29 - the after party

                                    

                                          
Adrian woke to the faint hum of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He squinted at the screen, the brightness piercing through his groggy haze. A text from Rachel.
Rachel: Coffee. Now. You owe me for last night.
He groaned, letting the phone slip from his hand as memories of the party filtered back into his mind. The laughter, the chaos of Truth or Dare, and most vividly, the kiss with Harper.
Harper.
Adrian sat up too quickly, his head pounding in protest. He ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to push away the rising heat in his face. It wasn't like it meant anything—did it?
The image of her face, flushed and smiling after their time in the closet, made his chest tighten. He grabbed his phone again. No new messages from her.
After a quick shower and some Advil, Adrian threw on a hoodie and jeans, then headed to meet Rachel at the coffee shop.
Rachel was already at a corner table, sipping her iced latte with a look that could only be described as smug.
"Well, well," she said as Adrian slid into the seat across from her. "If it isn't Mr. Seven Minutes in Heaven."
Adrian groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Don't start."
"Oh, I'm starting. Because, for once, I'm not the messiest one in the room."
"Congratulations," he muttered, glaring at her over the rim of his coffee.
Rachel leaned forward, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "So, what's the deal with you and Harper? That kiss wasn't just a party dare, Adrian. There was something there."
Adrian froze, his mind racing. Was there something?
"It's not like that," he said finally, though even to his own ears, it sounded unconvincing.
Rachel smirked. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
The morning sunlight streamed through Sophie's dorm room window, casting a warm glow over the rumpled sheets and scattered textbooks on her desk. Harper lay on Sophie's bed, her head resting against the plush pillows as she tried, for the hundredth time, to process the events of the party. Across from her, Sophie perched at the edge of her desk chair, eyes wide with curiosity as she hung on every word.
"So, let me get this straight," Sophie began, leaning forward. "You and Adrian Blackwood—Adrian Blackwood—got dared to do Seven Minutes in Heaven, went into a closet, and just... talked?"
Harper shifted uncomfortably, hugging a throw pillow to her chest. "Well, mostly."
Sophie's brow arched, and a sly smile tugged at her lips. "Mostly?"
A long sigh escaped Harper's lips as she avoided Sophie's gaze. "And we kissed. Okay? There, I said it."
Sophie's reaction was instantaneous—a high-pitched squeal, as if she wasn't like every student in the school scolding her for hanging out with Adrian a few months ago. "I knew it! I knew there was something between you two! Oh my God, Harper!"
"It was just a dare," Harper said quickly, though even she could hear how unconvincing she sounded. "It didn't mean anything. It was just... heat of the moment, you know?"
"Uh-huh." Sophie crossed her arms, a knowing look in her eye. "Tell me that again without blushing like a tomato."
Harper groaned, burying her face in the pillow. "Sophie, stop. It's not like that."
"Harper," Sophie said, her tone softer now. "Come on. I've seen the way you two look at each other. You're telling me there's nothing there?"
Harper didn't answer right away. Instead, she stared up at the ceiling, the events of the night playing in her mind like a movie reel. The way Adrian had opened up to her, his voice raw with vulnerability. The way he looked at her in those last moments before their kiss, like she was the only thing grounding him.
"It's complicated," Harper admitted finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Complicated how?" Sophie pressed.
"Adrian's been through a lot," Harper said, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. "He's still dealing with things—big things. I don't want to be another... complication for him."
Sophie tilted her head, her expression softening. "Or maybe you're not a complication at all. Maybe you're exactly what he needs."
Harper shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, we're friends, and that's good. I don't want to mess that up."
"Friends don't kiss like that," Sophie pointed out, smirking when Harper shot her a glare.
"You weren't there," Harper argued. "You don't know what it was like."
"No, but I know you," Sophie said, her voice gentler now. "And I know you're scared to let yourself feel something real because it might hurt. But, Harper, sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things that end up being the most worth it."
Harper blinked, the words sinking in. "Since when are you so wise?"
Sophie grinned. "I read a lot of romance novels."
Harper let out a laugh despite herself, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
"True," Sophie said with a shrug. "But I'm also right."
For a while, the two of them sat in companionable silence, the weight of the conversation settling between them. Eventually, Sophie spoke again.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"With Adrian," Sophie clarified. "Are you going to talk to him? Pretend nothing happened? What?"
Harper sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'll see what he does. If he wants to talk, he'll reach out. Right?"
"Maybe," Sophie said, her tone skeptical. "But don't wait too long, Harper. Sometimes, you have to be the one to take the first step."
Harper didn't respond, her thoughts too tangled to form a coherent answer. Instead, she leaned back against the pillows, her mind drifting once again to Adrian and the whirlwind of emotions that had come with him.
Maybe Sophie was right. Maybe it was time to stop being so afraid of what could go wrong and start thinking about what could go right.