by Zara Rivas
We were probably both losing our minds.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Carter asked, breaking away from me.
He started kissing my ear, then traveled down my neck, causing me to lose any train of thought that I previously had. Then, my eyes landed on the clock on Ashley's desk, and my brain was able to escape whatever spell Carter had it under.
"Charlotte!"
He stopped kissing my neck and sat up slightly, leaning his weight on his elbow. He peered down at me, and his eyebrows narrowed in confusion.
"You're thinking about Charlotte? Right now?"
"Yes," I said, trying to shove him off of me so I could get up, but I couldn't move his muscular body. He got the hint and rolled off of me, still looking at me with that confused look. "Not like that, you sicko. I am supposed to meet her for a movie in fifteen minutes."
I jumped off the bed, smoothing out my wrinkled shirt, then started to run a brush through my tangled hair.
"Can I come too?"
I applied a layer of lip gloss, trying to stall for time. I wasn't sure how to answer that question. On the one hand, I wanted him to come. On the other hand, Charlotte still didn't know about it…whatever it was we had going on, and being around them at the same time made me feel guilty and nauseous. It was killing me that I couldn't tell her, but considering I was dealing with Carter, I knew there were only two possible outcomes- either she would be thrilled, or she would freak out, with the latter being the most likely.
So until I knew what was going on between us, I was going to be mute about it. For all I knew, I could be one of Carter's flings, so the fewer people that knew about it, the better especially if we didn't want things to be awkward once it has ended.
"Harper?" He asked again, his voice soft. It sounded like my answer was going to affect him.
"You can come," I told him quickly, so I wouldn't have time to change my mind.
"Oh yeah?" He walked up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. "I promise you won't regret it," his voice was gravelly, a tone that always made my knees weak.
I couldn't help but breathe in his scent, and for a second, I thought about calling up Charlotte to cancel, so Carter and I could take off where we left off. I shook my head at myself, as the logical side of my brain kicked in.
"Carter," I said, pushing him back slightly. "We have to…you know… be causal around Charlotte."
"Causal?"
I bit my lip, trying to think of the right way to say this. "As in, not all over each other. Like how we would normally act."
I watched his face, trying to read his expression. He didn't look hurt or mad, but instead, he looked a bit amused. He gave me a smirk, then shrugged. "Okay."
I nodded, trying to feel happy that I got my way, but instead, I felt slightly disappointed. I guess part of me wanted him to protest the idea, demanding we tell Charlotte that behind closed doors, we can't keep our lips, or hands, off each other.
He pulled open the dorm door, gesturing for me to go ahead. "After you, Rapunzel."
I walked out the door, and for the first time since he started calling me that nickname, I didn't roll my eyes at him.
I smiled.
Even though it was a short walk to the theater, Charlotte and Noah were already waiting outside when we arrived. They didn't notice us at. First, they were too busy gazing at each other and laughing. It was one of those moments where you could tell they didn't see anyone but each other.
As we approached them, Charlotte's gaze finally broke away from Noah, and they both offered us a friendly smile. I watch as Noah reached over and grabbed Charlotte's hand, kind of like he couldn't stand not touching her for even a minute. I glanced over at Carter, then shoved clasp my hands together, trying to fight off the temptation to reach over for his hand.
"Hey!" Charlotte said, giving us each a quick hug. "I can't believe you're here," she said to Carter. "You've been MIA all week, have you found another flavor of the week."
I stared down at my shoes, desperately trying not to make an expression or glance in his direction.
He coughed, and I didn't have to be looking at him to know he was running a hand through his hair. "Not quite."
I looked up to find her shrugging at him. I knew with how close they were, she might not be fully believing him. "Well, I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," Noah said in his drawl. "It will be nice to have another guy around to suffer through this movie with."
Carter smiled at him, showing off his perfect teeth. "Man, we should just ditch them and hit up something with more action."
Noah laughed. "You could do that, I have brownie points to worry about," he said, gesturing at Charlotte.
Cater found my eyes, and I knew the question behind them. He was wondering if he did have brownie points on the line with me. I adverted my gaze, hoping no one would notice that my face was flushed.
"Come on," Charlotte said, shaking her head at them as she grabbed my arm. "Let's get the tickets and snacks."
As we stood in line at the concession stand, Charlotte starting giving me a huge grin, which I knew, due to experience, that meant she had something up her sleeve. Something I probably wasn't going to like, but she thought I would love. I pretended as if I was extremely interested in reading about the different combos they offered- anything to avoid the look she was giving. I knew it was pointless; she would still tell me anyway.
