September 3, 12:52 am
Danny-
"Hey, you alright?" I crack open the door of my sister's room. There's a pretty bad storm raging outside. The power just went out and Harley does not like storms or the dark, so I wouldn't be able to sleep without making sure she's okay.
She doesn't reply which is a little weird.
"Harley?" I use the flashlight on my phone to make sure she isn't having a silent panic attack or something. But now I'm the one having a panic attack. She's not in her room. Why wouldn't she be in her room? It's nearly one in the morning! She has to be somewhere in the house, right?! I reason with myself taking a few deep breaths. Sure, she's fifteen and can look after herself but I have always felt the need to protect her. Our childhood was tumultuous. Especially after the accident. Levi and I kind of made it our mission to make sure she never gets hurt again.
"Harley?" I wander farther into her room. It's a little messy as usual. Some clothes on the floor, makeup spread out on the vanity, nothing seems off. The only thing that's wrong with this room is that my little sister isn't in it. She's a good kid. She's never done anything like this...
"Harley! Where are you?" I shout as I walk down the hall towards the staircase. "Harley!"
I hear the quick swing of a door flying open. "What the fuck are you yelling about?" Levi questions, sounding sleepy and agitated.
"I can't find Harley," I reply.
"What do you mean?" He immediately wakes up. The lights flicker a bit and finally turn on again. Perfect timing! Now we can actually see if she's here or not.
"I mean she's not answering me at all," I explain. "I haven't checked downstairs yet."
Levi nods and heads downstairs. I'm close behind him.
"You take that side, I'll take this side." Levi orders gesturing to different ends of the house. I do as he says and we both start calling for our little sister.
"Danny? What's going on?" Eric appears, standing on the stairs, squinting in the light.
"We can't find Harley!" I'm beginning to panic a little. This is very unlike her! Eric wakes up more upon hearing this.
"When did you last see her?" He asks, jumping down the rest of the steps.
"Like 8? Last I saw she was heading to her room and now she's not there."
"She's not answering her phone," Levi joins us running a hand through his hair. He's usually pretty calm, but when it comes to Harley he always worries. "Where does she go? Could she be outside?"
"Maybe? Or maybe at a friend's house?" I suggest. "She doesn't do things like this."
"I know, she always tells us if she's going out. She wouldn't just leave without warning would she?" Levi questions. "Whatever. I'm going to go look for her."
"I'll come!" I offer.
"No, stay here in case she comes back." Levi orders, going to the closet to get a jacket. He grabs Harley's too in case he finds her.
I turn on the switch for the front porch lights. Out the window I see a figure walking up the stairs. It's Harley! I throw the door open and scoop her into my arms. She's soaking wet and freezing. I feel her hug me back as she shivers. I can hear her teeth chattering. I feel a wave of relief relax my muscles. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her....
"Let her in, Danny, she's probably freezing to death." Eric calls from the kitchen.
"Come on, Sunshine." I usher her in, shutting the door behind us. She doesn't look at anyone, keeping her eyes on the ground.
As we walk into the kitchen I notice that Levi has gone from freaking out to absolutely pissed. Levi being mad is scary. He could probably snap me in half if he wanted to. I don't think I have ever seen him mad at Harley. I just want to step in and protect her from his scary face, but Levi is more so the boss than me. It's not my place to step in. Instead I take a seat on the counter next to where Eric is leaning. Silence. No one is saying anything. The only noise is the patter of rain on the roof.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen, I went on a walk and lost track of time then it started storming and I'm so sorry. It won't happen again!" Harley speaks up. Her voice wavers. Poor kid is terrified.
Levi sighs, "Go get warm and change into dry clothes. We'll talk more later."
"I'm sorry...I really am!" Harley apologizes again. She can't stand people being upset with her. One fault of the Sinclair's is that we are chronic people pleasers. Well, Harley and I are. Levi doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone's opinion of him.
"Go get dry!" Levi snaps and shouts at her.
Eric and I both freeze as do Levi and Harley. He has never raised his voice at her before.
"Harley wait..." Levi starts. Harley doesn't listen, instead she bolts upstairs looking close to tears. Levi curses under his breath and wipes a hand over his face.
"Why would you yell at her?!" I hop off the counter and stand in front of my brother.
"I-I didn't mean to. It just came out..." He stutters, very unlike his usual confident vibrato.
"You know she's sensitive! She hates when people are upset with her," I scold him.
"I know, Dan!" Levi argues. "I just...I was just really on edge over everything."
"So was I! You don't see me yelling at her!"
"I'll talk to her. I'll make it better." Levi takes a deep breath shakily. That's when I notice he has been bouncing his leg ferociously and chewing on his thumb nail. His nervous ticks. Now I feel bad for yelling at him. "It's just sometimes when I see her, I think of that comatose little girl in the hospital. I remember how it felt not knowing if she was going to make it or not."
"I do too," I look down thinking back to after the accident. It was a difficult time for us. That was when I realized we didn't have a good mom, I hate hospitals, and people can be taken from you in the blink of an eye.
