Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place. No profit is being made from writing this story.

Author's Note: I've tried really hard to imagine how the Russo's apartment and restaurant is structured, but it's just too hard to try to get it right. Actually, I already made a mistake on where the rooms would be. Can anybody guess what the mistake was? [hint: it has something to do with Justin's room]. Anyway, I'll just try my best to keep it unnoticeable. If anyone notices it though, please just ignore it.

To pureangel86 – my answer to your question is, maybe? Because in the show, I still saw hints that Harper still kind of likes Justin, although not as bad as she did before, even after she started crushing on Zeke. So for this story, imagine that Harper and Zeke were already going out when Justin went off to college, and is still dating when Justin comes back, even though she still harbours some feelings for Justin. Does that make sense? I really hope so, coz that'll be very important in the story.

And again, thank you very much for the reviews. All of you who actually take the time to write the reviews are effin awesome!

Enjoy!

A Familiar Pattern 4

By genielou

"Harper." Justin stared at her, not sure what to say next.

Harper's eyes seemed to look everywhere else but him. Her hands start to meticulously pick at the popcorn that had fallen on the couch, and replace them onto the bowl. "So," she started, eyes still focused on her handwork. "When did you get back?"

"A few days ago," Justin said, averting his attention towards the television. "I actually saw you but you were already on your way out."

"Oh, is that so?" she replied.

Her hands still kept busy picking on the little bits on the couch. Justin watched her nervously, fidgeting as she lifted the bowl of popcorn and start to pick at tiny bits of popcorn that had fallen on her lap.

"Here," Justin offered as he reaches over to take the bowl from her. "Let me help you."

Harper's eyes widened as Justin's hand start picking at the kernels on her lap. Her face heats up when he inadvertently starts picking at the tiniest pieces that had wedged between her legs.

"Justin, stop!" Harper said with more force that she'd intended. She held up her hands as she suddenly took the bowl from Justin and stood up, her hair bobbing as she did so. Justin retreats his hand in embarrassment.

He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and turned to her, jumping back a bit when his eyes met the back of her shorts instead. He averted her eyes towards the television again. "So, Harper," he started, glancing at her, and when he saw that the backside of her short was still at eye level, he turned towards the television again. "Why are you up so late?"

She sat down, noticeably farther onto the other side of the couch. "I just got home not too long ago, and I was too hungry to sleep."

Justin eyed the bowl of popcorn and raised an eyebrow. "If you're hungry, you should eat real food," he said. "There are some left-over enchiladas in the fridge if you want some."

"Oh, no thank you," Harper smiled, reaching over to reclaim her bowl. "I'm good."

He frowned at her. "That's not food, Harper."

"No, but it's not too harmful either. See," Harper smiled and held up the bowl for him to see. He realized the lack of yellowing that popcorn usually had. "It's plain. No butter. It's what I usually eat for dinner anyway."

"Right," Justin said.

He remained silent for awhile, staring at the television and throwing quick glances at her, trying to think of something to say to her.

"Well," he sighed, after a few minutes. "I'm going back to my room."

He pushed himself off of the couch and quickly walked away before Harper could say anything. She frowned as she watched him until he turned into the hallway. Turning back to the television, she smacked a hand to her forehead as embarrassment finally overtook her.

Justin entered the warm room and closed the door. He paced the room in anxiousness.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked to no one. "It's just Harper. Yeah. It's Harper. What am I being so jittery about?"

Sweat started to build on his skin again as he became very conscious of the growing heat in the room. He suddenly detoured his pace towards the window, and quickly attacked it, grabbing hold of the handle and pushing with all his might. The window didn't budge.

"Open, you," he said through gritted teeth. "Open now!"

With one final unsuccessful push, he finally let go and settled himself back onto his bed. He buried his face in his pillow despite the smell of sweat that seemed to have built up on it.

In the living room, Harper turned off the television and quickly strode across the room towards the staircase that led down into the restaurant. Her feet thumped loudly as she ran down the spiral staircase, then made her way towards the corner of the restaurant that held the door to the basement. She took out the key in her pocket and fidgeted through it as she tried to find the right key.

