You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 81
Harper
"Sooocoon." Sadie says a half hour later after I've changed my sheets with my cheeks heating every time
while she gives me side eye. I'm not that bad of a friend, clearly we just had sex and that would be weird. "You guys...doing good?"
| put on the duvet and laugh. "Define good?"
"Great? Awesome? Does he make you want to run out into a random field and go all Disney on his ass while you sing about your feelings or...." Her voice trails off.
I laugh. "It's at least not complicated anymore." | frown.
“We talked, actually other than some weird texts he got after dropping me off at my house...| don't know...it was different, deeper.”
She snorts. “Deeper?”
| scowl."Not that way, it's just, we had some really good conversations and | finally feel like we're at a good place.
| know it's easy to get insecure. | mean it's Easton and | just have a really good feeling | can't explain it any other way.”
Her face changes. Uh-oh trouble in paradise? "That's
good, Harper.”
“Sit.” | pat the bed. “And try to forget | just had sex here.”
“Yeah the floor is good!" She quickly sits on the floor and looks up at me. "Okay so it's your brother. | don't even
know how to have this conversation with him sleeping a few doors down, even though | know he knows it's gonna
happen because we're best friends.”
| get on the floor, grab a pillow and lean back against my bed. "Start at the beginning then."
She exhales. "Yeah that's not gonna be a short story and it's late..let's just say, things were going well because neither of us were taking anything seriously which is my
fault because | didn't want to scare him away."

Yeah Ryan gets scared easily, | think to myself. "So what's wrong now?"
"That's the whole issue!" She throws her hands up. "He's been amazing but not himself. | think | honestly freaked him out with this whole, ‘hey let's be casual’ thing and now we both don’t know how to have the relationship
talk."
"Ah," | nodded. "Yeah | can see that, he's worried you're
worried about the things he's worried about and—"
"Everyone is fucking worried!” She hisses. “And | just want to be with him and enjoy him and..." She starts tugging her ponytail. “| want us to be official. Okay?”
| smile, | can't help it. "Okay, so why not say that?"
"Communication isn't our strong suit,” she grumbles. “It's
more like, oh look a mouth | should kiss it, oh look a dick |
should—"
"Yeah I'm good." | hold up my hand. "No need to get
descriptive.”
"Sorry," She laughs. "But seriously his—”
"Time out !" | interrupt. "Nope, not going there nope. Find a new best friend, ewwwww my brother.”
We fall into fits of giggles and soon we're laying on the
ground with pillows surrounding us and blankets, almost
like a fort.
"Life is crazy,” | say. "If you would have told me all this months ago, | would've laughed in your face."
“Yeah.” She grips my hand. “High school, am | right? It's both the best and the worst.”
| blow out a breath | didn't realize I'd been holding.
"Right."
She turns on her side and gives me a playful shove. "I have a good feeling though, about you guys, about me and Ryan, things are finally looking up. Blake hasn't started shit and Aisha just seems pissed at the world.
Maybe they deserve each other."
"Haha," | laugh but feel guilty because Blake really has been nice to me, despite what everyone thinks or believes.
| frown.
"Hey,” She nudges me. "Promise me we'll get a good night's sleep and stop overthinking things? After all, that's what girls are so good at and our guys for all their dumb dumbness have been really good, you know? Maybe we should start trusting more and doubting less."
Something makes my chest go tight.
It’s my paranoia.
Because she's so freaking right. This whole time I've been questioning what's right in front of me.
| nod, then grab my phone and send Easton a quick text to see if he's okay but also because | miss him and while he couldn't have stayed the night, | still would have liked more minutes by his side, touching, talking, laughing.
Me: Get home okay?
Easton: You know it, how's my girl doing?
I smile.
Me: Good. Hey thanks for those things you said today...