"That's why I worry so much. I don't want us to have to go through that again." He explains. I look at my brother. I can still see that scared little boy in him. He took on too much responsibility way too young. He gave up his childhood for us. I place my hand on his shoulder and he looks up at me.
"It's okay now. You can relax," I assure him. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."
He smiles a little and puts me in a headlock. "Yeah, you better be." He jokes.
From upstairs we hear Harley's door shut. Levi frees me and looks towards the steps uncertainly.
"I don't know what I'm going to say," He admits.
"Just be honest," I advise him.
He nods and takes a deep breath. "Wish me luck," He says as he heads upstairs.
"Good luck!" I hear Eric say from behind me. When I turn around I find him on the floor drying the puddles that Harley left. I can't help but smile at him. He's always been a neat freak.
"I could've done that," I squat down in front of him.
"You say that, but we both know you wouldn't have," He states. I can't really argue with that. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself. I sit down fully on the floor, heaving an overly dramatic sigh. Eric looks up at me then tosses the towel over his shoulder.
"I am sensing you want to talk about something." He says.
I gasp. "How did you know?"
"Call it a sixth sense," He shrugs. "What's up?"
"I just feel bad for Levi..." I nearly whisper so they can't hear me upstairs.
"Why?" Eric is listening intently.
"Because he didn't really get to be a kid. He's always looked out for us. When I saw him freaked out like that, it really reminded me that there's still that scared little kid in him. That he's human and not this all powerful being that I've always seen him as." I explain, looking down at my lap. I notice how chipped my black nail polish is. I should really redo that...
Eric reaches over and cups my face, gently lifting me to look at him. "It's not your fault, you know."
"I know." And I do know. I have learned to place the blame on our absent mother.
"And I know you do everything you can to help out. You have since I've known you."
"Still...I wish I could have helped him more growing up."
"You can't change the past, you can only change the future. Luckily Harley's old enough to look out for herself now so he has more time to be his own person."
I nod slowly. "Do you think he's happy?"
"Yes." Eric doesn't hesitate to answer. "Since I've met him he has become much happier. He has a job he loves and he has an awesome family. He's a simple guy, he seems really content to me."
Eric speaks so confidently. He's never wrong and he's never lied to me so I have no choice but to trust him. He leans over and kisses my forehead gently. God, I love this man.
"Now let me tell you what I'm worried about," He says after a second of looking into my eyes.
"What are you worried about?" I ask.
"Harley getting pneumonia! She was soaking wet and freezing. It could already be setting in!" I can hear the slight panic in his voice which causes me to laugh. He always jumps to the worst conclusion. He's a chronic worrier.
"It's not funny, Daniel!" He smacks my arm lightly.
"I know that!"
"Then quit laughing!"
I breathe in and out to stop myself from bursting into laughter once again. "Okay, okay. Let's go back to bed. We have to work tomorrow."
"Alright," Eric tosses the towel he had been using onto the counter.
I stand and help him up. Not letting go of his hand we head to my room. "I'm just going to check on them." I tell Eric as he gets into bed. He gives me a thumbs up in response. I walk as quietly as possible to Harley's door which is ajar. Looking in I see a rare sight; Levi hugging someone! He holds Harley tightly, looking almost afraid to let go of her. I take a picture with my phone so that I can remember this moment. I'm feeling left out so I barge in.
"Heeeeey, can I join?"
******
September 3, 5:45 am
The alarm goes off far too early. I feel like I have just gone back to sleep. Eric shifts and starts shaking me.
"Wake up!" He exclaims, already sounding completely awake. I will never understand morning people.
"I don't wanna..." I reply.
"Too bad, bitch," He hops off the bed and runs around to my side. Grabbing my arm he yanks me as hard as he can. Which is harder than I expected because next thing I know I'm on the floor.
"Ow!" I look up at him.
"Good morning!" He beams leaving the room before I can retaliate. I stand up and stretch my aching bones. I hear Eric talking to Harley downstairs. Throwing on a sweatshirt, I go to join them. I find Harley sitting at the table with her knees pulled up to her chest. Eric sits next to her, holding a thermometer in her mouth.
"Are you sick?" I ask Harley. She shakes her head.
"I'm just testing for pneumonia," Eric explains.
I want to laugh but I know he'd be offended if I did. "Do you even know how to check for that?" I ask.
"Yeah, I looked it up," Eric replies, pulling the thermometer out of Harley's mouth.
"No fever," He announces reading the device. "Alright, any pain in your chest? Shortness of breath?" He asks.
Harley shakes her head.
"No cough?"
Harley shakes her head again.
"Good. You're safe...for now."
"Well that sounds a little ominous," I tease, taking the seat across from him with a cup of coffee.
"Thanks for checking," Harley says politely.
"Anytime," Eric gets up. He gives me a quick kiss on the lips. "Good morning, Danny Boy!"
"Good morning! Thank you for literally dragging me out of bed." I reply.
Harley gets up and starts heading upstairs. She seems sluggish.
"Hey Sunshine!" I call to get her to turn around. She spins and faces me with her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah?" She asks, suddenly looking as cheerful as ever.
"Good morning! I love you!" I reply.
She laughs a little. "Love you too."
