Chasing Harper

Hey guys! It's LC, sorry I've been away for so long. I'm now writing under the pen name LC Baker. I originally had a story on lit by the name of Blueberry Pancakes. After going over the first two chapters I realized that I wanted to start fresh with new characters and a meaty introduction into their lives. I really hope you all like it. Here's the new, Chasing Harper...

*****

Harper stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold up the only handicap stall in the ladies' restroom before someone complained to management. She didn't really mean to stay in there so long, but it was the only stall with it's own personal wall mirror and sink. Hopefully, there weren't any unfortunate souls who actually needed the handicap facility while she stupidly occupied it. She could wring Sofia's neck for bringing her out tonight. She just didn't feel ready, everything felt too soon, if she were being honest.

"It's time to get out of the house love,"

Harper thought bitterly. Sofia said the statement so annoyingly sweet, Harper had no choice but to go. It was the tone Sofia used when she wanted Harper to do something she had no interest in whatsoever. Tonight especially being,

one of those nights.

Washing her hands, and double checking the light makeup she applied earlier, she dried them then stepped out of the stall. Awaiting the catty looks from the other female club goers, who were surely waiting on her. To her surprise, there wasn't anyone waiting in line for any stall. Two scantily clad girls were standing in front of the mirror talking animatedly about a trip to

Nana's

, the after hours diner, after last call.

Harper quickly walked to the bar in search of Sofia, she was hoping to find her close by, accosting Carlos while he worked. She had already made up her mind that she was going to head home early, she just wasn't ready, maybe people thought she was being a tad dramatic. But then again maybe they wouldn't, she never was one for the dramatics in any situation. She was normally level headed and conscious of her decisions. However, lately; life had chewed her up and spit her out, and she wasn't sure how to proceed to the next step.

******************************************

"Hey babygirl, how are you feeling?" Harper turned to see an attractive man giving her an approving smirk, and nod, letting her know that he was speaking to her. She wasn't too shocked, she supposed she was decent looking enough, she just never understood why attractive men found her attractive enough to approach. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she always felt plain around most. That was okay though, because she never really cared to much for the extra attention,

especially

from the opposite sex. She had developed a size 34 C by the age of 13 and by 17 she was a 36 DD. Harper was constantly burying herself under mountains of sweaters. It never really worked but it stopped people,

well men

from staring her down rather than actually looking at her face.

"Um, I'm okay..." replied Harper, she never knew what to really say in predicaments like this. She hadn't flirted in a long while, and she didn't think tonight would be a good time to start.

"So, can I buy you a drink beautiful?," Harper noticed Mr.Attractive had stepped closer, inching his way into her personal bubble.

"Um.." she hated feeling cornered, where in hell was Sofia? She was going to throat punch her the next time she was in her line of vision.

Mr. Attractive stepped closer, slightly pressing his lower body into her's, Harper knew his intentions then, however fear kept her glued to the spot. "Umm..." she tried to think on her toes.

"Baby! Where have you been?! Carlos set us up in the VIP Lounge, we have booth one," Sofia said animatedly, forcefully pushing Mr.Attractive out of the way. She lightly kissed her on the corner of her mouth, coming dangerously close to her lips. Harper could feel herself deflate as she rubbed her moistened palms down her black leather dress.

"Baby?" Mr.Attractive asked slightly shocked, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Baby," confirmed Sofia. With an edge in her voice, she stepped closer to him and crooked her finger at him, beckoning him closer.

Harper rolled her eyes and tried to hide her silly expression, she knew Sofia was about to give him an earful.

"Talk to my bitch again, and I'll cut your dick off and feed it to you." She kissed him on the cheek and linked her right arm with Harper's, dragging her away to the VIP Lounge. Harper turned quickly and saw the man still standing there, the slight look of annoyance completely gone, now replaced with a look of stupefaction.

*******************************************

"Oh my gosh Sof, what in the world did you say to that man?" Harper laughed hysterically. "He looks like he saw a ghost!"

Sofia hunched her shoulders, laughing heartily, she pressed her hand to her chest like she just told a hilarious joke on late night, chuckling she told Harper what she said verbatim.

Harper's eyes widened in shock before she bursted out laughing, catching a quick tear that began to slide out the corner of her eye. Maybe being out tonight would be okay, she could use a few more laughs. She missed Sofia, and sometimes and

only

sometimes, Sofia knew what was right for her best friend.

*****************************************

The VIP Lounge was a secluded area on the top floor of the club. It was separated by glass into four different sections. White leather couches littered the corners of each room and each section had a 50 inch flat screen on the wall playing the latest music videos. Funky abstract art hung on the walls and white fur rugs were placed neatly under the marble coffee tables. An iPad mini was built into the middle of the table on a slightly raised incline, allowing the VIP guest to order food and drinks without having to go down stairs.

Infamous

was a hot spot, and the designer had a good layout going on thought Harper. Although, the club scene was never really her pace, due to Sofia's profession she had been to enough of them to know when to be impressed. Harper and Sofia lit up the VIP Booth in the secluded lounge area. They laughed, chatted animatedly, and drank Patron like it was going out of style.

"Although I know you won't say it, and I won't make you, I can tell you're glad you finally got out of the house," smiled Sofia, switching from Patron to water. She had a shoot at 10 tomorrow, and knew that if she didn't switch at that moment there was no way she'd make it.

Harper rolled her eyes and gave Sofia the middle finger, laughing haughtily, she blew Sofia a kiss, "You're right, I won't say any of those things." Pinching her two fingers together, she swiped them across her lips acting as if she was zipping them, then threw the imaginary key over her shoulder.

Sofia tried to hold her cackle but couldn't help it, Harper was constantly cracking her up. And being that they were drunk, everything was even funnier.

Harper let out a small shriek and then a giggle attack took over. After both of the girls finally calmed down, Harper smiled gratefully at Sofia, "Thank you Sof, I didn't realize I needed this, you really are the greatest."

Sofia smiled gently at Harper, making a fist and pointing her pinky out at her, Harper then mimicked her actions. They linked pinkies then both kissed the top of their folded hands, "Always," said Sofia.

"Forever," beamed Harper.

*******************************************

Harper quickly unlocked her door and threw her purse on the small table she had set up by the front door.

Kicking off her black Gucci two strap heels, she ran to the bathroom and relieved her self. They both started trying to sober up before they left the club. However, once in the Uber, Sofia pulled a perfectly rolled blunt out of her clutch, convincing Harper to join in on the cannabais festivities. She told Harper she had an early shoot tomorrow and needed to hit the hay as soon as she got home, this would help her sleep. Persuading her that the green would be a nice end to a great night. Harper smiled because she had to agree, it was a nice ending to a great night.

She washed her hands then went to her bed room to change, slipping off the fitted black leather dress, something caught her eye in the corner of the mirror. It was a reflection, something shiny was underneath the dresser across the room, giving off its reflection in the mirror.

Harper got down on all fours and stretched her arm underneath the dresser, reaching in the corner she felt the smoothness of whatever it was that was nestled there. It was stuck behind the right back leg of the dresser, she sat up on her knees and pulled the dresser away from the wall slightly. Reaching back under the dresser, she felt the object give and lay flat on its back. Harper quickly pulled the object from under the dresser, realizing that it wasn't just some random object, but a square cut diamond earring.

She sat on her butt studying the beautiful piece of jewelry, it was part of a set she received from him last Christmas. Her eyes filled with heavy tears, as the memories crashed forward in her brain, knocking the wind out of her...

******************************************

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.