Shine On

There he was in the doorway with that adorable smirk he always has on his face. Oh how she missed that smirk, the smirk that warmed her whole body. His face lit up at the sight of her, the tired look he had when he opened the door instantly left when he saw it was her. Suddenly, every sad and lonely feeling Harper had, flew away and all she was left with were butterflies in her stomach and a smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?” He chimed with a goofy grin on his face.

Harper stood in front of his front doorway in her red plaid pajama pants, a Green Day t-shirt, and a grey hoodie. After what seemed like endless hours of tossing and turning, her feet brought her to Rupert’s house. She was still unsure of what she was doing, but she wanted to be there more than any other option that danced around in her head. “I...erm...well I couldn’t sleep and I just really...”

He cut her off by pulling her into him, wrapping his arms around her. She immediately snuggled her face into his chest, breathing in that familiar scent of him she loved and soaking in the warmth of him. “I’ve really missed you.”

His voice, his accent, his arms, everything about him fogged Harper’s mind. All she could think about was wishing she could stay like this forever. She felt his arm move slightly then the sound of the front door closing behind her. He loosened his grip around her so he could look down at her, “Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate or something?”

Harper stood her ground in front of the front door unsure of where to go. She hugged herself awkwardly after he let go of her to make his way to the kitchen. “Erm...sure. Hot chocolate, please.”

She watched him as he prepared two mugs of hot chocolate. She slowly crept towards the couch and sat down. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Why was she even here?

Rupert walked over to her, each hand holding a cup of hot chocolate. He placed them both on the coffee table in front of her and sat down beside her. He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with happiness. She felt her heartbeat quicken. She shouldn’t be in his house. They were broken up. She broke up with him. She needed to get over him. She needed to concentrate on her studies. She couldn’t be distracted by him. Boyfriends weren’t her cup of tea anyways. She immediately stood up. “You know, I should go.” She nervously tried stepping over Rupert’s feet to get to the doorway, but she was unsuccessful. She felt herself falling headfirst towards the floor before she felt two arms wrap around her and pull her to her feet.

“You all right?” She heard him ask.

She could feel her face turning a deep color of red. She couldn’t look at him. She took a deep breath, trying to build up her composure. “Yeah...I’m fine.” Her voice was low and uneven. “I’m gonna go...”

Rupert’s hand grabbed hers immediately sending an electric shock throughout her body. “Please, don’t leave.”

“Why?” Harper asked nervously.

Rupert let go of Harper’s hand and shoved it in his pocket nervously. “Erm...I really missed you.”

Harper turned to face him. Her heart suddenly dropped into her stomach when she saw the look on his face. He looked like a sad little boy not knowing what to do. “Rupe...” She began. “We can’t do this anymore.”

“Yeah...I know.” He replied quietly. He looked down at his feet. She didn’t blame him for not wanting to make eye contact, especially after what she continued to do to him.

“You...you do?”

“Well...uh...yeah. I really haven’t been the best bloke to be around, I guess...” His voice was shaky. He didn’t bother to look up from the ground.

“What?” Harper asked surprised. She walked over to him and took his free hand in hers. “Are you crazy? You’ve been the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. As cliche as it sounds, it’s me, not you.” She felt Rupert squeeze her hand. The feeling comforted her and sort of eased her rapidly beating heart. “I’m not the relationship type of girl. You deserve better, way better than me, okay?” Rupert finally looked up at Harper, his eyes looked lifeless, yet sad. “You deserve someone who is going to treat you just as well you treated me, even better.”

He cleared his throat, then bit his lip. “What if I thought you were what I deserved?”

Harper smiled kindly at him. “Then you haven’t been out much, have you?” Harper squeezed his hand before letting go. She quickly made her way to the front door so he wouldn’t have time to stop her. She knew if she stayed, he could have easily talked her into staying forever with him. She knew she couldn’t do that. She knew he deserved better than some girl who didn’t believe in love. “I really should go. I’ll see you around...maybe?” She said before walking out the door. Even though the hurt expression on Rupert’s face was like a hundred shots to her heart, she smiled to herself. She knew that they would both be better off, especially Rupert. He didn’t know it yet, but she was doing him a favor.