Page 26 of Alessia
“Yes,” I say, steady but quiet. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m asking anyway.”
Her grip on my hand twitches, just a little, just enough that I notice, but she doesn’t let go. Her lips part like she has something else to say, something sharp, but she hesitates.
For a second, just a second, I think I see it, hesitation, uncertainty, something other than the anger she wears like armor. And I latch onto it.
“I don’t expect you to trust me,” I continue. “I just… I don’t want this to be the end. Not like this.”
Her breath shudders as she exhales. Her eyes flick away from mine, staring somewhere over my shoulder, lost in thought.
Then, finally, she speaks.
“And what if I can’t?” she whispers. “What if I can’t give you that chance?”
The words land heavier than if she was screaming at me, heavier than anything else she could have thrown at me. Because this isn’t just anger anymore. This is hurt. This is fear.
I step closer, just enough that I can remind her I’m here. “Then I’ll understand,” I say softly. “But I’ll still try.”
Her fingers tighten, just barely, but it’s enough to send something sharp and desperate cutting through my ribs. She’s still here. She’s still listening.
Seconds stretch between us, thick with unspoken words. Then, finally, Harper exhales, slow and deliberate.
“You really don’t know when to give up, do you?”
I grin,shrugging. “I gave up on learning how to whistle. But you? Not a chance.”
A ghost of a smile flickers across her lips, it’s so quick I almost need to convince myself I imagined it. But then she steps back, untangling her fingers from mine, and the loss of her warmth is immediate.
She crosses her arms, tilting her head as she studies me. Something shifts in her eyes, calculating, considering.
“Come home with me.” My stomach flips as the words stumble out of my mouth.
“What?” Her eyes go wide
“Not like that,” I mutter. “I mean… come over. Just for tonight.”
She blinks, trying to process my question. “What’s the catch?”
My eyes dart over her face, trying to figure out my next words. But all I can focus on is the way she’s looking at me, like she’s deciding whether to let me in or shut me out for good. I sigh before I say, “We talk. About everything.”
Her expression darkens, shadows flickering in her gaze.
“You say you don’t trust me, but you still don’t understand the world I come from. The world I’m tied to.”
Her eyes fall to the floor, her fingers fumbling with her keys.
“Let me show you that you can trust me, only for tonight.”
Harper studies me for another long moment like she’s waiting for me to say something stupid. When I don’t, she exhales, shaking her head.
“Fine.Let’s go.”
And just like that, the world tilts, shifting into something uncertain. Something I’m not sure I’m ready for.
Half an hour later we arrive back at my place. We drove here in an eerie silence, both of us not speaking and staring mindlessly out of the windows. I park the car in the garage and get out to open her car door.
Harper steps out, her movements cautious like she’s bracing for whatever comes next. I don’t blame her. She’s stepping into my world now, and even I don’t know what that means for her yet.
She follows me inside, her gaze flickering over the interior of my home, pristine, calculated but warm, yet strangely empty. A contrast to the weight I carry every day. I watch her take it in, but she doesn’t say anything, just stands near the elevator like she’s unsure if she should be here at all.
