Enchanted | Jacob Black

three

I stepped out of the shower, surprised at the sight of sunlight beaming through the small window in the bathroom. There was sun for the first time in what felt like forever, and hopefully, it stuck around for the rest of the day.

I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped back into my room. I quickly changed into a long-sleeved fitted shirt and jeans. I left my hair down so it could air dry, applying some makeup and perfume.

I decided to skip breakfast. After my last interaction with Jake yesterday, I had lost my appetite. I spent the rest of the day in bed, moping around like the sad teenager I was. The only time I got up was to say hi to Sue, who dropped off a plate of spaghetti after my dad called to scold me for skipping. I used the same excuse I always did to get out of almost anything when it came to Dad: I had period cramps.

I grabbed my jacket and backpack before heading out the door to school.

As I pulled up, I spotted Nate. Once again, he was waiting for me." Hey, Harper, " he greeted me as I stepped out of my car. "Hey," I replied.

"You look pretty today."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "I look the same as I always do." I reminded him.

"I know, but you always look pretty to me."

I opened my mouth to toss back a sarcastic comment, but nothing came out. Instead, I found myself actually... smiling.

He wasn't being slick about it, not really. And it didn't feel rehearsed like it usually did. It felt kind of... genuine.

"Well," I said, ignoring the sudden warmth in my cheeks, "thanks, I guess."

We started walking, and I noticed he kept a comfortable distance, close but not crowding me. He was quiet for a moment, just matching my pace. It was... nice.

Different.

"You doing okay?" he asked. "You seem a little off today."

I glanced at him, surprised. "You notice that?"

"Well, yeah," he said. "You've got this look like something's bothering you."

I laughed under my breath. Was Jake affecting me so much that even Nate could sense something was off just by looking at me?

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Hey, by the way, about what I said yester-."

"Don't worry about it," I cut him off a little too quickly, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

He blinked, surprised. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't make things weird."

I sighed and looked away. "You didn't. It's fine."

"Alright," he said, nodding. "If you say so... and if you ever do want to talk, I'm here. Flirting isn't the only thing I'm good for."

That made me laugh genuinely this time, and I glanced over at him, catching the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled. His light brown hair was messy, like he'd just rolled out of bed, but he still somehow made it work. His hazel eyes, a mix of amber and green, seemed unusually tender at the moment.

I looked away, realizing I was staring too long.

"What?" he asked, smirking. "Do I have something on my face? Or are you just admiring how beautiful I am?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, right." I scoffed.

"You were the one staring, not me."

"I wasn't staring."