Chapter 17.|More Than Just Friends?|

h.a.r.p.e.r.’.s....p.o.v.

The ride home was awkward, to say the least. Justin stayed silent while I smiled like a dork and kept touching my lips, remembering how it felt when they collided with Justin’s. When he pulled up in front of my house, we said our goodbyes before I got out of the car.

I couldn’t help but text Carmela. I had already informed her on my experience in the cave.

Harper: Anyway, that’s not even the half of it.

Carmela: What else happened?

Harper: Well, I escaped and found Justin.

Carmela: And...?

Harper: We may or may not have kissed at his house...

Carmela: So... when did the confessions begin?

Harper: There were no confessions.

Harper: It just got kinda awkward and he drove me home.

Carmela: You’re not serious!

Carmela: You have to have told him something!

Harper: No, his dad acted like he wanted me out of the house.

Harper: Did you know that Justin has to take over his dad’s business without a say?

-Incoming call from “Carmela” -

“Hello?”

“Okay, so let me get this straight - you were trapped in a cave with a wild animal?!”

“Yeah, I know, crazy right? We need to seriously get those woods cleared out, or at least get some of those animals removed.”

“Whatever - let’s get to the more important issue her - you two kissed?! I need details, woman!” I could practically hear Carmela squealing and smiling over the phone. This was the type of juicy gossip she lived for.

“Well, he gave me a tour of his house - sorry, I mean mansion-castle-thingy. Then his dad came down and made some comment about me getting in the way of the work he had to do, so Justin went up and showed me what he had to do after he graduates high school. Or, well, at least all the papers and folders. That pretty much covered the entire table.

“And, we ended up just sitting there in silence, and it felt like I was being pulled toward him by some invisible force. And before I knew it, my lips were on his.”

“OMG! I can’t believe it! This is so beautiful! But really, when did you guys talk about it?”

I bit my lip. “We didn’t...”

“You what?!”

“I don’t know. I guess we were both just in shock. I mean, I’ve only ever saw him as a friend...”

“Don’t forget that you were obsessed with him for a while,” Carmela pointed out, eager to prove her point.

“That was simply an infatuation. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Was it really? Harp, I know you better than this. And it isn’t a simple ‘infatuation’.”

I ran a hand through my hair, before touching my still swollen lips. Was I still only thinking of him as a friend, or did I want something more?

“What do you want to do right now, huh?”

I contemplated my answer. “Probably... probably to kiss Justin again. It just felt so... right. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“See, not just a infatuation.”

“But I don’t want this to be a rebound. I mean, I just broke up with my last boyfriend, what if I am just obsessed with Justin for the time being.”

“Although I don’t think that, I do agree that you should give it some time before jumping into some big relationship. It isn’t like you have a date that you have to be with him by. [The irony ;)] Just take it slow. That’s the easiest way to build these feelings up slow and steady. Trust me. But the only way anything can happen is for you two to talk.”

“So should I call him up and suddenly confess my feelings to him?”

“As much as I’d love that, I wouldn’t. Just start off slow, and see where it takes you.”

I sighed. This was going to be a lot more complicated than I had originally thought. “Okay, I guess I could try that...”

“There’s no rush, just remember that.”

I nodded. No rush. I could take as long as I needed. But did I really want to take it slow? Or did I want to jump in head first and see where it took me?

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

What if... what if this wasn’t just a rebound? After all, I had liked him for a while, even noticing him when I was with Toby. What if this was the type of thing that was meant to be?

“Okay Harp, I know you really well. That means that I know that you are probably way over thinking this and probably want to start this relationship as soon as possible. Don’t you dare.”

“Okay, okay. Yep, I’ll just take it slow, real slow.”

“Okay, I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow!”

“Yeah, you too.”

I hung up and put my heads in my hands.

This was all so confusing - when did we go from being best friends to even more than that?