Accidentally in Love

Out the Window

Carter

"Carter, are you even listening to me?" Charlotte asked, shooting me a look that let me know I was wearing thin on her patience. It was a look I had definitely become familiar with over the years.

"Yeah, sorry," I muttered, even though that wasn't exactly the case.

The truth was, I was too busy checking my phone to see if Harper had replied to my text, to fully pay attention to what Charlotte was saying. We haven't talked that much since her roommate walked in on us last night, and it was making me feel anxious. Even though she had initiated our kiss last night, I knew there was a good chance she would freak out again, and at any moment start to avoid me. I had told myself I would let her come around this time, but then I caved in and sent her a message this morning. I couldn't believe how weak I was. I also couldn't believe how relieved I felt when she had actually responded.

I know I had caught her off guard when I kissed her in the library, hell, I even surprised myself when I did that. It wasn't something I planned on doing, in fact, it had been something I tried not to do for years. I know for her it probably seemed suddenly, but it was something I had thought about for a long time, and in that moment, I didn't have the energy to fight it anymore. So, I went for it, unsure of how she would react. And based by the way she had melted into my arms, I knew she was into it, even if she didn't want to be.

Normally when I hook up with a girl, I am bombarded with messages and phone calls from her. I never found myself sitting around, wondering what she was thinking or when she was going to talk to me again, because as awful as it sounds, I simply didn't care. But with Harper, all of that went out the window, and suddenly I found myself in some new territory.

"Okay, I give up," Charlotte said, slamming the book in her hands shut. "I don't mind giving up my Sunday afternoon helping you with these terms, but clearly your mind is somewhere else." She didn't know how right she was.

"I'm listening," I told her, even though we both knew that was a lie. I just didn't her to think I was ungrateful for her help. Honestly, if she wasn't around busting my ass, I probably wouldn't have the grades that I did.

"Then what was the last thing I said?"

"That you love helping your best friend study and you couldn't imagine life without him?" I gave her my most charming smile, the one that has let me off the hook so many times before.

She shook her head, but I could see her grey eyes softening a bit. "I asked you what lithiasis means."

" It means the formation of stony concretions, commonly found in the gallbladder."

She raised her eyebrow at me, seeming impressed, and I knew I was off the hook, at least for now. "That's right."

"Hey Char, do you want to go grab some Chinese food-" Harper appeared in the doorway, her voice breaking off when she saw me sitting there.

Harper is so beautiful. The kind of beautiful that takes away your breath for a few seconds when she first walks into the room, no matter how many times you have seen her before. The kind of beautiful that makes me forget where I am when she smiles at me, and god, when we kiss, it's like time stops. It sounds corny, I know, which is why those thoughts would never leave my lips.

"I can't," Charlotte told her. "After I help Carter study, Noah and I have a date," she said with a happy smile.

"I guess I'll let that pass," Harper told her with a small laugh.

Harper was focusing her gaze on Charlotte, which gave me the chance to get a good look at her. Her long hair shimmed in the light, and I could remember how it felt like silk in my hands. Her sweater fell off one shoulder, showing off a patch of bare skin, and I could feel my hands tingle with anticipation of being able to touch her there. It would be so easy to let my fingers slide down, slipping under her sweater her sweater and…