Page 43 of Tanner

“Austin, you know I wouldn’t.” It’s true.

He’s looking around his office like he’s searching for something—what though, I don’t know. “Just remember it’s about us. You, me, Bryce, and Mom.”

“Believe me, I remember.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, I guess.”

I click the End button, frustrated. I leave a tip on the table and head out the door.

On my way back to campus, my phone rings again, and I instantly think it’s Bryce with his turn to bitch me out. To my surprise, Harper’s name graces my screen.

“Well, hello there,” I answer with a bigger smile on my face than I should have.

“Thank you for the beautiful note,” she responds.

I can picture her biting the inside of her cheek.

I wish I could have seen the look on her face when she saw it, but I knew it was best for her to wake up alone, like I did the first time. I wanted her to feel what I felt, if only for a few minutes.

I was tempted to leave nothing and just call her later, but I couldn’t do it. Instead, I left her a note with a drawing I’d sketched quickly of her lying asleep and looking absolutely gorgeous.

“You’re welcome. You looked so content, sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I see you cleaned up our little mess, too.”

I can hear the smile in her voice, and it makes my cock twitch slightly.

“I didn’t want to upset your roommate. I’d be pissed if I came home to chocolate all over my counter.”

I hear a school bell ring in the background of her call.

“I have to go. I just wanted to call and say thank you. Okay, well, bye.” Her words are fast.

“Hey, Harper.” I catch her before she hangs up.

“Yeah?”

“I like the thank you much better said than written.”

She laughs under her breath before she hangs up the phone, and I stick it in my pocket just as Ryan and Chris cross the lawn in front of Uris Hall.

“What’s up?” I say as we clap hands.

“Where were you last night?” Ryan asks.

I raise my eyebrows with a shit-eating grin but don’t say anything besides, “I went to the library.”

Chris looks at me with disgust. “God, you’re lame. Who looks that excited to go to the library? Unless checking out a book is code for checking out a hot blonde. Or hit the stacks means hit it in the stacks. Or Dewey decimal system means do we dess … yeah, I got nothing.”

Ryan looks at Chris with a disappointed shake of his head. “It’s shocking that women go home with you.”

Chris hits him in the arm. Ryan punches him back. I start walking toward my class.

“For the record, I actually did go to the library. With Harper.”

“Shut up. Did you have another one-night stand?” Chris asks.

“It’s not a one-night stand if it happens twice,” Ryan explains and then turns to me. “So, Harper as in the girl who ghosted you? You found her?”