by Zara Rivas
A flash of anger was in her eyes, and she turned and rushed to the door, pulling Ashley with her.
"What was that about?" Charlotte asked, looking at me expectedly.
"The hell if I know," I muttered. "I'll be back."
By the time I walked out the front door, Harper was already storming away down the sidewalk. I cursed under my breath and wished for a second that her legs weren't so long and that she wasn't so fast.
"Harper!" I called out, but neither she nor Ashley glanced back at me.
I took off down the sidewalk, jogging to make up for lost time, and considering my legs were longer, and I was faster, I was able to catch up.
"Harper, wait up," I said. I grabbed her arm to hold her in place and was surprised when she spun around to face me. "What's wrong?"
She snorted a laugh, clearly meant in jest. "What's wrong? You have the nerve to ask me that?"
Her tone was abnormally cold, and I knew I was in trouble. Ashley must have sensed it too because she looked between us uncomfortably.
"I, um, I'm going to give you a second," Ashley said to Harper, walking away.
Harper made a point to watch Ashley, then looked down at her shoes. I thought I was going to have to coax it out of her, but I was wrong because before I even had time to open my mouth again, she was talking. "I thought you were studying."
"We were, but then Charlotte wanted a break, and we were both hungry and-"
"And Noah just happened to be there?" She snapped at me.
"He invited us to eat; it's not a big deal. We weren't even going to be there long."
She was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you invite me?"
"I didn't even think about it."
She glared at me, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. "You didn't think about me."
I shook my head. "No, that's not what I said. I said I didn't think about it," I corrected her. "We were only going to be here an hour, so inviting you didn't cross my mind."
My stomach felt like it had knots in it, and my thoughts were all tangled up. Normally I was the king of arguments, but this little spat with Harper made me nervous and unable to form a coherent thought.
Her bottom lip started to shake, and she sunk her teeth into it. "So, when I wanted to go to dinner, that wasn't an option because you had to study, only you're not studying, you're having dinner with your friends. It seems like once again you ditched me to hang out with Charlotte."
"Harper…" I scratched nervously at the back of my neck, desperately thinking of something to say. "That's not what happened. I think you are overreacting here."
Wrong. That was the WRONG thing to say.
Her eyes filled with tears, her lips started to tremble, and it all felt like a punch in the stomach.
"You know what? You don't have to worry about me overreacting or having invited me to things because I don't want you thinking about me anymore. At all."
"Harper-" My voice came out like a plea but stopped short when she gave me a look of death.
I watched her take off down the sidewalk, and I wanted to run after her more than anything in the world. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I knew that was the last thing she wanted.
Carter
It's been four days since I've spoken with Harper. Four long days since I've kissed her lips touched that soft skin and ran my fingers through her silky strands. And to be honest, I have no idea what to do. Charlotte told me to give her some time- that Harper can be stubborn and needs time to blow off her steam.
But I can't take it much longer. I know I sound like a complete pansy, but I can't stop thinking about her. All of my energy is used to stop myself from texting or calling her. The worst part is this aching pain in my chest, and it's to the point where I'm feeling physically sick over it. It's not just the fact we haven't talked to each other; it's a fact she is mad at me. Livid even. I've had tons of girls pissed at me before, but this is the first time I've cared.
After sliding my phone open, I hold my finger above Harper's name. The temptation to call her is so great, and I have to curl up my fingers to resist. Instead, I scroll down to the name of another important female in my life.
The phone rings three times before she picks up. "Carter?"
"Hey, mom."
"Well, this is a surprise." I can hear the smile in her voice, and it brings one to my lips as well.
"I know, I'm sorry I don't call as much as I should," I pause, suddenly feeling bad for the reason of this phone call. "I was hoping you could give me some advice."
The other end of the phone is silent, and for a split second, I am worried she fainted from shock or something. I don't often ask my mom for advice, despite her constant reminders that she is always there to help.
She clears her throat, obviously surprised. "Of course, sweetie! What is it?"
I hesitate. I know she is thrilled. I have finally settled down and was even happier with who I did it with. I wasn't sure if I was ready to admit I might have already screwed it up. Not to her, not to myself.
"With Harper." My voice is so low I'm not even sure she can hear me. "I think I messed up and-"
"Oh god, she's not pregnant, is she?"
I can't help but laugh. "What? No!"
My mom lets out a soft laugh, the type that is a bit shaky from complete relief. "What is it then?"
I shrug before I remember we are on the phone and she can't see me. I can't help it, I've never been big on talking. "We are in a fight, I guess. We haven't talked in a few days."
"A fight about what?"
That's the million-dollar question.
"I'm not even sure. She wanted to hang out, but I had to study. Charlotte and I ended up grabbing a bite to eat with Noah, she saw us there and thought I didn't want to hang out with her. She got really upset, wouldn't listen to me, and I told her she was overacting."
My mom sighed softly. "First of all, never, ever tell a woman she is overacting."
"Yeah, I've learned that already."
Mom laughs, and I can see her shaking her head at me. "Secondly, even if Harper is blowing it out of proportion, she has hurt feelings at the core of her outburst. You need to consider those feelings."
"I didn't think of it that way. The problem is, I don't know what she is feeling or what to do about it. She doesn't want to talk to me." The aching pain was rearing its ugly head again.
