When Its Least Expected

by Heather Van Fleet

  that she’d regret their time together once it was over. “Are you sure this is okay, Harley?” he whispered, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. He took the time to breathe her in. God, she smelled good. She tasted good. She felt good. She was too good for him, but if she accepted him, then he’d do everything in his powers to make her happy.

  He’d never let her regret this, any of it, for her entire life. This was where they were both meant to be.

  “Yes, I’m more than sure,” she released her answer, her hands brushing slow circles

  along his backside. He’d been waiting for that moment when she accepted him – heart, body

  soul. “Let’s make each other forget, Mason. I need it, and I know you do too. Please …” Her eyes were magnetic, and they pulled him in, nothing but the truth was there. It was frightening and purely perfect at the same time.

  Soon, they were nothing but skin on skin, lips on lips, body on body. Mason prepared to

  fulfill his every desire with this beautiful girl, and although he had no idea of what the next days or even hours held, it didn’t matter. He’d take what he could get … and nothing else would

  matter more.

  * * *

  She was so quiet as she laid there in his arms that he was beginning to wonder if she had

  fallen asleep, but the occasional movement of her hands against his bare stomach proved that she was definitely still awake and aware. Unfortunately the perfect moment ended, replaced by a sense of utter dread building in his stomach. He gripped her as tight as he could, tucking her head just under his chin. She threw her sexy, bare leg over his, and he had to swallow down his need to take more of her. Shit, what the hell was he going to do? He had to go back to Santa Cruz tomorrow. He had to leave her again. Hell to the freaking no. He couldn’t lose her.

  “Harley?” his voice cracked before his emotions took control.

  “Hmm…?” she answered, her voice sounded sleepy, and he smiled through his fear at her

  contentedness. At least he knew she wasn’t planning on escaping any time soon.

  “I have to go back home tomorrow.” Now that got a rise out of her, and immediately she

  stiffened. Obviously she’d forgotten just like he had. “But I want you to come with me, Har. To California … after graduation.” Now where in the holy hell had that brilliant idea come from?

  He didn’t care. It was exactly what had to happen. There was no other way to make this work.

  “Live with me. Be with me, please. I have a big tournament coming up, and I want you to

  be there with me for that too. I’m talking the permanent move, Har. We can fly Abigail and my sister out, maybe your brother to visit. They can all come whenever they want, and I think my mom might even come to one of my tournaments this year!”

  She scooted backwards and leaned up on one of her elbow to stare down at him. No, she

  was too far away. He gripped her hip and pulled her back. She shook her head and grinned at him. He loved that teasing smile. He’d die for it.

  “I–I don’t know what to say, Mase. I mean …” Her smile fell as she brushed her fingers

  over his arm. “I don’t think I can.”

  “What do you mean? Of course you can!”

  She shook her head, her curls going mad crazy around her face. “What is it, Har?” Then

  there were tears. Her lips puckered as she floated down from her obvious high. His heart broke at the sight. “Please don’t cry, baby. I don’t want to leave you, but I have to go. I have obligations that I’m entitled to see through, but you could just –“

  She shook her head in response, “Mason, I can’t just leave either. I’ve got my family and

  Abigail here. Hillsdale is my home.”

  “Santa Cruz could be too! You just need to give it a try. They have awesome colleges

  nearby, and you’ll love living so close to the beach. I could teach you to surf, and we could have one or two midnight rendezvous’ on the sand.” He pulled her closer, kissing her bare shoulder.

  She shivered under his lips.

  This all made perfect sense to him. Why wasn’t she getting it?

  She smiled through her tears when he looked back at her, but the quick jerk of her head

  ruined the moment. Mason’s shoulders drooped in defeat, his heart lulling to a heartbroken

  speed. Just the thought of leaving her behind again was impossible. How would he survive? But apparently it was time for him to face the facts. It was obvious she didn’t want him anymore. The thought pissed him off and killed him at the same time. He had to get away. He couldn’t lie there and play this game anymore. It was all or nothing. It was obvious her choice had already been made.

  He stood, throwing his clothes on out of haste. His hands shook as he slipped on his shirt.

