Captivated

Those Three Words

I apparently don't remember what I write, because I straight up thought this was a huge filler chapter until I got to be about halfway done with proofreading... you'll see what I mean if you venture on, xx. Comment/vote!
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September 14, 2024

Patrick

"No, no, hon, lay still. I promise I'm not going to hurt you," I laugh, running my fingers down her back to comfort her.

"Stop, you're tickling me!" I hear her voice, muffled from the covers of my bed that she is laying face-down on.

"Okay, are you ready for the crack?"

"And you're sure this is safe?"

"I learned how to do it at school, I promise," I tell her. "You'll feel better when I'm done."

"Okay, fine, just get this over with."

I begin pressing down on her back using the methods that I learned to crack her back, as Harper has been complaining of show-related tension in her body recently. I know that Les Miserables is a very physical show, so it doesn't surprise me at all that she needs some help relaxing her body a bit.

"Alright, I'm just gonna massage it out now, okay? I think you've got a few knots in your shoulders."

"No surprise there," she murmurs. "Go ahead."

I begin to rub her upper back, and after a few moments, stop. "Harper, you're so tense, love. You need to take a few deep breaths every now and then. You know if something is stressing you out, you can always talk to me, right?"

"I'm fine," she insists. "It's just the show that's stressing me out a bit... I always have to be perfect and such, you know..."

For some reason, I have a gut feeling that she isn't telling me everything, but I brush that aside, figuring that she will open up to me when she's ready to do so. I'm probably just being stupid anyway. Harper would never lie to me, and I know that. On the off chance that she's keeping something from me, she must have a reason for it.

"Just... try to relax a little bit, okay?"

"I'll try," she replies.

"Now, let's get these knots worked out." I rub at her muscles for a quite a while until there are no more knots. "Do you feel any better now?"

"Much," she laughs, pushing herself up off of my bed and stretching her arms in the air.

"You're so cute," I tell her. She gives me a little giggle and kisses my cheek before throwing herself back down onto my bed.

"I'm tired."

"Well then, I'd suppose that it is a good thing that you don't have a show today, isn't it?"

"I guess so..."

"Make sure you actually... I don't know, sleep tonight, hon."

"I don't know what you think, but I swear I'm not running a week without sleep."

"The knots in your shoulders would suggest otherwise."

"Alright, can we stop talking about that? Honestly, those knots were years in the making. My shoulders have been rock hard since I was fourteen."

"Hon, please, stop stressing over everything."

"It's just... I'm such a perfectionist," she admits to me. "If something doesn't happen just how I want it to, then I'll get stressed over it. Like the other night... our Valjean, Nathan, missed his entrance during Olivia... our Fantine's death scene so she had to sing it through twice... once to herself and once to him when he finally came onstage. I don't think anybody really noticed, but I was in the wings completely freaking out."

"And that probably freaked out the rest of your cast, sweetie..."

"A little bit..."

"My point exactly."

She groans. "Touche."

I laugh, climbing onto the bed next to her. The two of us cuddle for a little bit, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears, then eventually, I speak up.

"Hey, hon, I've got something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Well...you know that Tay and Joe are getting married on December 14, right?"

"Yeah," she replies.

"I was wondering if you'd be my date to the wedding... the only thing is that even though they're trying to keep everything on the down-low, there's a pretty good chance that the media will manage to get their paws on private pictures anyway. There's a good chance that word about us could break, so I understand if-"

"Patrick, shhh. I'd be honored to be your date."

"Really?"

"Just... what will I wear?"

I break into a smile. "Literally anything. You'd look gorgeous in a paper bag."

"That's very false," she laughs, "but thank you. I'll pick out a dress when the date gets closer."

"I'll let Taylor know that you're coming. Joe asked me last night if I'd be his best man... of course, I said yes."

"Oh, that's so sweet," she gushes. "You're going to look so hot in a tux."

"Oh shut up," I chuckle. "Honestly, wait until you see Joe all dressed up. You aren't even going to want me anymore. He got the good genes in this family."

"Oh please," Harper rolls her eyes. "I'm biased, but you're better than Joe."

"And we are definitely talking about the same Joe here? Joe the Prada model?"

"Well, you're the one I'm absolutely crazy about."

I let out a little chuckle and plant a kiss on her lips. Before I know it, I'm finding myself uttering three little words that both of us have been hesitant to use thus far in our relationship.

"I love you, Harper Kennedy."

She draws in a quick breath, clearly shocked at what I've just said, until she says it back.

"I love you too, Patrick Alwyn. I love you so much."

As our lips meet in another kiss, I realize that what I've said to her is not only true now, but it has been true for months. There's nothing I want more than to be able to hold this girl in my arms for the rest of our lives.

I guess I'm lucky. She's my first girlfriend. Some people spend years dating around before they find this sort of a happiness, but here I am having found it so young and quickly. As I squeeze her tighter in my grasp and tickle her sides, she squeals with delight, and I smile to myself.

The two of us stay cuddled up for a while, neither of us saying anything, but nothing needing to be said. Both of us are relishing in the silence, and neither of us want to change anything. We'd like to stay here forever.