She nudged Maya’s foot.
“So I learned. Want the fairytale? You have to risk the messy middle.”
Maya swallowed. “It’s scary.”
“Yeah.” Harper nodded. “Because it’s real.”
A comfortable silence settled between them, soft and full of unspoken things.
Harper nudged her playfully.
“Besides, have you seen Damien Blackwood? If you don’t go for him, I might. I mean—strictly for science, of course.”
Maya groaned and buried her face in a pillow. “You’re the worst.”
Harper smirked. “And yet, here I am. Your personal cheerleader-s***h-wingwoman.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Harper shifted. Her teasing faded, replaced by something softer—something real.
She sat up straighter, voice low but firm.
“Okay, enough fluff.”
She reached out, gently turning Maya to face her, fingers curling
