Harper should have known, but I guess when you're in "love" everything is rose colored, and gullibility is high on the list,
especially
if it's your first ever adult relationship. She just should have known. Or maybe she just wished she had known. Harper never knew that when she woke up that morning, her life would end. Or that's what she thought it felt like; it just seemed like a normal Tuesday. Pretty ordinary in fact. She woke up that morning, showered and got ready for class. After locking up she got into her Jeep and headed to Psychology. Yep, Tuesday was pretty normal, well it seemed that way. But that was until her English Literature class was cancelled. Harper was actually glad the class was cancelled; she wanted to surprise Liam with lunch. She headed home to prepare one of his favorites and take it to him at work.
Professor Liam Hunters was literally a walking sex ad. He oozed confidence, but was still modest, he was very easy going to most. However to Harper, he was a bit intimidating. At 29, he was one of the youngest professors at the university, although, he could pass for a student. He taught Finance and Economics, she enjoyed his class, he was well-spoken and informative. Professor Hunters was about 6'3 with a swimmer's build, tight lean muscle that was sculpted from years of competitive swimming and cross country track, she had spent hours learning the grooves and hard planes of his body. His deep blonde hair was shaved on the sides, and tapered down the back of his neck, the top was a bit longer, he kept it parted on one side and swept his bangs back with a small amount of hair gel. He looked like a blonde Californian god. His thick blonde beard was shaped and cut close to his face. The girls at school always said that he was the spitting image of Charlie Hunnam. The guy from that show Sons of Anarchy. She wasn't too sure because she had never seen it. She could get lost in those green eyes, although she'd never dare, she was far to shy. At first, she able to hide her attraction, until she realized it wasn't one sided.
She would always catch Liam staring at her when he didn't think she was looking. His eyes would always linger whenever she answered a discussion question or had to talk to him after class about a confusing assignment. Still, she was a bit naive and never really read into it. She knew that he was to old for her, besides he was so attractive, it made her nervous. Harper knew that if they were ever caught, that would be the end of his teaching career, and she would be expelled from the university. Sent home to tell her mom what a whore she raised. Although, she knew Professor Hunters was off limits, he didn't quite feel the same about her, apparently.
*******************************************
Harper went straight home and headed into her neat 2 bedroom 1 and half bath home. A fixer upper her mother and grandfather bought her when she first got accepted into school. Her uncles and grandfather helped her with renovations the entire summer, being that her grandfather owned his own small construction company, they got all of the work done efficiently and quickly. Her mother and grandfather constantly preached financial responsibility to her as a young child, so when she wanted to rent an apartment with Sofia for her first year of college, they surprised her with this awesome fixer upper. It was in a funky and eclectic up and coming neighborhood. Most of the people on her street were raising young families. Her next door neighbors were an adorable gay couple with a little boy named Mateo. They were always friendly whenever they saw her outside. She loved the community she lived in. Her father had left when she was 3 and she hadn't seen him since. Her mother, grandfather, and uncles raised her. They were her everything, she wouldn't be who she was today, without
them.
Humming a Beatles tune she went straight for the kitchen, she grilled a piece of chicken breast and put together a Caesar salad with extra feta. Grabbing her messenger bag and Liam's lunch, she headed to his off campus office in downtown.
Walking into Smith & Lowe business offices, she headed to the elevators and pressed floor 7. Stepping off the elevator, Harper looked at the row of empty offices, she knew that Liam and his business partner Aimee were renting the top floor for their new Accounting Firm. Aimee was the CPA, and Liam was ahead of HR and Clients. She didn't know too much about Aimee, only that they knew each other from high school and went to the university together. She actually didn't know any of his family or friends personally. Their relationship wasn't actually public, but Harper would be graduating next year and she thought that maybe they would be able to finally be a normal couple without all of the sneaking around.
Although initially, Harper didn't have a clear understanding of what his role was at the start up, she didn't question it. She knew that Liam's position at the University wasn't his only occupation. She was fine with that, she had never really been a clingy person, so it didn't bother her when she didn't see him outside of school for a few days at a time.
