Gemma’s eyes widened, and she sat up straighter. “Oh my gosh, Harper. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’ll be fine,” Harper tried to reassure her sister before she panicked. “She just needs some quiet and rest, so it’s actually probably better if we don’t visit today.”
“You will let me know if they have a team meeting, right?” Gemma asked sarcastically. “Or will you forget about that, too?”
“What were you gonna do today then?” Brian asked.
“There’s some dance down at the park for the At Summer’s End stuff,” Gemma said. “I was thinking of going down there with Alex and kinda do something normal for a change.”
“Daniel asked me to go to that tonight, too,” Harper said.
She hadn’t really wanted to go, and he’d all but insisted. If they didn’t have much time left together, he wanted to spend it with her doing something nice.
“Oh yeah? Well, that sounds good.” Brian clapped his hands together and grinned. “You’ve both been working so hard lately, and it’ll be good for you to have a break from it. I promise I will spend the night scouring the scroll. You take the night off. I’ll take over. I’m the dad. You’re the kids. Act like it for a change.”
Reluctantly, Harper went up to her room to get changed. She’d opened up her closet to start looking for something suitable to wear, but that was as far as she’d gotten before Gemma came into her room.
“Did you need something?” Harper asked.
Gemma shut the door and walked over to her. Her golden eyes were serious, and she folded her arms over her chest. “What’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You are barely here today. Did something happen?” She lowered her voice. “How are things really going with Daniel?”
“Great.” Harper looked away from her sister and started flipping through the outfits hanging in her closet. “Good thing I didn’t bring that many clothes with me to college. I think I left all my dresses here.”
“Is Daniel still…” Gemma trailed off.
Harper swallowed hard as she pulled out a flowered dress. “We’ve come to an understanding.” She held up the dress. “What do you think of this?”
“He is,” Gemma surmised. “Harper, he doesn’t need to do that. Tell him not to.”
She sighed and hung the dress back, and finally turned to face her sister. “Gemma. It’s between me and Daniel, and we’ve got it all figured out.”
“Harper.”
“Everything is fine, okay?” Harper reached out and squeezed Gemma’s arm reassuringly. “Now just go get ready.”
Gemma wanted to argue more, but Harper wouldn’t hear of it. She shooed her sister out of her room and closed the door behind her. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against the door and took deep breaths until the urge to cry finally passed.
To help her mood, she put Metric on the stereo and turned it up loud. She picked out a light summer dress that landed right at the knee, so her scar would be well hidden. Then, as she sang along with the music, she used the curling iron to add loose curls to her hair and carefully applied her makeup.
When she was done, she stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes. Not so much admiring herself or even making sure that she looked good. Just trying to convince herself that everything would be okay and that she could make it through the night.
“You will not worry. You will not cry,” Harper told her reflection. “You will forget anything that makes you sad, just for tonight. You will enjoy the time you have with Daniel, and you will laugh and have fun.”
There was nothing to be said, and nothing more to do. She turned off the music, then headed downstairs.
Alex had already arrived, and he was sitting on the couch next to Gemma. Her sister looked radiant, and it wasn’t just because of how lovely she looked in her halter dress. Or the way her hair was pulled up, with a pink carnation pinned above the loose curls.
There was a glow about her, and it wasn’t the one that came from being a siren. She and Alex kept looking into each other’s eyes, their expressions soft and doey. Their hands were intertwined, and when she laughed, Gemma would lean into him. Like they were sharing some private secret between the two of them.
Even though they were just sitting in the living room, and they weren’t really doing anything, Harper felt like she was intruding. She tried to duck by on her way to the kitchen without interrupting, but Gemma caught sight of her.
“You look really pretty, Harper,” Gemma said, and Harper stopped her escape to the kitchen and turned back to smile at them.
“I didn’t see you sneak down the stairs.” Alex stood up, so Gemma did, too, her hand still entangled with his. “You do look really nice. I don’t see you in a dress very often.”
