Warning: contains some coarse language. Also, this story alternates point of views.


Across The Window

~Harper~

"Hey." A shadow loomed over me.

I looked up from my sandwich, startled. "Hi?" my reply reflected the confusion that washed over me.

"I'm Dev."

I stared at the guy in front of me. He seemed to be around my age. Some of his black hair brushed his eyelashes as he smiled at me. His pale skin seemed to be flushed from the winter cold outside the small diner. His grey eyes were looking inquisitively at me. Not really knowing what to do, I give him a small nod, "Nice to meet you Dev." I replied politely. My eyes trailed back towards my sandwich. It was a little past lunch time, but because I slept in today I was a bit late for my weekly lunch at the diner.

"I've been seeing you around."

I tried to keep myself from raising my eyebrows and remained silent, my eyes still trained on the half-eaten sandwich. I was not sure what to make of this stranger beside me.

"You come here every Sunday." His voice sounded. He had a pleasant voice.

I blinked in surprise at what he said, my eyes flickering up to meet his. "…Are you a … stalker?" I whispered softly, a twinge of fear audible.

He laughed and for a stalker, it was a pretty pleasant laugh. "No. We're neighbours."

Neighbours? I tried to wrack my brain, trying to recall ever seeing his face, but it came up blank.

"Your window is right across mine." Dev elaborated.

"Oh." Was my brilliant response. My window did have a view on a flat building across mine, but I never really paid attention to it especially as my desk faced the opposite direction.

"Well, I'll see you around." Dev said as he gave me a smile goodbye.

I could only stare at him numbly as he disappeared out of the door. I felt like an idiot who couldn't even hold a normal conversation with people. No wonder he bolted as soon as he heard me speak. It surprised me though. This was the first time I had some type of conversation with someone who I hadn't met in school. I moved to England a couple of weeks ago as an exchange student and even though I really enjoyed being in a different country, a different city, I still felt a little bit out of place. I quickly finished my lunch and headed back towards my flat.

After I managed to finish all my work for tomorrow, I stretched my body and leaned back on my desk chair. Thank God I managed to finish it. It wasn't even that late yet. A quick glance at my clock told me that it was just past four o'clock. I still had a few hours to myself, so I decided to pick up my paintbrush again. It had been a while since I had painted something. Retrieving a blank canvas from my bedroom, I returned to the living room and set up my easel. I sat with my back against the window, the perfect spot for natural lighting and slowly started painting. It was relaxing. The image I had in my head was clear, I was painting a large golden field. In that field, a girl was playing hide-and-seek, smiling brightly at the summer sun. I wasn't the best or most skilled painter, but I enjoyed doing it. It was relaxing.

Suddenly my mind travelled to earlier today and my hand froze before the canvas. Dev. He had told me that we were neighbours. That he lived across the street. I was actually pretty curious to see whether he was telling the truth. But it felt wrong, looking into someone else's apartment. So I refrained from doing so. I just had to take his word for it.


"Hey."

I looked up at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. "Hi." I said, surprised at the guy standing beside me. It was him. Dev.

"You go to school here?" He asked as he clutched the cup of coffee in his hand. For the first time I noticed the slight accent in his voice. I couldn't deny that it was attractive. His voice was very pleasant.

I nodded as I put my pen down. "Yes. I'm new here."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." He offered a smile.

I blinked, "How so?" Was it that obvious?

His grey eyes examined me, "Well, you did just move in a couple of weeks ago, and the new semester just started, so I just figured… y'know." He shrugged.

Ah. That made sense. "What do you study?" I asked him.

"Entrepreneurship." He answered as he swirled his drink. "You?"

"International business." I answered. "I have a free period now, so I'm just catching up on some case studies."

He nodded.

It felt strange, having him stand there. "Can I help you with something?" I asked as I nervously scratched the back of my neck. It felt kind of nerve wracking to have someone as good looking as him standing so close.

"I didn't catch your name last time." He said as a smile tugged at his mouth.

I laughed lightly, "I never offered it."

"Will you offer it to me today?" He smiled.

"Harper. Harper Jensen." I answered, introducing myself as I had deemed him a non-stalker.

"Well, Harper, it was a pleasure meeting you." He grinned. "Perhaps I'll see you around campus."

I smiled and offered him a small wave as he disappeared. "Bye." He seemed like a nice guy. Perhaps we could become friends one day.

