Welcome to New Haven by Dawn Doyle

was simple, but effective.  
    Low maintenance, which suited a family of two doctors and two high school students.

    Holly got out of her car, grabbed her bag, and walked up to the front door.   She felt a little nervous about going inside Dev’s house and possibly meeting her family, but she knew it was a case of ‘ripping off the bandaid’ as Mrs Carter had said in class.
    The door opened, and Holly froze in shock.  

    “Hi Holly”   Hot-guy said with a smile.  
    Holly’s throat felt tight, her heart was pounding out of her chest and her face felt like it could melt an iceberg.  
    “Uh…I…I…Um.”
    Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!
    Great, she still couldn’t control her mouth and   her inner monologue was having a seizure too!  
    “Dev’s upstairs, come on in.” He said as he opened the door further, stepping back to let her past.
    Holly couldn’t remember how to use her legs.  
    “Hey girl, don’t just stand there, come on in!”   Dev squealed as she grabbed Holly’s hand. “I see you’ve met my brother, Alex.”  
    “Yeah, we have English class together.”   He said as Dev pulled Holly into the hallway.  
    His voice, coupled with his smile turned Holly’s insides into a complete mess as her skin prickled with goosebumps and heat surging through her veins.   She felt a pang, low in her stomach, before it descended into the ‘don’t even go there’ area.  

    “I thought you were going to the gym?”   Dev said to ‘Alex’ as Holly now knew who he was, whilst he continued to stare at her.  
    “I decided to take the day off.”  
    Holly dropped her head to look at the floor, away from his deep, chocolate brown eyes…  
    “Well then…we have stuff to do, so, see ya!   Let’s go Hol.”  
    “Maybe I should go.”   Holly said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.  
    “What?   No!   You just got here! Come on…”   Dev said as she pulled Holly to the stairs and up to her room.

    “What’s the matter? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost!”
    “ He’s your brother?”   Holly asked nervously.  
    “Yep.   The one and only.”   Dev smiled but her smile dropped when she saw Holly’s expression.  
    “What’s the matter?”  
    “Nothing…”   Holly replied, trying to take in a deep breath to steady her nerves. “…Forget it.”  
    Dev cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, staring at Holly for a moment.  
    “Oh my God…”   She suddenly said, her eyes widening “…Is Alex the guy you were talking about?”  
    The look on Holly’s face must have said it all, and Holly was not amused when Dev burst out laughing.  
    “I’m sorry”   Dev said.  
    “Maybe he just wanted to introduce himself as your brother.” Holly interrupted, trying to make sense of why Alex was looking for her at school.   “Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed.”   She said with her hands over her face.  
    “Well, he already thought you knew who he was.”   Dev said as her laughter subsided.  
    “What?”  
    “Yeah. He really thought you did. He looked confused, actually.”   Dev told Holly the conversation she’d had with Alex in Math class, after lunch.  
    “Well, he knows who I am, obviously.   The teacher introduced me to the class, and he called me by my name.”   Holly said as she waved her hands, trying to fan her face.   “I guess he just took me by surprise.”  

    Holly tried to dismiss it, but she could tell Dev had an idea that there was more to it than that.   After all, she’d said that Dev’s brother was ‘cute’.  
    “Let’s get to studying. I have provisions.”   Dev said as she pointed to the snacks and drinks.  
    Thinking that they were safe in the confines of Dev’s bedroom, Holly relaxed a little and got her books out of her bag.
    Holly helped Dev with some of her algebra work.  
    “You explain this so much better than our teacher.”   Dev said with a huge grin.   “I actually understood what you