When Skylar gets home from work, she sees that she has a missed call and voicemail from Harper. When she checks it, she finds a very odd message from Harper. Her best friend sounds extremely distraught in her message and it makes her uneasy and worried. She quickly returns Harper's call and within seconds of answering the phone, Skylar finds that Harper is indeed very upset. Barely giving herself the time to even slow down to take a breath, Harper is regurgitating what seems to be a story about Gillian and the bar, but Skylar is not able to understand any of it. "Harper! Calm down, speak slowly, and start again from the beginning. Please, you're giving me whiplash with how fast you are talking right now. I am only getting every other word." She finally says.
Harper audibly takes a deep breath. "Sky, Gillian kissed me."
This stuns Skylar. "Wait, what? When was this?"
"And I'm trying to tell you, I think she regrets doing it." Harper says, her voice cracking.
"Is that what she said?" Skylar asks just because she is thoroughly confused by the fact that Gillian would actually initiate a kiss but then turn around and wish that she had not.
"No, but--" Harper starts.
"Okay, Jace. Hold up. What did Gillian say to you, exactly?" Skylar asks.
Harper takes another deep breath. "She didn't say anything. She kissed me and then she walked away." Harper adds sadly.
"Harper, why didn't you just ask her how she felt about it?" Skylar asks as she is getting more irritated with the story and her friend.
"Because I don't need her to tell me to my face how we should just be friends!" Harper responds angrily and she can feel tears start to sting her eyes so she takes a couple more deep breaths to stop herself from breaking down. "I think that I'm going to come home for awhile."
"What?! Wait a minute, what are you talking about? What do you mean you're coming home?" Skylar feels herself start to get angry with Harper and her obviously horrible and emotional decision-making.
"I need to get away from here for awhile. She keeps calling me and texting me, and asking me if we can talk. I'm pretty sure that I know what she wants to tell me and the thing is, I don't want to just be friends with her, Sky. I don't even think that I can face her right now. Or ever again." Harper says.
Skylar feels her patience dwindling. "No, you can't just do this shit. You are running again and it doesn't even make any sense to come all the way back here when you don't actually know how Gillian feels about what happened. You might think that you do but you haven't even talked to her. And even if she just brushes it off as a one-time deal, you kinda need to know the truth before making any crazy decisions." Skylar tries reasoning with Harper even though she knows that it will more than likely not get her anywhere. She waits for Harper to reply and argue but the line goes quiet. It only takes Skylar a moment to realize that Harper is crying on the other end. "Oh, god. Babe..."
"Skylar, don't." Harper says, all the sadness in her voice replaced by complete seriousness. "I don't need a pep talk right now. I just need to get over this and I need you to understand that I can't do that here. I need to just call Gillian later and tell her that I need some time off." Harper says, her voice breaking in between shallow breaths.
Finally, Skylar just gives in. "Yeah, okay. Babe, come back if you really need to. You can stay with me for as long as you want. I just...you know what, nevermind all of that. You're right, I wasn't being very supportive and I'm sorry." Skylar says as she realizes that if she is to help fix this, she needs to let Harper believe that she is being as supportive as possible. "Go home and pack or do whatever you need to do and just call me when you're on the road, okay?"
"I'll probably just leave on Christmas morning I don't have to worry about too many people on the road that way." Harper says.
"Yeah, sounds good. I love you. Call me later." Skylar says.
"Love you. And hey. Thanks, Sky. Thank you for understanding." Harper says.
Skylar sighs. "Of course."
The second Skylar ends the call with Harper, she dials Declan's number. She has not spoken to him since her last night in Seattle even though they still text each other every once in awhile. The holiday season has been so busy, she has not really thought about reaching out to him, not even for updates on her best friend. This predicament however, definitely seems worthy of a telephone call.
The phone rings for longer that she would like but Declan does finally answer. "Hello there, stranger. It's been awhile, my friend." He says gleefully.
Skylar decides to skip the small talk. "Seriously, Declan. What the fuck is happening over there?" Skylar says loudly as she is trying to convey her frustration.
"Whoa. What the hell are you talking about?" Declan asks, clearly confused.
"Harper just called me and told me that Gillian kissed her?" Skylar asks still stunned by the story.
Declan chuckles. "Oh, yeah. It was great. We caught them under the mistletoe."
Skylar sighs. "No, Declan. Not great."
Declan frowns. "What? What do you mean?"
"Harper is super upset. She thinks that Gillian is trying to tell her that whatever happened was a huge mistake. Tell me, where would she get an idea like that?
"I don't know! Everything seemed fine to me. Harper left the party so early, it's not like I could talk to her about it or anything. And the last couple times I've seen her, she seemed perfectly fine to me." Declan says as he thinks back to the party and the last few days of work.
"UGH. Men are so dumb sometimes! How about Gillian? How does she seem?" Skylar asks.
Declan thinks about it for a second. Since the night of the Christmas party, he has noticed that Gillian has been keeping to herself a lot. She has been more quiet and seems to stay in the back office more. "I think that she's alright..." He trails off because even he has doubts about it now.