"Sorry I'm late." Casey Morgan groaned as she plopped down on the empty chair beside me. "Stupid teacher had to give us extra homework." She emptied her bag on the table and sorted through her books and binders. "By the way, were you just talking to Devon Watson?"

I looked at her, surprised, "Do you know him?" Casey was an exchange student, just like me. She had attended the same school as I did back home. We befriended each other during orientation about a month ago.

"I think everyone knows him. Kinda has a reputation around here." Casey kept her voice low.

I blinked, "What kind of reputation?" Stalker reputation?

"Let's just say he seems to hop from one female companion to the other."

I raised my eyebrows, "You mean he's promiscuous?" Even though I just met Devon, his first impression indicated to me that he was pretty forward guy. But he had been nice to me so far, and hadn't been passing any advances. I guessed that meant that he wasn't interested in me that way. That was good. I would only be here for six months. Friendship was all I could handle.

"They're rumours, mostly. He's a close buddy of my boyfriend," Casey shrugged, "But you're a nice girl Harper. Don't get tangled in the mess that is Devon Watson."

I had met her boyfriend a couple of times before. His name was Dean Philips and he was a really nice guy. Casey told me she entered the exchange program so that she could be closer to him. "Don't worry." I reassured her. "So, what do you have for question three?"

Casey groaned again as she let her head fall against the table.


"We meet again."

I looked up and was met with a pleasant smile. "Hi Devon." I said as I scooted over. Several weeks had passed since our first encounter and now Devon and I regularly bumped into each other on campus. It turned out that we even shared some classes.

"I told you to call me Dev." He said as he handed me a paper cup of coffee.

I accepted it but ignored his request. "You don't have to keep bribing me with drinks. I'll keep you company for free." I told him brightly.

He laughed as he sat down next to me. "How did your Services Marketing exam go?" He asked.

I shrugged, "Okay I guess. Didn't really study well for that one. I was mostly stressing over Statistics 1."

"Ah, Statistics. The hell of every student." He mused.

"Except for you I heard." I shot him a playful glare as I took a sip of the hot liquid.

"What does that mean?" He asked innocently.

"Apparently some dude named Devon Watson aced the test and got the highest score in history."

"Oh my, I think you're exaggerating. I only got the highest score in our class."

I rolled my eyes. "You could've have mentioned it to me. I would have loved to have a study session with you. I'd even pay you for it." Statistics had not ended well for me. I don't think I've ever received such a low score in my life. Ever. Eighteen out of a hundred? My dad would kill me if he found out.

Devon looked at me, "That bad huh?"

"Let's just say I got eighteen per cent of your score."

He winced. "I'll help you for your retake."

My eyes widened as I stared at him, "Really?"

He nodded, "Sure, Harper. An eighteen? That's really bad."

"Thank you so much!" I squealed, unable to hide my happiness. "I owe you one Devon. This means a lot to me." I really needed to earn all my credits for these two semesters before I went back.

"Don't worry about it." He waved it away as he drained his coffee in one shot. "I have to run to class now. Enjoy your free period, Miss Jensen."

I grinned at him as I gave him a small salute. "Have fun with Performance Management, Mister Watson."

He groaned as he trailed away.


~Devon~

I first noticed her as she sat by herself, in the far corner, eating her sandwich. For some reason, my eyes would always travel back towards her. I recognized her immediately. She was the girl who lived in the building across mine. Her window lined up against mine and I often found myself intrigued by her. Soon, I noticed that every Sunday she had her lunch there. Quiet. Alone. I couldn't help it, I had to talk to her. I had to learn more about her.

I could tell she was taken aback when I introduced myself. She didn't even offer me her name. I was determined to find out though. One day, I would get to know my neighbour.

A glimpse of black hair made me stop in my tracks. I blinked several times, not really trusting the sight before me. Was that really her, sitting by herself studying?

It was. This time, she told me her name. My neighbour was Harper Jensen and I wouldn't mind seeing that smile on her face again.


~Harper~

"Why do you do that?" Devon asked as he sat down on the bar stool next to me. He motioned at my sandwich.

"I don't really like tomatoes." I answered as I took a bite of my sandwich.

"So ask them to prepare you one without." He said as he helped himself to one of the slices that I picked out of my sandwich.

I scrunched my nose as the slice disappeared in his mouth. "I don't like eating tomatoes, but I don't mind the mild taste it leaves on my sandwich." I explained to him.