Humming Ella Mai's Naked she walked to the largest office at the end of the hall. That's when she heard it, the pounding; she could feel the blood rushing to her head making her vision blurry and her body light. The faint sounds of moans, pants, and slaps of flesh lingered in the back ground. Turning her direction she tiptoed to the end of the hallway and peaked around the corner. Harper didn't want to believe it; she didn't want to believe what she thought was going on. She hoped like hell that Liam was watching porn in his office, although she knew personally that wasn't really his style. However, when she quietly stepped in front of the large glass door, the scene that played in front of her was so much worse. It seemed too real, too vivid, vulgar as it unfolded before her eyes. Her mind was screaming, "React you dumb bitch!" but, her body refused to obey. Her body was numb but ached at the same time. Her nerves were on edge making her chest feel tight and her eyes watery while her brain was being flooded with heart-shattering images, all she could do was release a shaky breath and whisper.
"How could you?" She asked as a single tear rolled down her caramel colored cheek. There was her beautiful boyfriend, Liam, fucking Aimee's bony ass across his desk. The container fell out of her hand, spilling the contents all over the floor and a little bit on her checkerboard Vans.
"Harper!" shouted Liam pulling away from Aimee immediately and grabbing his underwear, "What are you doing here?"
"Finally!" Harper thought as her body caught up with her brain. "I, um.. I brought you lunch, but I guess your busy..." she said lamely as a fat tear rolled down her cheek.
"Um, I better get out of here I guess...sorry?" Aimee stated dryly. She wasn't sure why she was sorry and she wasn't sure why Liam was acting so skittish around this young black girl. She quickly gathered her clothes and began to get dressed.
"Be quiet Aimee!" Shouted Liam angrily as his green eyes pierced into Harper's being, making her feel frozen and dumb. Harper had only seen him react so harshly twice in the 2 years they'd been together. Once at her and the other at a Super Bowl party they went to last year in Monterey, when a guy was being a bit to forward with her.
"Harper?" said Liam, nervously as he finished pulling up his pants. Harper held up her hand quickly and dashed for the elevators, Liam close behind. "Harper, wait!"
Harper mashed button one repeatedly on the elevator panel, praying that it would open quickly, she refused to let him see her cry. She couldn't give him that power. She felt his presence behind her, she refused to look up, silently cursing herself for not taking the exit stairwell.
"Harper baby listen, I know y-," before he could finish, Harper turned and raised her hand, a sharp slap crossed his cheek making the lie that was about to fall from his lips falter. "Save it, please just fucking save it, I can't believe that my now ex-boyfriend just threw us away," she finished quietly as the tears finally broke through their floodgates making her want to crumble to the ground. She hated when people saw her cry, she wasn't weak.
"Harp? Ex? Please don't say that, we can work this out, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make this better, just tell me how? Please baby, just tell me and I'll do it," Liam begged as he took a chance and stepped closer to her.
Noticing his movements Harper took a step closer to the elevator doors, "Yes,ex Liam, nothing will change this; the moment you decided to stick your dick in her was the moment that you ruined it all. Nothing will ever fix us, but you know what really hurts the most, you told me to love you, you told me to trust you, and I wanted it, I wanted it so bad I could taste it! I wanted this, us, everything! I loved on purpose because you told me those fucking lies!" Liam could see the hurt and anger in her eyes frost over too pure bitterness, he had to fix this; and fast.
"Baby please don't do this, okay?" Let me take you home. I promise you, that was nothing," Liam pleaded trying to get as close as she would allow.
Harper's heart was constantly getting kicked in, it was as if she needed to wrap her arms around herself to keep from falling. She couldn't handle anymore of this shit, just then the elevator door dinged, signaling it was open and ready to be used.
She turned around and walked onto the elevator, wiping her tears with her sleeve, trying to give her best poker face and failing miserably. Liam tried to step on the elevator with her, however she blocked his path, placing her right palm flat on his chest, "Don't, it's over Professor Hunters," she said as her voice cracked on Hunters. He looked down at her hand then up into her eyes. "Harper, I-" she shook her head, "I hate you."
She pressed the close door button and watched the doors slide shut. Pressing floor one, she refused to cry, she wouldn't cry, she would be strong. She walked out of the elevator, drying her eyes on her sleeve once more. She stepped out of the building just like she stepped in 10 minutes ago, her life now altered. She leaned against the wall by the entrance as her heart began to shatter, everything is over now, she thought. She disengaged the locks and hopped into her black Jeep. Only this time, Harper couldn't stop the tears from falling.
