The world's largest collection of hoodies

'It wasn't the fucking timing, Linden. You didn't want to.'

There's no wrong time to do the right thing. Is that a corny thing to believe? Well, Holder believes it anyway. Timing doesn't matter if it's right. It may do in the movies, but not in real life. When it's right you care about your mother who has just died, but it doesn't stop you. You feel guilty, maybe, but you do it anyway. You kiss, you fuck, you live.

It might be your one chance after all. That's the only thing the movies get right. Sometimes you get one chance and that's it. So, you don't worry about timing. You don't worry about a lot of things. Bad breath, that someone else is waiting for you at home, how fucking awful it would be if it doesn't work out.

'I just…'

'You don't have to tell me why,' Holder interrupts. The feeling of his nose bumping against her forehead is all the answer he needs. Why are they still talking about this? It just makes him think about it. How he kind of hates that he hadn't even managed to kiss her properly. It would have been awkward as hell, but still, he would have liked to.

'Let me finish. I didn't want to kiss a guy who has more hoodies than…'

Linden falters. Holder attempts to help.

'Common sense?' he provides. 'Furniture? Friends?'

'That has to be the world's largest collection of hoodies owned by a single person, right there. I don't even know what that says about you.'

'I'm guessing something sad?'

'Probably, yeah.'

'Or, like, I am like a hoodie? Nice, warm and comfortable. Stylish.'

She's amused. Holder can always tell. Her lips are pursed – pressed together in that stern and thoughtful way of hers. Her eyes, though, are definitely smiling.

'You're not stylish,' Linden protests.

'You sure about that?'

'Pretty sure.'

He shrugs, waggles his eyebrows. And there it is: she smiles. He takes a step towards her. It's not a decision he makes. It's the only thing he can do at that moment. Linden looks up at him.

'Lemme…' he murmurs, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers brush her cheek. Instead of flinching or avoiding the contact, Linden closes her eyes briefly. Holder frowns. He's not real good at reading people. Not when it comes to this kind of shit. Intimacy and all that. Still, her reaction seems to indicate that a kiss wouldn't be the worst idea right now.

Linden's not okay. He's not okay. Their lives are not okay. Those are all things that are not gonna change any time soon. Maybe ever. This also means that the timing is not going to be anything close to okay. But timing doesn't matter. Not when it's right.

The end.