"You're weird." He deadpanned as he ate the remaining three slices.

"Here." I said as I slid my plate towards him. The other half of my sandwich was still untouched.

"Thanks." He grinned as he picked it up and took an enormous bite out of it.

"Don't worry about it. You looked like you were about to starve." I answered as I took a sip of my water.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Devon asked as we both finished our shared lunch.

I shrugged, "I guess I'll do some homework." I had cleared everything for Monday, but it didn't hurt to work ahead.

"That's lame Harper." He rolled his eyes. "We should be doing something fun! It's the weekend after all."

"Well, Devon, what did you have in mind?" I couldn't help but stare at his face. He really was quite good looking. I was jealous.

"Dev." He corrected me before continuing, "How about a movie?"

"What kind of movie?" I asked as I wiped my hands with a napkin.

He motioned for me to follow him and we walked out of the diner. The January sky was bleak, but at least it wasn't raining, or hailing or snowing.

"What kind of movies do you like?" Devon asked as he stopped in front of a navy blue car. He opened the passenger door for me.

I hesitated a bit before I stepped inside. I didn't even know he had a car. "Thank you." I said as he closed the door for me. "I like all sorts of movies." I answered as he got behind the wheel.

"There's this new animated movie out, if you're interested."

"I really like animated movies." My eyes lit up as I said that and I clasped my hands together.

"Figured you would go crazy over kid movies Jensen." Devon chuckled.

I sent him a mock glare, "Animated movies are not just for kids."

"I know, I know." He said, smiling as he shook his head. "I'm not really one to talk, since I really do enjoy those movies a lot."

I grinned at him, "Good."

"Good." He repeated.

I really enjoyed watching the movie with Devon. The animated movie was beautiful, funny and touching at the same time. "I had a lot of fun hanging out with you today Devon." I answered as I climbed out of his car.

"A lot more fun than studying, I presume?" he raised one of his eyebrows.

I grinned, "A lot more."

His grey eyes twinkled as he stared at me. "That's good to hear."

I crossed the street towards my apartment and turned when I reached the pavement. Devon was still standing there, watching me. I bit my lip as I stared back at him, "Devon?" I called out.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being my friend." I grinned.

He remained silent for a while and for a second there I was afraid that I was being too forward, too presumptuous. Perhaps he didn't want to be my friend…

"Harper?"

I wrestled to keep the grin in place, "Yes?"

"Anytime."

My heart jumped and I smiled even wider. I waved at him and then ran inside the building.


~Devon~

It was strange, the way she always insisted on calling me Devon. No one ever called me Devon. No one had, for a long time. I always insisted on Dev. But for some reason, I liked the fact that she was the only one to call me by my full name. But today, when she thanked me for being her friend… I froze. Were we friends? Was that all? For some reason, I always saw her as someone different. Someone more than just a friend. I guess it was probably the fact that she was the first girl I just hung out with purely for the fact that I enjoyed her company. It wasn't a physical relationship. Though she obviously could make me react physically.

Her shiny black hair always looked so soft, so touchable. Her milky skin was smooth. Her face was sweet, with her warm large brown eyes, cute nose and full pink lips. She was unique in personality and in looks. I'd never met someone like her where I could just have fun talking about anything and everything… and frankly it was alarming.

I was never one for girlfriends. Casual. That basically described me. I was casual… but I knew with Harper that she was different. Shit. I wasn't even sure if I was ready for different.


~Harper~

It was regular routine now, Sundays Devon would meet me up for lunch and we shared a sandwich. We talked about school, our family and everything else in between. I really liked getting to know him better. He was really fun to hang out with and always gave me free coffee whenever we ran into each other at school. He made me laugh and I loved making him laugh. Devon Watson had become one of my best friends in a few months' time. However, time passed quickly and soon, almost too soon, my six months in England would be over.


"Devon!" I called out from across the square. In my hand I was clutching the result of my Statistics retake. This was my last month in England and I finally finished all exams.

The black-haired boy looked up and I ran towards him, my cheeks flushed from the excitement. Without really thinking about it, I slammed against him and found myself hugging him. After a brief moment I pulled back, my cheeks probably redder than before.

He stared at me, stunned.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I told him earnestly as I thrust the paper at him.

He took it, seemingly still dazed. "Your retake?" He murmured.

