We Grew Back Together

11: I dont see her that way.

It's been a week since Nic drove Harper home. Harper couldn't get Nic off her mind. After dropping her off Harper hasn't heard from her.

She was growing increasingly worried, what if Nic hated her? What if she never wanted to see her again?

"Harper?" Riley asked, carrying over a hanger with a shirt on it from across the store, "why are you like zoning out? It's weird."

"I'm not," Harper mindlessly pawed through the dresses in front of her, "I'm just looking at the clothes."

"Whatever," Riley rolled her eye before holding the shirt out to examine it further. She frowned and tilted her head as she asked, "What do you think about this one?"

"Cute."

"You didn't even look at it!"

Harper glanced at the shirt. It was a small cropped tshirt with a butterfly on it. She looked back at the rack and answered, "cute."

"Ugh you're no help!" Riley whined, stalking away to go and probably snatch more clothes.

Harper walked around, looking over the clothes without more than a second on each piece. Usually she was an adamant shopper but this time, she just didn't feel it. Instead she just trailed behind Riley.

She took out her phone and opened her texts with Alice. Beginning to type a message she got halfway through before deleting it.

She retyped it.

Hey wanna hang out later?

Sending it she followed Riley out of the store. She looked across the large gap between the two sides of the mall and spotted Stella and who she assumed was her friend. They were talking and smiling. Maybe it was an old friend from highschool, or maybe a friend from college.

Harper remembers Alice mentioning she doesn't have too many friends from highschool she still talks to.

She pulled her attention away from the two and sped up to walk beside Riley.

-

"So, how's everything been?" Alice asked, leaning her elbows on the counter.

Alice came over and they decided to make cookies so they could make ice cream sandwiches with them. So far Harper was doing all the baking and Alice brought the icecream.

"Fine. Same since I saw you at work yesterday."

Alice gave a short chuckle. Watching Harper mix the wet ingredients she asked, "If there was a weekend beach trip with the friend group would you be interested in going? The plan is still in the works but I thought I'd ask."

Harper looked up from the bowl to see Alice's grin. She smiled and replied, "that sounds really fun!"

She chuckled, "Good, 'cause then the Airbnb is cheaper for all of us."

Giving a short laugh in response Harper shook her head and continued mixing.

A beach trip, with the whole group. It did sound fun. Nic would be there.

Her heart sped up at the thought.

Of course Nic would be there, why does she feel like this?

"Thinkin' about all your money?" Alice sarcastically pulled Harper from her thoughts. She raised an eyebrow when Harper quickly glanced at her.

"No," she pushed the bowl aside and pulled out another for the dry ingredients. "Just thinking about how fun that trip will be. If it happens."

"Ah," Alice nodded, "I see..."

Harper nodded as she measured out the flour.

"She's on vacation right now you know."

She stopped. Frowning in confusion she shot Alice a glance.

"Nic. She's down the shore with her family. Her whole family."

"Whole family?"

"Yeah. Like extended family too."

"Oh, that sounds nice."

Alice rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. She stared at Harper, waiting for her response, or for her to change the topic and go back to her non-lost in thought self. "You get spacey every time Nic is brought up. But she's usually the first one you talk about when our friends are mentioned."

Harper shrugged, "I know her better than the others."

"Oh my god you are hopeless," Alice groaned.

"What?"

Alice placed both hands on the counter and leaned forward and asked, "What happened in that car ride last week?"

Harper kept her gaze at the activity at hand. "Literally nothing. She just drove me home. We didn't even really talk."

Narrowing her eyes, Alice gave a short hum in response.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Raising a brow Harper watched Alice look around the room, dramatically avoiding eye contact. She sighed, "Just say it. I have a feeling I know what you're thinking."

"There's definitely some vibes between you two!" Alice watched Harper roll her eyes and threw her hands up, "The way you talk about her- I see the way you look at her! During cards against humanity? And those little doe eyes you gave her when you asked her to drive you home? It's okay to feel like that."

Taking in a breath Harper looked down at the two bowls. She didn't want Alice to see her face. She'd see right through her. Alice knew she was right, Harper just didn't want her to be.

Maybe it wasn't just the alcohol.

She's never had luck with love, every time Harper got close to a boy she just couldn't do it. Every time she'd go through the motions and they would fall harder and she would wonder when she'd start to feel the same.

There was a time where she thought all the movies and books were exaggerating the feeling of it all. The need to talk about them. The waiting to talk to them-

No. No.

Alice is wrong. She's got it wrong. Her and Nic are just old friends. So what? She wants to get to know her more and spend time with just the two of them? She spent years away from her, it takes a while to get to know someone again.

"I just-"

Alice smiled and her voice held a reassurance that only opened a void in Harper's insides, "It's okay. Really."

"You've got it wrong," Harper met her gaze and shrugged. All her insides were sucked into the black hole forming as she kept her composure and said, "I don't see her that way."

_____

Hey y'all sorry for like abandoning this for a few weeks I've been super busy lately so here's my sad excuse of another part lol

More is on the way I swear