"Honey, I think Harper is jealous. Even though she respects and understands your relationship with Charlotte, and knows she means a lot to you as well, she just…" Mom's sentence trails off as she struggles for the right words.
If Harper knew how much I thought about her, how much I felt about her, she wouldn't even think about being jealous. But I get it. Charlotte and I have a history that Harper and I will never share, even though she forgets that we have a future together I would never want with anyone else.
"She just needs a little reminder," I fill in for mom.
"Women love a grand gesture," mom laughs. "We can't help it, and it's just the way we are programmed."
Shit.
"Then I'm in trouble," I mutter. I'm not sure if I'm saying that to her, or myself.
"I can't help you with that sweetie, and it has to be from you."
Again- shit.
"Thanks for the help, mom."
"Thank you for coming to me."
I end the call with mom, falling onto my back on the bed, feeling completely defeated. A grand gesture? Yeah right. I have no experience with this, and it's clearly showing since I'm sucking at being a boyfriend.
I remember how long it took Harper to agree to give me a chance in the first place, how much trouble I had to go through. Sometimes I want to say it's not worth it, except I would be lying to myself. She is very much worth all this stress and frustration because I want her to be mine.
I can still remember in the beginning, when all we had were stolen moments whenever it was just the two of us. It wasn't easy then, and it won't be easy now.
But it will always be worth it.
Suddenly, I snap up at the memory of something we talked about once. It was almost too brilliant and too perfect, and I couldn't believe I just thought of it.
I knew exactly what I was going to do.
The tapping on my door is soft; I almost don't even hear it. I pull my book down from in front of my face, glancing at the door to make sure I didn't hear things.
No, there was someone knocking- er, tapping?
I fold the corner of the page and toss the book onto my bed. I walk across the room as slowly as I can, because to be honest, I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone.
I miss Carter. I miss him.
But the problem is, I might have taken it a little too far, and I feel stupid now. What do I say to him now? And why isn't he trying to talk to me? The answer is too scary to even think about it.
I pull the door open, and my heart nearly leaps into my throat when I see him standing there, those gorgeous eyes staring into mine. The gorgeous that makes you forget to breathe. His hair is in its normal disheveled state, and my fingers itch to tug on it.
I clear my throat. "Hi."
"Can I come in?" He asks, bypassing a greeting.
I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.
"Yes." I step back, making room for him to walk in the door.
He walks in and closes the door behind him, turning to face me. His face is super serious, but he doesn't seem mad. He almost looks… nervous?
Is nervous good or bad?
Great, now I'm feeling nervous.
"Carter, I-"
"No," he demands.
"No?"
He laughs softly, and the sound is so sweet. "I don't want you to talk, because I need to say something. I know it's hard for you to keep your mouth shut, but try, okay?"
I can't even get upset at what he says, because it's the truth. And it makes me smile that he has no problem telling me that.
"Okay."
He raises an eyebrow in surprise. "You're not going to fight me on that?"
"No, you're right. But I can if it makes you feel better."
He laughs, then puts on his serious face again. "No, I want you to sit down and listen."
I do what I'm told, and he sits down next to me. After letting out a heavy breath, he begins to talk.
"I know you were hurt and maybe even jealous when you saw us out."
I open my mouth to reply, but he gives me a look. "Oh, right, no talking." I pretend to zip up my lips.
He smiles at that gesture. "And I'm sorry. We were studying, and it honestly was a short break to eat. You were kind of out of line, too, but I didn't mean to upset you. You know that I care about you so much that I have never felt like this about anyone else, ever." He pauses. "And you also know that Charlotte is my best friend, right?"
I nod since I'm not supposed to talk.
He gives me this look that I can't read, and it causes butterflies to pound around in my stomach. "But, you are too."
He hands me this black velvet box, and those butterflies suddenly want to escape.
Oh god, please don't throw up.
My heart starts to beat wildly as I could feel myself start to panic slightly. "Carter-"
"Just open it."
I take the box from Carter, and after letting out a quick breath, I open the box.
Inside is a silver necklace, with a silver heart charm on it. Well, half of a heart on it. Holding it closer, I see it says 'best' on it.
"You once told me that if you have a best friend necklace, it should be a heart, right?"
It feels like the wind is knocked out of me as I'm overcome with emotion. "You…you remember that?"
"Of course. You told me that the weekend I stayed at your house earlier this year," he smiles at me. "I have the other half."
He pulls the chain out of the collar of his shirt. There it is, the same half heart, only he has the word friends on it.
My eyes start to tear up, and I lean over to kiss him. He deepens the kiss, and I sigh. It's been way too long.
I pull away from him, thinking of something. "You're going to wear that? Your friends are going to give you such crap."
"I don't care. I'd wear anything for you."
I smile because, how could I not? Then I go in for the only kiss; only he stops me by putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Just for the record, just because it says best friends, doesn't mean we are just friends. We still get to be together, and kiss, and-"
I laugh, shutting him up with a kiss. "Yes, Carter, I get it."
He smiles, then brushes my face before kissing me. "Good, cause there is no way I'd ever be able not to kiss you, Rapunzel."
I have the best boyfriend. And best friend.
