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Chapter 7
It had seemed to Harper that she had experienced every type of anger that ever existed since her birthday party. If there was ever a job in the world that revolved around dealing with anger, she would have been the perfect match.
Harper walked herself over to Brian’s house, trying her best to not think too much on what she would say to him. There was too much to say, and too much to keep track of. Trying to organise it all on the way over would just turn up fruitless efforts.
Funny enough, the sky had turned cloudy that day, the perfect representation of her mood and the situation that had caused it. Brian was a mess. Part of her didn’t even know why she was bothering herself with going over to his house to get his side of the story. What did it matter? He always had some backwards logic for his behaviour.
He didn’t work along the same lines as other people in the world. It was his way or no way. Well, that day she would put him in his place despite all that. He wouldn’t get into some stupid scuffle with her. Even if he tried, she would bring him to the ground so fast that the ground would flinch.
Harper gave Brian’s door three long and heavy knocks. It had been a day since their scuffle, enough time for Brian to seemingly form a terrible enough excuse for his actions.
The door opened to reveal Brian. His face was a mix of surprise, remembrance, and guilt. Harper could feel her own face as still as stone. Her eyes probably looked so dead that vultures were swooshing down as she stood there.
“Why is Michael’s eye swollen shut?” she asked, and Brian looked perplexed. Did he not even remember his own actions?”
“I remember choking him. I don’t remember punching him…I was really angry.”
“That is the farthest thing from an explanation. ‘I was angry’ is a statement. Not a reason. Not that I expect any reason good enough for almost killing our friend.”
“I don’t think that I almost killed him. I think that that’s an exag—wrong time for sarcasm, right?”
Harper ignored his comment and pushed past him into the parlour. Then she took a seat. Shortly after that, Brian slowly closed the door.
It had been a long while since she had been in his house. She remembered it all the same. Nothing had changed. And that saddened her because she knew why. Brian and his father most likely wanted to leave everything as it was because it reminded them of Brian’s mother. Oftentimes, with all his defensive sarcasm and anger, it was easy to forget just what he had been through. Although that was still no excuse for his recent behaviour.
Her mind went back to the matter of how he had stopped drinking because of what she said. Maybe it was a sign that he just needed to be pushed in the right direction sometimes. His father probably didn’t know how to go about that. Men were bad with their feelings. Harper knew that much. They were even worse with their feelings after losing a woman they loved.
Harper watched Brian as he sent his eyes to the floor and looked somewhat flushed. It was rare to see him so guilt-ridden, so embarrassed. Why did he care so much if he never wanted to take a wife? What would make him go flush around Harper if all he wanted to do was push her away?
Part of her wished that he would just say that he lied and hadn’t fought Michael. That’s what she had really come for, to stupidly hear him say that it wasn’t him who hurt Michael over pettiness. But that wasn’t going to happen. Because he had already confessed.
Harper realised that it was something else that she had wanted him to say. It wasn’t that she wanted him to lie. It was just the opposite. She wanted him to say that he did it for her. She wanted to hear it right from his mouth.
“So, are you going to tell me why you hurt Michael? I did not come all this way just for your silence and wrongly timed sarcasm.”
She waited and watched as he kept his eyes to the floor. Aside from waiting and watching, she hoped. Harper desired. All she wanted to do was hear those words.
“I don’t know, Harper…sometimes men just like to fight.”
Without any hesitation, Harper stood up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Brian asked, with a softer look on his face.
She let a pause fill the room as she walked herself to the door. “I’ll just go ask Michael if you won’t tell me yourself. Maybe he’ll be more truthful since it seems like the truth is your one weakness.”
Brian let out a sigh and put his hand to the door. “Harper, please sit.” Frustration and defeat filled his face. “First and foremost, Michael is not without his rakish qualities. He deserved what I gave him.”
Harper quickly shook her head. “How can you say such a thing after what occurred between you both. You want to emphasize his bad qualities, but I am looking at someone who exhibits the most rakish qualities of all. Do you not think that you are at fault?”
“This does not need to be about me, Harper. We are speaking about Michael.”
Right now, it feels rather interchangeable. But fine, as you wish. When it comes to Michael, whether he is rakish or not, I believe that anyone can reform from those qualities. I have also known Michael just as long as I’ve known you. And that is a long time. He is not a man that has ever hurt me. I cannot say the same towards you.”
Brian had been pacing during their quarrel, and her eyes followed him back and forth. But when she said that, he stopped for a moment, as if the words had been a bullet in his flesh.
“When have I ever hurt you?” Brian turned to face her. “Because of what I did at your birthday ball? I told you. That was on accident and nothing more.” There was a pleading look on his face. He cared. He cared more than she suspected.
“Just because someone doesn’t harm a person directly, does not mean that they cannot inflict pain upon them in other ways. What you did to Michael, his face, that hurt me. And when it comes to you, I know there is no reform.” Harper said it to see his reaction.
