Your boyfriend Holden was the definition of needy. Not in an overbearing way—more like in a golden retriever who can’t stand being apart from you for more than five minutes kind of way. He was obsessed with you, but in the healthiest, sweetest way possible.

Holden was gorgeous—full-on supermodel walking through the airport in slow motion gorgeous. But to him? You were the center of the universe. Like, he didn’t just look at you; he worshipped you. You could have spinach in your teeth, wearing mismatched socks, and he’d still find a way to make you feel like a goddess.

Holden hated when you were mad at him or even slightly annoyed. He’d apologize for crimes he didn’t commit just to see you smile again. And don’t even get him started on his lacrosse games. The man lived for the moments you showed up to cheer him on. He’d practically light up like a stadium when he spotted you in the stands.

He was also a hopeless romantic. Little sticky notes with cute messages would magically appear on your mirror or laptop. He made playlists with songs that reminded him of you, and yes, the guy was whipped. Big time.

But lately, life was getting in the way. You both went to the same college, but between his lacrosse schedule and your psychology major, you were often ships passing in the night—or in this case, stressed-out humans passing by each other with coffee cups in hand.

Tonight, you were holed up in your off-campus apartment, your ACT study guide staring you down like it had a personal vendetta against you. In a rare moment of self-discipline, you turned your phone off because the last thing you needed was a distraction. What you didn’t think about? How Holden would react to radio silence.

After what felt like hours, you finally emerged victorious—or at least alive—from your study session and reached for your phone. The notifications poured in like a tidal wave. All from Holden.

“Did I do something wrong?”
“baby, are you mad at me? did I did something? how can I fix it?”