I forced my body to relax but noticed Brad’s hands had clenched into fists, and he was still glaring.
“Shouldn’t be taking it out on you.” I shrugged.
“Brandon doesn’t deserve your bullshit, either.”
“I know; he’s not the one I’m mad at.”
Brad’s eyes went wide, and his fists unclenched as he stepped away from the door. He sat on the couch he’d put in his room, and I sat on a chair he had pulled up in front of the TV for gaming. “It’s been nice to not have any fights between the two of you, but your disappearing wasn’t what anyone wanted either.”
I nodded. “Finding it harder and harder to be near them, she’s all I think about anymore. But I know I’m the one who fucked up. I should’ve never pushed her away.”
“I don’t get you, man. You change your life for her, ruin your friendships for her . . . then you disappear for a few weeks, and now you’re just giving up; but you’re still in love with her?” Before I could respond, he shifted forward in the couch, and his voice got low. “Did you see her that weekend?”
My eyes snapped up to meet his, and my mouth fell open, but nothing came out.
“Look, I didn’t want to tell you she was staying because I knew you were going to be running by your parents’ house. That probably makes me just as much of an asshole to Brandon as you’ve been, but you and Harper needed to work this out. And with the depressing bullshit you’d been pulling, I knew you would have stayed away from her. So, did. You. See her?”
We continued to stare at each other before I leaned back in the chair with a groan and raked my hands down my face. “I love her.”
“Know that.”
“She loves me, too.” I kept my eyes trained on the ceiling and kept talking. “Spent that night and the next morning with her.”
“Shit, Chase.”
“And, well, you know everyone came back early. Princess got scared, and went back to Brandon.”
“And you disappeared.”
“Yep.” I sighed heavily and looked back at him. “She said she needed time, but I know she doesn’t. I’ve messed things up with her too much from the beginning for her to come to me.”
“So what are you gonna do now? Keep staying gone?”
“I don’t know. Told Mom and Dad this morning that I was thinking about moving away from San Diego after graduation to get away from them. But I just caught a glimpse of her for the first time in weeks, and I don’t think I can do that. I just can’t stay away from her.”
The door flew open, and Brandon didn’t even enter the room fully as he yelled, “Harper fainted, and she’s not waking up.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I was out of the chair and racing after him, with Brad right behind me before I fully registered what he had said. When I got to the kitchen, my princess, my entire world, was lying on the ground covered in sweat. Her eyes were wide open and bouncing between Bree, Brandon, Brad, and me.
Brandon went down on his knees next to her, and I gripped the island next to me. I wanted to be the one to make sure she was okay. “She’s awake?” he asked Bree.
“She’s okay, Chase,” Brad said low enough so only I could hear, and clapped my shoulder once. “She’s fine, calm down.”
There was a loud thud, followed by a moan from Harper. “Ow.”
I gripped the counter harder when Brandon reached for her, and her eyes locked on him. “Brad, get the couch ready for her.”
He walked away from me, and I worked on controlling my breathing as I watched my best friend take care of her. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. Harper asked if she’d fallen asleep in the kitchen, and for the first time since Brandon had rushed into the bedroom, I felt like laughing.
Bree laughed, but it sounded shaky. “Not quite. You passed out.”
“I did?” Harper’s already-wide eyes got even wider, and she looked scared.
“Yeah, Harper,” Bree responded. “Scared the crap out of us, too.”
Brad came back into the kitchen. “Couch is ready, so get her over there.”
Brandon went from his knees to a crouch and looked up at both Brad and me, but we were already stepping toward her. We’d all seen Brandon carry Harper more than enough times, and Lord knew I could carry that girl; but I hadn’t seen her go down, and none of us knew what was wrong with her. So with me at her head and shoulders, Brad holding her legs and Brandon carrying her body, we walked her over to the couch.
“I’m fine,” Harper groaned, and tried to sit up once we had her on the couch. “You’re all being ridiculous.”
Brandon looked at her like she was crazy and pushed her gently back down. “Sweetheart, you were out for—”
“I get that, but I’m fine now.” She sighed and rolled her eyes at the same time her stomach growled loudly. She smiled and pointed at her stomach. “See, I’m fine.”
It felt like I couldn’t breathe. Something as ridiculous as her stomach growling, and all of a sudden all I could see was us in my bedroom, her naked body on top of mine as she arched against me. That had been the best morning of my life, and I would give anything to go back and replay it over and over.
“Uh, Brad?” Harper’s voice snapped me back to the present, and I saw her wince as she looked at Brad holding a small towel to her leg. “Could you ease up? You’re hurting me.” Her face fell when she saw him stand up with the bloody cloth. “What the—”
“You dropped your mug, and a big chunk sliced your leg pretty good,” Brandon hurried to tell her what happened, and his head dipped in to kiss her neck. Harper’s eyelids fluttered shut, and she inhaled deeply.
The pain in my chest intensified, and once I knew she was all right, I couldn’t stand to be in the room with them anymore. I hung my head and stepped away from all of them, wishing for the thousandth time I could go back in time to when I first met that gray-eyed girl and do everything differently.
I walked back into Brad’s room to grab my keys, and when I turned to leave, he was standing in the doorway. “You leaving again?” When I just nodded, he asked, “For how long this time?”
“I don’t know, man, I’ll probably keep staying at my parents. Watching her go in and out of his room would kill me. But I’ll be around.” He pointedly looked at the keys in my hand, and I raked my free hand over my face. “Have to get to class, then to the shop. You guys surfing at our spot tomorrow?”
“Always.”
“All right, I’ll be there.”
Brad grinned, and I made my way past him and to the hall. Brandon was making breakfast in the kitchen when I went past him, and I tried not to grit my teeth when he spoke.
“Where’ve you been, bro? I haven’t seen you for more than ten seconds since I got back.”
“Just been busy with the shop.” I shrugged. “Mom and Dad’s house is closer to work. It’s easier just going back there.” I heard Bree and Harper talking down the hall toward Brandon’s room, and looked up at him. “She okay?”
“Harper? She’ll be fine. Bree said she hasn’t eaten since yesterday morning; I’m guessing that’s it.”
I looked back at the breakfast he was making her and thought about the only time I’d ever cooked for her and how my life had turned to shit while I was doing it. “Well, take care of her.”
Brandon’s eyes widened before narrowing as his brow bunched together, but before he could say anything else, I took off for the front door and left for school.