  He glanced back over towards her frame. She was doing the same, but her hands weren’t

  shaking. Her face was void of emotion as she stared down at her clothing. His insecurities pulled at his stomach and his heart. Dammit, this wasn’t supposed to be happening. They’d just shared the best moment of his life together. How could she walk away again? He wanted nothing more than to throw her back down on that bed and hold her as his hostage until she agreed to go with him, but it wouldn’t work. Nothing would work. Harley was her own person. She couldn’t be

  coerced or even held against her will.

  Her decisions were her own. He loved her enough to accept that.

  They walked silently side by side to the car, and neither one of them bothered to make a

  sound. Neither of them bothered to touch. It was definitely not something he’d expected to

  happen after taking her virginity away.

  He parked the car into her driveway. His hands gripped the wheel hard just as she

  reached out to grab his leg. She pulled her body into his side, and as he glanced down, he noticed the wetness in her eye again. Not a single sound left her lips. God, he’d been a dick yet again!

  “Mase, I –”

  “No, stop, Harley. I’m so sorry. That was selfish of me to expect you to just drop

  everything and come home with me. I just don’t think I can live without you anymore.”

  “You are asking me to give up a lot for you, Mason, and it took me by surprise. I’m not

  mad at you, just … confused. I just had the greatest afternoon of my life, yet it’s as if I’m completely lost again. Do you know what I mean?”

  “More then you’ll ever know.” He reached down and connected their hands. He used his

  other to tuck a stray curl behind her ears. “Where do we go from here, Har?” Sure, he sounded needy, desperate even, but he didn’t know what else to do. He was lost just like she was.

  She averted her eyes to stare at the front door. He sure as hell hoped she wasn’t shutting

  down, readying herself to walk away completely. “I don’t know, Mason.”

  He swallowed a deep lungful of air. “I need time to think, okay?” He nodded, but all he

  wanted to do was fall to her feet and beg her not to end what they had just gotten back.

  Instead, he leaned over joining their lips into one final slow dance of their mouths, one

  that would more than likely tear out any remaining pieces of his already shattered heart. She answered back with a gentle tenderness. Her lips equaled in intensity before she pulled away seconds too soon.

  “I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon,” her voice cracked.

  No. She couldn’t do this. She had to stay. She couldn’t leave him.

  “Okay.” God, why was he thinking responding like that? He needed to beg, plead. She

  was killing him! God dammit, this wasn’t happening! Just like that she unbuckled her belt and was out of her seat and the car without once glancing back.

  He held his shaking hand over his squeezing, pulsating heart, and he let out a gut

  wrenching sob as she made her way
inside her door. She’d done it. She’d broken him even more than he had been before.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  “Are you ready for this, you two?” Harley’s mom questioned as they pulled into the

  parking lot of Hillsdale High. “I know I’m not. My babies are graduating high school. Oh gosh, I can’t even believe this.” The water works had started. Man, how would she make it through the day with her blubbering mother always underfoot?

  Harley and David shared a glance. David rolled his eyes, and Harley circled her fingers

  around her ears, mouthing the word ‘coo-coo’. They were a mess of laughter by the time they made it out of the car.

  “Harley Ann, you will not laugh at me. I gave birth to you, so if I wanna cry at your

  graduation, then I sure as shit will.” Harley blinked, bending over at her waist, her gut clenching tightly with laughter. Her cuss free mother had just broken her own cardinal rule. This was turning out to be one hell of a good day.

  Harley smiled back at her dad as she pulled out David’s wheel chair. He was fighting a

  grin himself. Her family was all sorts of awesome-sauce.

  “Sorry, Mom,” Harley finally sighed when her laughter was mildly under control.

  Stepping out into the spring evening air, Harley pulled her hideous orange graduation

  robe closer to her body. She offered to push David towards their seats, but he waved her off, proclaiming that he’d get there faster by himself. He was obviously nervous. He always got

  snippy when he got that way. She kissed both of her parents’ cheeks after they stepped inside, only to break away to find her seat. David slowly followed, groaning along the way. She spotted Abigail and gave her a quick wave as she found her and David’s assigned spots. She turned to make sure David was following, finding him white as a sheet and trembling in his chair. He was rubbing a hand over his upper right leg, his other hand in the spot where his other leg once was.

