Page 124 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
"Then why is he acting like this? Why is he—" She stops, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.
"Because he's jealous," I say bluntly. "He's jealous that I have you and he doesn't. He's trying to get back in your pants, Harper, and he's using our past to manipulate you into seeing me differently."
When she doesn’t say anything, I ask, "Is it working?"
She doesn't answer, just keeps staring at me with those big blue eyes that are usually so full of love but right now are just full of confusion and hurt.
"Liam has an agenda," I continue. "He likes you. He's been in love with you since that first night and watching us together has been killing him. That's why he's been so bitter. That's why he told you about this. He wants you to leave me."
"Do you want to share me?" The question comes out barely above a whisper, but it lands like a bomb between us. "Did you two discuss it?"
"No." I grab her hand, holding it between both of mine. "No, of course not."
"Then why did you let Liam say that to me? Why didn't you shut him down immediately?"
"Because after you disappeared last night, I thought—" I stop, trying to find the right words. "I thought it'd be better to come clean. To tell you everything so you knew and could make a real decision. I'm not hiding anything from you, Harper. I want you to know all of me, even the ugly parts I'm not proud of."
Her hand is limp in mine, not pulling away but not holding on either.
"I want to be with you," I say, my voice cracking slightly. "Remember summer? When you were at my parents' house and it felt like it was only you and me in the world? That's what our life is going to be like after college. That's what I want, Harp. A life with you. Just you."
She pulls her hand away, and I feel the loss of contact like a physical ache.
"I need to think," she says.
"Harper—"
"No, Cole. I need space. I need time to process this without you standing here looking at me with those desperate eyes, trying to convince me it's all okay."
"It is okay. It's in the past—"
"It's not in the past!" Her voice rises for the first time, anger finally breaking through the shock. "It's right here, right now, affecting us. Liam is standing outside our house because of this. You two can barely look at each other because of this. I ran away last night because of this. So don't tell me it's in the past when it's clearly very much in the present."
I open my mouth to respond, but she holds up her hand.
"I love you," she says, and the words should make me feel better but somehow they make everything worse. "I love you so much it scares me. But right now, I don't know if that's enough."
"Don't say that."
"I have to say it. Because I need you to understand that this isn't just about what you did years ago with Liam. It's abouttrust. It's about feeling like I know who you really are. And right now..." She trails off, grabbing her bag from where she dropped it earlier. "Right now, I don't know anything."
"Where are you going?"
"Maddie's. Again." She walks to the door, then pauses with her hand on the knob. "I need time, Cole. Please give me that."
"How much time?"
"I don't know."
"Harper, please don't leave. Not again. Not like this."
She turns to look at me one last time, and the pain in her eyes nearly brings me to my knees. "I'm not leaving you. I'm just... leaving."
The door closes behind her, and I'm left standing in my living room, heart racing, mind spinning, feeling like my entire world just walked out the door.
Through the window, I see her walk past Liam without a word, get into Maddie's car, and drive away.
The front door opens, and Liam steps back inside.
