Page 101 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
That evening, Sirus and Maddie come over for dinner. It's good to see them—Sirus looks tan and happy, Maddie is glowing. They clearly had a great summer.
"So you two survived three months together," Sirus says, helping himself to more pizza. "Impressive."
"Why is that impressive?" Harper asks.
"Because most couples don't make it past the honeymoon phase. You guys went straight to domestic bliss and lived to talk about it."
"We're special," I say, wrapping my arm around Harper's shoulders.
Maddie says, "I’m only allowing this PDA because it’s cute.”
We catch up on summer stories—their lake house adventures, our small-town routine, the various disasters and triumphs that filled the months. It feels good, sitting here with my new unexpected best friend, Sirus, and the woman I love, everything exactly as it should be.
Later, after they leave, Harper and I are getting ready for bed when she says, "I'm glad we're back."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I loved the summer, but this feels right. Like we're where we're supposed to be."
I pull her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. "Senior year is going to be good."
"You sound certain."
"I am. We've got each other. That's all we need."
She tilts her head up to kiss me. "When did you become such a romantic?"
"The day I met you."
The first week of classes is the usual chaos—syllabus review, reconnecting with friends, settling back into routines. I see Liam at open skate on Tuesday, and it's as awkward as I expected. We nod at each other, maintain our distance, act like everything is fine for the sake of the team.
But I notice things. The way he's quieter than usual. How he leaves immediately after practice instead of hanging around to talk. The careful way he avoids looking at me or Harper when we're all in the same space.
"He seems different," I mention to Sirus after practice one day.
"Who, Liam?"
"Yeah."
Tommy says, "He's been different all summer. Went kind of crazy with the dating apps, but nothing stuck. I think he's just trying to figure his shit out."
"Think it’s because of Harper?"
Sirus gives me a long look. "Does it matter?"
Tommy shrugs and walks off.
"Just curious what’s going on with him."
"You're worried." He shoves my shoulder. "Stop. Harper's with you. She lives with you. She spent the entire summer with you. Liam is ancient history."
He's right. I know he's right. But it's hard to shake the feeling that something is brewing beneath the surface, some unresolved tension that's going to blow up eventually.
Harper starts her classes with the same intensity she brings to everything. She's taking on a heavy course load plus an internship with a local marketing firm, dropping all of her criminal justice classes for this semester. She wants to focus on marketing now. I barely see her some days—she's at class or work or the library, burning herself out in pursuit of the perfect GPA.
"You need to slow down," I tell her one Thursday night when she comes home at ten looking exhausted.
"I can't. I have a presentation tomorrow and a paper due Monday and the internship wants me to shadow their senior strategist all next week."
