Eighteen

"You know, I thought you were going to cancel till the last minute." Harper glanced at me while driving to the destination he had planned and refused to tell me.

"I almost did." That was the honest answer. I kept having second thoughts about the whole matter. Even now, I wondered if there was any way to ask Harper politely, to turn his car around and go back to Sam's house.

He sighed. "Well, I guess I deserve that."

"Yes, you do." My reply was prompt and I glanced at Harper from the corner of my eye who was gripping the steering wheel with greater force than necessary, his knuckles turning white.

"Have you, um, ever been on a date before?" Harper chuckled nervously.

Where is he going with this?

"Yeah. Haven't you?" I turned to look at him, giving him my full attention.

"I don't exactly date girls." He smirked at me.

"Yeah, I know. All you do is sleep with girls and then break it off them." I rolled my eyes.

All I had wanted to do tonight, was just to have a good time, and to do that it was necessary for me to not bring up whatever happened between us in the past, which included his playboy habits and his vile words. I had promised myself that I wouldn't bring up any of these topics but his cocky and arrogant side brought out the worst in me.

He sighed again. "Look, I think if we are going to do this tonight, you will have to give me an honest chance. Just keep an open mind, ok? That's all I'm asking for."

"This is not a good idea, Harper. Turn the car around." I folded my hands together in my lap to keep some semblance of control. 

"Nope. I can't do that."

Would it be considered a kidnap if I got in his car willingly?

"And why is that?" I said, exasperated.

"I don't think you want to be stalked for another week, do you?" He looked at me and gave me a teasing grin.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight. He had asked me to keep an open mind about him. I had already planned to do it in the first place but considering how things always turn out between us, I wasn't sure for how long I could keep that promise.

We had entered a rocky trail a few minutes ago which went deeper into the forest. Trees surrounded us clouding any light which could be offered by the moon overhead. The only light on this path we were on, was created by the car's headlights, which were not doing a pretty good job. I had no idea where we were going, but I sure hoped that I would come back in one piece. 

I'm certainly not going to ask him if he has brought me out here to murder me.

After about fifteen minutes, I could see a tiny building ahead. As we moved closer to the building, it became clear what it was; a one-storied house. It was old and weathered. I couldn't make out the color of the walls in the dark, but I was pretty sure that it had turned into a darker shade of what it used to be. The house was nothing grand, it just stood alone in the middle of nowhere, with weeds growing in the gravel driveway. The windows were boarded up, which made it look haunting.

He will murder me and bury my body here. Oh god, no one would ever find me.

I couldn't move. I sat frozen in my seat. I couldn't fathom the sight in front of me. What the hell was happening here? Was this some kind of a sick joke?

From the corner of my eye, I could see Harper unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the car. I wasn't sure I wanted to get out of the safety of the car, at least he wouldn't stab me and risk getting his leather seats painted with my blood. He came around to my side, opened my door, and gestured for me to get out. This, indeed was our destination.

Leaves and twigs crushed under my feet as I landed my feet on the ground and turned to look at the house once again.

"You seriously brought me here?" I didn't know what else to say. I turned to look at him and even in the dark, I could see the red tinge in his cheeks. So, he was nervous, good.

"Um yeah." He put both of his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "If you don't like it, we can, um, go somewhere else." He shifted his weight from one foot to another.

I decided at that moment that the nervous, fidgety Harper was more appealing than the cool and collected Harper. His lack of control only made him more human and more attainable. 

I smiled at him which seemed to reduce his nervousness a little. I had decided to give him a chance and keep an open mind, I reminded myself.

"So, what are we waiting for?"

"Hun?"

I giggled at his confused expression. "Shall we go in?" I asked and pointed at the decaying house in front of us.

"Oh, yeah. Come and watch out for the weeds." Harper looked apologetic, it was pretty evident that he had never done this before and had come up with the venue of this date on his own because no one in their right mind would ever suggest such a venue for a date. It showed that he had put real thought and effort into this day and that mattered to me. Or he just came up with this at the last moment and chided my subconscious.

