“Okay, well, in any case, I’m just…” She looked to me, her eyes glittering in the dimness. “Now is not a good time.”
I took her hand in both of mine. “For?”
“You know what.”
She gently extracted her hand from mine, reached into her bag, and pulled out a check.
My brows furrowed. “Haven’t seen one of these in ages. Did you steal this from a museum?”
“Ha-ha,” she said. “I couldn’t find you on Venmo or Zelle. You can take a photo and auto-deposit… What are you doing?”
I took a bite out of the check and chewed the paper. Then another.
She snatched it back. “Orion, goddammit. We need a clean slate. So that I can deal with all the shit I have to deal with and not have this debt hanging over my head.”
“You’re not paying me back, Harper. It’s the least I could do for all the crap my so-called friends have put you through.No,” I said, when she started to protest. “I’m not going to hear it. Done is done.”
She stared at me a moment more, then let her hands fall in her lap. “Infuriating and.…”
“And?” I said, smiling tiredly. “What else am I?”
Harper shook her head, holding my gaze a moment more. Tears stood out in her eyes, and behind them I saw longing. Ifeltit, because it was the same I had for her. I wasn’t any good at something real with a girl. I’d never done it before. But I’d wanted to try, and now…
“I should go.”
She started to go, but I took her hand. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I made a promise to myself that the next time I got involved with someone it wouldn’t be casual. I want something real and solid. Let me finish,” she said, when it was my turn to protest. “But that goes both ways. My bandwidth is stretched to the breaking point. I’m not going to be good for anyone right now.”
“Why not let me be the judge of that?”
She huffed a breath and wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. “But it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“Friends,” I said sourly. “Yay.”
She pursed her lips. “And as yourfriend, you need help and you’re not getting it. Don’t argue with me,” she added, her expression fierce with anger now. Not at me, butforme. The fighter in her turning the battle toward my enemies. An ally. No one had been that for me in a long time.
“I’ll help you with your classes if you’ll let me. History, at least. You don’t need help in piano, though I think you should take whatever Wolfe is offering. It’s not every day a world-famous prodigy dumps free lessons in your lap.” Harper’s expression softened. “You have a gift, Orion. A real gift. And you’re not lazy or broken or anything else. But you need more help than a bottle of pills and a shrug.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “That’s a nice feeling. To have someone who believes in me.”
“I do,” she said.
“Then stay.”
Harper smiled sadly and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Good night, Orion.”
Her lips were soft on my skin, and after, she hovered there. The warmth of her and her scent—wildflowers and cherries—filled my space. Her hesitation was palpable, her eyes shining and dark in the dim light, her lips so close it would be nothing to lean in and capturethem with mine. To taste her and get lost in her and let her get lost in me. To solve this problem of us, consequences be damned.
But Easton fucking Locke chose that moment to step into the room instead of his usual two a.m.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll just—”
Harper jerked back. “No, I was just leaving.” She gave me a final, lingering glance then turned away. “Easton?”
He nodded.
“Take care of him,” she said, and then she was gone.
