Welcome to New Haven (66 page)

“I hear ya sista!” Said Dev as she moved to the white section. “Now…how about…this?” Dev held up a lacy white bra and matching thong.

Holly had to cup her hands over her nose and mouth to stop her laughing. She cleared her throat.

“Now
that’s
what I’m talking about!” She said.

“Holy shit!” The girls turned as they heard Alex’s comment.
 
Holly winked at him.

“Well, you’ll need a different size, obviously…” Said Dev and Holly’s eyes snapped to her. “…These are small, and you have
way
more than a handful!”
 

“Dev!”

Dev howled with laughter.

“Come on…” She said between laughs. “…Try it against you. See how it looks.”
 

Dev’s shoulders were shaking as she laughed silently, as she held up the set against Holly.
 

“Oh what the hell” Holly said and put one hand on her waist and the other in her hair in a pose.
 

“Ooh sexy!” Said Dev. Holly glanced over to Alex who was watching her with his mouth hanging open and a hungry look in his eyes.
 

“Let’s find your size.” Dev said as she noticed him too.
 

“Um…Dev…” Holly said, embarrassed. They don’t seem to have my size.
 

“What?” Asked Dev with a huge grin.
 

“Well, well…Excuse me!” Dev called the assistant.

The assistant came from the back room and sashayed over, repeatedly glancing back towards Alex and Ben.

“Can I help you?” She asked in a high pitched, tinny voice.
 
Her dyed red curls bouncing around her head.
 
Her too long fake eyelashes fluttering.
 

“Yes you can.” Said Dev, a little annoyed. “My friend here has a rather large ‘upper’ area, and you don’t have her size in this range."

“Hmmm. Oh yes of course.” The assistant said.
 
Her own chest seeming to push forward. “What size?” Holly told the girl her size, and she looked surprised.
 

“What?! They must have cost a fortune!” She said with a hint of malice in her tone.
 

“Oh no…” Said Holly “…These ladies are all home grown.” The sly smile slipped from the assistant’s face.
 

“Oh…ok…um…this way.” She showed Holly to a section with ‘old lady’ types but Dev spotted some nice ones behind her, and pointed.

Holly knew the assistant was doing it on purpose.
 

The way she kept glancing at the boys and not wanting to show Holly the nice stuff…she was jealous.

“Oh yes.” She said and pursed her lips a little. She picked up a bra from the rack and held it up…against herself and looked over to Alex and Ben.

Holly and Dev had followed her gaze and then looked at each other.

“Can I try some on?” Holly asked as she winked at Dev.

“Y.Yes. Of course.” The assistant said as she looked, yet again, at the guys.
 

”Thank you. Can I ask my boyfriend to come with me to check the fit?”
 

“Wha…? Excuse me? Boyfriend?”
 

“Yes.” Said Holly with forced cheerfulness.
 

“He’s right over there.” And she pointed to Alex who was smiling at her as he heard the whole thing.
 
He and Ben walked over to them as the assistants’ eyes widened.
 

“Hey babe.” He said as he got closer.
 

“Hi babe.”

“Have you seen anything you like?” He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
 

“I have. The underwear’s not that great though.”

Alex licked his lips and swallowed.
 

The assistant turned her attention to Ben and Dev, as Holly noticed, wasn’t too pleased about it.
 

“Do
you
need some help?” she asked, batting her eyes and pushing out her chest.
 

“No thanks.” He said and put his arm around Dev.

“Just seeing how my girl’s getting on over here.”

Holly held her lips in her teeth to stop her smile.
 

“Oh. Well.” Said the assistant, with disappointment all over her face.
 

“I’ll just be over here if you need me.” And she walked away, red faced.
 

Another assistant came out of the back room and walked over to them.
 

“Hi.” He said, drawing out the word.
 
“I’m
so
sorry about her.
 
Is there
anything
I can help you with.?”

“Umm…” Holly wasn’t too sure what to say now that their little game was over.
 