"Alex is so dead," she muttered as she finally found the right key and inserted it into the keyhole. She turned the knob and opened the door, surprised to find all the lights in her room on. She closed the door behind her and made her way down to the ground floor. Her pace quickened even more when she noticed a sleeping figure on her bed.

"Alex, wake up," she said as she tried to shake Alex awake, her voice raspy from the sudden frog that had developed in her throat, caused by her recent interaction.

Alex's arm swung sluggishly at her. Harper grabbed hold of her shoulder and shook her again.

"Stop," Alex muttered in her sleep. "Five more minutes, Mom."

Suddenly, Harper realizes that she was still holding the bowl of popcorn in her hand. She readies it with both hands and suddenly dumps it on top of Alex's head. Alex yelps as her arms flung around with the bowl still on her head.

"Harper!" she yells as she took the bowl off of her head and drops it onto the floor. "What's the deal?"

"The deal is that you didn't tell me that Justin was back," Harper retorted.

"So?" Alex bent over and shook her head. Bits and pieces of popcorn fell onto the floor.

Harper paced back and forth beside her bed. "Whaddaya mean 'so'? This is Justin we're talking about. Justin!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya the first time."

Harper crossed her arms as she watched Alex pick popcorn from her hair. "Alex, I'm not ready yet."

Alex sighed. She quickly brushed the popcorn off of the bed and sat down on it. "Harper, I've told you this a thousand times. It's. Just. Justin. He's the same Justin we've always known. Just relax."

"You should've told me he was here. Why didn't you at least warn me that he was coming?"

"Because you haven't been around!" Alex retorted. "You've been busy. And you were already stressed out with being in that new school. I just thought that maybe," the corner of Alex's lip curls up. "I thought maybe your head might explode from all the pressure."

Harper's expression softens. She uncrosses her arms and walked towards Alex, smirking as she noticed the dents that her sleep had caused on her hair. She looks at her warily. "Alex, it's Justin. How am I supposed to talk to him?"

Alex tilts her head at her. "Harper," she said sternly. "We've been working on this all year. Just do your thang."

"My thang?"

"Yes, your thang," Alex takes a pillow and hugs it. "I mean, look at you. You're totally irresistible. You'll be fine."

Harper smiled faintly. "Yeah, well, I totally made an ass of myself up there."

"You saw him already?" Alex asked with her eyes wide.

"Yeah. It didn't go so well."

Harper reiterated the awkward meeting to Alex, and Alex kept nodding her head as she listened intently. When Harper finished, Alex placed a finger to her chin and thought deeply. Harper's hands starts to fidget in anticipation.

"Alright, Harper. That's actually not a bad start," Alex held up a hand when Harper's eyes seemed to protest. "Believe me, it wasn't a bad start. It was actually a very good start. You say he was shirtless?"

Harper nodded.

"And you were wearing that?" Alex eyed the denim shorts and white tank top that Harper wore.

Harper nodded nervously, her frown growing.

"Good, very good," Alex said, almost to herself only. "How long are you gonna be here for?"

"Well," she started. "Just for tonight. There are a bunch of visiting artists that will be holding panels at the school this entire week. I was planning on attending all of them."

"Even for this coming weekend?"

Harper nodded.

"Do you think you can handle coming home every night?"

"To do what?"

"To do what you usually do when you come home," Alex explained. "You know, eating dinner while watching t.v. after everyone had already gone to sleep. Do your homework. Normal stuff."

"Every night, huh?" Harper repeated, her hands fidgeting. "It'll be hard but I guess I can try. But why every night?"

"Come on, Harper. Think about it," Alex sat up straighter as she explained. "You were wearing- - well, that," she beckoned to Harper's outfit, "and got a total reaction from him. If he keeps seeing you like that, you'll totally grow on him."

Harper made a face at her. "But, Alex, I don't know how to- - you know."

Alex raised her brows.

"You know," Harper tried again. "Flirt."

