My Church Girl

Chapter 18

The drive to Harper's house was silent. Ava got behind the wheel and was focused on the road. Harper felt a surge of gratitude for her girlfriend's calm and steady demeanor.

Once they arrived home, Harper immediately felt a sense of relief wash over her. The familiar surroundings of her house provided a sanctuary from the overwhelming thoughts that had plagued her. They went into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The worried girl asked softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her girlfriend's face. Her touch was tender, filled with affection and concern.

At this time, the green-eyed girl, finally feeling completely safe, came to her senses, "I'm so sorry, I ruined our date." She covered her face with her hand in a regretting movement.

"Hey," Ava gently moved her hand away from her face, bringing it to her lips and softly kissing her palm, "The date isn't over yet and I really liked the part that we had so far. We did everything on our Aquarium list and went to your house, wasn't that the plan?"

The green-eyed smiled bitterly, "Yeah, except for my anxiety outburst."

"Anyway, do you want to share with me what happened?" Her caring girlfriend asked carefully.

The dark-haired girl took a deep breath before answering, "Honestly, I'm not even sure myself. I was just thinking about you, about us, and suddenly I felt so helpless. Like you could be taken away from me at any moment and there'd be nothing I could do to stop it. I felt like I couldn't protect you at all."

"Oh honey," Ava pronounced in the most caring tone, wrapping her arms around her vulnerable girl. "It's not your job to protect me."

"But it is," the stubborn girl continued to insist on her words.

"I know why you feel this way, because you've been through this once with your mom. But I'll be fine, I promise," she pressed her lips to Harper's forehead, "I'm not gonna let anyone to take me from you."

"You don't know, you can't promise!" Harper exclaimed, shaking her head in displeasure.

"You're right, but I can promise that I'm gonna try hard. You know I'm a fighter," her lips curled into a slight smile, but her eyes were still tense. "And if there's anything in my life really worth fighting for, it's being with you."

"What if your dad finds out about us?" The green-eyed girl still remained unconvinced, even after that touching confession.

"Weren't we going to kill him or something?" The blond tried to lighten the mood with a joking tone, however her girlfriend just shook her head disapprovingly. Shifting to a more serious demeanor, she continued, "Look, there's only one way to find out what will happen in this case. But I'm not planning on letting it get to that point. We're always careful. There's nothing to worry about."

"What if I hurt you?" The question was asked with a hint of irritation, as if the conversation had turned into a competition, and the goal was to find a scenario that her girlfriend couldn't easily counter.

The girl to whom this question was addressed sighed, "It's not that easy to hurt me," with a weary tone, she replied, sensing that the conversation had escalated to a point where her girlfriend seemed intent on self-sabotage.

"What if I get bored?" Harper short fired, her tone laced with a sharp edge. Fully aware of how sensitive Ava was about this and she wielded it with precision.

It worked, as the blue-eyed girl frozen, feeling the punch right to her heart. She knew why Harper was doing this,understood the nature of her behaviour, but at that moment, the fear blocked her ability to think clearly. She turned and met the green eyes for a fleeting moment, but unable to hold their intense gaze, she quickly looked away.