I nodded excitedly, "I passed it! I did better than just pass, I aced it thanks to you Devon!" My smile faltered as he didn't seem to share my enthusiasm. "Devon? Are you alright?" I frowned as I took him in. He looked tired and worn.

Devon stared at me, his eyes blank, "I'm fine." He handed me back my paper. "Congratulations."

"Oh." I said lamely. "Well, I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks again Devon. I managed to get all my credits." I offered him a small smile.

"Great." He gave me a curt nod and then turned around, "Well, see you."

I was left staring at his retreating back.


~Devon~

What the hell was wrong with me? I froze when she pressed her body against me for a hug. I couldn't even muster any enthusiasm for her grade. I was proud. I was really proud that she managed to pass the test… but for some reason, I couldn't act like me. I felt like an ass leaving her standing there, but I couldn't let her see what she was doing to me. How she was affecting me emotionally. Harper Jensen would never see me as anything more than a friend and it would be better for me if I distanced myself from her before I did anything stupid.

I needed a drink. I pulled out my phone and called Dean.

"Yo, Dev." He answered on the third ring. "What's up?"

"I need a drink, want to meet me at the pub?" I asked as I grabbed my keys from my desk.

"Can't man. I'm going to this party Casey's throwing with Harper."

I frowned. What party? And why wasn't I invited? Was she really holding a party to celebrate the fact that she had passed Statistics? I had to bite back a smile, it would seem like that was something she would do.

"Do you want to come along?" Dean asked me.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't face seeing Harper right now. "No, go ahead, have fun. I'll call you later." After I hung up I stared at my wall. Suddenly, I didn't really feel like drinking anymore.

Devon Watson was wallowing in self pity and it was pathetic.


~Harper~

I glanced out of my window, painfully aware that this was the last time that my eyes would sweep over this sight. This had been my home for the past six months. I would be missing this place. I would be missing all the friends that I made this past half year. We had already said our goodbyes a few weeks ago at our farewell party. Now it was time to leave. Out of nowhere my eyes were drawn to his window. Devon. It had been a while since I'd seen him. The last time was at school, when I thanked him for helping me with my test. It was stupid of me to hug him. Obviously I freaked him out. I freaked myself out when I hugged him. My heart had seemed like it was about to burst and my cheeks had been redder than red. Even if he wanted to speak to me, I wasn't sure if I could have faced him.

This was the first time I ever dared a glimpse into his flat. It surprised me that I had such a clear view of his apartment. It was so… visible.

The sight before me was not one that I had expected. A girl was sitting on his desk, her back facing me. Devon seemed to be busy with her. Specifically her lips. A cold shiver ran through me as his grey eyes suddenly met mine. I quickly turned around, hoping that he didn't think I was spying on him. Suddenly, breathing proved to be quite difficult. My chest seemed to clench, and I wasn't sure what was wrong with me.

Why was I reacting like this? It wasn't like Devon and I were even more than friends. I wasn't even sure if we were even friends anymore. Did it matter what he was doing with his female companions?

Glancing at my watch, I figured that my cab was about to arrive. I clasped my hand around the handle of the only piece of luggage I still had here in England – my suitcase. Giving my apartment one last fleeting look, I closed the door, locked it, handed over the key at the office and stepped outside.

The May weather greeted me as I soaked in the sun that had made a rare appearance today. My cab hadn't arrived yet, so I stood there on the pavement, glancing around me. I would miss this view, surely. Even though the buildings were rather old and looked worn, there was character in them. This had been my home for six months and I would probably never be back again. My eyes caught some movement across the street and my heart jumped to my throat as I spotted someone emerging from the building opposite me.

His hair was tousled and his clothes rumpled. He crossed the street, an almost weary expression on his face. "Harper." He said, his eyes meeting mine furtively.

"Devon."

"Dev." He corrected automatically.

I gave him a small apologetic shrug, "I like Devon better." I didn't know why. It flowed better and seemed to suit him more. I wasn't sure why he was so keen on everybody calling him Dev.

He swallowed and his eyes moved down, taking note of the suitcase I was gripping with all my might.

"Going on holiday?" He asked. It was a logical question. My semester was over and I did have summer holiday now.

I shook my head lightly. "Going home." I answered softly.

"Oh, your parents?" He asked.

I nodded. Something like that; but I didn't tell him. I couldn't muster up the courage to tell him.

"Harper, about befor-,"

I held out my hand, stopping him. "I'm sorry. Really sorry. I was just taking in the view outside. I didn't mean to invade your privacy. It was an accident. I swear." My hands seemed to turn clammy as I said that.

