Awakened

The next morning came quickly, and Harper walked quietly around the guest home as to not disturb Aaron's much-needed rest. Harper showered, put on her robe, and headed back to their room to find an outfit for the day. She opted for a pair of dark wash jeans and a maroon flowy top. She put her hair in maiden braids again, not pleased with how her hair was laying around her face. She sighed, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table in the kitchen. She had promised Aaron she wouldn't look at his computer, because he wanted the houses to be a surprise, but curiosity was truly killing her. Regardless, his laptop remained closed and sat on the other side of the booth awaiting its owner.

She heard the padding of Aaron's feet against the hardwood floor in the home, and she turned to see him all ready to go. Aaron smiled towards Harper, his breath taken away in one fell swoop. He thought to himself about the beautiful houses they were about to see with a real estate agent he went to high school with. He knew Harper would love all of them, and that the decision would be hard. Ultimately, they weren't looking for a house, Aaron thought to himself, but a home. And homes just feel right, he assured, simplifying the decision they were about to make.

They stopped by his parents home, informing them of their outing, and his parents offered some last minute advice of things to look for when buying a new home. Aaron started to chuckle, and he and Harper began to trek to Aaron's car.

"The real estate agent, Jacob, will be meeting us at the local mom and pop brunch bar. He figured we could grab some coffee before heading out to look at the houses. It's bound to be a long day," Aaron said, looking at Harper excitedly.

Harper fiddled with the hem of her shirt, looking out of the window of the new part of the world that would soon be her home.

"What's wrong, Harper?" Aaron asked, looking to her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm just anxious. I don't have a lot of money to put towards a house, so I guess we need to be upfront about our budget... This isn't a one sided deal," Harper said, shifting in her seat.

"You're afraid that you're relying too much on me?" Aaron asked quizzically.

"Well. Yes, I guess you could say that. We just have so many other expenses, like the wedding," Harper concluded.

"Harper, you do not need to worry about affording the home. We will take care of it as we always do. Besides you're going to law school and I've got a couple of auditions coming up. We will figure it out. We don't have to get married tomorrow," Aaron joked, getting a smile out of his fiancée.

"I suppose you're right," Harper turned and looked out of the window, taking in the scenery of the city. Buildings, tall, yet average. People walking to an early lunch break or appointment in the business district. Large signs, supporting local sports teams, and your traditional "one-stop" shop present in all towns. Harper took a deep breath. She felt this is the right move. Nothing was holding her back in New York - and no one. Since her meeting Aaron, she has felt that her whole world is wherever he stands. Aaron felt similarly.

They arrived at the brunch bar, parking the car and walking in while holding hands. Aaron voiced his excitement, and Harper agreed. Aaron looked around the practically empty restaurant for his friend from high school. He didn't see Jacob anywhere, and checked his phone to see the time.

"We're about 15 minutes early," Aaron said, looking over towards Harper, who was already looking at the breakfast pastries under the glass by the register. He chuckled to himself, knowing that she must be hungry.

"Babe, do you want a croissant? These croissants look good," Harper said, seemingly ignoring the prior comment from Aaron. Aaron walked to the register, ordering two coffees and two croissants. The grandmotherly figure retrieved the items and handed them to Aaron, making a fleeting comment about young love while Harper was finding a comfortable place to sit.

The restaurant had a very free-flowing vibe. There was an area with tables and chairs for proper, sit down style eating, but there was also an adjunct room. The room had a dark wood wall, with books adorning ceiling to floor bookshelves around the perimeter. There were couches, and a piano in the room. An elderly man was playing the piano, and Harper was entranced. Aaron found her sitting on a couch, watching the elderly man's fingers youthfully slide across the ivory keys. The man knew Harper was watching intently, so he was sure to put on a show. The man looked over and grinned at Harper at the conclusion of the song, and Harper clapped, enthusiastically, but not overwhelmingly. The man seemed touched at Harper's kind gesture, and the two struck up conversation.