“Thanks. You guys look great, too.” She self-consciously smoothed out her dress. “Are you waiting for something?”
“Yeah, we’re waiting for you, actually,” Alex said, then glanced back at Gemma, as if to confirm that he’d said the right thing.
“We thought it might be fun to all go to the dance together,” Gemma said.
“Oh yeah.” Harper smiled. “That would be fun.”
It might be fun with all four of them, but currently, Harper felt like a third wheel. Alex leaned over and whispered something in Gemma’s ear, which made her cheeks flush as she smiled widely.
When the doorbell rang a minute later, Harper practically ran to answer it. She wanted to see Daniel anyway, but now she was looking for a reprieve from awkwardly watching the two lovebirds.
“Wow,” Daniel said when she opened the door, and his eyes widened in awe. “You look really beautiful.”
“And you look very handsome.”
Wearing a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a skinny blue tie that made the flecks in his eyes pop, she’d never seen him look quite as sharp. He still wore jeans and his old Converse sneakers, but they somehow made him look even sexier.
“I should’ve gotten you a corsage,” he said.
She laughed. “This isn’t prom.”
“Still.” He shrugged. “You deserve a flower.”
“So, we’re all ready then.” She stepped away from the door, so she could call to her dad, who was in the kitchen. “Dad, Daniel’s here, so we’re heading out.”
“Hold on.” Brian hurried in to stop them before they took off. Alex and Gemma had edged closer to the door, and when Brian came in, his stern gaze moved between Alex and Daniel. “You guys know the deal, right? Be home by midnight, both my daughters safe and sound and intact. You think Penn is bad, but she’s got nothing on an angry father.”
Gemma groaned. “Dad.”
“We’ll have them home by midnight, Mr. Fisher,” Alex promised.
“You better,” he warned them.
Gemma shook her head, but she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Brian on the cheek before heading out the door. “’Night, Dad.”
“’Bye, Dad,” Harper said, and started following her sister, but she felt like she was shirking her duty. She’d had one foot out the door, but she turned around to come back in. “I should stay and—”
“No. Go.” Her dad put his hand on her arm and gently pushed her toward Daniel. “I’m just as capable of dumping soda and water on something as you. Now go. Get out of here. Have fun.”
THIRTY-NINE
Summer’s End
The lush grass of Bayside Park had been covered in smooth corkboard for easier dancing. Paper lanterns on fairy lights were strung above even though it was still light out. The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, and the sky was lavender and orange, with the first twinkling of stars breaking through.
Just off the dance floor, Harper sat in a folding chair next to Daniel, sipping the punch he’d brought over. An older David Bowie song played from speakers surrounding the park, and Harper watched the people dance.
It was a beautiful night, and one of the last true nights of s
ummer, so the park was packed. It was hard for her to see Gemma and Alex through the crowded dance floor, but she spotted them, dancing pressed together even though the song was up tempo.
Her gaze didn’t stay on them for long, since Marcy and her date, Kirby, had stolen the show. She’d worn black boardshorts and a polka-dot top, but it was clear that the shorts had been chosen because they allowed more freedom of movement.
Marcy was darting and spinning and doing all kinds of moves like she had secretly spent the past ten years as a classically trained dancer. Kirby hurried to keep up with her, but, fortunately, Marcy was such a crazy good dancer that she made him look good.
“Wow,” Daniel said as he watched her spin. “Marcy is intense. Did you have any idea she could do this?”
“No, I had no clue.” Harper shook her head. “I’m starting to realize that I literally know nothing about her.”
“It’s so strange seeing her engage in normal human activities.” Daniel tilted his head, as if trying to get a better look at Marcy. “And she’s dating that guy, too. What do you suppose they talk about?”
“My guess? El chupacabra.”
He nodded. “That would make sense.”
