Harper exited her bedroom for a glass of milk. It was already almost midnight, and all she had ever done as soon as she hit the bed early that night was to watch some reaction videos on YouTube on her phone, then toss and turn in her bed after. She had already counted every the imaginary sheep in her mind, but Mr. Sandman seemed to have deliberately refused to bring her a dream.
As she climbed down the stairs and walked to the living room, she noticed Libby’s slim figure was sprawled out on the sofa, her eyes on the tv screen, white and grey light flickering across her face. Harper watched her, glanced at the screen, then watched Libby again being oblivious to her presence before she asked her, “What are you watching?”
On the black and white screen, a woman and a man were talking to one another on a rotary phone. Neither looked happy as they listened to each other. A definite lovers quarrel was what was going on between the two characters.
Libby’s eyes suddenly lit up as soon as she heard Harper’s voice. She smiled. “I don’t really know. I think I’m already halfway through the movie when I tuned it. But I think these two used to be together, but I guess something happened because the woman eloped with another guy to New York."
“Sounds tragic,” Harper quipped.
“Why are you still up?” Libby asked.
“Milk. Can’t sleep. I’ll be right back.” She headed over to the kitchen to resume her mission and fetched herself a glass of milk from the fridge. Then she went back to the living room and stood behind the sofa.
“I like this other guy, though,” Libby said without looking at her. “He seemed more truthful to her.
Harper took a large gulp of her milk and watched the same woman on screen who was now having dinner with another guy in some fancy restaurant, a man in a suit was playing the violin as they cautiously munch on their food. Judging how the woman’s eyes wandered around the room, she quickly concluded that she was more interested in the man she was arguing with on the phone. The guy she was trying to hold a decent conversation with was obviously just thrown in to make the woman realize she was actually in love with the other guy.
This made Harper thought why Libby liked the supporting character instead of the lead? Was it for the fact alone that this guy on screen was more truthful to the female protagonist?
*Truthful*―something Harper realized she hadn’t really been for the past weeks.
Feeling far too awake for the hour, she then took her seat beside Libby. "Why are you still up. Can’t sleep?"
Libby nodded, eyes still on the screen. “How’s Master Alex?”
“Already snoring by the time I left his room.” Harper let out a half-smile. “I still find it weird…you and everyone here calling him…*master*.”
Libby glanced at her, then smiled. “I understand.”
Harper noted how she looked so comfortable, and sometimes even happy, to address Alex as such. Then she wondered if there could really be any reason why they all uphold the guy as such.
“They think it’s funny, though,” Libby said.
“What is?”
“You being his fiancée.”
“They think I’m insane. Am I right?”
She shrugged. “They don’t really talk much about you with me. They think we’re best friends.” She laughed. “Don’t worry. If they talk anything nasty about you, I will not hesitate to smack them.”
“Thank you,” Harper replied, smiling at her.
“But why don’t you like Master Alex, though? Was he a bad boss to you?” Libby asked, tilting her head to the side.
Harper looked at her for a moment. “Have you ever disliked someone simply because they’re bad at their job and everyone around you is okay with it, which only makes it worse?”
“I think I have,” she said, slowly nodding her head. “Oh! Salvador, from high school. I partnered with him for a couple of school projects. He was a vermin. What a lazy bone that guy was―wait!” She paused. “Are you telling me that Master Alex is―was―a good-for-nothing slacker?”
It's probably only because Alex wasn’t there to berate Libby, but Harper heard a bit of curiosity and not an utter shock in her voice.
“Well, let’s just say that he’s apathetic towards his duty as our CEO. Like he couldn’t care less.” She sighed. “And his noncommittal and incompetence had me and his assistant working our asses off so that he’d look good. I mean, it’s okay for us to work really hard, but we actually ended up working so hard for the wrong reasons,” she added in short bursts of breath, jaw set firmly like she had more to say.
“I see. I just thought it was weird that…you know? Him being so insanely attractive and all. But, well, I guess him being born with a silver spoon in his mouth has had contributed a lot to why he is the way he is? Everything’s actually done for him. Maybe he’s only given the CEO position so that he’d have something to do when he’s really *really* bored. Who knows?” Libby pointed out candidly.
“He could at least try and do an actual work or give the role to someone who could actually execute,” Harper argued. “And I don’t really think he’s that attractive.”
Libby’s mouth dropped. “Are you blind?”
She shrugged and sighed dramatically. “My god! I thought you’re nothing like those women at the office. Seriously, Libby. Have you seen Lucas? Do you know him?”
Libby made a face and reflected. “Lucas? You’re into Lucas?”
“You know him?”
She nodded, grinning. “I heard that he and Master Alex go way back. Yeah, he’s eye candy too. I guess Lucas is someone you’d want to dance the waltz with, but when you’re in the mood for some dirty dancing, then Master Alex is definitely the guy you’d want to grab.”
Harper laughed, then took another gulp of her milk. A touch of annoyance flashed across her face.
Libby gasped in faux shock. “Oh, no! Are you in love with Lucas?”
