because that’s what people do.”

“Not all people,” she winked.

We stopped talking only because we both ran out of breath at the same time. Jocelyn spoke first, one side of her mouth curling into a wicked smile.

“So you’re saying you don’t know which one to choose, right?”

“No clue,” I admitted helplessly.

“Then why decide now?”

I blinked in confusion. “What?”

“You could date all three,” she pointed out, “for a little while at least. See which ones you like or don’t like…”

“That’s just… it’s…”

“Hey, you already slept with them right?” Jocelyn pointed out. “So it’s not like sex would be a factor. The damage is already done.”

I sighed. She actually had a point, there.

“Go out with them each again. And again after that. If you find yourself attracted to one in particular, you can break it off with the other two — no hard feelings.”

She made it sound so simple. So easy. Like juggling three boyfriends at once was something women did every day.

“And what if I like them all?” I found myself asking.

Jocelyn popped a wanton into her mouth and bit down. Juice flowed down her chin, into her napkin.

“Then you’re screwed,” she smiled, wiping her lips. “Literally.”

Twenty-Two

HOLLY

It took the better part of a week — several long days of avoiding and not answering. A week of running from the three most amazing guys I’d met, dated, and yes, screwed, in my entire life.

And for no real reason.

I’d stopped going to the gym altogether. I’d even skipped the review class for my psych final, to avoid seeing Brody. It was amazingly stupid, and childish too. But it seemed the longer I went without making a decision, the bigger a mess I was making of the whole thing.

Just date them all, Jocelyn’s voice sang in my head. See which one you like, already!

I’d almost taken my friend’s advice. In fact, I’d come painfully close to making dates with each of them. It would’ve been easy, just picking different days. At least in the beginning, while things were still casual.