We Grew Back Together

14: fellow insomniac

It was 2am and Harper couldn't sleep. She was laying in her bed trying to sleep, but her mind was reeling.

Just three hours ago she was hanging out and everything seemed fine, except it didn't. It seemed a wall was put up between her and Nic. It felt like any progress that was made was reversed and she was farther from Nic than before. As if she could get any farther.

She grabbed her phone from her nightstand and before she knew it she had texted her.

It wasn't a very incriminating text. Just a simple, hey .

To her surprise she saw the bubble pop up. It seemed Nic was having trouble sleeping too.

The reply came, hi.

Harpers heart began to race and she quickly typed her reply, deleted it and waited a moment. Her fingers hovered over the letters, then she retyped the message. She pressed send.

Want to do something?

Nic replied, do what lol

I don't know... something?

The bubble popped up and went away. It came back and the reply came, wawa run?

Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly typed up a quick, yes!!

okay be there in a bit

The wait was agony, and Harper was more than ready by the time the im here text came in.

She practically flew down the stairs, but quietly so she didn't wake up her parents, and collected herself so she could saunter out to Nics car.

It felt uncharacteristic for her. It was a coup, sporty but in a "im a responsible adult who doesn't need an expensive car so I'm getting this coup of a brand nobody knows because I'm not getting a sports car". Harper for some reason imagined Nic driving a Subaru SUV.

Yet somehow this little car fit her so well.

"Hey fellow insomniac!" Nic greeted cheerfully from the open window of the passenger door. This was the Nic Harper knew.

Her smile was contagious and Harper found herself catching on.

She opened the door and settled in to hear music Harper didn't recognize playing lowly from the speakers.

The small screen, if you could even call it that, in the ancient car stereo read Rhiannon with Fleetwood Mac on the line under it.

The car stereo had a CD player.

Harper was sober enough to notice these details in the car this time.

"Alright," Nic pulled out of the driveway, turning the volume up, "to Wawa!"

The next few songs were pretty recent, from the Lumineers and Hozier. Still, not the genres Harper usually found in her Spotify wrapped.

"If you want to change the music you can," Nic offered, driving down the empty roads of their town, "I'm not sure what you listen to..."

"I listen to a bit of everything," Harper replied, watching Nic smile. She didn't listen to everything but she wasn't opposed to listening to different genres.

"What are some of your favorite artists?"

It was a simple question but not one that Harper could quickly answer. She didn't listen to music way too often, and when she did it was usually whatever her friends were playing.

Her answer was one you could never go wrong with, "Taylor Swift."

"Ah you're a swiftie?"

Harpers face grew warm at the accusation. Did she say the wrong thing? She sheepishly chuckled, "Not really..."