Arcadian

The L word

I groan as the morning sun shines through the blinds, effectively blinding me as I wake up.

I fling my arm over, expecting to be able to cuddle with Harper but the space next to me is empty. I roll over and grab my phone off the nightstand, looking at the time which reads one in the afternoon.

Damn I slept through half the day.

I climb out of bed, wearing nothing but the pyjama bottoms that hang loosely off my hips as I make my way into the hallway. As soon as I open the door I'm hit with the scent of cooking wafting from the kitchen as well as the loud sound of chatter reverberating through the house.

Not quite knowing what to expect, I walk into the kitchen. I'm met with the sight of Harper tending to something on the stove, her hips swaying side to side to the music that's coming from the speaker on the counter.

She wearing a cute little sage green top paired with some shorts, I'm so enthralled by her that I don't even notice the five idiots sprawled out on the sofa.

"Ayee there he is," Dex jumps up, head locking me. "Morning sleepy," Harper smiles at me, finally noticing my presence. "Sit down I made lunch," She orders, motioning towards the kitchen table.

"When did yous get in?" I question them as we sit down, not even knowing they were coming so soon. "We may have bullied your dad into letting us come a bit earlier," Miles chuckles.

"Harper told us the news," Emilio grins, slapping me on the back. "Lucian Cruz with a girlfriend, I never thought I'd see the day," Tyler teases, making Harper laugh from across the kitchen.

"Harper must be a special girl," Emilio chuckles.

"What can I say," Harper shrugs while placing multiple plates in front of us. She really went all out cooking sausages, eggs, hash browns, homemade pancakes and toasties. Everyone digs in, immediately ravishing the food like the animals we are. 

"I'm just going to head to the market to get some stuff, I'll be back in a bit," She smiles, slinging her tote bag over her shoulder.

"Nonsense, you can't cook all this and then not eat any of it," Miles says, his mouth full of food. "I'm alright I ate a lot of it while I was cooking," She chuckles.

"No you didn't," Carter states bluntly.

"Carter," Miles warns. "What, she didn't," Carter replies.

"Come Harper, sit down," Emilio says, patting the seat next to him which is the one directly opposite me. She reluctantly sits down and stares at her plate as Carter leans over and piles food on it.

She has the same look in her eyes like she used to, one of utter disgust as she looks down at the plate of food. My heart constricts as I realise something must have triggered her.

My fears are confirmed when I notice Harper doing the thing she does when she doesn't want to eat, talking excessively.

She chats away about anything just to distract the boys into not noticing she isn't eating anything but it doesn't work this time, we're all aware of her disorder so there's no way she'll get away with it anymore.

"Harper eat your food," I command sternly, tired of watching her poking at it with her fork. She looks up at me, tears welling in her eyes before she abruptly stands and rushes out of the room.

I immediately get up, following her down the hall but the bedroom door is shut and locked in my face. "Harper," I call out, knocking on the door.

I hear her soft cries and sniffling from behind the door, making my chest ache. "Harper baby open the door," I try to coax her. She eventually opens it, greeting me with her tear stricken face.

"What's wrong," I question, wiping her tears with my thumb. "Nothing," She hiccups.

"Come on tell me what's made you feel this way," I plead.

I remember my mum's psychiatrist telling me that Harper's recovery wouldn't be linear but it's so hard seeing her get better just to revert back to her old ways.

She walks over to the bed, grabbing her phone and flicking through it for a few seconds before handing it to me.

It takes me a few moments to process what I'm looking at.

Her phone is open on her mum's contact, showing how her mum sent her numerous screenshots of Harper's private instagram attached with the message 'getting a bit chubby don't you think Harps'.

I curl and uncurl my fists, feeling the anger rising as I scroll up and read all the messages of her tormenting Harper. She's well aware of Harper's disorder so there's no way she isn't doing this with malice.

"You can't let her speak to you like this," I say sternly, chucking her phone on the bed. "She's right though," She whispers, her lip wobbling as she looks at herself in the full length mirror.

"No the fuck she's not," I tell her. "You're so beautiful Harper everyone can see it," I reassure her, cupping her face in my hands and tilting her attention away from the mirror.

"You are not chubby," I tell her definitively. "And even if you were it wouldn't matter, you could gain another two hundred pounds and I'd still love you just the same."

"You'd still what?"