"Are you sure?" Skylar groans. "You know what? You're gonna have to fix this. I'm not there right now or I would fix it myself. So, you're going to have to do it."
"What is it that I have to fix, exactly?" Declan asks.
"Declan, Harper told me earlier that she is coming back to New York." Skylar says flatly.
Declan widens his eyes in shock. "What?"
"Yes. So, please, just fix it!" Skylar reiterates.
This time, Declan agrees without hesitation. "Alright, alright. Well, I'll see Gillian tomorrow afternoon. I'll talk to her then." Declan looks up and sees that people have just walked into the bar. "Hey, I have to tend to these people that just walked in. I'll text you with a progress report later."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later. I better hear from you soon." Skylar says before she ends the call and throws her phone off to the side. She lays down on her bed and lets out another frustrated groan. She really hopes that Declan can figure this out before it is too late and Harper is already on her road.
***
Gillian has not heard from Harper for nearly a week. It is not for the lack of trying though because she has called, she has sent text messages, and yet she has not received even one reply. After Harper does not show up the morning after the party, Gillian began replaying the events of the evening over and over in her head. Maybe she had misread everything. Or maybe she let Rebecca get her hopes too high and Harper was just not interested in her as more than just a friend. Either way, she thinks that she has really made a mess of everything.
Gillian is laying on the couch with the television on but she is not paying any attention to it. No matter how hard she tries, she still cannot think of anything besides Harper. The look on Harper's face when she pulled away from the kiss, now burned into her brain, is all that she sees every time she shuts her eyes. Because of this, she has not been able to sleep through the night since the party.
She finally decides that she should at least try to lay down more comfortably so she pulls herself up and off of the couch, turns the television off, and goes into the bedroom. Then she turns out the light and gets into her bed. Even though it is not quite eight in the evening, she already feels so exhausted, so she curls herself up hugging a pillow close to her, and shuts her eyes hoping that sleep will overtake her.
Gillian awakens suddenly when her cell phone starts ringing. She looks over at the clock on the bedside table to see that it is almost 10:30 pm. She reaches for her phone thinking that it is probably Declan calling but when she sees that it is actually Harper, her heart starts racing. She hesitates only a few seconds longer and answers the phone trying very hard not to sound too nervous. "Hey, Harper." She says, unable to hide the hoarseness in her tired voice.
"Oh, hey, Gillian. I hope that I didn't wake you." Harper says hesitantly.
"No, I am still up." Gillian lies.
"Oh, good." Harper tries to speak quickly so that Gillian does not have time to interrupt her. "I know that this is a very last minute request but I think that I am going to drive back to New York for the holidays. I hate to do this to you and Declan but I am going to need a few weeks off."
Gillian frowns. "You're going to drive back to New York?" She asks shakily as she tries to hide her hurt and disappointment.
"Yeah, I know that I could fly but I really liked the drive on my way over here so I just thought that it would be nice to do it again." Harper says trying to think of the best excuse for why she would choose to drive clear across the whole country.
Gillian's immediately begins to wonder to herself whether Harper even plans to come back. She closes her eyes tightly trying to stop the urge to start crying. "Yes, of course. Take as long as you'll need. We'll be closed for a whole week anyway." She answers quietly.
"Great. I will probably just stop by the bar when I get back. Or I'll text or call you or something." Harper adds.
Gillian takes a breath hoping that Harper will let her apologize. "Harper..."
"Oh hey, Gillian, sorry but I really have to go. That's Skylar on the other line." Harper lies. "I'll text you the details when I know them. Thanks again. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
Gillian pulls the phone away from her ear and looks down at the ended call that is still displaying one of the pictures of Harper in the leather jacket that she took weeks ago when they were shopping, and when it fades to black, she can no longer hold back her tears. She takes a deep breath and wipes away the wetness on her cheeks. Then she lays back down, pulls the covers up over her head, and once again hopes that she can fall back asleep.
Harper, who is currently sitting on the sofa in her condo, sighs before downing the rest of her glass of wine. Then she puts her glass down on the coffee table and calls Skylar to tell her what she has done.
***
Declan walks into the bar on Christmas Eve to find Gillian sitting on top of the back counter obviously lost in thought. He realizes that she does not even notice that he has walked in until he is standing right in front of her. He lightly touches her shoulder and she finally flinches slightly. "Hey, there you are. Where were you just now?"
Gillian manages a small smile. "Nowhere in particular. I was just thinking about some things." She jumps off the counter and leans up against it once again staring off.
Declan furrows his brow. He really hates to meddle but he did promise Skylar that he would help fix this. Plus, he cannot stand to see Gillian this way. "Thinking about Harper?" He finally asks.
Gillian turns towards Declan. She tries to speak but frowns because she genuinely does not know how to answer his question. She has been very good about not bringing up Harper's name in the last week and this just makes trying to forget about her even more difficult. "Harper? No, why would I be thinking about Harper?"
Declan bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying the wrong thing. He decides that he probably should have approached this conversation a bit differently so he just shakes his head and turns away. "Nevermind." He says.
Gillian senses that something is wrong and her frown deepens. "Declan, is everything alright?"
