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“Is that why you decided to come on the trip at the last minute?” I ask. She nods. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“So that you could tell Sam or my friends and have them worry about me when I don’t even know if it’s real or not? I don’t want them to think I’ve lost my mind.”
“They wouldn’t think that. They are worried about you, that’s all.”
“Everyone has too much on their plate. Mom’s gala is coming up in two weeks. She doesn’t need this, too. And Sam, he’s going to become overprotective and suffocate me. They don’t need my pathetic ass complicating their lives.” I hate how she’s putting herself down. Fuck Josh for making her feel like this. “I’m trying to be strong.”
“You are strong. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak.”
“Are you going to tell on me again?” she asks angrily.
“No.”
Harper seems surprised. “Why not?”
“I learned my lesson. I do have a caveat though.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course you do.”
“Why don’t we just tell them we’re dating, but for real? Everyone thinks we are, except your family and friends. We can easily convince them. I can stay with you under the guise of a sleepover. My presence around the home should make it clear to Josh to fuck off.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because …” I raise a brow waiting for her to finish. “Just no.”
“Then I guess I’m going to have to tell them about Josh. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you, and I could have stopped it.”
“You can’t, please …” she answers in a panic.
“I think Josh is dangerous,” I say softly.
“I might be imagining it.”
“Are you?” Silence falls between us, then her shoulders slump and she shakes her head.
“No. I’m so scared, Felix,” she whispers. I reach out, pull her into my arms, and hug her tightly. “You think that would work?”
“Yes, but there needs to be ground rules,”
“Of course.”
“Nothing can happen between us, no sex, no nothing.”
“We are playing a couple dating, there can’t be nothing,” I argue with her.
“Fine. In public there is something, at home there is nothing. I am not looking for anything more than to feel safe and get this nightmare over with,” she states.
“Okay, touching only allowed in public, no private touching, like what we are doing now?” I smirk.
“We will date until my family’s gala night and then we can break up.”
“That’s only another week. I don’t think that would look good for either of us. I thought you were Miss PR,” I tease. Harper gives me a filthy look. “We date until I go to training camp and then we can break up.”
“That’s the entire summer?” she shrieks.
“And?”