BARE SOULS: A STEAMY TEACHER/STUDENT ROMANCE

CHAPTER 72 | HARPER

    "Nice to meet you!" She warmly smiled after the initial surprise on her face. 

I glanced at Sofia who was as livid to understand the unspoken drama taking place in my living room on that Sunday morning and I understood that she had no idea either. 

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. If karma was a thing, then I was already paying my debts the highest price. I excused myself and ran to the bathroom, bending over the toilet, retching and gagging, painfully trying to purge myself from all these emotions I no longer could take, but nothing came out. I was just empty. 

Although seeing them together in my living room was enough for me to put two and two together, it was even harder to admit it to myself. Sofia and Maria were sisters. The woman in my living room was the wife of my English teacher who also happened to be the guy who broke my heart. Rick, who I called the night before in a desperate move was Maria's brother in law. Just how much more entangled was it going to be? Another difficult and unnecessary plot twist in the mess my life had become. 

I was supposed have lunch with the other woman. The one he married. The one he lied about. The one he loved. The one he chose. The woman who just found out her husband cheated on her with one of his students. It was just too big for me to manage to fake it. I couldn't pretend to be OK. Shit was hitting the fan and It was about to create a lot of even bigger issues for Zane and me. 

While I was trying to find a way to escape the situation, I heard three knocks on the bathroom door. "Harper, it's me, Sofia... Can we talk for a minute?" Her voice was low and soft, hinting me that she clearly wanted to keep our interaction private. 

My heart started racing with panic. I had no desire to have that conversation I was not prepared for. Not with Sofia and even less with her sister. I would have jumped through the window if there was one in that small bathroom, but my options were limited. I basically didn't have one. 

I unlocked the door after some time and opened it before she entered the bathroom and closed the door it shut once she was in.  "What the fuck Harper?!" she asked with a heavy sigh. "Is it true? Are you fucking Zane?" Her eyes were widen with disbelief mixed with anger and I was not prepared to be judged once again. 

I felt like crying. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself it was not like that, she just reminded me that it was indeed like that. I nodded for all answer, trying to hold the flow of tears that threatened to let go at any moment. 

She sighed as she stared at me and her expression softened a bit after she understood it all through my silence. "That fucker!" she mumbled to herself before refocusing on me. "Did he ever mentioned he was married?"

I shook my head and she instantly believed me, not really surprised with my ignorance. "For fuck's sake, Harper! He's your fucking teacher!!! Don't you know how risky it is? Beside, I'm pretty sure there's plenty of guys more suited for you. Why that  jerk? You know he's a jerk, right?"

I stared at her, not sure how to correctly answer that question. 

    "Alright..." she said after a long minute while she cursed Zane without mercy.  She suddenly calmed down and put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm not going to tell Mark. He would murder him if he ever found out and I would probably lose my job as well..." She mumbled to herself more than to my intention, before she glanced back to me. "Listen... I know this is awkward but try to act as if you guys never met before... We'll talk later."

Awkward was an understatement. As we headed back to the living room, Maria's piercing eyes were fixed on me, feeling scrutinized from head to toe. I managed to ignore her for the whole lunch and excused myself when the meal was over to hide in the backyard to get some fresh air. But a few moments later, Maria joined me on the swing seat. And even though I knew this moment was inevitable, I still wished she would have just ignored me.