I walked behind Harper who was a step ahead of me. The door looked exactly how the rest of the house did, beaten, worn, and old. He took a key out of his jacket's pocket and unlocked the door. 

Why does he even need a lock for this place?

He held out his hand and gestured for me to go in first. 

The inside of the house was just as I had expected. The supposed living room had old and beaten furniture, the wallpaper was moldy and was peeling off the walls. There was a thick layer of dust everywhere and I thanked God that I wasn't allergic to anything or my throat would have closed up by now and I would have undergone an anaphylactic shock!

The living room was cast in a soft glow of yellow light which emanated from the adjoining room. 

I looked back at Harper to check if he was coming after me and not leaving me alone in this God-forsaken place.

The floorboards creaked under my weight and I prayed that they wouldn't break. That would be so embarrassing!

Harper chuckled behind me. "Don't worry. Those floorboards are strong. They will hold." I felt his hand on my lower back spreading tingles through my body, and felt him guide me toward the source of the light. 

The light was cast all around the "dining room" by lanterns. Where did he even get lanterns in this day and age? 

The room wasn't in any better condition than the house. All my attention was focused in the middle of the room where there was a table, which looked in a better condition than the rest of this dilapidated house, two chairs were set across from each other and they looked better too. On top of the table, there was a picnic basket and..... Were those paper plates? A lantern sat in the middle of the table, which had been covered by a tablecloth. A tablecloth that was perfectly clean and looked hygienic. Thank God!

Screw candles, lanterns are the new black anyway!

Harper cleared his throat nervously, probably wondering if I had gone into shock. "Um, I know it's not much. I was just so confused and I di-"

"I love it. Wow. I love it." I cut him off and turned to look at him. His face lit up the entire house, as cliché as that sounds, and it made me very happy. I felt myself returning his smile like second nature now.

He held out his hand and gestured for me to take my seat on one side of the table. He pulled out the seat for me and helped me sit down, which in my opinion wasn't necessary, but I didn't say anything. After that, he walked around the table and sat across from me.

I put both my hands on the table and smiled at him. "So, what's the story?"

"What story?" His brows furrowed and he just looked so adorable I couldn't help but ogle at him.

I waved my hand around. "The story of this house. How did you come to know about it?"

He looked around the house and I noticed his gaze lingering at some places. "This house belonged to my grandparents. After they retired, they both decided that they wanted to live away from the city, in complete wilderness and they made this house. Whenever things got too much at home, I used to run away and come here."

Harper was opening up and showing me, a new part of his life and I was afraid a wrong question would make him guard up and I didn't want that. So, I asked my next question carefully. "Harper, were your parents, um abusive?" 

"What? No. It's just that they have always expected me to take over the, um, family business, and have always expected great things from me. When things got a little too overbearing for me, I came to meet my grandparents. They were supportive of me and encouraged me a lot." His eyes clouded in the memories he must be remembering after being in this house again. "When they died, my parents wanted to destroy this house but I was against it. I fought with them and just to get my point across, I slept here for three nights in a row. I was thirteen years old then. Even now, whenever I feel alone, I come here and spend time here, alone. It helps me think and just, deal with things."

I smiled at him. "How often do you come here?"

He could sense I was genuinely curious and I could see that it pleased him. "I come as often as I can. Though, for the last few weeks, this house has been my sanctuary. I had no idea where to take you out and I didn't want to look like a complete idiot and that's why I thought to bring you here."

My heart soared at the prospect of Harper showing me such a raw and tender side of him. I felt special that he trusted me enough to bring me here and let me in.

"So, who else knows about this place?" 

"My parents do, but they don't ever come here."

"Nobody else?" I said, surprised at his admission. He smiled at me and gently shook his head, his eyes showing that he said what he meant.

Guess there is more to Harper than I initially thought!