"Harper," Alex sighed, almost unbelieving what she was hearing. "Harper, you don't have to- - flirt," she emphasized by making quotation marks with her fingers. "Did I not just say that you're irresistible?"

Harper nodded, blushing.

Alex sighed again, fluffing the pillow she held in her arms. "If I know my brother, and I do, you won't have to do much. You already have his attention. Now all you have to do is not scare him away. So," Alex replaced the pillow on the bed and laid her head down, "just remember what I taught you, and try not to be too crazy."

"You mean try not to be too much like me?"

"Exactly!"

Harper nodded again, her hands still fidgeting. Her frown deepens as she looks up at her best friend. "Alex," she started. "What are you doing in my room?"

Alex pouts at her. "I got tired from painting and was too lazy to go up to my room."

Harper shook her head. "You can stay if you want, Alex." She crawls to the other side of the bed and settles herself down. "But I like sleeping with the lights off."

"You got it!" Alex claps her hands twice. The lights suddenly went out and darkness took over the room. The only source of light came from the tiny window above the washing machine and dryer.

Harper closed her eyes and sighs.

"Harper?" She heard Alex whisper. She mumbles inaudibly in response. "Harper, you're gonna knock him dead. I swear it."

Harper smiled before sleep finally took her over.

Much to Alex's disappointment, Harper was not able to come home for the next two days. Although this disappointment quickly faltered as Alex witnessed the reaction that Harper's absence caused to her older brother. She noticed too many times how much his gaze would travel to the door that led down to Harper's basement door, and a few times here and there, she would find him pacing back and forth on the ground floor area long after hours. He had even asked her slyly of Harper's well-being.

"So," he started, fidgeting with the dish towel in his hands. "Has Harper been by lately?"

Alex smirked for a bit, then gave him her best nonchalant expression. "Dunno," she replied simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

Another day passes and it almost seemed like Harper would still be absent. Justin had paid close attention to the apartment main studio room, leaving his bedroom door open so he could see if a hint of light would turn on even slightly. Finally, after the struck of two in the morning, he rubbed his eyes and decided to give up. He closed his bedroom door and turned on his fan on high. The heat immediately took over and he had to take off his shirt again as the sweat started to build on the back of his neck.

He laid himself down on his bed and closed his eyes, trying hard not to think about the uncomfortable curiosity that was slowly eating at him. Why he was so obsessed with Harper, he still wasn't sure. He had analyzed himself over and over again, and repeatedly insisted that it was because he wanted to ask her so many things, more specifically things that regarded her new look. And then, every so often, a pained guilt creeps up on him. How this guilt came to be, he definitely didn't know. But somehow, he knew that the feeling was familiar. Justin just had to identify where the familiarity was based upon.

A soft thumping resonates from somewhere in his room. He chose to ignore. Birds, he thought to himself.

Attraction was out of the question. Justin had never known the word to be associated with any of his little sister's friend, let alone her best friend. Curiosity. That's all. Curiosity.

Two quick knocks on the door, and an inaudible voice. Justin quickly opens his eyes and sat up.

"Who's there?" he asked. The reply must be a whisper because he still could barely hear it.

Justin pushed himself off of his bed lazily, surprised at the moist on his body. Groaning at the uncomfortability that his sauna of a room was submitting him to, he trudged towards the door and yanked it open carelessly. He helplessly stares as his throat catches.

"Hey," Harper greeted. She held up two large and lidded cups in her hands. "Join me for an icee?"

Justin stares at her still, unconsciously moving his eyes up and down to take in the sight of her. She was dressed less casually this time, wearing a unicorn-patterned pajamas and a tank top that he knew to have belonged to her since junior high. Her hair, of which Justin had to remind himself now only barely reached her shoulders, had been tied back and a few strands had escaped and now invaded the frame of her round face.

Harper blushed. "Um, Justin?" she said again, finally breaking through to him. "Icee?"

Justin looks up at her, and nodded dumbly. He takes a cup in his hand and sips. Harper breathes a sigh of relief.