A/N: This early update is for NL92 and the wonderful Guests that keep reviewing! Enjoy!
Harper rolled over in her bed, and was met by a lick to the face from Darcy. "Ew, Darcy!" she cringed wiping at her face as she sat up. Darcy just waged his tail and sat up, looking at her happily. Harper slid out of bed and turned off her alarm before it could go off. She went into the bathroom and splashed water against her face, washing off the Darcy-slobber. Then she slipped into denim shorts and a purple tank top over her pink bikini, braided her hair loosely down her shoulder and fixed her make-up, slid on her sandals, and headed to the living room.
Today she would go back to work. And she felt good. For the first time in ten days, she felt good. She felt happy. She fixed up a quick breakfast for her and Darcy—Darcy eating dog kibble—and then sat down on the couch to eat. She took her time with breakfast, then grabbed her beach bag and slid on her sunglasses. "I'll see you later, Darce," she head, stepping out the front door. She shut it and locked it behind her, then practically skipped over to her van.
She hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. With the windows rolled down and the radio blasting, she drove to the Hut. On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons came on and she bobbed her head to it as she turned a corner. She pulled into the parking by the sand with a content sigh and turned off the engine. She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the van, shutting the door and walking to the back door of the Hut. She stepped inside and Kaya looked up from the front counter.
Again, Kaya was poring over magazines. She smiled. "Hey, Harper. Glad you're back," she said.
"Hey, Kaya," Harper said. "What's the latest in Hollywood?"
"Well, Shia LaBouf's new movie bombed in theaters, Mockingjay Part One was a success, and now there's some controversy over Christina Aguilera's butt," Kaya informed Harper, trying not to laugh at the end. Harper stifled a chuckle and dropped her bag behind the counter, then stood next to Kaya. She looked over Kaya's shoulder and they laughed at the stupid star drama. Just then, a throat clearing startled both of them. "I hope I'm not interrupting something important,"
Harper frowned at Steve. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to see you," he said.
"I told you, it's not going to work between us. Nothing you say can change that," she said.
"I guess I'll just have to change your mind," he said. Harper sighed as he walked away and Kaya grinned. "Who was that?" she asked.
"He's sort of like my ex, only more annoying," Harper answered, leaning into the counter.
"Are you kidding? He's gorgeous," Kaya said, causing Harper to sigh. Harper knew all too well how gorgeous he was. But she also knew pain too well. All through Harper's shift, she thought about Steve. It was annoying, because all she could think of was him and all she wanted to think of was anything but. She just had to tell herself it wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth him. After her shift, she headed out to her van and slid in the driver's seat.
She turned on the engine and startled as something started playing on the CD player. People Change by For King & Country started playing and Harper dropped her head into the steering wheel with a thud. She jammed her thumb on the off button and started driving. As she drove in the highway, she nearly swerved into the oncoming traffic. There was a billboard by the road with a painted version of her on it. It was a beautiful painting, but Harper never liked art. So she ignored it.
She pulled into the parking in front of her apartment and hopped out of the van. As soon as she walked in the door, she was attacked by Darcy and his wagging tail. "Hey, boy," she said, pushing her way in the door.
She shut the door behind her and flipped on the lights. She froze, her eyes wide as she stared. All around the room, on any open space possible, were bouquets of all different types of flowers. Lilies, roses, tulips, daisies, daffodils—all of the above. She walked into her bedroom and—thankfully for her—there was only one group of flowers on her nightstand with a heart shaped, folded piece of pink paper. She dropped her bag on the bed and grabbed the paper. She unfolded it, half expecting some stupid apology note.
Instead, she found it only said, 'Love, Steve'. She quickly crumpled up the paper and tossed it into her trash can. Then a knock on the front door caught her attention. She walked to the front door and pulled it open, and the one and only was standing out front—Steve McGarrett. "What are you stalking me now?" she asked.
"I thought maybe you'd be more willing to talk at home," he said. "Harper, I want nothing more than to go back to the interrogation room and say 'I believe you', but I can't. The best I can do is spend the rest of my life trying to prove to you that I mean it when I say now that I'm sorry."
Harper crossed her arms. "I don't care if you're sorry! Flowers and cheesy words aren't going to fix this, Steve!" Angry and hurt, she shut the door—harder than she meant to. She went back into her room and shut the door. She leaned back against it as her eyes burned with tears. She slid down the wall to the floor, her legs unable to hold her weight any longer. Suddenly, she was jolting awake, the next morning, to the sound of her alarm clock.
Harper quickly pulled herself up to her feet and found the nearest clock available. It was six AM. She couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep on the floor. She hurried turned off the alarm and went into the bathroom to take a shower. "Harper?" she heard Ellie's voice form the living room and sighed. "In here!" she called back. Her bedroom door opened and Ellie walked in. "Hey, you didn't answer the phone yesterday," Ellie said, sitting on the end of Harper's bed.
"Yeah, I was sleeping. Rough day," Harper said, tossing clothes to choose from on the bed from her dresser. "I'm gonna be late for work."
"Oh, okay. I'll let you get ready. Darcy needs company anyway!" Ellie said, smiling as she headed into the living room. Harper let out a breath and quickly took a shower—the fastest one in years—and then she got dressed. She dressed in jeans and a loose T-shirt, left her hair down, put on minimal make-up, and slid her feet into her sandals. She pulled on her sunglasses and grabbed her bag, then headed out to the living room. "I gotta go, or I'll be late!" Harper said, walking to the front door.