The new assistant, ‘Justin’ it read on his tag, clasped his hands together.
 

“Oh I see.” He winked at the girls.
 

“You boys shoo.“ He said, waving them off. “It’s girl time.” As the guys slowly walked away, Justin said in a sing-song voice… “You’ll looove iiiitt! I promise.” He turned back to Holly and Dev.

“Ok. I’m all ears. I need sizes and favourite colours.” The girls looked at each other in disbelief.

“This could be good.” Said Dev.

“It’s soooo on.” Said Holly with a giggle.
 
Dev let Justin in on the game they were playing with the boys and, amazingly, he was more than willing to participate.

He held up different lacy bra’s in Holly’s size.
 

“Really?” He’d asked when she told him her size. “Lucky you!” He said and he wasn’t bitchy at all, like the red haired girl. Also, he didn’t assume she’d ‘bought’ them either.
 

“I can tell they’re real from the way you stand and the way you’re dressed.” He said.
 

“You can?”

“Of course! Anybody who’d paid for those puppies would be showing them off every chance they got. You, however, are hiding them away. Now, let’s find you something to display these bad girls to make your guy crazy!” He said, glancing to Alex. “I don’t think we’ll need to do much though.
 
He looks ready to blow a gasket already!”

 
The girls giggled at his boldness.

He turned back and winked before walking over to a rack of teddy outfits. He picked up a black chiffon teddy that parted wide in the centre, up to the black lace cups, with a red trim.
 
Cute little red bows, where the cups met the straps, and black and red satin ties hanging down the centre. The matching black thong was barely there. Justin held it in front of Dev.

“This would look
amazing
on you,
 
You have a fantastic figure that needs to be encased by this sexy, sultry little number."

“Oh Fuck!” Ben said as he walked into a rack of mens’ socks.
 

“Ben, dude!” Said Alex.

“Shit, sorry. I couldn’t help it.” Alex shook his head and resumed his drooling over imagining his sexy girlfriend in her underwear.

“
You
my voluptuous vixen…” continued Justin “…should be seen in this!”
 

Justin held up an outfit.
 
Not just any outfit…it was bright red, with lace that had no lining.

Leaving it completely see-through.

The panties were tiny bikini style briefs that were slightly more than a thong at the back.
 
Very sexy and not something Holly would have chosen…ever!

She risked a peek at Alex.

He was running his hand through his hair and over his face.
 
He looked in pain.
 

“I’ll take it.” Said Holly, feeling a little bad for Alex, but also good that the thoughts of her got him frustrated.

“Which one honey?” asked Justin, his hands full of underwear.

“All of it.” Justin’s eyes popped open.

“Me too.” Said Dev, excitedly. “I haven’t had fun like this before!”

“Oh my God, that’s great!” Squeaked Justin. “Oh and for my colleagues'
rude
behaviour, I will give you twenty percent off.”
 

“Wow thanks!” Said Holly.
 

“Your guys too.” He said as he smiled towards Alex and Ben.“ That was fun.” He whispered as he leant forward.

Holly and Dev giggled quietly.
 

“You guys done?” Dev asked as Alex and Ben walked over to the cashier’s desk.
 
Justin had rung up the girls’ purchases quickly, to keep them secret.

Holly watched to see what Alex had chosen.
 
He’d picked boxers that had the flat elastic waistbands.
 
The shorts were fitted close to the leg.
 
Typical style of Calvin Klein. He’d also chosen Diesel, Armani, and Hugo Boss.

Holly’s mouth was watering imagining Alex standing there in nothing but a pair of them.
 

“Holly!” Said Dev, snapping her fingers in front of her face.
 
“Whatchya thinking about?” She asked with a grin. Alex and Ben both turned to see what Holly would say.
 

“Trust me Dev.
 
You
really
don’t want to know. Holly bit her lip as she smiled cheekily at Alex.

He groaned.