He seemed like he wanted to say something, but kept his mouth closed. He gave me a curt nod instead. "So I'll see you when I get back?"

I don't think so, my mind answered melancholically. Instead I just gave him an indiscernible nod. Right then my cab arrived. I exhaled gratefully. The driver stepped out and helped me put the suitcase in the trunk. My hand closed around the door handle and I glanced at the boy standing beside me. "Bye Devon." I softly said, taking in his grey eyes for the last time.

"Dev." He said out of habit. "See you soon Harper."

I got in the car and forced myself not to look back, even though it made my heart hurt. Even though it made my heart hurt so much.


~Devon~

I hadn't expected it. I hadn't expected seeing her there. After all those months, after she found out that we were neighbours, never did she ever glance in my direction. I would know, because I often found myself staring at her from my flat. I felt like a fucking stalker. But I couldn't help myself. She was always so intriguing. So quiet. She kept to herself. Whenever I spent time with her however, she seemed so much more open. I was glad that she felt at ease with me. She was fun to be around and I naturally found myself being gravitated towards her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that we had drifted apart the past couple of weeks. It was affecting me more than I liked. I shouldn't have acted like such an ass towards her.

I remembered the things that I saw whenever I happened to glance at her apartment. There were days where she would just sit at her desk for hours on end, doing schoolwork. Sometimes she would be lying on her couch, reading a book. Other times I found her talking on the phone animatedly. And during rare moments, I saw how she pulled out an empty canvas and started painting. It was mesmerizing.

During all those times I was looking into her window, I hoped that she would look up and notice me. But she never did. Until fucking today when I have Jess on my desk and I'm in the middle of making out with her. Fucking great.

Harper whirled around as soon as our eyes met and I felt like a fucking jerk. I wasn't even sure why I felt like a fucking jerk. Was it because I was in a compromising position with a girl whose last name I didn't even know? Or was it because my heart seemed to clench when I saw the surprised look on Harper's face? I liked her. I fucking liked Harper Jensen and I was too fucking afraid to admit it. Fuck.

"Why are you stopping?" Jess's eyes narrowed as she stared at me.

I backed away from her, trying to clear my head. "I can't do this. I'm sorry." It was wrong to bring her up here. This wasn't me anymore. I had changed the moment I talked to Harper for the first time. I glanced back at the window across the street and noticed her front door closing.

I turned around and tried to all but run through the door outside.


~Harper~

Days turned into weeks and slowly weeks turned into months. Devon gradually faded from my mind, but he never fully disappeared…


~Devon~

Okay. What the fuck. How long had it been? Two weeks? She only had one suitcase with her when she left… one suitcase meant that she wouldn't be gone for long right?

My eyes narrowed as I stared at the apartment across mine. It had been empty for too long. I wish I had her number, her email, anything so I could contact her. But then, what would I say? 'Hey, I noticed that you weren't back yet, when are you returning?', yeah fucking right. If that wasn't stalker behaviour I didn't know what was.

My heart leaped as I saw movement. My eyes were trained on her window. Was she back? My heart plummeted as I noticed it was a guy. He was tall and blond. Her boyfriend? He came in bearing suitcases. Many of them. A few people followed; all carrying boxes and shit. What the hell? No sign of Harper.

She was gone. The realization hit me as I thought back to our goodbye. She had been quiet. Much quieter than usual. Fucking hell. I was in love with Harper Jensen and I didn't even know where she disappeared off to. I gripped my head as I stared at the ground. I groaned as I remembered the details prior to her goodbye. Me mauling some chick on my desk. Fucking great. Great going, Dev, I thought bitterly.


~Harper~

It was summer now. The middle of July. This morning I was standing in front of the mirror, trying to make myself look presentable. I was wearing a soft yellow summer dress that stopped a few centimetres above my knees. My black hair was in a side French braid, with a few wavy tendrils framing my face. For shoes I was wearing a pair of creamy white ballet flats which were adorned with light pink bows across the top. Casey, one of the girls who I met during the exchange program, would be getting married today. She and Dean, her boyfriend of three years, decided to hold the wedding on a wide field on her parent's property.

The wedding ceremony had just ended and now people were chatting together and enjoying their meals. Everyone seemed to be in pure bliss. It had been a really beautiful wedding. It had been conducted in English, since half the guests were from England and the other half could understand it perfectly fine. Casey was stunning as a bride and I had never seen Dean as happy as he was today. They made a wonderful pair.

