Is he trying to kiss me? I need to back away now before it's too late.
My body moved backward, bumping into the coffee table. A soft, painful cry escaped my mouth as I rubbed the sore spot.
Harley burst out laughing. "Did you forget there's a coffee table behind you?"
I shot him a dirty glare as I rubbed my sore back. "Shut up, Harley." I stood up straight when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on the couch beside him.
"Why did you back away like that?"
"Why were you trying to kiss me?"
We looked at each other as an awkward silence filled the room, thick and suffocating.
"Because I want to," Harley said in a confident tone, breaking the silence.
Warmth spread throughout my chest.
"We agreed to remain friends," I whispered. "Why ruin that?"
Harley clenched his teeth. "So you would rather I date someone else than see where this could go?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then why push me away like that?"
I squeezed my interlaced fingers tightly while avoiding eye contact. "I can't say."
I am sorry, Harley. I wish I could tell you but… it's better if you don't know.
Harley went quiet for what seemed like an eternity. "I'm sorry. I won't cross that line anymore."
When I finally looked at him, I saw hurt flicker in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
My chest tightened.
Before I could stop myself, I leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.
"We should head home now," I said afterwards.
Harley nodded.
The ride home was quiet. Neither of us said anything or looked at each other; we both focused on the empty road ahead.
After we entered the mansion, I wished him goodnight before dashing up the stairs toward my room.
I looked at the time on my alarm clock, which read 2:00 a.m., and groaned. It's too late to call Amy, but then my face lit up when I remembered Daisy was still in another country.
I grabbed my phone and dialled her number as I took a seat on the edge of my bed.
"Sophie darling, how are you?" Daisy greeted cheerfully.
"Daisy," I said softly. "Harley tried to kiss me and I pushed him away."
"What?!"
My hand holding the cell phone trembled. "Then I kissed him on the cheek."
"Sophie," Daisy said. "Why won't you give him a chance? You guys care deeply for one another."
My voice quivered. "I'm scared, Daisy. What if…"
Daisy sighed on the other side of the phone call. "Sophie, you like to overthink things too much. Have you spoken to Amy about this?"
"No," I said as tears rolled down my cheeks. "It's too late to call her."
"I am coming home tomorrow. Let's meet up with Amy, okay? We can have a sleepover at my place."
"Okay," I said, wiping the tears away. "I should let you go. It's getting late."
We exchanged goodnights before I hung up the call. I changed into my pajamas and then climbed into bed.
Exhaustion finally won.
My eyes slowly closed as Daisy's words echoed in my mind.
Why won't you give him a chance?
The last thing I remembered before drifting into sleep was Harley's hurt expression.
Then the memory came back.
A little girl with twin-tail pigtails knelt down beside a woman and man who were covered in blood in the middle of the road.
"Mommy, daddy," she cried hysterically. "Please don't leave me."
She shook their bodies as hard as her little body could muster. "Wake up. I don't want to be alone."
A group of bystanders gathered around the scene, trying to help the little girl.
"Leave me alone!" she yelled before passing out on top of her parents.
When the little girl opened her eyes again, she was lying on a bed in the hospital, bandaged up.
She looked around frantically until her eyes landed on three familiar faces: the Huang family.
"Auntie, where is mommy and daddy?"
Mrs. Huang walked over and sat down beside her and hugged her. "Sophie, honey, we can't replace your parents but we will love you twice as much."
Sophie pushed her away and cried uncontrollably. "No! I want my mommy and daddy."
Harley let go of his father's hand and walked over to the bed and climbed onto it. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll always be here for you, Sophie."
Sophie gripped his shirt and cried harder as Mr. and Mrs. Huang looked at each other.
"We'll be back shortly," Mrs. Huang said, getting off the bed. She and her husband walked out of the room.
"Harley, I want to go where my mommy and daddy are," Sophie cried. "I don't want to be alone anymore."
Harley hugged her tighter. "You're not alone. You have me and my parents. I'll protect you."
My eyes snapped open.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as the memory faded. I sat up in my bed in cold sweat. When I touched my face, it was drenched with tears.
For a moment I just sat there, staring into the darkness of my room. The silence of the mansion felt suffocating.
Even after all these years, the nightmare still felt real. The blood on the road. The sound of my own voice crying for them.
My parents were gone in an instant… and ever since then I had been terrified of losing the people I loved again.
Maybe that was why I pushed Harley away.
Because if I lost him too…
I didn't know if my heart could survive it.
I wiped the tears away before climbing out of bed and exiting my room. I stopped in front of Harley's bedroom door and knocked softly.
"Harley, can I come in?"
I waited a moment for an answer, and when it didn't come, I opened the door slowly and walked in.
Harley was sound asleep in the middle of his bed.
The soft glow of the moonlight spilled through the window, casting silver shadows across the room. His breathing was slow and steady, completely unaware of the storm inside my heart.
I walked over and climbed into his bed, snuggling against him.
My heartbeat returned to normal, and within minutes I was fast asleep again.