With David Bowie still crooning about monsters, Gemma and Alex broke through the crowd and walked toward where Harper and Daniel sat. Gemma was grinning so wide, it almost looked painful.
“What are you two doing? Are you just gonna sit here all night?” Gemma asked as she reached them.
“I danced. We danced.” She motioned between herself and Daniel. “I’m just not very good at it.”
They had danced, for about half a song, but the truth was that Harper didn’t feel much like dancing. It was taking most of her energy to smile, and she didn’t have much left to pretend to know how to move to the music.
“You can’t sit out all night,” Gemma persisted.
“We’re not,” Harper told her.
“Oh my gosh!” Gemma exclaimed when the song changed to “All Alright” by Fun. “This song. You have to dance this.”
“I don’t know.” Harper was perplexed by Gemma’s excitement. “It doesn’t even really seem like a dance song.”
Gemma had apparently given up on persuading Harper to dance and turned her attention elsewhere. “Daniel. Come on.” She extended her hand to him. “Dance with me.”
“Sure.” He took her hand and stood up, letting her lead him out to the dance floor.
Alex had his hands in his pockets when he looked down at Harper. “So that leaves me and you.”
“We don’t have to dance.”
“Are you kidding me? We totally do.” He took his hands out of his pockets and held his arm out for her.
With little choice left, Harper smiled and took his arm. Once they found a clear spot, he stretched out his arm, then put his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He took her hand in his, and she put her hand on his shoulder.
“You seem to be in an awfully good mood today,” Harper commented. “You and Gemma can’t seem to stop smiling today.”
“I am in a very good mood,” Alex admitted with his easy grin.
Daniel and Gemma spun by, doing some kind of exaggerated waltz that had Gemma laughing.
“Everything going good with Gemma?” Harper asked once Gemma and Daniel had danced far enough away that they couldn’t hear them again.
“Couldn’t be better,” Alex said, then corrected himself. “Well, it’d be nicer if there wasn’t that whole siren thing … but considering, it’s actually pretty amazing.”
“I’m glad. You guys seem really good together.”
“Thank you.” Alex looked genuinely pleased with the compliment, and Harper realized that this was probably the happiest she’d ever seen him. “Now that you’re getting more used to the idea, we can start hanging out again.”
It wasn’t until now, with things feeling easy and simple and like old times again, that Harper realized she’d missed him. She loved Daniel and Gemma, and even Marcy, but it would be good to have Alex in her life again.
Then, unexpectedly, Alex took her hand and spun her, causing her to twirl as she laughed in surprise, then he pulled her back to him.
“It seems like you’ve picked up some dance moves,” Harper said, as they started to speed around the dance floor. She thought he was doing a version of the Charleston, but her feet didn’t cooperate as much as she’d liked.
“I’ve picked up a lot of things. It’s been a long time,” Alex said, and when she tripped on her foot, they both laughed. “Maybe we should try something slower.”
“It’s probably for the best since I don’t really want to break my leg,” she agreed, and grinned up at him. Once they began to move slowly again, she brushed a hair back from her forehead, and he smiled down at her.
“I’ve kinda missed you actually.”
“Me, too,” she admitted.
“I should be going to Sundham for the spring semester, so maybe we can be study buddies again,” Alex suggested.
“That would be fantastic. I’m not doing so well in school so far.” Harper frowned, knowing that was an understatement.
“Well, I’m sure once all this stuff with Gemma is solved, you’ll do much better.”
She smiled, trying to look as confident as Alex sounded. “Yeah. Me, too.”
The song ended, switching over to Agnes Obel’s “Riverside,” which felt much slower than the previous one. She glanced around, looking for Daniel, or barring that, an excuse to sit back down.
While she’d been looking left, Daniel and Gemma appeared at her right, and she turned to see Daniel asking Alex, “Mind if I cut in?”
“Nope.” Alex stepped back, offering her hand to Daniel. “She’s all yours.”