I soaked in the summer sun as I glanced around the large field. There were some people I recognized, but most of them were strangers. I felt slightly out of place here, but it wasn't that bad.

I froze. Grey eyes met mine. At first, I saw surprise, then incredulousness and lastly… anger.

A wave of hundred emotions rolled through me and I had to steady myself against the large oak tree. My world had started to spin. I forced myself to blink a couple of times – trying to grasp what was going on.

Suddenly the grey eyes were close. So close to me. As close as they had been the last time I saw them.

"Damn it Harper! Did you know how worried I was when you never returned?" Devon sounded furious and his eyes were livid. His eyes. I couldn't help but remember how much I missed those eyes of his. "I thought you would be back after a week or something, but I never saw you. And then suddenly there's some guy living in your flat."

I flinched at his anger and the small distance between us. I had never seen him angry before. "I told you I was going home." I replied softly. Seeing him after all those months made me realize how much I had actually missed him. This was bad.

"You didn't tell me home was across the fucking North Sea." Crap. He looked really pissed off.

I flinched at his outburst.

"Christ, you told me that your parents lived about an hour away – I figured you meant in the same fucking country."

"You never asked." I replied softly as my heart hammered against my chest.

He glared at me. "Would it have killed you to offer that piece of information up yourself? I feel like a fucking moron for not knowing."

"Sorry." I gritted my teeth, suddenly feeling the anger flaring inside of me, "I wasn't aware that you were interested."

He looked at me, his eyes burning. "I was interested. Hell, I still am, even after the fact that you just upped and left without a fucking word."

"You don't have to swear. And I did say goodbye." I reminded him.

"Yeah, but I wasn't even aware that you had no intention of coming back."

"You're right. I wasn't coming back." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"So that's it?" He said as he stared at me incredulously.

I sighed, suddenly feeling tired, "What do you want, Devon?"

He stared at me, the disgust visible on his face. "You know, it was a fucking mistake coming here to talk to you."

"Fine." I spat.

"Fine." He sneered back at me.

I turned and stalked away, my hands had balled into fists. This was rich. Really rich. I couldn't believe the nerve of him. Who even asked him to come up and talk to me? No one. I should've just ignored him and walked away the minute I saw him across the field. Now I was in a foul mood at my friends' wedding. Even though I was raging inside, my stupid mind couldn't ignore the fact that he looked really good today. He wore a cream button up shirt with black plants and a blue pastel coloured tie to match the theme of the wedding. I hated him for making me feel like this and to have the decency to look so good while doing so. I hated him for the fact that I loved him so much it hurt.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the tables and drained it in seconds. I never was one for alcohol. I never liked the taste of it, but today, I felt like I needed it. The bitter taste made me cringe and I immediately downed two glasses of cherry cola to get rid of it. The reception was in full swing and I didn't want to leave just yet, because it would've been unfair towards Casey. The alcohol had been good for one thing though, it had managed to calm me down a bit. Not feeling in the mood to talk to anyone, I walked off towards the other side of the barn, hoping that there were no people there. I was in luck. This side of the field was empty. I leaned against the barn and closed my eyes.

I hadn't expected him here today. Devon Watson. Though it probably shouldn't have surprised me, he was after all good friends with the groom.

My eyes snapped open the moment I sensed someone was standing in front of me. Grey eyes. He was standing so close to me. I had to crane my neck a bit to look him in the face… he was quite a bit taller than I was. The anger had washed away from me. All I could think of right now was how close he was to me.

"I'm sorry." He started. His eyes searched mine and I could see the desperation in them. I wondered what he could see in my brown ones as my heart seemed to tighten. "I'm really sorry Harper. It's just-," he broke our eye contact and stared at the wall behind me instead. "It's just I saw you and all these emotions rushed over me and I didn't know how to handle it." His eyes flickered back to mine. "I guess, what I'm trying to tell you is… I missed you."

The grip on my heart didn't seem to lessen. I cleared my throat, trying to register his words. "I… missed you too." I admitted softly. "And you're right. It was wrong of me not telling you I wasn't coming back. I was just there for six months." I offered a small smile. "Exchange student."

"God, I'm such an idiot." He breathed as he ran a hand through his black locks.