"My wife and I bought this place fresh out of the depression. Wanted something to keep us entertained when the kids grew up. Figured there was nothing else in this world we found more worthwhile than serving others. My wife always knew how to cook, and our children encouraged her to turn this place into a restaurant. We live right upstairs. Couldn't get the piano up the narrow steps, so we made this place its home. Can't say I mind at all, it means I get to play music for all the people coming in this place," the man told Harper, seemingly excited to speak with another human being, and Harper always had a way about her that encouraged others to open up.

"That's heartwarming, that you all found something that you're so passionate about and made it a reality. I imagine that wasn't easy to do," Harper said, smiling at the man.

"Well honey if it were easy, why do it? Life is all about challenges, you just have to pick the ones worthwhile," he said with a wink. Harper nodded, processing the wisdom the man was sharing with her. Aaron continued to watch from the doorway, not catching Harper's attention.

"Please do tell, how did you and your wife meet?" Harper said, with her elbows propped on her knees, chin resting lightly on the palm of her hand. Her slender fingers curving around her cheeks, Aaron was able to clearly see the engagement ring on her finger that he gave her. He smiled to himself.

"Well we met like any other kids met back in our day. We went to school together and grew up not too far from this town. I lived on a farm, working day to day and trying to make a little bit of money on the side to save up for the odds and ends I wanted. My family didn't have much, so if we wanted something, we either had to buy it or get it by other means. I didn't fall into stealing like my siblings did, but times were hard. I remember when I turned 12, I worked an entire summer to save up enough money for a small B.B. gun. Nothing too special, just something to help take care of the animals trying to uproot the crops and put some holes in targets. I saved and saved and saved. I went to school one day, and the girl sitting in the back of the classroom finally seemed like someone to me. I can't explain it. I went to the store after school, I rode my bike there, and bought her a single rose. That rose was about a third of what I earned. I rode my bike 8 miles to her house, and knocked on the door. Of course her daddy answered and wondered what in the world I was doing on their front porch. I didn't even know his daughter's name! He surely thought I was insane. She came to the door and recognized me. I gave her the flower and the rest is history. I never did get that gun, and by the time I met her I had no use for it. I wanted to give her everything she could ever want and would never ask for."

Harper seemed on the verge of tears. "That was beautiful, sir. What an amazing story."

"Well what about yourself, young lady?"

Forgetting that she had the delicate, yet intricate, ring placed on her finger, she looked at her hands. She smiled and looked back at the man. Aaron's ears perked up.

"I live in New York City, and I was working towards getting my teaching degree. In my spare time, I helped the homeless men and women get the resources they need. Long story short, I ended up getting hit by a car, and ended up in the hospital for a while. I was in a coma. I didn't have any visitors. My home-life was nothing special, and honestly, I've spent my life running away from my roots. I made my own life, at the expense of losing my old one. Well, eventually I woke up from my coma after hearing a beautiful singing voice. I cannot remember the song for the life of me right now, but it was a gorgeous melody. I felt so calm and relaxed, and as my eyes were opening I noticed the room was empty. A while later, my roommate at the time scored some Broadway tickets. I was super excited; I've always loved theater productions. Not only did she find tickets, but she got backstage passes as well. It was a pleasant surprise. We watched the play and I recognized his voice instantly. After the show, I went backstage and there he was. We both recognized each other, and it felt like my universe clicked. I've been with Aaron for almost 2 years now. He recently proposed, and we're actually in the area looking for a house. We're moving here in the coming months to start our life together."

The man smiled at Harper. "When things are meant to be, they have a way of just appearing, don't they?" Harper agreed. Aaron noticed the lull in conversation, and walked into the room, sitting beside Harper and handing her coffee and a croissant.

"I hope your coffee hasn't gotten cold. I waited for a bit to see if Jacob was coming so that he could find us, but I guess we have a few minutes," Aaron said, taking a bite out of his croissant. Harper did the same.