Harper slid gratefully into Daniel’s arms, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gemma and Alex disappearing onto the dance floor again. She looped her arms around Daniel’s neck, and he held her much closer to him than Alex had.
“Did you have a nice time with Alex?”
She nodded as she swayed with him. “Yeah. How about you?”
“Pretty good. Your sister’s a rather enthusiastic dancer, though.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. And she stepped on my foot.”
“Is it okay?” She tried to step back, so she could see his foot, but he held her close to him, refusing to let her go. “Do you want to sit down?”
“No.” He smiled and shook his head. “I never wanna sit. I just wanna dance with you for the rest of the night. Just like this.”
Staring up into his eyes, it was hard for her not to cry. So she rested her chin on his shoulder and held on tighter to him. His arm felt strong around her waist, but his other hand was up higher, pressing warmly against her skin in the open back of her dress. The stubble on his cheek rubbed against hers, but she didn’t mind.
In fact, she relished it. She wanted to savor every moment of this. The way his arms felt safe around her, the way he smelled of sandalwood, the scrape of his cheek, even the feel of his shirt underneath her hands as she hung on to him.
“I don’t want this song to end,” she whispered.
“I can go talk to the DJ,” Daniel suggested, trying to make a joke. “Bribe him to keep playing it all night long.”
Harper didn’t say anything, but she didn’t let go of him, either. He exhaled deeply, and she felt his breath warm on her neck. He moved his head, so that he could kiss her cheek, then she looked up at him.
He brushed her hair back, burying his fingers in the thickness of it, and his thumb lingered on her cheek. She tried to meet his gaze, but she couldn’t do it. She didn’t want him to see the tears in her eyes, so she closed them.
And then she felt his mouth on hers. His fingers knotted in her hair, and his hand on the small of her back pressed her harder to him. She kissed him back, hungrily, greedily, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling herself to him.
She didn’t care who was watching
. She didn’t care how this looked. At that moment, all that mattered to her was Daniel, and hanging on to him for as long as she could. She wanted to consume him, to swallow every bit of him, so that she’d never be without him again, so no one could ever hurt him or take him away from her.
The song finished, switching to something that sounded far too peppy, and they stopped kissing. Breathing heavily, she buried her face in the crook of his neck. His hand moved to the back of her head, stroking her hair.
“Well, this looks like fun,” Penn said, her words carrying through the music and the sound of the crowd.
“No. Not tonight. Please,” Harper begged into his shoulder. “Not tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” Daniel murmured, his words nearly lost in her hair.
“Can I have this dance?” Penn asked, sounding more like a demand than a question, and then she was right next to them.
Harper looked up and pulled away from Daniel a little bit, so it would be easier to see Penn. But he kept his arms around her, unwilling to let Harper get too far away.
“I’m dancing with my girlfriend right now, so no,” he told Penn firmly. “You can’t have this dance. And before you ask, you can’t have the next one, either. Harper has reserved me for the entire night. She’s actually reserved me all the way until Monday, so…”
“All right, all right.” Marcy came out of nowhere to save the day and moved in between Daniel and Penn. “If you’re really desperate for a dance, Penn, I’ll dance with you. As long as you promise not to try any hanky-panky.”
Penn crossed her arms over her chest and looked past Marcy, her dark gaze locked directly on Daniel. “I’ve changed my mind, Daniel. I want you tonight.”
“Didn’t you hear the man?” Marcy asked. “He’s booked up. Take a number.”
Liv’s familiar laugh came from behind her, and Harper glanced back to see her former roommate hanging on to Kirby. Thea stood a few feet away, looking bored as usual, while she poured herself a glass of punch at the refreshment table.
“Marcy, thank you, but why don’t you go with Kirby before Liv eats him?” Harper pointed over to where Liv was flirting. She appreciated Marcy’s help, but if things were going to go down with Penn, she’d rather have her out of harm’s way anyhow.
Elegy (Watersong #4) Page 32
