Chapter 61 TYLER
"Mark, Mom wants you—" Megan’s voice cut off as I pulled away from Mark, my breath catching in my throat. She stood in the doorway with a bag of groceries in her hand, eyes wide like she’d walked into a crime scene.
For once, Mark didn’t turn pink or ramble or run away. He just kept staring at me, calm in a way that made everything worse. I scrambled to look anywhere but at him until Megan cleared her throat. Even then, he didn’t look at her.
“Harper, I didn’t know you were coming over,” Megan said through gritted teeth.
“I… forgot to call. I didn’t know you’d be out with your mom.”
“Right.” She turned to her brother. “Mark, Mom needs help with the groceries. Harper, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?”
Oh dear God.
Her clipped tone was enough to tell me she was pissed. And she had every right to be. I shouldn’t have kissed Mark. There were way too many reasons why it was a terrible idea. Now I had to explain it to Megan when she knew very well that I didn’t have feelings for her brother.
I stood up slowly, trying not to look like a walking guilty conscience as Megan practically stormed to the kitchen. Mark finally got up and went outside.
“Okay, look, I know this is bad—” I began, but she cut me off instantly.
“Harper, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“I swear, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“Well, it happened.” Her voice shook with anger. “Do you even know what this is going to do to Mark? For you it’s just some stupid kiss, but he has had a crush on you since forever.”
I lifted a hand to calm her, searching for something—anything—to say. “I’ll fix it, I swear.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What does fix it even mean? What’re you going to do when he confesses his feelings? Just break his heart in some polite speech?”
“No, I’ll…” My mind went blank. Completely blank. My mouth opened but nothing came out.
Megan stepped closer, her expression still hard. “I joke about not caring sometimes, but when it comes to my brother, I don’t play. You think you know that, Harps, but you really don’t. So think twice before you hurt him.”
She didn’t wait for my response. She shoved my shoulder lightly, but on purpose, as she brushed past me. I caught myself against the counter, heart pounding in my ears. Embarrassment burned under my skin. And the worst part was that she wasn’t wrong. I shouldn’t have let it happen at all.
My eyes stung, the guilt twisting in my chest. I couldn’t stay here. Not after this.
I turned to leave but walked right into a firm chest. The scent of floral detergent mixed with the faint warmth of his skin hit me instantly. The same scent I’d noticed when he kissed me on the couch.
I stepped back quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. Tell Megan I’ll see her later.”
But Mark caught my wrist before I could move.
“You’re leaving? Did Megan say something?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “No. I just—got a call from my dad and I was—”
“You’re lying.”
I froze.
“You blink a lot when you lie,” he said gently, taking a step closer.
My breath hitched. We were standing way too close, close enough that I could count the freckles on his cheeks.
“I’m a blinker normally,” I said weakly, desperate to diffuse the tension.
He slowly let go of my wrist, exhaling. “Listen, Harper. I know you don’t like me like that. And I know I should apologize for kissing you. But honestly… I’m not sorry. I liked it.” His voice softened. “And I really lov—”
“It was a mistake,” I cut in, louder than I meant to. Panic tightened my throat. The last thing I needed was a confession I wasn’t ready for. “Please, Mark… don’t say those three words to me. We’re friends. That’s it.”
His brows lifted slightly. He opened his mouth, then shut it with a small scoff and a smile. “I was going to say I really loved spending time with you, Harper.”
“Oh.” Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Sorry. I just thought—”
“It’s fine.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels. “If you ever want to hang out again… maybe tomorrow?”
“Mark, I don’t know. Isn’t it a little soon after… that?”
“Yeah. Sure.” He nodded awkwardly. “My bad.”
I pressed my lips together, feeling oddly guilty. Before either of us could say anything else, Mrs. Lockwood walked in.
“Oh, Harper darling! I didn’t know you were here.”
“Hi, Mrs. Lockwood. I was just about to leave.”
“So soon?”
Before I could explain, Mark jumped in.
“She could stay for dinner.” I shot him a look and he winced. “Or, you know… unless she has something else to do.”
“She’s busy with Tyler’s therapy stuff,” Megan said sharply from behind me. I didn’t turn around. I just nodded.
“Yeah. Maybe another time.”
I headed toward the door, but Mrs. Lockwood stopped me.
“It’s starting to snow again. Why don’t you let Mark drive you home?”
“I’d love to,” Mark said before I could refuse, already jogging upstairs to grab his keys.
Megan glared at me as if everything was somehow my fault. I lifted my hands helplessly. In less than a minute, Mark returned in a hoodie and sweatpants, ready to go.
Sometimes I forget how much he looked like Tyler in certain angles. Tall, broad, warm. Maybe if my chest hadn’t still been aching from Tyler at the bonfire, I would’ve appreciated that more.
The ride wasn’t as awkward as I’d feared. Mark was lively and talkative, like he was trying to make the air easier for both of us. He didn’t blush when I spoke, didn’t stumble over his words. He acted normal, even way more confident than I’d ever seen him, and weirdly enough, that helped me relax a little.
And to top it off, he walked me to my front door.
“I guess I’ll see you…” he trailed off, waiting for me to finish it.
“Tomorrow,” I almost said before I caught myself. “Oh. Right. Winter break.”
“Yeah.” He waited, clearly hoping I’d say something else.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Oh.”
The disappointment in his voice was clear, and for reasons I didn’t fully understand, it tugged at something inside me.
Someone was here. Someone wanted to be with me. Someone wasn’t hesitating or choosing something else over me. And even though things were a mess, Mark had been good company today. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts.
Before I could rethink it, I jerked my thumb toward the door. “Or… if you want to come in? It gets kinda lonely with everyone gone.”
Mark’s smile was instant. “Sure.”
A strange flutter ran through me as I stepped aside for him to walk in. I was about to be alone. In my house. With a guy I’d kissed just an hour ago. With Tyler’s rejection still stinging and my parents fighting for custody.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Right?