Shine On

Harper notice Rupert appear in the doorway. Her gazed remained steady on him hoping that somehow he would make her heart stop hurting. She could feel her eyes welling up. He stared back at her intently with a worried look on his face. He nodded his head towards the front door. She took no time in rushing out the door after shooting a dirty look at her mother and grabbing her things. She heard her mother and grandparents’ voices, but tuned out what they were saying. She couldn’t take anymore. She just wanted to escape. The minute she stepped outside the front door, she broke down. She didn’t care if her family could hear her. She didn’t care if Rupert was standing beside her. She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Rupert took her hand in his and led her to her car. He then leaned against the side and pulled Harper into his arms. She snuggled up against his chest. She was completely enveloped in his arms. Once in a while she would feel him kiss her head or rub her back. She wasn’t a big fan of crying. She rarely cried in front of people. She didn’t want to come off as weak. Rupert was one of the few people who have seen her like this and oddly enough, she didn’t mind. He held her patiently until he was sure she had calmed down enough.

“Let me drive. Where are your keys?” He whispered. She stepped back from him and searched around her bag. She gave him a feeble smile while handing over her keys. She went to get into her car, but Rupert pulled her back. He gazed into her eyes as if trying to find the right words to say, but he came up with nothing. Instead he wiped both of her cheeks with his thumb. She could feel her heart start racing. With every heart beat, she could feel herself gradually feeling better. However, she didn’t get a wave of happiness when she looked at him like she usual. She felt empty as she thought about what her mother had said. The harsh reality of him having to leave at some point started to sink in. Her mother was right. Although she was crude about saying so, she was always right.

The ride back was silent. She didn’t feel like saying much of anything, not yet anyways. Luckily, Rupert was the kind of person who she could sit in comfortable silence with. He held her hand as he drove to his hotel without saying a word. She was glad that’s where he decided to go. She wasn’t up for company. She surely wasn’t ready to relive the experience by telling Melody. She wanted to be alone with the one person who she trusted to make her feel better.

Rupert dropped her off in the front of the hotel before he went to park her car. She made her way up to his room unaware of what was going on around her. She was trapped inside her little bubble of thoughts; everything on the outside was a blur and all the sounds seemed muffled. She unlocked his room with the room key he gave her and headed straight for the bed throwing the key and her bag on the floor. She laid there staring out the window. Within minutes, she heard Rupert close the door. She felt him join her on the bed and lightly touch her hip letting her know he was there. She rolled over to face him. His arm instantly wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His chin rested on top of her head as she snuggled up into his chest once again. It was as if she fit perfectly in his arms. His arms were big enough compared her tiny size to envelop her completely, making her feel safe from the world.

After a few minutes, she rolled onto her back and looked up at him. His hand moved to her stomach while the other supported his head. He still looked concerned, but didn’t say a word.

“How much did you hear?” She whispered, her voice cracking in between a few words.

“Um... “ He paused to think about the right words. His expression was pensive as he licked his lips a few times. “I got the gist of it, I think.”

Harper didn’t know what to say next. She never talked about that time in her life. Outside of close family, Melody is the only person who knows what happened only because she was around during that time. It was when she was at her worst, when she hit rock bottom. It pained her to talk about it or even think about it. She knew Rupert was curious. Who wouldn’t be after hearing that mess? He deserved an explanation, especially since he was included in the argument.

“You know, nothing has changed for me.” He said when Harper didn’t say anything. “I mean, as far as you and me go. I don’t want you to think anything is different, because of what happened back there.”

She was pleasantly shocked. “That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“Well, yeah.” He answered calmly. Nothing else seemed to matter to him it seemed. Harper knew that most people would be questioning why she was in the hospital or what happened to her that day, even she would question those things. All Rupert cared about was them, Harper and himself.

“You’re not curious about everything that was said?” She asked, still a bit taken aback.

He shrugged. “Kind of, but not essentially. I’m not going to ask you to talk about something you don’t want to. And if you want to, I’m here.”

She smiled just when she thought she couldn’t. Was it too soon to say that what she had with Rupert, whatever it may be, was perfect? She wasn’t sure what she had with him, but she loved it, every minute of it. She felt like she could trust him with everything, perhaps more than she had ever trusted with anyone else. As odd as if felt, she actually wanted to tell him what happened. She wanted to let go of everything floating in her mind.