“You’ll be the death of me.” He said.

“What the fuck Dev?” Said Ben as they left the store.
 

Here we go.

He wondered when the truce between them would be over.
 
It looked to be right then.
 

“What?” she asked innocently.
 

“You
know
you’re like a sister to me. I don’t need to know what underwear you have.” He ran his hand through his hair as he blew out a ragged breath.
 

“They’re at it again” Alex whispered to Holly as they walked along. Holly rolled her eyes and shook her head.
 

“We were playing…You know…having fun? Anyway, I didn’t ask you to treat me like a sister.
 
You’re my brother’s
best friend
. Not
my
brother.” Dev replied with a snarky tone.
 

“We’ve know each other forever Dev. I can’t help it.”

Alex saw that Ben looked at war with himself. He’d been like that for the past four years.
 
He didn’t know what had happened but since then, their bickering had gotten worse. This one seemed to be escalating quickly to the worst one yet.

“Little sister my ass!” She said. “That’s not my problem. You’re not my brother, like a brother, or any other family member. You’re Ben Stevens, who’s friends with my twin brother. I can’t change that, and I can’t change how you see me. But don’t
ever
question what I do because of that. I’m not a kid anymore, Ben. Or is that how you see me too?”

Alex wanted to know what the hell was going on and why Dev had reacted that way.
 

“What’s all that about?” He asked. “Dev? What’s up?”
 

“Nothing.” She said, scowling.
 

“Ben?” Alex said as he turned to him.
 

“Nothing. Just a disagreement about family issues.” Ben replied.
 

Alex, protective of his sister, was about to say something else to Ben. He didn’t care if Ben
was
his best friend.
 
If he upset Dev, he would pay for it.
 

“I’ll talk to her.” Whispered Holly, squeezing his waist as her arm was around it and placing her other hand on his chest, over his heart.

He calmed immediately.

Alex looked down into her beautifully, perfect face.
 

“Thank you, babe.” He said.
 
Knowing Holly was more likely to get through to Dev than he was.
 

“Coffee anyone? I know I could use some.” She said.
 

“Yeah, sure.” Said Dev.

They put their bags in the trunk of the car and crossed the street to ‘Cal’s Coffee’.
 

“Bathroom.” Holly said to Dev after they’d ordered. As soon as they were out of earshot, Alex started.
 

“Ben. What the fuck did you say to Dev?” He’d heard the conversation, but he wanted Ben to explain why.
 

“I just said I don’t need to see what underwear she buys.” He said with a shrug.
 

“Really? So why the outburst? I heard you guys arguing but what I don’t understand is why Dev would freak out like that.”
 

“I said I see her as a sister! She said it’s not her problem, I’m not a family member and she’s not a kid.
 
That’s all. I don’t know why she freaked out.
 
You know Dev, Man. She jumps down my throat no matter
what I say.”
Ben ran his hands through his hair again.

Alex could see Dev’s and Ben’s relationship was strained now more than ever.
 

Sure, they exchanged pleasantries, occasionally, but they hardly spoke anymore. When they did talk, it became somewhat ‘hostile’. That was until
she
showed up, and they’d become concerned for each other. Especially when Ben was ranting about her safety.

In the bathroom, Holly confronted Dev. She knew Dev was upset and wanted to help her, but she also wanted to rip Ben a new one for making her mad in the first place.
 

“I know you still like Ben.
 
A lot.“ She said
 

“What?” Said Dev as she swallowed.
 

“Come on, Dev. It’s obvious. In the shop you were getting a reaction out of him and when he said that to you outside, you almost tore his head off!” Dev paced back and forth.
 

“It’s so frustrating!” Said Dev. “Yeah, I like him more than I said I did.” She admitted.
 

Holly stayed silent until Dev finished.
 

“He says he sees me like a sister.
 
What the hell? I’m
not
his sister.“

“I don’t think he does.” Said Holly with a small smile.
 

“You don’t?”