Anywhere With You • {J.C.}

||Fifty|Bittersweet||

Things had ended peacefully, but perhaps not amicably. Harlow found herself keeping up with the band, reading articles from Rolling Stone to watching interviews on television.

Julian seemed to hit rock bottom—his drinking had spiraled out of control. It seemed from the moment Harlow let Julian go, so did all of his restraint. He had become quite a mess, with the reputation of an asshole no one wanted to work with.

Harlow had moved out of Tyler's apartment and back in with her mother and stepfather, and found herself starting over. Tyler refused to make amends, and Harlow understood completely. She had made a mistake, but it wasn't one she regretted, or would even take back if she were given the chance.

Harlow had found a job in the city, putting her business degree to good use. She moved into a studio apartment—living alone, but focusing on herself.

For once, Harlow Mavericks was living her life for herself, although her aim in life was still skewed, unsure of her purpose. She had come a long way from that naive girl who had dropped out of high school to try and have a life with a boy who was waiting for someone else.

Perhaps in another life, she and Julian would've worked—maybe even in this life, in the past—if they had both wanted the same thing at the same time.

But something had happened during the time Harlow was finding her own path—something she was surprised by, but also strangely happy about.

Julian had found someone. When she saw who that someone was, it seemed obvious; the picture of the girl in the magazine appearing slightly different from the girl she had met some years back who introduced herself as Juliet. Her hair was long and much lighter than Harlow remembered—perhaps the young woman was even thinner. Juliet wasn't just Julian's girlfriend, she was his wife.

Harlow had never seen Julian so happy before. The saying of a picture being worth a thousand words came to mind when looking at the happy couple. He looked clean—that tired eyed stare he used to give was nearly gone now—that drunken haze of indifference was no longer settled in his eyes. There was a light there, a light Harlow hadn't seen in a long time, only now, it was brighter than it had ever been.

She was happy for him, but also, a little sad. It was bittersweet—the way things had turned out for Julian. It still hadn't brought her any closer to finding her own purpose.

"Harlow?" A familiar voice spoke behind her, causing her to quickly close the magazine in her hands. When she turned around, she was surprised to see who that voice had come from.

"Tyler?" She smiled wide, genuinely happy to see his face. He looked good, healthy. His dark hair had grown some inches, his eyes still holding kindness. He appeared thicker than the last time she'd seen him—his arms bulkier and his chest somewhat broader.

"H-how've you been? Is it alright if I hug you?" Tyler was already going in for a friendly embrace when he stopped to ask first. Harlow chuckled nervously, questioning why he would want to.

"Yeah." She patted his back—his hands respectfully at the middle of her back.

"It's really good to see you- you look great."

"Thanks, so do you." She smiled, unable to help her eyes roaming up and down the length of his body. "So," She cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"

Tyler's brows furrowed, glancing up at the newsstand. "I always come here on Sunday's, best day to get new stories." He smiled. "What about you, what are you doing?"

"I was just on my way to get something to eat." Harlow's smile fell when seeing Tyler's do the same.

"I um... I don't see a ring, but... are you seeing anyone? I hope that's not too straight forward-" Tyler's hands went up cautiously.

"No, not at all-"

"I was just gonna see if maybe... you'd care if I joined you. Maybe catch up? I haven't seen you in... gah, three years now?"

"Yeah." Harlow nodded before looking to her feet. It was hard not to feel guilty about what had happened—but still, she didn't regret it. The incident had opened her eyes to what truly mattered—what she really wanted. "It's definitely been a while. I'm single, no one's waiting for me or anything." She chuckled nervously again, tucking her long hair behind her ear.

"Me too." He looked to her with a broken smile—wishing things hadn't gone the way they had. "You ready to go? I know this great place called Caverns I used to work-" He smiled wide when hearing Harlow's laugh, the sound like music to his ears.

"That would- that would be great, actually."