Chapter 68 HARPER
The first thing I noticed was the rough cut slashed across Sam’s brow from our last unpleasant encounter. His dark, curly hair had been trimmed into a neat low cut, the curls still visible beneath the rows of waves on his head. I tried not to cringe as that familiar smirk tugged at his mouth.
“Little couz,” he drawled. “Miss me?”
I ignored the question, my gaze catching on the torn knuckles of his hand. “I see you’re still getting into fights.”
He followed my look and lifted his fist lazily. “Oh, this? Just some guy I got into an accident with. Beat the shit out of him for nearly risking my life.”
“Good for you,” I said flatly. “Why were you standing alone in the dark?”
He shrugged, finished the last sip from his glass, and set it down on the table like he owned the place. Still as ill-mannered as always.
“I had my phone’s flash on when I arrived. Turned it off by mistake while drinking my water. No big deal.”
I studied him for a moment, still struggling to believe my mom thought he had changed. “You’re supposed to rinse that glass out.”
“Sure, not a problem.”
“Good.”
“Cool.”
We stood there staring at each other, the air thick with everything we hadn’t said for years. My mind replayed the last vacation he’d spent in this house—the one that ended in a fight I thought would be the final straw. I never expected to see his annoying face again, yet here he was.
“Harper—” he began.
I cut him off, already knowing where he was going. “Look, Sam. I don’t know what my mom’s thinking. I don’t need a babysitter. I’ve lived alone for a month now. But if letting you stay here brings her peace of mind, then fine. Just avoid me and stay out of my way. And trust me—I’m a lot stronger than last time.”
His eyes appraised me carefully, like weighing whether I meant it or not. I kept my face neutral.
He let out a breath and dragged his hand down his face. “It’s obvious you’re not over what happened eight years ago. But I apologized then, and I’m apologizing now too. We’re cousins—there shouldn’t be this weird vibe.”
I crossed my arms and shifted my weight. “And whose fault is that?”
He scratched his head, uncomfortable. “Mine. Yeah, I know. Just… give me a chance, okay? I swear it’ll be like when we were kids. I won’t be overly protective or authoritative—”
I scoffed. “You don’t have that right anyway. Don’t forget—you’re in my house. And my mom won’t be here to intervene if anything goes wrong.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he flicked his tongue against his teeth. “Trust me, I’m aware. If I were you, I wouldn’t even be pointing out that fact after last time.”
A chill crawled up my spine, but I didn’t show it. “Was that a threat?”
He immediately held up both hands, stepping back. “No. No—don’t get me wrong. I worded that badly.”
I eyed him skeptically. Half of me wanted to grab my phone and scream at my mom for putting me in this situation. The other half… kind of welcomed the company. If things hadn’t gone south between us eight years ago, this might’ve even been exciting. I’ve always liked having people around.
“Fine,” I said, exhaling and dropping my arms. “Just don’t make me regret this, Sam.”
He grinned, the smile emphasizing the attractive lines of his face. A part of me would’ve been proud to have such a handsome cousin—maybe even bragged about him back when he played against our school. But after what happened, I stayed far away from him during the opening game.
He stepped toward me with open arms. Instinctively, I stepped back.
“Hugs?”
“Yeah, I think it’s too soon for that.”
He chuckled. “Right. Still adjusting.”
I nodded, suddenly unsure of what to do now. Usually, I’d strip halfway to my room, shower, curl into bed, scroll aimlessly, maybe do homework. But now that I wasn’t alone…
“Movie?” he offered.
“I, um, don’t have any. Unless you want to watch my old Barbie cartoons from when I was a kid.”
He tilted his head like he was genuinely considering it. “Any you think someone like me would find interesting?”
“Can’t say,” I replied. “Since we… don’t really know each other anymore.”
“Oh.” He laughed softly.
What’s funny?
“I keep forgetting. I don’t exactly know how to hold a grudge. But, uh—yeah. If you don’t mind watching, then I don’t mind either.”
“Cool.” I checked my phone. 7:00 p.m. Still early. “Give me like thirty minutes. I want to grab some snacks from the store.”
“Do you mind if I tag along?”
I hesitated. Driving was supposed to be my alone-time—when I wanted to fill Megan in on everything. I’d have told Mark, but I doubted he’d be understanding about this.
“I’ll pay,” Sam added quickly, noticing my hesitation.
“Then by all means,” I said instantly, unable to hide my grin. What girl didn’t love free shopping?
I didn’t bother getting changed as we headed out. The roads were clearer than usual for an early winter night, the streetlamps glowing gold against the soft drift of snow. The tension in the car was thick, almost physical. Maybe it was me—maybe I wasn’t ready to let go of the past. But I kept ending every attempt at conversation with one—or two—word replies. He didn’t push, just took the hint and stayed quiet. Huh. Aside from his appearance, maybe he really had changed.
The doors slammed as we stepped out of the car. The cold winter air rushed over us, dusted with chalk-white snowflakes. The wind swept through my hair and sent it flying in every direction. Sam joked about looking like a movie star because of it, which earned him a tiny smile from me.
We approached the counter when someone tapped Sam’s shoulder, and suddenly the place erupted. Boys being boys—worse, hockey boys—clapping, shouting, slinging insults like greetings. As if two weren’t loud enough, six or seven more crowded in behind them.
“Y’all meet my cousin, Harper,” Sam said. “Harper, meet the boys—pardon their loud mouths.”
I forced a polite smile as the first one offered his hand.
“Dude, where has your cousin been all this while?” one whispered, loudly enough that everyone heard.
“Nathan,” another said, extending his hand. I shook it, but he held on a beat too long.
“Okay,” Sam said sharply, clapping loudly to drag the attention back to himself. Thank God. The boys’ staring was becoming uncomfortable.
“Where are you guys even going?” Sam asked. “I didn’t get an invite for a party.”
Matt—the first guy—pulled out a drink from his coat pocket. “There’s no party. Just a small get-together. I was gonna text you, but you know…” His eyes flicked to me then back to Sam.
Great. One night back and he already had secrets. Trust would take a while.
As if sensing my thoughts, Sam waved a hand. “About that—I already found a place to stay. I’m chilling with my cousin since her parents are busy with work.” He shot me a quick look. “I’ll give you the full gist later.”
“Okay.”
Guilt pricked me. Maybe I’d judged too fast.
“Cool. So should we just come hang at your place then?” Nathan asked, looking between me and Sam.
“I… I don’t know,” Sam said. “I kinda just moved in. It’s her place. I don’t want us barging—”
“Sure,” I blurted before my brain could interfere. “Or better still—how would you guys like to attend a party?”
All their eyes snapped to me. I smiled, excitement bubbling up in my chest. This was my shot to finally make some new friends—also my first time hosting anything.
And I sure as hell planned to make it a night to be remembered.