Falling Too Far

Chapter 8- "Why are you staring at me?"

I continued to look at Harper in astonishment, shivering due to the cold, suddenly very self conscious of my tank top and dull sweatpants. My hair was still piled on my head messily, and I was still wearing my glasses.

I looked like a mess.

He, however, looked amazing, a black hoodie and jeans. His hood was pulled up over his head, his jet-black hair falling onto his forehead. His cheeks were flushed and pink from the cold, his nose bright red. Everything about him screamed 'cold!' apart from his blazing green eyes, that seemed to burn through the chilliness. I wasn't cold anymore.

I stepped forward slowly, so that I was outside as well. I heard the intake of his breath at my advance, and I didn't care. I didn't care. I just needed to be closer to him, I couldn't hold myself back any longer.

I couldn't stop observing his eyes. I couldn't. His eyes were dragging me in, sending me into a trance, a trance which was impossible to wake up from. I shifted in my feet subconsciously, still gazing into his eyes, as he continued to gaze into my own. I felt myself falling. Literally.

I let out a small yelp as I skidded on the pool of water under my feet, surely from the leak by the roof, my heart dropping as I tumbled forwards. I closed my eyes waiting for the impact, when-

I felt a pair of warm hands close around my elbows. I opened my eyes catiously, my heading facing the ground. I caught a glimpse of my sweat pants cladden knees that were bent, an inch from the ground, before I looked up at Harper, who was securing me in place. His mouth was parted in relief, his breath white from the cold. The heat of his hands against the cool air gave me goosebumps. I pulled myself up awkwardly.

Always have to make a fool of yourself, don't you Noelle?

"Thanks," I mumbled, retreating through the doorway into my house, still facing him. I winced, waiting for the string of insults about my clumsiness, my uncoordination.

"No problem," Harper replied, breathing in deeply. Wait, what? No insults? I smiled feebly at him. Why was he at my house?

"So... " I said, readjusting my glasses. "Why are you here?" I instantly regretted my words. What if he thinks I'm rude? What if he leaves?

"Um, I wanted to work on the presentation... you know... for Biology? And I, uh, I tried to contact you but I couldn't find Max to get your phone number so I kind of just... " He gestured to himself and then at my house. A panicked look entered his eyes, like he had just realised he had a test the next day. Yeah sure, like Harper even studied for tests, what with all the girls all over him. I bet he had better things to do. I focused back in on Harper's panicked expression.

"Unless you don't want to work on the project together..." he stuttered pulling at the collar of his hoodie.

"No. Of course." I blurted out. I stood in shock for a few seconds, in awe at my own words. How could I agree so easily? I stumbled to regain myself. "I mean... it would be fine, great actually. Um, my room is a bit of a mess and so is my hair, and I must look ridiculous... " I stopped myself from my rambling, flushing in embarassment.

Great going, Noelle.

Instead of laughing at me, how I expected, he smiled. A smile. Not a smirk, not an arrogant grin, but a smile. It lit up his face like an inferno, sparks dancing in his eyes. His smile was lopsided, I noticed, the left side higher than the other, unlike his smirk, which was completely opposite. He looked so beautiful, like he had let all his guards down, released himself from within the cloud arrogance and conceited smirks. He just seemed so real, so genuine.

I loved it.

"Let's go upstairs," I announced, my face still bright red. I heard him chuckle as I turned around, walking across the hallway and trekking up the stairs. I heard his footsteps patter on the floor behind me, my stomach churning, a field of knots. Harper Andrews is in my house. He is in my house. And I look like a mess.

I mentally swallowed up my feelings and opened the door of my bedroom, his prescence behind me giving me more shudders than the cool, metal doorknob. I walked in, into my room, books in random piles on the floor, posters of all my favourite books littering the wall. My The Hunger Games bedsheet was crinkled from me tossing and turning on top of it, trying to get a comfortable reading position, and a few books were spread across my bed. I quickly scurried to clear off my bed, definitely not my desk, as that was beyond saving, the surface littered with printed out posters, homework, books, stationary, and piles of paper.

"Nice room," Harper said, coming next to me and helping me clear my bed. Butterflies set flight in my stomach as I looked up at him and smiled in gratitude. He smiled back, the winter sunlight flooding in from my window, silhouetting his face against the sun.

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This was so unlikely of me. I couldn't concentrate. Harper and I were sitting on my bed, my laptop opened up in front of me, doing research and scribbling down notes. I was sitting cross legged, Harper as well. I was so conscious of everything. The sparks flying between us where our knees touched, the shiver that his breath sent down my spine. The occassional slip of his shirt as he leaned forward to type into the laptop, that would reveal his collarbone. The lightheartedness in his voice when he spoke, not heavy with his usual cocky behaviour.

I tried to draw my attention away from Harper, carefully grabbing his hand to take the pencil, correcting the inaccurate notes he had written down. I trembled slightly at the touch, electrical signals running between us. Harper didn't seem to notice, thanking me.

"Wait, so how does this work?" he asked. I grabbed the pencil again and looked back down at the paper. "So it says the virus is contagious so- " I was cut off when I turned to look up at Harper. He wasn't looking at the paper. He was staring at me. I bit my lip in embarassment, watching his eyes travel over the lines of my face. He seemed oblivious to the fact that I had caught him.

Grow up, Noelle.

Stop acting so embarassed, speak up!

"Why... why are you staring at me?" I said, intending to sound firm, but instead the words caught in my throat, coming out as a whisper instead. He looked up back at my eyes, unfazed. Our faces were a mere few inches apart. Slowly, very slowly, he moved his head so his lips were beside my ear, his cheek a centimetre from mine. My breath caught when he moved a hand up to brush the hair by my ear away, making me shudder with pleasure and anxiety at our proximity. Harper Andrews is so close to me. What is he doing?

"Because you're beautiful," he whispered back, his voice confident, his hot breath tickling my ear. It took me a few moments to process and understand what he just said, before I shoved him backwards playfully, a grin lighting up on my face. "That is so a The Fault In Our Stars reference!" I exclaimed, laughing. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. "What can I say?" he laughed back, his beautiful smile lighting up his face. "I am quite like Augustus Waters. Attractive, charming, good humoured, attractive- " I cut him off by an outburst of laughing hitting his rock-hard chest playfully. He laughed with me, the sides of his eyes crinkling slightly, all hints of arrogance gone, replaced with a sense of purity.

I loved this side of Harper Andrews.

Sorry guys this isn't where I wanted to leave off, but I was really desperate to update something for you guys :)

Is it moving on too fast? I think it might me... next chapter will mostly be Harper and Noelle, I guess...

Byeeee

-A :)