After a moment, Declan turns back around. He realizes that he needs to just get this over with and so he sighs and looks Gillian in the eyes. "I'm so stupid, Gigi. I can tell that you've been upset about something lately and it wasn't until last night that I realized that it is about Harper. I haven't seen you two anywhere near each other in over a week when up until that party, you were pretty much inseparable. Please just tell me what is wrong. What's happened?"
Gillian just stares at him, blinking thoughtfully a few times and after the last time, Declan can see her eyes start to glisten. She looks down at the ground, takes a few breaths and answers him. "I think I screwed everything up. After I kissed her at the party, she hasn't been answering any of my calls or my messages and now she...she is leaving."
"Leaving?" Declan asks trying to hide the fact that he knows this already because Skylar had already mentioned it to him the night before. "What do you mean she's leaving?"
Gillian looks up at Declan. "She called me last night and said she needs a few weeks off because she wants to drive back to New York for a visit."
"She's driving?" Declan asks, this time actually surprised. "New York is a long way from here."
"I shouldn't have kissed her, Declan. I misread all the signs and I've ruined everything." Gillian says.
"You like her." This comes out more as a statement than a question even though Declan is still expecting Gillian to either confirm or deny it.
Gillian bites down on her lower lip. She considers lying about it but then again, she knows there is really no use in it anymore so she opts for the truth, which is something she has yet to even admit to herself. "Yes." She says. Then she chuckles but there is no delight in the sound of it. "I like Harper." She sighs. "I didn't think that it was this bad. But, I think I like her a lot."
For the first time since Danielle, Declan sees a part of Gillian that she has always tried to hide away. She looks afraid but also hopeful. Declan smiles sadly at her and walks over pulling her in for a hug. It takes a few seconds but he finally feels her relax into his embrace and then hug him back tightly. "You haven't ruined anything. You just need to talk to her. Tell her how you feel." He tells her.
Gillian tilts her head up so that she can see Declan's face. "How can I do that when she won't give me a chance to. I've wanted to talk to her about everything since that night it happened. And now I won't see her for weeks and that's only if she decides to come back to Seattle." Gillian lays her head back on Declan's chest trying to to think about what a mess all of this has turned out to be. "Declan, what if she doesn't come back?"
"It'll all work out. She will come back." He says even though he is unsure of it himself. They stay this way for awhile until Declan finally pulls away grabbing ahold of her shoulders. "Hey, look, it's Christmas Eve and you're feeling miserable. Why don't we just close early tonight? Everyone already knows that we'll be closed for the next week. Go home and relax tonight so that you can get an early start to your parents' house in the morning. You look like you could really use a good night's rest."
Gillian sighs and nods. "Maybe you're right. I do really just want to be in bed right now."
"Then that's what you should do. Go ahead and take off. I'll clean up and close down." Declan says smiling at her.
Gillian hugs him again. "Thank you as always. This really means the world to me. You really mean the world to me. You know that, right?"
"I'm just gonna tell you what you always tell me--I know that you'd do the same for me. Now, go and get your coat. That wind chill out there will get you." He says.
Gillian nods and walks into the back for her coat. She thinks about how at this time just a year ago, she was having dinner at home with Danielle when her girlfriend suddenly dropped down on one knee proposing marriage. It was the happiest day of her life and now, a year later, she can barely even imagine what it felt like to be that happy. For a second, she thinks about Harper again and really wishes that they could be having another movie night or sleepover. Her heart clenches so she forces herself to push all of those thoughts away. She puts on her coat and hat, grabs her bag, and turns out the lights of the office.
Declan quickly walks through the bar putting up all the chairs. He checked the sales just a moment ago and it looks like throughout the morning, Gillian has only had a few tables. There is probably not much to clean in back either since there were only two food orders. He wants to hurry up and finish closing because he is determined to pay Harper a visit before she packs up and leaves town.
Gillian reappears into the dining area fully ready to combat the wintery weather. She walks over to Declan and smiles weakly at him. "Do you want to come over for a little bit? I have your Christmas present at home. Harper and I picked it out together and I don't know why I didn't just bring it here with me today. My mind has been so jumbled all week."
Declan smiles. "I've forgotten to bring yours also. We can always exchange gifts when you get back next week. I actually should use this time to go do some last minute shopping anyway." Declan lies just because he does not want Gillian to know that he actually has other plans in mind.
Gillian smiles. "Good luck with that. Most places will be closing early."
"Don't I know it." Declan says grinning. "Now, get out of here before it gets colder."
Gillian hugs him again. "Merry Christmas, Declan."
Declan hugs her back tightly. "Merry Christmas. Please send my love to your mum and dad."
"Of course." Gillian says smiling.
Declan watches as Gillian walks down the street to where her car is parked. Then as quickly as possible, he finishes cleaning up the dining area and runs into the back to finish up cleaning the kitchen. To his surprise, he finds that Gillian has already cleaned up and turned off all the cooking equipment. He takes one final look around before flipping off all the lights. He puts on his coat, locks the doors, and walks the eight minutes it takes him to get to Harper's place.