Page 67 of My Ex's Roommates
“You sit on the stool and I’ll get my bag.” Harper stumbled over the tiny step leading into the house and laughed when I caught her and set her back on her feet. “Who put that step there?”
“I’ll get the bag.” Silas charged ahead of us and took the stairs two at a time.
“Okay, he’ll get the bag.” Pointing out the stool I was supposed to sit on, Harper moved to the sink and washed her hands. “I have some thoughts.”
Dylan sat next to me and when Silas reappeared with her medical bag, he sat on my other side. When she stood in front of me, she’d be close to them, too. I felt their desperation because it was my own.
“This kitchen…” She looked for something to dry her hands on and finally sighed dramatically and fanned them in front of herself. “Dylan, what is going on? Are you sick? If you’re not already, you’re going to be if you eat in here. It’s gross. And I read about the interception you threw tonight. Don’t tell Casey. I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about football but I read the updates on my phone.”
Dylan grunted, getting insulted in multiple ways. “Okay. I’ll take those thoughts into consideration.”
“Your stats tonight were shit. You’re all lucky you were playing against an even shittier team tonight. And you.” She swung around on Silas. “You missed a field goal that you could make in your sleep. It was like you were a double agent, playing for the opposing team. That was not the same team that beat USC last week.”
I winced when her glazed eyes turned on me. “I played like shit, too. I know.”
She stared at my cut and pouted again. “Yeah, but you got hurt so it’s okay. Did they check you out before you left? How many fingers am I holding up? Who’s the president?”
“You’re not holding up any fingers, baby.” My breath caught when she moved between my thighs to get closer to my forehead. Her hands were soft and warm as she gently prodded the skin around the cut. “They checked me out. It’s just a cut.”
She started to move away but I caught her arm. She seemed to remember that she was mad at us all of a sudden because she put her hands on her hips and frowned. “I’m not speaking to y’all.”
Silas sighed. “Just let us have a few minutes, princess.”
“My head really does hurt…” I was going to hell. For sure. “Does it need a bandage?”
Her pout came right back. She grabbed a few things from her bag and stood between my thighs again. She was quiet as she rubbed ointment over the cut and applied a bandage. She didn’t move when she was finished. She stayed where she was with her hands resting on my shoulders. It took me a moment to realize she was crying.
“Hey. Harper, baby, don’t cry.” I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest. “Please don’t cry.”
She pushed away from me and stood over her bag, absently touching things inside. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something but then she snapped it closed and shook her head. “I’m going to bed.”
“Harper, wait.” Dylan reached out for her but she backed up so fast that she hit the counter behind her.
“I’m not ready. I can’t.” She whimpered and then rushed out of the room and up the stairs.
I winced as she stumbled on the stairs more than once but I forced myself to stay where I was. Rubbing my jaw, I looked at Silas and then at Dylan. “Well, that fucking sucked.”
“It’s progress?” Dylan sighed as he stood up. “I guess I’m going to clean the kitchen.”
Silas blew out a slow breath. “I’ll help.”
They both looked at me and I shrugged. “Why the fuck not? It’s not like I have anything better to do right now.”
60.
***Silas***
With Casey and Carter’s powerfully backed father pushing for them, Harper’s brothers were released on parole five days later. We knew they were coming but Harper didn’t. Maybe I would’ve told her if she hadn’t gone back to hiding in her room. She wasn’t even taking in the gifts we left her. The only reason we knew she was alive was because the hot fries and moon pies kept disappearing. Life sucked.
We had a big game in two days and I knew that none of us were in the right headspace for it. We were going to get our assed kicked. The rest of the team was suffering because the three of us were falling apart. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept through the night. We all looked like shit and felt even worse. It was hell having Harper so close but so far away. It was even worse knowing that we were the cause of her suffering. Shehadn’t gone to class or work in nearly two weeks. She was barely existing and it was our fault.
We were really holding out hope that her brothers were going to get her back to the land of the living. If they couldn’t help Harper, I wasn’t sure where we were supposed to go from there. I wasn’t sure there’d be anywhere to go.
Dylan had taken Harper’s critiques to heart and had cleaned the entire house until Carter and I were afraid to move around too much for fear of being dusting or scrubbed to death with the rest of the furniture. It was good, though, because we were going to look responsible and clean when Danny, Jay, and Matt showed up. Responsible, clean men could be trusted with their sister.
I paced back and forth in the driveway, too keyed up to wait inside, knowing Harper was just upstairs. Carter came outside and frowned at me but I couldn’t help the pacing. I felt like we were close to losing Harper and if bringing her brothers home didn’t help, nothing would.
“They’ll be here any second.” Carter winced. “Unless Casey pulled over and murdered them. It probably wasn’t a good idea to have her pick them up.”
