You Belong With Me

Chapter 16 // Reflex

"-and this is the rock that I got when we lived in British Columbia, Canada. I remember picking it out with my sister, Kayla, taking it out of the slushy snow a couple years ago," Logan explained, holding a somewhat large rock with a green-blue colour that seemed to run in a wide line across the surface.

"Then I moved to Oregon - but you already saw the rock from there - and then here," he finished, putting the last rock back with the rest.

"Wow, you've been to a lot of places," I thought out loud, still looking at the long row of rocks set on the floor.

He nodded his head with a small laugh, before we fell into silence.

"So...your sister," I started, attempting a topic change, "-is she older or younger than you?"

He looked back up at me, further engaging in the conversation.

"She's older, twenty-two. She doesn't visit often, though, since she's away at College. We left her in Oregon."

"Were you guys close?" I responded after a pause, wanting to learn more about him.

"Yeah, we were," he said simply, a smile growing on his face.

I smiled back, watching him lost in his thoughts for a second.

He abruptly stood up as he stretched his arms above his head, prompting me to get up as well.

From the corner of my eye I saw him glance around his room absentmindedly before looking at me.

"So, you want to watch a movie?" he suddenly asked.

"Now? It's like...6:10. I'm starving!" I joked, attempting to cover up my nerves that came with his question.

"Well, we can eat food too," he pointed out, smiling as his brow rose an inch.

I debated his offer in my head as I watched him grin back at me for a couple of seconds, excitement glistening in his eyes.

I finally let out a sigh as a smile overtook my own face.

"Okay. Let's get food!" I cried as I ran out of his room, finding a new sense of adrenaline.

I heard his laugh which only encouraged my behaviour as I glanced behind me.

That's when I crashed into something ahead and stumbled backwards, letting out a huff of air.

I heard Logan's laugh once again as he approached me, stepping into my line of sight before reaching out his hand for me to take.

I thanked him as I got up, still unsure of what actually happened, until I made eye contact with the guy in front of me.

"Woah, sorry about that," he apologized, scratching the back of his neck.

"Uh, that's alright...it was probably my fault," I replied, feeling my face heat up while shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

He suddenly stuck out his hand for me to shake.

"I'm Logan's dad, Henry."

"Oh! Um, hi! I'm Harper Greene. I live just next door," I greeted, smiling back while shaking his hand.

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Harper!" he said, raising his hand in a wave before walking past us.

"-and welcome here!" he quickly added, continuing down the hall.

I panicked at his retreating figure, scrambling to say something nice back.

"Thanks, welcome here too!"

That's when I realized what I had said and the embarrassment hit even harder than before.

I heard Logan let out a small snicker from behind me.

"Hey! It was a reflex!" I defended myself with burning cheeks.

"Mhm..."