"You must be him!" The old man smiled and laughed. He had noticed Aaron standing in the corner. Aaron turned slightly red and the old man winked at him. His secret eavesdropping was safe. He smiled at the old man.

Aaron texted Jacob, letting him know they were in the side room. Harper began looking at the books, and eventually the old man brought up more conversation.

"You ever tickled the ivories?" he asked Harper, playing a song while looking in her direction. She walked over to the piano, smiling at the man.

"It has been forever since I have. I'm not sure if I'm any good anymore!" She laughed lightheartedly at her joke. The man stood up from the bench, gesturing for her to sit down and try.

She began playing a beautiful song; Aaron was awestruck. He thought to himself about how amazing it is to be so close to someone and know so much about them, yet always have things to learn about them. Harper was still a mystery to him, a good mystery. A mystery that would take a lifetime to solve, and would never get boring.

"You've still got it!" The old man said, limping over to his seat when Harper stood up. Harper sat back down beside Aaron.

"I didn't know you played," Aaron said, softly.

"I took lessons right before my mom died. She bought me this beautiful piano, with intricate detail and a beautiful tone. After she died, dad destroyed it. He cut all the strings, took it outside, and lit it on fire," Harper said, her voice quivering at the end. Aaron was mad, deep down, that that had happened to her - and vowed to never find a positive thing about that man. Aaron had his own opinions on where her dad could go.

Jacob walked in, carrying a professional briefcase and a laptop bag - apologizing profusely for running late. Harper looked at her watch. He was only a minute late.

"Not a problem, man. We're laid back. Don't worry," Aaron said, shaking his hand, "Haven't seen you in a while bud, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing well! Got married last year and we have a little girl. Her name is Celeste," Jacob said, beaming at the mention of his child. Aaron smiled and congratulated his old acquaintance.

Jacob quickly delved into the options of housing for the young couple.

"I am assuming you want to be close to your mom and dad, right Aaron?" Jacob said, confirming.

"Well I would like that, but if it's not possible and we can only get in on the other side of town I am not opposed. What do you think Harper?"

"I would love to be close to Aaron's family, if at all possible," Harper said, holding Aaron's hand and drinking her coffee. It was infused with lavender, and Harper made a note to tell the old woman that her coffee was magnificent. Harper figured she could study here when classes began at Cornell.

"Alright, well today I have three options for ya. We can go check them out and you can feel free to say no to all three if that's what you're feeling. I always like to get people out in the field. A lot of places can't be really captured with a camera. Besides, this is a huge decision," Jacob said, smiling at both parties. He pulled out some papers, and Harper noticed they were directions. Jacob slid the directions over, smiling at them again.

"I suppose you want us to just meet you there?" Aaron said, smiling and getting excited. He was thrilled to take the first step towards creating a life with Harper.

"Yes sir! We'll start at the one furthest from Ma and Pop, that way you don't have too far to travel when its all said and done. This house is on Minerva Street. I'll meet you there," Jacob said, standing up and walking with us to our cars.

"Hold on a second, please, Aaron," Harper said as they got close to the door. Harper ran back to the old man, shaking his hand.

"I want to thank you for our conversation earlier, but I noticed I never introduced myself. I'm Harper Johnson, soon to be Tveit," she smiled. The old man pulled her in for a hug.

"My name is Clyde Martin, but you can just call me grandpa."

Aaron smiled. Harper really had that affect on people. She had a warm heart. He watched as Harper walked over to the counter where the older woman is. She dropped a few dollars in a tip jar and got the lady's attention.

"I just wanted to tell you I love the lavender you infused in the coffee. You truly have good taste in coffee," Harper said. The lady smiled back at her.

"My name is Daisy Martin, but you can just call me grandma."

Harper ran back to Aaron's side, grabbing his hand and waving goodbye to her new unlikely friends. They got in the car and Aaron programmed the address into his GPS. He looked over at Harper.

"You ready?" He said smiling. Harper nodded and smiled, "I love you. So much."