‘Well, responsible Harper is also wondering when you think we should tell Anders, because you know he’ll shit bricks if he finds out on social media…’
Wow, that really is a first.
ChapterThirty
Harper
‘Oh shit,’ the words slip from my mouth as I scroll through my Instagram. Kianwasfast asleep behind me, like the big spoon he loves to be, but my words must startle him and he tenses behind me.
‘Do I even wanna know?’ he grumbles, his voice thick and sleepy.
He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. I wish I could protect him from what’s to come, but there’s nothing I can do.
It’s the first intimate photo I’ve ever seen of us. It’s not like we’ve ever taken any selfies together or been papped on a date. Mainly because we’ve never been on one of those, my fault obviously.
Some absolute asshole must have either flown a drone over the garden during the wake, or taken pictures over the walls, because they have a selection of different photos of me and Kian outside the marquee. Hand in hand, hugging, and to make sure there’s no possible misinterpretation, there we are kissing.
It’s beyond disrespectful and I can’t even begin to think what the newspaper in question paid the soulless monster who took these photos.
It’s bittersweet, because we look so good together, but it was such a private moment that this feels like a real violation.
I know, the irony, coming from me.
‘What is it?’ He sits up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. I’d forgotten how adorable he is when he first wakes up.
I tilt my phone screen away so he doesn’t immediately see it, but I’ve promised no more running and hiding.
So, I turn inwards to look him in the eye and he’s picking at the seam of his duvet. ‘Yeah, so the cat’s out of the bag.’
‘Us?’
He’s clearly still half asleep as he tries to figure out what I mean.
I tip the screen towards him.
‘I’m so sorry, Kian.’
‘Why are you apologising? God, Harper, I don’t care about that. We both knew this was coming. Are you bothered because they’re speculating about what this means?’
He gestures to the one of us kissing.
‘Bothered? No. They’ve published way worse photos of me in the last couple years. But this outs us. You can’t unbreak an egg, you know? It’s obvious we’re…’ I don’t want to struggle to say the wordtogether, but it’s not something that just rolls off of my tongue.
‘A couple?’
He laughs at me and I pinch the side of his belly.
‘I mean, we are a couple, right?’ he continues. ‘You’re my boyfriend, correct?’
‘Correct,’ I say. There, I’ve said it. Kind of.
‘Perfect, glad that’s solved. Makes it easier than one of us having to ask the other. I feel like I’m too old for that game.’
He pulls me back until we’re lying down together again, his arm outstretched so I can snuggle into him. Me. Snuggling. But it’s incredible. I’ve never felt so safe in my life. I want to stay here forever.
Except we can’t.
The season isn’t over yet and sooner rather than later we have to reunite with the team. We have to catch a flight to Japan and get back on the road again.
