PERHAPS HOLLIS SHOULD HAVE DONE some more pre-reading, because he’s not quite prepared to fend off TWO prodigies for a mistake he had made months upon months ago — he’s not proud, of course, but he has also had the privilege of evading most of the people he had shared bed with before. the difference is here, that maya wasn’t a one night stand he had gone home with at the end of a drunken night, she was one of the few people he could count with ONE HAND that he went on an actual date with. books, literature, growing up in france — they had things to talk about, and it was, dare he say, actually lovely. the only thing about hollis was his underlying commitment issues — but he won’t admit that to a prodigy he has just met, let alone one who seems to threaten him more with each word uttered from sour lips.
“ depends on what you mean by ‘ dated ’, ” he counters, filing his chest with air — anticipating a long sigh to come. “ we went on one date, yes. ” he hadn’t of course, put two and two together that teddy and maya were COUSINS, not up until this moment. “ only good things, i’m assuming ? ” he responds, sarcasm tugging at his words. “ can’t say alden has said much about YOU. but i’m sure we’ll get to know each other extremely well. ”
it’s not the smartest move for teddy to be making, immediately pissing off one of the established opals. but it’s not going to be a well-kept secret that he and maya are related, so why would hollis ever be under the impression that teddy would be on his side regardless? it’s a lose-lose situation for teddy, so why not play into his own selfish anger? even if hollis shares his distain for teddy from this encounter, who could blame teddy for coming to the defense of his dear cousin? either he’s telling himself justifications or he’s actually rationalizing his decision, but it doesn’t change how he proceeds. he could use a break from playing nice. “i think that definition means something different to everyone. you know, something you can communicate when enter into any kind of romantic situation with a person,” teddy counters, bringing his champagne flute to his lips. “a date might be casual for one person, but it could imply commitment on some level to another. especially someone naive to the college dating world.” because of course, a year of difference can signify a gap in experience and expectations. not in maturity, but in emotional investment. “oh, maya’s the sweetest girl. she would never speak ill of someone she’d been interested in. but a good cousin knows how to read between the lines.”
the jab at his relationship is one teddy hadn’t been expecting, but he’s quick on his feet. “oh, alden and i don’t really have the kind of relationship you talk about, it’s not that interesting. he’s just a senior that doesn’t mind having in depth conversations with a bright-eyed junior. hardly something you’d bring back to your real friends. there must have been slim pickings for candidates in my grade.” his tone is a playful humbling, eyebrows twitching at the blatant accusation. “well, i will say alden and i have a lot more in common than i had anticipated. he’s an interesting guy, you know? i’m glad he saw his qualities in someone like myself. i guess he doesn’t have anyone else to talk about these experiences with.”