"Alright, you can go get ready now."
She smiles and continues upstairs.
"You really checked for pneumonia? She said she felt fine," I look over at my boyfriend who is filling a coffee cup.
"You have to catch it early!" He insists.
"What would we do without you, Dr. Eric?" I ask sarcastically.
Eric flips me off and sits down at the table, scrolling through his phone.
The front door opens and shuts. A second later Harley's best friend Jax is walking into the kitchen like he owns the place.
"Yes Jaxon, please come right in!" Eric looks over the rims of his glasses at the teenager speaking sarcastically.
"Last time I checked you don't live here," Jax replies, tossing his bag on the floor next to the steps. That's when I notice he has dragged mud into the house.
"Jaxon Daniels! Shoes!" I shout at him.
He looks down. "Oh oops..." He leans over to take his shoes off.
"When you put those on the porch you can clean the floor. You know where the ratty towels are." I instruct him.
"What are you? My mom?" He grumbles but he goes to do it anyway.
"You're lame," Eric teases.
"Umm, fuck you!" I reply.
"You do."
"Oh my gosh I did not want to hear that," Jaxon returns, towel in hand.
"Grow up, noob. Adults have-" Eric starts saying.
"Clean your mouth out, bitch!" Jaxon whips the towel near Eric.
"He's gone psycho. I'm leaving!" Eric shoves past him and heads upstairs to get ready for the day.
"You hungry?" I ask Jaxon.
"Very," Jax sighs, finally doing the task I assigned to him.
"I was going to heat up some frozen waffles. You in?"
Jax smiles and nods enthusiastically. He gets rid of the towel by tossing it into the laundry room when he finishes and leans on the counter.
"Is Harley up?" He asks curiously. Jax has had a very obvious crush on Harley since they met six years ago. Everyone can see it except Harley...and Levi, but I think it's because he doesn't believe in love. Well, he believes in love, he's just AroAce and a little oblivious
"She is! She went up a little bit ago to get ready." I get the waffles out of the toaster and give him a plate.
"HI!" We both jump when Ruby, another one of Harley's best friends barges in. This is a daily occurrence. They all just invite themselves in. I don't mind it, though. It makes me feel like we're living in a sit-com. Our house is the house they usually hang out at since we don't technically have parents around.
"And I was just about to comment on how peaceful it was," Jax rolls his eyes, mouth full of waffles.
"Peace is for losers," Ruby retorts, sitting on the counter next to him.
"So is being loud and obnoxious all the time." Jax argues back.
"Alright, while you two argue I'm gonna get ready to go. Try not to kill each other." I put my plate in the sink and begin leaving.
"Good morning," Mikey, Harley's third and final best friend, walks in casually like a normal person. Unlike the other two gremlins.
"Mikey, please make sure they don't kill each other?" I shout to him as I head upstairs.
"Okay. Seems like that's my full time job..." He mutters the last part.
"You the man!" I encourage him.
******
Once we drop the kids off at school we head to work. We get to drive the bakery's catering van around. One of the few perks of working with Eric's parents. I painted a cartoon version of the town on the van. It's one of my greatest masterpieces if you ask me. One day I'm going to make a graphic novel...Don't know when, maybe when I finally retire.
Salty's Bakery and Cafe is one of the town's pride and joys. It's been in Eric's family for ages. That's why he stays there. His grandpa was one of his favorite people and he owned it before Eric's parents. Eric grew up in that place, learning how to make baked goods and the best pot of coffee. When his Grandpa was sick, right before he passed away, Eric promised him he would take over the shop and keep his legacy alive.
I glance over at my boyfriend. I've been thinking about what we're going to do in the future. Eric wants to inherit his family's place, but that would mean working with his parents for the foreseeable future. I want to be a full time artist, but until I figure that out I'm stuck with his parents too.
"Do you ever think about working somewhere else until your parents retire?" I ask him curiously.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because I don't think your parents are retiring for a while."
"Probably not," He sighs. "I know it's not ideal but this has always been my plan. I promised my grandpa..."
"I know...It's just kind of weird that we've told your parents we're dating multiple times and they still refer to us as 'really good friends'. Plus they hate me."
"That's what they do, ignore things they don't approve of. I know it's weird. You can look for something else if you want?" Eric says. "I won't be upset or anything."
"What, you aren't going to assure me your parents don't hate me?" I tease him.
"You know I don't lie, my dear Danny." Eric retorts. We look at eachother and laugh.
I shake my head. "I like working there for the most part. I also like working with you."
As we pull into the parking lot Eric grabs my hand. "You're literally so amazing."
I give his hand a squeeze. "No, you." I lean towards him but get interrupted by a knock on the window.
"You two are late!" Eric's mom shouts from the otherside of the glass.
"Sorry, Mrs. Butler." I wave and smile politely at her. "We'll be right in!" She rolls her eyes and walks back into the building.
"Such a wonderful personality," Eric says sarcastically. "We better go in." He turns the van off. I hop out. Shutting the door behind me I look at the brick building with white accents. It looks so warm and inviting with the smiling pie mascot. I honestly can't wait for Eric to inherit it. He's going to do great things.