Solitude Grace

Chapter Seventeen.

"So how was the party?" Gladis had heard Harper walk.

"Eventful." Harper replied, sudden exhaustion collapsing upon him.

Gladis pulled out a chair for him before sitting down again and sipping on her tea. Marble had disappeared again, that cat never liked strangers but Harper was hardly a stranger anymore. 

"My son's coming around next weekend." Gladis announced. 

David had rang this afternoon, he wanted to bring Libby, his daughter, to see her grandmother for the first time. Gladis was glad but knew David didn't just come to see her for no reason, he would want something, he always wanted something.

"You don't seem pleased." Harper looked up to the woman, curious to see if she would open up.

She never spoke about her family and if she did it would always be about her late husband, Francis. He must have been quite something to still have a hold over her heart.

"David is a trickster. Always after something, he will only ask me for something, otherwise he wouldn't even come. I'm glad his coming though, I would love to see my granddaughter." Gladis explained, watching as Harper soaked up every word.

He nodded, trying to understand what she just told him.

"So, what happened at the party?" 

"You want to know about a teenage party?" Harper arched a brow at her. 

He was only every truly comfortable around Gladis, he could be his quiet himself and he could sometimes crack a smile, she would think nothing of it. He grew to really care about the woman, a different kind of care than what he felt for Lisa but still he cared.

"No, but I gotta keep an eye on you." She smiled at him before getting up and walking over to the sink, rinsing out her cup and drying it. "Anything happen with Lisa?"

"Austin kissed her." Harper told her, he couldn't find it in himself to tell Gladis about Uriel.

"She like him?" Gladis watched him from the corner of her eye. He didn't even flinch from her words.

"I'm not sure, it's not my business." Harper shrugged, getting up to retreat to his room.

"You don't want her to like you?" 

"She does like me, I'm her friend." Harper replied, disappearing into his room.

Gladis shook her head. That boy could really frustrate her. It was clear as daylight that he really liked Lisa, but he was too adamant on staying alone to express his feelings to her face. One day though, Gladis knew, he would no longer be able to keep those feelings locked up.  She hoped it would be soon, she could no longer keep it inside her. Everytime he avoided the subject relating Lisa she wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into him.

The old woman retreated to her bedroom, tucking herself into bed and falling into a peaceful sleep.

A knock on the door sounded waking Harper and alerting him of a visitor. His eyes were still drowsy and he was still waking up as he approached the front door, hoping the knock didn't wake Gladis, she was sleep deprived enough as it is. She never slept for more than five hours and sometimes just feel asleep during the day.

He opened to door to a very anxious looking Lisa. He took her in with her jeans, long-sleeved purple top and scarf around her neck.

She glided past him as if she belonged and looked around.

"Thought we could hang out today." She announced, resulting in Harper's finger being pressed onto her lips.

"Gladis is still asleep." Harper looked to the clock, it registered seven thirty. It was still fairly early for her to be around.