Wolf in sheep's clothing || There was a girl, and there was a wolf ~

11. Sheila

Simone and Tristan have been questioning that man for more than an hour.
Me and Gaia finished sorting papers and cleaning up their desks and I've been thinking about how and why, she trusted Harper back at the apartment this morning.
"Uhm, Gaia?" It's like I'm scared of what she could be thinking when I mention Harper.
She looks up from her phone, awaiting my question.
"Did someone look for me, this morning?" I ask with uncertainty.
Her face lights up, she smiles. "Yes! Yes, your boyfriend."

I want to smack my forehead but I stop myself from doing so.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"He showed me and Jayden a picture." Her remark is making me want to cry.
"That's... an old picture..." I tell her.
She shrugs, "He asked for a copy of the keys and we gave him Jayden's to make a copy of."
"But isn't it against the rules to do such a thing?" I ask her, knowing that the university wouldn't allow this.
"They don't have to know." She's so careless and I blink, speechless.
"If you want the apartment for yourselves, you can just tell us in advance and we'll leave." She wiggles her eyebrows and I find myself disgusted at the thought.

"No need, we are not together."
"What's his name?" asks Gaia curiously.
"Harper..."
"Is he older than you?"
"By one year." I answer shortly.
"You can tell me if he's your boyfriend, I'll keep it a secret." She puts a hand on her heart to show me she'd actually keep it secret but nothing like that is required.
I sigh and shake my head, "Thanks but really, me and him are just friends."
"He sounded like you were more... intimate." She adds while arranging her hair again.

"He likes to joke around a lot, most of what he says it's lies." This is true. Harper can't keep his mouth shut and it's always, mostly lies.
"I could actually see you with someone like him." Gaia says and I want to roll my eyes but for the second time, I stop myself.
"That's because you don't know him."
"Why don't you introduce us? We could all go to the pub together." Here she goes again.
"Gaia, I don't like pubs."
"But Harper may like them, why not go all together as a group?"

I want to disappear, evaporate, become transparent.
"I have something important to do with Harper. So, not today." This is the best answer I can give her.
She lets go of the matter and soon enough our mentors decide to remove the man with the hat from the suspect list.
Also, Tristan gives him a wallet. Not sure if it's his or has something to do with the reason he was interrogated.

"How did it go?" I ask the detectives when they both walk to their desks and sit down.
"We have two main suspects left." Sighs Simone, looking tired.
"Great work today, girls..." says Tristan and I exchange glances with Gaia.
"You can both go, we'll see you tomorrow." Adds the man with thin strands of his dark brown hair covering his forehead.
"Come on, Jayden is waiting for us." Tells me Gaia and I stand up, waving goodbye and heading out of the station.

All the way to our apartment, my roommates can't seem to be able to shut up. They are talking and talking, and talking like there's no tomorrow.
"Is that Harper?"
"Where?" I ask immediately looking ahead and searching for him.
I find him leaning against the wall, right next to the door to our building.
My jaw drops when I see what he's done to himself and walking towards him, he smirks mischievously.
"What did you do..." I'm utterly speechless to see his newly made buzzcut.
"You like it?" His dimples show when he chuckles and touches his head proudly.
"What did you do to your hair!?" I cannot believe he dared to cut off his blond curls.

"You're Harper, right? I'm Gaia and this is Jayden, we didn't get to introduce ourselves this morning." Gaia and Jayden shake hands with him.
"Thanks for the keys, by the way. Here are yours." Harper gives my boy roommate his keys back and thanks him.
"No problem." Says he, before the girl in her sparkly outfit starts dragging him in the building.
"We'll leave you two to it."

"They seem to be chill" Harper is trying to make conversation and I cross my arms up to my chest.
"What?" He asks, confused by my obvious annoyance.
"Your curls are gone." I tell him sounding just as mad as I am.
"I know you liked them, but I'm hotter now."
I'd slap that smirk off his face, so bad.

"Stop talking crap. Why did you do it?" I insist, the question ending with a hint of sadness.
"They'll grow back, Sheila. Don't be so dramatic about it." He says carelessly and I sigh, giving up.
"What is it that you have to tell me?" I go straight to the point, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.
"First, your birthday present." He smiles, his dimples show again.
I observe him pull out a small, blue gift box from his pocket and hand it to me.
"What is it?" I ask suspiciously and he nods, urging me to open it.
I open the box after unpacking the blue wrap from around it and my eyes widen when I see a diamond necklace sparkling like a star.
"Harper..."
"Do you like it?" he asks and I meet his mint green eyes, looking right into mine.
"It looks like-"
"That's because it is, baby." His statement leaves me wondering if it really is what I think it is.
"Really?" My tone shows how uncertain I am of what he just said.
"It's Angie's. I thought it would be safe with you." Those words reach my heart and I look at the necklace with pure affection.

"Did you have it all this time?" I ask him with tears in my eyes, I can feel my voice crack and my hands slowly shaking.
"Sheila..." Harper takes a step closer, seeing my change in behaviour and gently touching my arm.
I wipe the tear that falls down my cheek and take a deep breath, holding the necklace tightly in hand.
"Thank you, it's beautiful." I tells him smiling, absolutely in love with his gift.
"Angie would have loved for you to have it." As he says that, I smile at the thought of Angie's warm laughter.