"So Harper," she started, proving me right. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced at Noah before looking back at me. "We were thinking-"
"You were thinking," Noah corrected her, giving me an apologetic smile.
She gave him a look, and I couldn't help but think she was mentally taking away points. I wouldn't put it past her that she had practiced how to bring up whatever it was, and Noah wasn't playing along with the rehearsal.
"We were thinking," she started again. "That Noah has this friend that would be perfect for you."
I wiped my hands against my skirt as the three of them waiting for me to say something. I glanced between them, from Noah's apologetic look to Charlotte looking like she was ready to burst, to Carter's amused face.
"Oh, um," I stammered, trying to think of something that would get me out of this, and would satisfy Charlotte at the same time. "I don't know. Maybe."
Charlotte gave me a look. "Don't tell me you are still hung up on Ian." It was a statement, not a question.
Ian and I had been together most of our senior year of high school. I was crazy about him, and I was sure the feeling was mutual. And it was- for a while. Then as summer approached, Ian started acting odd. I had enough bad luck with guys to know something was changing, even if he wouldn't admit it right away. Then, he told me he wanted to be free over summer, and that he didn't want anything serious before going away to college. To Bexley, to be exact. So, we had broken up, and once again, I had been crushed, wondering why I always seemed to pick the wrong type of guy.
"No," I said honestly. "It's nothing like that…"
I had hoped that answer would be good enough for her, but sure enough, she was staring at me still, willing me to finish that sentence.
"Maybe Harper has someone else in mind."
I looked at Carter, praying he didn't say those words. I wanted to hug him and slap him at the same time. Charlotte immediately turned her attention to Carter, and I knew he was going to get an ear full from her, trying to get information about the mystery person he had mentioned.
If I had been doing that point system with Carter, he would've lost five.
"Let's leave the boys to carry the snacks, and let's go pick out the seats. I know you hate to miss the previews," I told her sweetly, hoping to end this topic once and for all.
She smiled at me. "You know me too well."
I ignored the guilt that comment gave me, and we walked to the theater. I let her pick out the seats, which she promptly picked near the top, and right in the middle of the aisle. She had th
is thing about being able to pick the seats, Emily would joke it was her type A personality, and she always picked to sit in the middle of the row for as long as I could remember.
She sat down first, so I walked around her to the left side. I knew the guys would be coming from the door on the right side of the theater so that they would sit on the other side of her. Given that we would be sitting in the dark, I thought it would be best for a little separation between Carter and me.
Sure enough, when Noah and Carter walked in, they sat down to the right of Charlotte. I let out a huge sigh of relief, happy that so far, we were about to all hang out together without anything getting awkward or intense. As much as I hated to admit it, I was glad my plan was working out.
Just then, the lights dimmed down, and I noticed Carter stand up, trying to walk past our feet without tripping as he hurried down the aisle towards me. I could barely keep my mouth from falling open as he plopped down in the seat next to me.
"What are you doing?" I hissed as softly as I could.
"Sitting?" He gave me a smirk, and I found it amazing how irresistible and annoying he was at once.
"Why are you doing it next to me?" I whispered to him.
He gave me a look, and I knew he loved this. Of course, he would, he loved putting me in uncomfortable positions.
"Because the seat was empty?" He said in a guessing voice.
"You know what I mean!" I said, noticing Charlotte and Noah glance over at us. "Sorry," I muttered to them.
"What is your problem?" He asked, leaning over as he whispered. I tried not to inhale his intoxicating scent.
"I don't know why you didn't just stay there. You made some big scene-"
"You made the big scene," he countered.
I let out a deep breath. "Fine."
"I got some popcorn for us to share, and we can't exactly do that with two people sitting between us," he said, giving me a charming smile.
One, he probably used a million times to get his way especially when it came to girls.
And damn, as much as I wanted not to let it affect me, I felt myself caving in. "Thanks," I reached over and grabbed some.
He leaned over, even closer, bringing his lips to my ear. I felt my eyes close against my will, almost wishing he was going to kiss it. "I kind of wish we were alone."
I didn't reply because I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I felt the same way. The lights went completely dark as the previews ended and the movie started. I felt something on my thigh and looked down to see Carter's hand there. He was still staring at the screen, but he had a huge grin on his face.
This was going to be a long night.
Carter
I stood outside Harper's door, debating if I was going to knock on it. A large part me wanted to since Harper had spent most of the night ignoring me, and shooting death glares in my direction, which I find to be hot. Then, after the movie, she said goodnight quickly, slipping away before I had a chance to go after her. I didn't even know why she was so upset, but it was pretty hilarious to watch her freak out over nothing. I talked with Noah and Charlotte for a little bit before I wandered back towards the dorm.