"You didn't think it was weird?" I asked as I looked up at him. He was still standing so close to me. I had my back pressed against the wall of the barn.

"What was?" He said as he stared at me with mild confusion.

"The fact that I was new… and the fact that I don't exactly have an accent." I replied.

He scoffed, "Not everyone has to have an accent, you know."

I shrugged. "I was just saying."

He sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair, "I don't know. I thought you just transferred from somewhere. I guess I just always assumed you were from here. There. Whatever."

I nodded, "Well… I'm not."

He let out an empty laugh. "Shows how much I know about you, huh."

I offered him a small smile. "We know things about each other." We knew a lot of things about each other.

"I didn't even know you were Dutch."

I bit my lip and lightly kicked the grass with the tip of my foot, "Well, in your defence, I don't really look like a typical Dutch person."

"You don't." He agreed softly.

I had missed the sound of his voice. I had missed seeing his face, but most of all I had missed him. I had missed Devon Watson these past three months and seeing him here hurt, but it also made me happy. I was so happy to see him again.

"You look lovely, Harper." Devon said as he stared at me with his mesmerizing grey eyes. The eyes that I had memorized over time. The eyes that haunted me whenever I wasn't in his presence.

My cheeks had flushed at his compliment. His fingers softly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I sucked in a breath as his fingers lightly grazed my skin. "You look really handsome, Devon." I whispered back. I had figured out that I wasn't jealous of his good looks. I was just floored by them.

"I've missed you so much." He repeated as he also brought his other hand to my face. He leaned forward and inched closer.

My heartbeat increased in anticipation as he lowered his head. Soon his soft lips grazed mine and I could not help but react to his kiss. My eyes had closed and my hands were at the back of his neck, softly touching his hair.

He pulled back slightly after a couple of minutes, slightly out of breath, "Damn, Harper, I can't get enough of you." He murmured against my lips.

I pulled him towards me again, feeling the need to hold him close after all this time apart, "There's a lot of catching up to do." I said in-between kisses. My heart fluttered as I was kissing Devon Watson. There wasn't any other place I'd rather be than in his arms.


~Devon~

I hadn't expected to ever see her again. I had hoped. I had hoped for a lot of things during those three months, but seeing her there at the wedding (the place I had least expected her to be), it hit me. It hit me hard. At first I was surprised to see her there, but other emotions took over fast. I couldn't help but explode at her. It didn't go as I had planned. I didn't plan on acting like an ass the moment I saw her. I should have told her how I felt about her. I should've made her realize what she did to me. She looked so perfect, standing there. I could see the surprise in her face when our eyes met. Her beautiful warm brown eyes. They still had the same power over me. I had missed Harper Jensen a lot and seeing her there at the wedding did crazy things to my heart.


~Harper~

"Devon?" I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I answered my phone. "It's eight fifteen over there; don't you have to get ready for school?"

"God, Harper, I missed your voice so much." He said.

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway, "We just talked on the phone yesterday."

"Still, I miss you." He answered.

"I miss you too." I admitted. I walked up towards my classroom. It was still early, but I didn't mind arriving an half an hour early to my classes, especially if it meant I could spend that time talking to Devon. The door was still closed, so I leaned against the wall with my right shoulder, staring out the window. "What's your first class?" I asked.

"Marketing." Devon answered, a hint of a smile in his voice.

I grinned, "That's funny, my first class is also Marketing." My heart leaped against my chest as someone suddenly pulled me into a backward hug. I whirled my head around, my phone slipping out of my hand.

Grey eyes met mine.

Devon was holding me from behind, smiling down upon me.

My jaw dropped as I took him in, "W-what are you doing here?"

He lowered his head pressed his lips against mine before pulling back, grinning. "Didn't I tell you? I'm the new exchange student."

I turned around completely and threw my arms around his neck. "I missed you Devon." I said as I held him close. It had been a month since I last saw him in person.

His familiar arms wrapped around me, "I've missed you too Harper." He whispered into my hair.

"I'm really glad you're here." I said sincerely as we pulled back. I brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"Oh really?" He grinned, quirking an eyebrow.

I nodded, biting back my smile, "This semester we have Statistics 2. I could really use your help." I admitted sheepishly.

He threw his head back laughing. "Anything for you Harper, anything for you." And then he lowered his head and kissed me in a way that made my heart flutter.

fin.


A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story! It's a bit different from my other ones but I'm hoping you still enjoyed it.