Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Harper chewed on her pen anxiously.
She'd been trying to write an essay for the past hour, but her mind had been clouded with thoughts of the previous night's events. She'd been inundated with texts from Drew, begging her for a chance to explain, but he seemed to have finally given up and left her alone for the past hour.
That didn't stop the whirring thoughts of what he had done from consuming her at every waking moment. Being with Luke had subdued the ache in her chest, but now that she was alone again she couldn't dull it.
In an attempt to force herself to focus, Harper had purchased a coffee and headed to the campus library, but it had done absolutely nothing to help her.
Defeated, she stood up and gathered her things in preparation to leave.
"You look a little tired, Harper Marie. Late night?"
She was startled backwards, her books crashing to the floor as her eyes met Luke's icy blue ones.
"If you can call no sleep at all a late night, Lucas, then yep." she popped the 'p' as Luke's face twisted into one of concern.
He leaned down, collecting her notebooks off the floor for her after briefly leaning the guitar case he'd been holding down against a desk.
"Shit. Really?"
Luke hadn't slept either, but he was used to that. Between late night band practice, parties with Calum and, well, random pretty girls wandering into his room late at night — how could he not be?
Harper just nodded, mumbling a thank you as he handed her back her notebooks.
"I have an essay due in a few days and couldn't get to sleep so thought I'd try and get a move on with it," she frowned, "Did you manage to get some sleep in the end?". Somehow, she knew the answer.
Luke shook his head, "Couldn't sleep either, Cal came back at seven thirty because he had a meeting with a lecturer this afternoon. Pretty much sat up playing guitar all morning," he gestured to his guitar case as he swung it back over his shoulder, "But I came to print some sheets off for Cal to get me out of the dorm."
Harper reached up, drifting her finger across the scuffed wood of the guitar case. She was intrigued, particularly as she'd spent a long time admiring it at his bedside last night — a gorgeous, sleek black Gibson ES-325 — and was too nervous to ask him to play it for her.
"It's gorgeous." she mused.
"I guessed you were into guitars from the fact you didn't stop staring at her all night last night," Luke smirked, "You could've just asked to have a go — granted, I'd have said no because she's my baby — but you only had to ask. Pretty sure you were dribbling!"
"She? And I was not dribbling!" Harper slapped his arm lightly with a scowl on her face, "Besides, I was gonna ask you to play it, not for me to have a go. I'm a bassist, above all else."
Luke licked his lips, taking in all of Harper's features again as he mentally added her interest in music to the list of things that amazed him about her already.
"Yes, she. Her name is Petunia. And you were most definitely dribbling, not that I can blame you." the smug smirk remained plastered on his face, earning a disapproving glare from Harper as she took a sip from the coffee she'd managed to keep clasped tightly in her left hand.
She pursed her lips, "Whilst I agree she is gorgeous and it was lovely seeing you again so soon, I'm gonna, uh, head back to my dorm. I need sleep and it's only a matter of time before Drew conveniently turns up here to continue being the bane of my existence."
Harper couldn't help but notice Luke's wide smile falter as she spoke, adding to the regret already immediately mounting. She wanted to stay in his company, she did, but she was too tired to maintain a proper conversation and given that Drew spent a lot of time in this library, she wanted to do whatever she could to avoid him.
"Oh yeah, that's fine," Harper hated that she could detect the disappointment laced in his tone as Luke bit his lip after speaking. God he looked good doing that. She ignored the thought springing to her mind. It was true, of course she wouldn't deny she found Luke attractive, but something about her thoughts felt wrong so soon after a breakup — even if it wasn't her fault things ended.
"I'll leave with you if— well if that's okay. I was heading back anyway."
Harper nodded, a twinkle in her eye, "I'd love that, Luke."
They both turned around, headed to the escalator that led to the exit of the building. They were chatting idly, the small talk flowing easily as though they'd known each other for far longer than the actual 15 hours since they had met.
As they reached the ground floor, Luke drew in a sharp breath before asking Harper how she was holding up regarding the Drew situation. He didn't want to pry, but given that what had happened was the initiator of their friendship, he was of course curious and wanted to know that she was okay.
"How're you holding up?"
"As long as I don't see him, I think I'll be okay. I've had a pretty good distraction so far," Harper blushes, eyes trailing to the floor as she spoke, "Three years down the drain, but I guess it's for the best since he can't keep his dick in his pants."
Luke smiled reassuringly, silently agreeing, "Would you let him try to explain if he asked to?"
"He's been texting to try and meet me all morning, I don't think I want to hear it. Even if he has some slight excuse, he cheated and we're over. Whatever he says isn't going to change that, so cutting him off is my best option. I don't need to hear him grovel, I just need to move on." she tilted her head, content with what she'd just said.
She meant it, and was determined to stick to it.
That was, until she spotted him entering the building and a "Fuck!" escaped her lips in irritation.
"Harper, love, I've been trying to get hold of you all day!" he called out to her, rushing over. His eyes scanned Luke up and down with a scowl on his face, before snapping straight back to Harper who looked furious.
"And I've been avoiding you all day. Now that we've addressed that, we've got places to be, Andrew. So fuck off." she snarled.
Drew scoffed as Harper linked arms with Luke and pulled him to swerve around her ex.
"I don't know who the fuck this twat is, but can he just go away so we can have a conversation? I have a lot to explain, I know, but I love you."
The words I love you sounded sour coming from his lips now, and Harper couldn't help but laugh. She didn't respond as she glanced back over her shoulder to give him a death glare.
"I believe she told you to fuck off, man," Luke smirked, also turning around briefly. With a brief teasing wink, Luke tugged Harper a little closer to his side, knowing he'd successfully pissed Drew off.
"And by the way — the name's Luke. But like Harper said, we've got places to be. So bye now, Dan."
——— :-) oh my god i forgot how much i adore writing this and editing this chapter has made me wanna write more so... get ready for more updates coming soon <3