That is how I ended up standing here because the small part of me that was saying to go back to my room was stopping me from knocking. That side of me thought, maybe it was best just to let her cool down before I talked to her. I've dealt with enough women to know that when they are irrationally mad at you, there isn't much you can do to change that. Normally when that would happen, I would just cut the ties with them, but this was Harper.
I knew then what I had to do. Letting out a sigh, I raised my hand and gently tapped against her door.
She pulled the door open, not seeming surprised to see me standing there. She had changed into pajamas, which consisted of a tank top and these little shorts. I felt my eyes drop down, scanning her legs that seemed to go on for days. The looked so smooth and soft; I could picture running my fingers up to them and-
She cleared her throat, and I knew I had been caught staring. Damn, this isn't how I wanted to start this. My eyes jumped up to hers, and I gave her what I hoped was a charming smile.
"You left pretty quickly," I said, knowing I sounded like a moron.
"Nothing gets past you." There it was. The tone girls use when they are mad at you and want you to know they are mad at you.
I took a step towards her, and she closed the door behind me. That was a good sign; if she were pissed, she wouldn't have let me in.
"Are you upset because I got you popcorn instead of candy?" I asked, grinning at her.
She laughed for a second before she stopped herself as if she just remembered she was mad at me. "I asked you to keep things casual, and you were one step away from making out with me right in front of her."
"Damn, I was only one step away?" I joked, but the look on her face told me she didn't find it funny. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think I was acting that out of the ordinary, but I will try to control myself next time. But you know, she's going to find out eventually."
She looked at me as if I was speaking another language. "Eventually?"
"Well, yeah, what did you think…" I didn't finish the sentence, because the way she dropped her gaze from my eyes down to the floor said it all. "You didn't think this was going to last long enough to be worth mentioning?"
She looked back at me. "I just wasn't sure. I don't know what we are doing. And… I know how you are."
She wasn't saying it to be mean; she was honest. And she was right. Going from girl to girl is what I did. I did it when things got too serious on their end, and I did it when I got bored with hooking up with them, hell, I did it whenever I felt like it, even if there was no real reason. I felt slightly taken aback that Harper had thought she was just another girl to me, but then again, she had never seen me act differently.
"Well, I guess you don't know me as well as you thought," I said, walking over to sit on her bed.
She turned around to face me, placing a hand on her hip. "Excuse me, I know you better than you know me," she said, a challenge in her voice.
I couldn't help but smile; I loved it when she got competitive with me. "I beg to differ."
"You hate bananas. You think tennis is boring. You can write with both your right and left hand. When you were seven, you wanted to be an astronaut, and whenever you are nervous, you run a hand through your hair."
I felt my heart bang against my chest as I watched her count off on her fingers, all the little things about me that she knew. When her eyes met mine, I felt the pull and knew I wouldn't be able to resist it. I reached out, wrapping my fingers around her wrist, pulling her over to me. I pat the spot next to me on the bed, motioning for her to sit down. She looked uncertain for a second, then sat down next to me.
"You have two different kinds of laughs," I said, turning to face her. "A fake one you do when something is making you feel uncomfortable, or when you don't get the joke, and another, a real one, when something makes you generally laugh. Meatloaf makes you feel sick. You hate sitting in the backseat. You slept with a teddy bear named Mr. Pickles until you were ten. And…"
I placed my hand on her bare thigh, running my fingers down to her knee. I moved my fingertips in a circler motion around a tiny scar on her knee. "And this happened when you were twelve years old when we were ice skating. What was it? Four stitches?"
She was staring at me, her eyes were all glossy, and I was pretty sure that she wasn't breathing. Then, she reached her hand up, rubbing her fingers across my face to the back of my neck. Then she was pulling me towards her, bringing our lips together.
Then ask quickly as she started kissing me, she pulled away. "Why do you call me Rapunzel?"
The effects of her kiss were still surging in me, and it took a second for her words to register with my brain. "You don't remember?"
She shook her head. "I just thought it was another way for you to try to annoy me."
I laughed. "That was just a p
lus. Wow, you don't remember?"
"No! Just tell me," she gave me a playful shove.
"We were like five or six, and we were going to put on a play for our parents. You had on this pink dress and this gold crown, and I told you that you looked like a princess. You just laughed at me and told me that it was because you were Rapunzel. You always had that attitude, even back then."
"You…remember what color the dress was?"
I nodded, running my fingers in my hair before I remembered what she said about it. "I remember everything about-"
