Chapter 15 Orion #2
“Yeah, and with that and everything else I’m dealing with, I just don’t think you and I… I mean, I don’t know what you were trying to tell me in chemistry today—”
“I was trying to say I want to go to the festival with you, but that rat bastard, Ford, beat me to it.”
“That’s not all you were saying,” Harper said quietly. “But also, you never asked me to the festival.”
“I wanted to do it in person instead of by phone or text. Because I’m a goddamn gentleman. But it all went sideways, and I’m not, to say the least, an expert at talking about feelings.” I mimed a little explosion with my hands. “So they build up and go boom.”
“Did you ever take Wolfe up on his offer to play it out?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Lazy?”
She sighed. “Maybe you should.”
“There are a lot of things I should be doing, but we’re talking about you.”
Harper glanced down again, shook her head. “I don’t know how bad it is with my mother, or how far it’s gotten. Not too bad yet, I hope. I might be able to get her back into AA. But it’s all too much. I have so much on my plate right now. With school, the NoSci—”
“You’re not going to get any heat on that from me.”
Harper frowned. “Why not? I wouldn’t expect you to hold back on my account. In fact, I’d feel like shit if you did.”
If you only knew.
“I’m just saying, I’m not exactly acing my classes. Any entry I make for NoSci is going to be half arsed at best.”
“Okay, well, in any case, I’m just…” She looked to me, her eyes glittering in the dimness. “Now is not a good time.”
I took her hand in both of mine. “For?”
“You know what.”
She gently extracted her hand from mine, reached into her bag, and pulled out a check.
My brows furrowed. “Haven’t seen one of these in ages. Did you steal this from a museum?”
“Ha-ha,” she said. “I couldn’t find you on Venmo or Zelle. You can take a photo and auto-deposit… What are you doing?”
I took a bite out of the check and chewed the paper. Then another.
She snatched it back. “Orion, goddammit. We need a clean slate. So that I can deal with all the shit I have to deal with and not have this debt hanging over my head.”
“You’re not paying me back, Harper. It’s the least I could do for all the crap my so-called friends have put you through. No,” I said, when she started to protest. “I’m not going to hear it. Done is done.”
She stared at me a moment more, then let her hands fall in her lap. “Infuriating and.…”
“And?” I said, smiling tiredly. “What else am I?”
Harper shook her head, holding my gaze a moment more. Tears stood out in her eyes, and behind them I saw longing. I felt it, because it was the same I had for her. I wasn’t any good at something real with a girl. I’d never done it before. But I’d wanted to try, and now…
“I should go.”
She started to go, but I took her hand. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I made a promise to myself that the next time I got involved with someone it wouldn’t be casual.
I want something real and solid. Let me finish,” she said, when it was my turn to protest. “But that goes both ways. My bandwidth is stretched to the breaking point. I’m not going to be good for anyone right now. ”
“Why not let me be the judge of that?”
She huffed a breath and wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. “But it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“Friends,” I said sourly. “Yay.”
She pursed her lips. “And as your friend, you need help and you’re not getting it. Don’t argue with me,” she added, her expression fierce with anger now. Not at me, but for me. The fighter in her turning the battle toward my enemies. An ally. No one had been that for me in a long time.
“I’ll help you with your classes if you’ll let me.
History, at least. You don’t need help in piano, though I think you should take whatever Wolfe is offering.
It’s not every day a world-famous prodigy dumps free lessons in your lap.
” Harper’s expression softened. “You have a gift, Orion. A real gift. And you’re not lazy or broken or anything else.
But you need more help than a bottle of pills and a shrug. ”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “That’s a nice feeling. To have someone who believes in me.”
“I do,” she said.
“Then stay.”
Harper smiled sadly and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Good night, Orion.”
Her lips were soft on my skin, and after, she hovered there.
The warmth of her and her scent—wildflowers and cherries—filled my space.
Her hesitation was palpable, her eyes shining and dark in the dim light, her lips so close it would be nothing to lean in and capture them with mine.
To taste her and get lost in her and let her get lost in me.
To solve this problem of us, consequences be damned.
But Easton fucking Locke chose that moment to step into the room instead of his usual two a.m.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll just—”
Harper jerked back. “No, I was just leaving.” She gave me a final, lingering glance then turned away. “Easton?”
He nodded.
“Take care of him,” she said, and then she was gone.
***
The next day, I skipped all my classes. I felt like shit. Depressed, tired. A full-body hangover. I’d forgotten about that little bonus to the terrible reaction I had to the meds.
I managed to drag myself out of bed to shower and dress. After the last bell, I made my way to the Arts Wing of the Academy. When I arrived, my pulse was kicking like a jackrabbit, though now I couldn’t tell if it was left over from last night or just plain nerves.
I knocked on Professor Wolfe’s office door.
No answer.
The syllabus had said I was within his office hours. Maybe I’d gotten it wrong. I nearly turned to leave, but Harper’s face floated before my vision. Her faith in me had me knocking again.
A rustling came from inside the office. “Coming, coming.”
The door flew open and I was face-to-face with Ezra Wolfe’s bleary eyes. His hair was rumpled, his clothes looked slept in. The scent of an unidentified liquor wafted over me, and cigarette smoke hung in the air.
“Orion.” If he was embarrassed or worried I’d rat him out, he didn’t show it. Instead, he wore an expectant expression. “You look as bad as I feel. What do you want?”
“I’d like to take you up on your offer,” I said, the words sounding rusty, as if I’d never spoken English before. “To work with you on a piece for the concert?”
He crossed his arms. “That was weeks ago. Who says that offer still stands?”
Disappointment whacked me in the chest. I hadn’t known how badly I’d wanted this until now. When it was too late.
“Oh. Sorry to have bothered you.”
I was five steps away when he drawled, “Do you always give up so easily?”
I turned.
He arched a brow. “Well?”
This was it. A dividing line between one version of my life and another. Once I stepped over it, I had no idea what would happen. No safety net. Wolfe was going to tear me open with a bloody piano. And I wasn’t going to be able to hide my struggles from him, either. No chance.
Maybe that’s a good thing.
Wolfe must’ve read my face because a slow grin spread over his.
“It’s about time.”