29. Dawson
Dawson
It’s only been a few days since I last saw Harper, and I can’t get her out of my mind. My lips still tingle and burn with the memory of our final kiss. I wish I could have done more. I wish I could have wrapped my arms around her and swept her away, bringing her home to be with me again.
I can’t escape the memory of her anywhere I go.
When I’m home, there’s an entire room that used to be hers.
I can still smell her shampoo on the pillows in my bed.
When I’m in the kitchen, I think about the night we shared after I discovered her nightmares.
I think about running my fingers through her soft blonde hair and feeling the warmth of her body against mine.
I should be able to escape her when I’m at work because there’s so much to focus on and worry about, especially now that my father has nothing to do with the business.
But she used to work here. She was always so on top of everything.
My schedule had never been more aligned, and she went above and beyond to understand every detail of my job in ways I barely even know.
No matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about her. I suppose this is my curse in this life. I have a love, and I lied and deceived her. Now I’ve lost her, and I have to accept that. Fighting to get her back is only going to push her away more.
“Mr. Price?” Denise, my new assistant, says as she barges into my office unannounced.
“What the hell did I tell you?” I snap, jumping to my feet behind the desk. Her spine immediately straightens, and she stares at me in shock. “You never enter my office unannounced. I could have been on an important business call for all you know.”
“Of course, Mr. Price. It slipped my mind. I won’t let it happen again,” Denise promptly says. She immediately walks out of my office and closes the door, knocking on it as if she didn’t already have my attention.
“Are you trying to be smart?” I ask, my voice sharp with her.
She opens the door and steps in once again, closing it behind her.
Her cheeks are red, and she looks around confused, as if she has no idea what she is doing wrong and how to correct it.
“Just tell me what the hell you need and leave me alone.”
She drops a few files on my desk that she organized for a board meeting I have tomorrow.
I listen as she goes over the system she made in detail, which is a lot more convoluted than just writing labels on folders.
Harper never would have done this. I had a system that I liked, and Harper adapted to it, making things easier for me without making a big deal about it.
She never asked for acknowledgment or approval before doing simple, menial tasks like this. Harper didn’t want to be here, but she wanted to prove herself worthy of her art school tuition. She’s definitely done that.
“This doesn’t work for me, restore it to the original filing system,” I say, cutting Denise off mid-sentence.
“Very well, Mr. Price.” She grabs the folders off the desk and shuffles back to her own office to do what I said.
As soon as the door closes, I feel bad. I know she’s just trying to make a good impression on me because she’s new. I’m comparing her to someone she’ll never meet the standards of, and I’m taking my disappointments with Harper not being here out on her.
I’ve been in a foul mood ever since Harper moved out of the penthouse, and I’ve been taking it out on everyone. She just made my life more colorful in ways I never thought possible. I miss her.
I try to focus on work as much as I can for the rest of the day, eager to get home and just fall asleep so I can have a brief amount of time where I’m not thinking about Harper. Right now, I’ll take my nightmares over the constant reminder of how badly I fucked up.
My office phone rings, and I pick it up without looking. “Dawson Price.”
“Hey, it’s Xander. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” I hear Xander slap his hand over the bottom of his phone and say something to someone behind him, who I assume is either Quinton or Ella. “Ella told me to ask you what’s going on with Harper.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, leaning back in my chair. Where do I even begin with that?
“I wish I knew. I had to let her go,” I say reluctantly. “She’s starting a new chapter of her life, and I didn’t want everything that happened to hold her back. She’s at school right now, and everything’s going great, though.”
“Damn,” Xander says, and I can almost hear him shaking his head. “I can tell the two of you had something special. Not a lot of people would be willing to go up against someone like Malik for just anyone. I know you must have really cared about her.”
“I do. I still love her,” I say, running my fingers through my hair. Admitting it to someone else feels vulnerable but poignant. All my life, I’ve grown up with everything I’ve ever wanted handed to me. With that comes a lot of women trying to crawl into your bed.
I’ve never been taken with a woman the way that I am with Harper. She’s not like anybody else I’ve ever met, and meeting her has been life-changing for me. I don’t know if I’ll ever find anything like this again.
“You love her?” Xander asks, more surprised than anything. “Dawson, if you love her, you’re stupid to let her go. It’s not every day you find someone you want to share your life with. Do you know how much different my life would be right now if it weren’t for Ella?”
I think about it for a moment and realize there’s truth to what he’s saying. Before he met Ella, his life was fine. He had money and power, everything he thought he would have wanted. But since being with her, he’s transformed. Their relationship has made him a better person all around.
I could have had that too.
“You’re right,” I say as I stand up and grab my briefcase to leave the office. “I’m not going to give it up. I’ll talk to her.”
We hang up the phone, and I immediately text my driver to get the limo ready as I rush from the office to the parking garage.
I have to find Harper, and I have to tell her the truth.
I don’t want to live in a world where she and I aren’t together.
Harper belongs at my side, just like I belong at hers.
Of course, I want her to be happy. But I know that she’ll be happiest when she’s with me. I’ve got to get her back, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
The limo is ready by the time I reach the garage, and I climb in, telling the driver the address.
Throughout the entire duration of the drive, I nervously tap my finger on my knee and think about all the different ways this could go.
Harper could tell me she hates me and never wants to see me again, slamming the door in my face.
Or maybe she confesses to also loving me and wanting to get back together.
All I can do is hope for the best. I let that hope carry me from the car to her dorm room as I arrive.
I stand outside the door for a moment before knocking.
It only takes a few seconds for me to hear footsteps on the other side and the door to open.
When Harper sees me, her eyes go wide, and she backs up slightly from the shock.
“Dawson? What are you doing here?” Harper asks in a low voice.
“I’m here because I love you,” I blurt out before I can think any better of this.
It could very well be a mistake, but I’ll forever kick myself for not trying.
I know that I’m meant to be with her, and I have to at least tell her that.
“You’re the only woman that I ever want to be with.
I want to start over with you. No contracts, no lies.
Just you and I going on a simple date and getting to know each other for real. ”
Harper just stares at me with surprise on her face as she listens to my proposal. She might be skeptical, and I understand that, but I just hope I can do something to ease her worries.
“I’ll do whatever you want, Harper. You’re all I think about. Everywhere I go, I’m reminded of you, and I can’t take it anymore.” I pause and take a step forward, hoping she’ll back away and let me in her room so we can talk about this. “What do you say? Can we give it a try?”
Harper only blinks and stares at me. My heart sinks to my stomach as I worry she’s going to say no.