"Okay! Here, take this on the road," Ellie handed Harper a paper sack, and Harper sighed in relief. "You're a lifesaver, El," Harper said. Ellie gave Harper a quick hug, then pushed Harper out the door. Harper slid into her van and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. She tried to slow herself a little, rolling down the windows and actually driving the speed limit. She flipped on the radio and changed stations until she found something interesting.
She pulled into the parking at the beach and sighed, turning off the engine. She hopped out of the van and brought her bag into the back door of the Hut. It seemed to be yet another slow day, seeing as Kaya was sitting near the front on a stool, vigorously writing in a leather book. "Hey, Kaya," Harper said, walking to the front counter. It startled Kaya, and she nearly fell from the stool. "Oh! Hey, Harper. You scared me!" she said, standing.
Harper smiled sheepishly. "Sorry! I have a habit of scaring people." She shrugged in a sarcastic way and Kaya laughed. Kaya put her book into her bag and came to the counter. "Bored yet?" Kaya asked. Harper leaned into the counter on her elbows and hummed. "Yep," she said, dropping her head onto the counter.
Kaya chuckled. "Well, hey, at least we get to watch the cute guys go surfing," she said.
"What? Where?" Harper asked. Kaya pointed at the group of shirtless guys near the water, all holding surf boards. "Ooh, la la." She pulled her sunglasses halfway down her nose to see and Kaya laughed. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom," she said.
"Okay, have fun," Harper said. Kaya went into the bathroom and closed the door. Just then, Steve stepped up to the front counter. "Ah, back for more I see," Harper said, standing upright and fixing her glasses.
"I hope you know I'm going to keep saying I'm sorry until you believe it," he said.
"You want forgiveness? Fine. You're forgiven. Now, please, just leave," Harper said, annoyed. He titled his head with a look that let her know he knew that wasn't real, that she was just telling him what he wanted to hear. "I'm going away that easily," he said. "Try all you want, but I'm not leaving until you say you'll give me another chance."
"Well, have fun. Because I'm not saying it," she said. He just smiled and sat ono the bench near the edge of the sand, a few feet from the Hut. Harper sighed and shook her head. Soon Kaya was out of the bathroom and business picked up. It was actually shaping up to be the busiest day of the year. Harper mainly worked register, completing transactions while Kaya went and got the merchandise. Kaya was better at that than Harper was. But after a few hours, they swapped.
"Hey, welcome to the Hut!" Harper said, as a small family approached. "What will it be for today? Buggy boards? Snorkels?"
"Three buggy boards, please," the father of the family said.
"Alright," Harper went back to the buggy boards and grabbed three while Kaya rang it up. Harper put the boards on the counter and smiled at the family. "Here you go, enjoy the sun!" The family took the boards and thanked them before heading to the water. Once it died down, Harper sighed. "I can't believe I still have four hours of this," Harper groaned.
Kaya pulled her bag onto her shoulder, getting ready to clock out for the day. "Hang in there. It gets easier," she said.
"Goodnight, Kaya," Harper smiled as Kaya walked out. Kaya waved saying, "Goodnight, Harper." It was five PM now, and Harper still had to work until nine. She took a deep breath and then frowned as she saw Steve was still sitting on the bench. "Aren't you bored?" Harper called.
He glanced up. "I told you, I'm not leaving until you give me another chance!" he called back. She let out a strangle groan and messaged her temples, where a headache was forming. She ignored him for the rest of her shift. At eight fifty-nine PM, it started raining. Harper scowled at the weather, but she zipped up a jacket and stepped out, into the rain. It was cold and the water soaked right through her jacket as it barreled down on her head. Steve was still there, standing a few feet from the short line.
"What are you still doing here?" Harper shouted, angrily. He turned around, drenched. "I told you-"
"I know already!" she shouted. She marched over to him in a fit of anger. "Why can't you just drop it? I don't want you anymore, Steve! I don't!" Thankfully, it was raining. Otherwise her tears would be visible. Saying the words aloud made her chest hurt. No, not hurt. Ache. It almost made her feel sick to her stomach. "I'm not the girl for you," she said. "I'm a girl with a criminal record that works at some surf shack, making ten bucks an hour. I'm nothing worth your time."
"Harper, you're worth it to me. We never would've been in this stupid mess if it wasn't for me. Me—not you," he said.
"No! Stop!" Harper shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. "I already made up my mind."
"Well, then un-make it," he said, stepping closer. "Ellie told me about your past, about the abuse? I know everything." She stared at him with a hopeless expression, like a puppy that was just kicked. "And I don't care. I don't care about any of it. Not your past, not your criminal record, not your crummy job."
"You will," she said, bitterly. "One day you'll wake up and realize I'm not what you want. Everyone does."
"I will never leave you, Harper," he said, looking into her eyes through the rain. "I could never regret loving you. You're all I want." A lump grew in her throat, and now it was visible that she was crying. She hurriedly stepped forward and rose on her toes, pressing her lips against his. He was taken aback by the sudden action, but he quickly wound his arms around her, kissing her back. Their lips moved against each other quickly, almost desperately.
Both of their hearts were on fire, making it hard to breathe. Steve lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him, their wet clothes sticking to each other. They parted—just barely—but they kept their arms around each other, their lips close. "Okay," she said, breathless. "Maybe we'll try this again."