breathtaking. Her emerald eyes shimmered against the reflection of the candlelight as they looked at each other.
“Hey,” she whispered.
Nik wiped his face and propped himself up. “What are you doing here?”
“I had some thinkin’ to do.”
A concerned look washed over him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Harper pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them nervously. “Why are you here?”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind too.”
“Like what?”
“To be honest, mostly you. I wanted to stay away ‘cause all it does is remind me of us, but being here is the only thing that makes any sense. You’re all I can think about, and I don’t wanna stop thinking about you. I’ve been here every night since you left, so I can feel like we’re still close.”
“Nik—”
“Don’t worry, I know where we stand. I’m not saying this to change your mind. I’m just being honest. As much as it hurts, being here with your memory is far less painful than trying to forget you. That’s something I’ll never be able to do.”
Harper felt the tears coming on. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“Don’t apologize for being honest. You don’t wanna be with me. That’s just something I’ll have to live with.”
The intense pain in his eyes matched the devastation that dwelled within Harper. “No, you’re wrong. I do wanna be with you—”
“I know, but you’re afraid of what may happen to us. I get it.”
“No, you don’t get it. I shouldn’t have left that day. It was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve been miserable. Everything I do reminds me of you. It’s like you’ve become my life now. Without you, I don’t know how to be myself.”
“But how about all the things you said, like how you don’t think it’s a good idea?”
“I’ve had enough time to realize I was wrong. A lot’s happened over the last few weeks, like have you heard that Ricky died?”
“Yeah, everyone’s been talking about it today.”
“I think it’s a sign that you were right. We need to fight for this no matter what. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Every time I try tellin’ myself this ain’t gonna work, no matter what I do, I can’t move on. Yesterday I went to the psychic to help make sense of things. Even she said we belong together.”
Nik folded his arms in curiosity.
“Look, Ricky’s outta the picture. That along with what Brielle said about you and me needin’ each other and how we really feel, it’s like everything’s pointin’ us in the direction of bein’ together.”
“That’s all good in theory, but are you having a hard time ‘cause you really wanna be together, or ‘cause you feel bad for hurting me?”
“’Cause I want you, Nik.” Harper put her hand on his shoulder.
Nik closed his eyes and let the words resonate. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“What are you thinkin’?”
Nik looked into her eyes and reached for her hand. “Harper, I’m gonna be honest, the day you walked away totally crushed me.”
“I know—”
“I can’t go through that again.”
She frowned, defeated by his sadness. “I understand.”
“Remember why I told you my uncles, Jimmy and Robbie, moved to Wisconsin to get away from my dad? Before that, going to their house always made me feel safe, it was an escape from my home life, but when they moved, they took that away from me. Last year my father had an affair, left town with some strange woman, and left me behind with my horrible dad. Then two weeks ago, you abandoned me too.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t have left. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why people leave me, but not nearly as much since you’ve been gone. I always thought I wasn’t good enough until I met you. You became such a big part of me so quickly that I never had time to imagine life without you. And to be honest—I don’t like it. I don’t know
“Hey,” she whispered.
Nik wiped his face and propped himself up. “What are you doing here?”
“I had some thinkin’ to do.”
A concerned look washed over him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Harper pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them nervously. “Why are you here?”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind too.”
“Like what?”
“To be honest, mostly you. I wanted to stay away ‘cause all it does is remind me of us, but being here is the only thing that makes any sense. You’re all I can think about, and I don’t wanna stop thinking about you. I’ve been here every night since you left, so I can feel like we’re still close.”
“Nik—”
“Don’t worry, I know where we stand. I’m not saying this to change your mind. I’m just being honest. As much as it hurts, being here with your memory is far less painful than trying to forget you. That’s something I’ll never be able to do.”
Harper felt the tears coming on. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“Don’t apologize for being honest. You don’t wanna be with me. That’s just something I’ll have to live with.”
The intense pain in his eyes matched the devastation that dwelled within Harper. “No, you’re wrong. I do wanna be with you—”
“I know, but you’re afraid of what may happen to us. I get it.”
“No, you don’t get it. I shouldn’t have left that day. It was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve been miserable. Everything I do reminds me of you. It’s like you’ve become my life now. Without you, I don’t know how to be myself.”
“But how about all the things you said, like how you don’t think it’s a good idea?”
“I’ve had enough time to realize I was wrong. A lot’s happened over the last few weeks, like have you heard that Ricky died?”
“Yeah, everyone’s been talking about it today.”
“I think it’s a sign that you were right. We need to fight for this no matter what. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Every time I try tellin’ myself this ain’t gonna work, no matter what I do, I can’t move on. Yesterday I went to the psychic to help make sense of things. Even she said we belong together.”
Nik folded his arms in curiosity.
“Look, Ricky’s outta the picture. That along with what Brielle said about you and me needin’ each other and how we really feel, it’s like everything’s pointin’ us in the direction of bein’ together.”
“That’s all good in theory, but are you having a hard time ‘cause you really wanna be together, or ‘cause you feel bad for hurting me?”
“’Cause I want you, Nik.” Harper put her hand on his shoulder.
Nik closed his eyes and let the words resonate. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“What are you thinkin’?”
Nik looked into her eyes and reached for her hand. “Harper, I’m gonna be honest, the day you walked away totally crushed me.”
“I know—”
“I can’t go through that again.”
She frowned, defeated by his sadness. “I understand.”
“Remember why I told you my uncles, Jimmy and Robbie, moved to Wisconsin to get away from my dad? Before that, going to their house always made me feel safe, it was an escape from my home life, but when they moved, they took that away from me. Last year my father had an affair, left town with some strange woman, and left me behind with my horrible dad. Then two weeks ago, you abandoned me too.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t have left. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why people leave me, but not nearly as much since you’ve been gone. I always thought I wasn’t good enough until I met you. You became such a big part of me so quickly that I never had time to imagine life without you. And to be honest—I don’t like it. I don’t know
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