Re: Webster's: Holly & Elijah
Holly was careful with money all the time. He wasn't into plastic debt. If he couldn't afford something, he didn't buy it. The exception had been his gear when he came here, and that had just been necessity. He didn't have any way to make money if he couldn't record. So, right, Paypal. Everything was set up, the card handed back and the laptop turned around again so he could authorize recurring payments.
Then, the pen. It was thoughtless, right? Someone dropped something, and you just scooped to pick it up. No big deal. A collision of fingers wasn't something on par with a pile up, so, right, the pen.
Except, you know, quiet.
Holly actually jerked his head up, like, freaked, dark eyes momentarily wide. He didn't notice the ankle twinge, and he didn't know enough to realize the fighting next door had subsided to hugs and sobs. But he felt the buzz go. Now, look, this buzz? It wasn't just a tinnitus annoyance. It was the kinda thing that made the rest of the world really hard to listen to sometimes, because it was louder than everything else. It was better with Noah, but Holly maybe thought that was because Noah got some of it too. But, right, he was kinda getting used to it, because that was what Holly did... he got used to things. But it was quiet. Like, a second.
Holly tossed the pen on the counter, and then he ran a hand ragged through his hair. "Listen, I have to close up." Was what he said, and the guy was already rounding the counter to hit the door, to open it, to lock it, to whatever. To freak out alone, because that was important to Holly. Emotions? Yeah, those weren't for public consumption.