And she blushed. Hard. “Since college. Lucas isn’t just someone you’d want to dance the waltz with. He’s also someone you’d want to be there for you when you go to the dentist; someone to sit next to you when you’re in the mood to watch some really scary movie shit; someone you want to talk to when you’re having a really bad day; someone you want to cuddle with when it’s raining,” she stopped, then smiled. “Just someone you want to be with all the time, I guess.”
“Awww, Harper, that is so cute,” Libby said affectionately.
*“Then why don’t you just call him?”*
They looked at one another for a moment before turning around to see none other than Alex himself, standing on the dim-lit staircase.
A heavy silence fell over the two of them at once.
“Alex?”
“I woke up and looked for you. I couldn’t go back to sleep,” Alex said flatly, then turned to Libby. “A glass of milk to my room, please.” Then he turned around and climbed back up without saying anything to Harper.
“Do you think he heard everything we said?” A hint of panic edged its way into Harper’s question. “Shit.”
Libby nodded and bit her lip before saying, “I guess so. Your fiancé looked really pissed.”
“Cut it out. I think I have to go and talk to him,” Harper muttered, talking more to herself than anything. “I’ll go get a glass of milk.”
“Are you sure?” Libby asked with a slight concern.
“Yes.”
*** * ***
Alex paced the length of his room, sighing as he scrubbed his hands over his face. Questions were running in his mind, and all he wanted to do was make it stop as he had just experienced another splitting headache, and he was rather exhausted to have another one.
Taking another deep breath, he let out a huff and made his way toward his bed when he heard the knob turned, and Harper came walking in with a glass of milk in her hand.
Harped closed the door behind her and raised the glass of milk to him. “Here you go.”
“I asked Libby. Not you. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
She had expected to hear it, but really hearing it sort of hurt her. Darn. She had never seen this look of betrayal on Alex’s face. “Please, Alex, just hear me out―”
Alex winced, running his hand through his messy brown hair. “What else is there to say, Harper?” His voice was relatively low and tight.
Harper carefully set the glass on his bedside table. “Look, I’m sorry. I tried to tell you but…the headaches, your chest pains, and tantrums. I couldn’t―”
“What kind of relationship did we really have? Were we open to each other? Given that I cheated on you, but were you having doubts when I proposed to you?” He walked over to the sofa by the window and sat down.
“Alex―” She began, only to be quickly cut off by him.
“If you’re still hung up on that guy,” he made an angry grunt and shook his head, “you should have just said so.” His voice was growing louder with such disappointment. But as he met her gaze, something else was visible in his eyes.
*Jealousy?*
Harper opened and closed her mouth. But Alex was right. She couldn’t argue with that. And she hated it. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she couldn’t. Not with his current state, and not without Lucas’ telling her it was finally okay to tell his so-called fiance the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
“Look,” Alex cleared his throat, gesturing with his hand. “I’ve no memory of whatsoever about us. So, I’m not really jealous here. But since I am your fiance, or so you told me, and we were trying to patch things up again before the accident, or so you told me, I just think it’s quite unfair that you don’t tell me absolutely everything. Even the fact that you still have feelings for that guy…Marcus.”
“Lucas.”
“Listen, I want you to be very honest to me now. Okay? Are you and that guy Klaus―”
“Alex, his name is Lucas,” Harper softly said, pushing a smile from gracing her lips. It was so evident to her that Alex was doing it on purpose.
“Whatever the hell his name is!”
“Fine.” She knew that her mouth was hanging open again, which it continued to do for the next couple of seconds, but she couldn’t close it as she was both stunned and weirded out upon hearing Alex react like this about his own friend.
“Are you still with him?” Alex asked her, an ironic tone lacing his voice.
Harper was very much aware of just how painfully she’d be grasping for straws because she didn’t know what else she could possibly say. Or what lies she’d say this time.
“Harper? Do you still like―love―him?”
“What?!” Harper snorted. “Stop making this an issue, Alex.”
“It’s a simple question. You still do, or you don’t?” Alex repeated with a drawl.
She shook her head and turned toward the door. “I’m not having this right now.”
“Harper!”
She whirled back around when she suddenly felt a vibration in her side pocket. Stopping, she pursed her lips and stared back at Alex. The relentless ringing of her phone soon filled the room.
“Why don’t you answer it? Maybe it’s Ruffus.”
“Haha!” She reached into her pocket and answered the call without looking at who was calling. Her eyes were still on Alex, who was also staring back at her.
*“Harper!”* She felt her heart almost leaped out of her chest as soon as she heard Lucas’s voice.
“Lucas…”
Alex chuckled and stood up from the sofa, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Predictable!”
*“You have to leave now,” Lucas said. “You’re no longer safe there.”*
“What?” Harper’s face was immediately drained of color.
*“Go to your parents’. Bring Alex with you. I will meet you there. Leave now.”*
“In Maine?! Lucas! What’s going on?”
*“There’s no time. Just hurry and leave now. Please. I gotta go.”*
“Wait―”
Then the line went dead.
“What did that guy say to you?” Alex smugly asked.
Harper took a deep, long shaky breath. “Pack your things.”
“Why?”
“You’re meeting my parents.”