  She went back for him, needing him there with her. They’d get through this together. They were a team. The always and forever kind of team…

  He seemingly relaxed as she rubbed his shoulder, guiding him to their labeled seats a few

  seconds later. His smile was tight, but at least he wasn’t trembling anymore. As she took her place next to him and another classmate she’d only ever smiled at in the hallways before, she unconsciously found herself searching the crowd, knowing that the one face she longed to see wouldn’t be there. She’d been secretly wishing that Mason would show, but it wasn’t happening.

  He had a tournament to train for. He was die-hard. That was something she was going to have to get used to.

  They’d talked once or twice since the day he left, but it was more awkward than not.

  Never once did either of them bring up that day, and never did their conversation turn to

  anything other than a ‘how was your day’ kind of tone.

  The day after he’d left, Harley had decided to surprise him with a little visit. She kept

  telling herself that it was just a temporary thing, but the more they’d been apart, the more she’d struggled with the idea of staying in Hillsdale. Being without him hurt more now than ever, especially after that day.

  “What are you thinking about, sis?” David whispered as the principal began to speak.

  “Stuff,” she replied shortly, not wanting to discuss her love life with her brother. He was her best friend and her twin, but he didn’t need to know everything especially since he pretty much hated Mason anyway.

  “You’re thinking of Mason, aren’t you? I know that look. You get all gooey eyed and

  sappy whenever you think of him.” He rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face the first she’d seen in a while.

  She wanted to reply, but a voice she despised took over the air. Toby, AKA class

  valedictorian. Ugh… She was more than ready to get him out of her life once and for all.

  Luckily, her whole drinking and pill incident had turned him off. He hadn’t bothered her since.

  “God, Har, I can’t believe I used to be friends with that ass hat!” Harley stifled a giggle as she stared over at her brother’s disgusted, cringing face.

  “I know the feeling, David,” she whispered back. “I wanted him for so long and now…”

  She shivered in her seat, her own face curled in disgust. “Ugh, he’s just so, so … man-whorish!”

  David snorted, earning them both a few evil glares from the other students. Hell, if their

  classmates wanted to listen to the prick drone on, then they didn’t care if they pissed them off or not. Laying her head back against the seat, she sighed as he continued to ramble on. Over and over, the same bull shit that Harley’s was sure he didn’t even understand himself.

  “I leave you with a quote from a very wise man, words that I plan to live by for the rest of my life, wherever you go … go with all your heart.” Well shit, a Confucius quote? Man, Toby must have worked all night Googling that one.

  “Freak.” Harley laughed out loud at her brother’s mumbling words. Luckily the annoying

  roar of the crowd blocked out her brother’s little added commentary.

  Soon the members of their graduating class were being called up, one after the other, with

  Harley and David being almost called to the podium immediately. Perks of having an A last

  name of course. David went first, and Harley couldn’t stop her tears as he wheeled away. Their classmates, as well as the rest of the crowd, cheered just a little louder for him. Most likely he was getting pissed about it too, but Harley was one proud sister, cheering just as loudly through her tears. For everything he’d been through and accomplished over the past few years, he sure as hell overcame a lot. She admired her brother more than anyone else in the world.

  The girl sitting next to her gave her shove, and Harley jumped. Crap, they’d called her

  name. Feeling like an idiot, she tucked her chin into her chest as she headed towards the stage.

  The crowd clapped around her, but one loud and distinct whistle drew her attention. Looking to her left, Harley saw Maisy waving and cheering fiercely for her. Harley gave her a quick wave before she reached out to shake the hand of her principal.

  “Congratulations, Harley,” he replied, patting her back as he slipped her diploma into her

  fingertips. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks as she stared around at the eyes focusing on her.

  She nodded and wiped her free sweaty hand against her graduation gown.

  God, she seriously hated attention.

  The commencement ceremony ended with Abigail skipping off the stage, her blond hair

  flowed behind her like a hero’s cape. Harley’s tears were there again, and she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, sniffling the whole time. It was over. Four years of sweat, hard work, tears, pain, and even a little love, was done. It was almost impossible to believe.

  “Let’s get out of here, Har. Mom and Dad want to take us to Flippin’ Yummy in Kearney

  for dinner. I’m dying here.” David bumped into her with her chair as she marveled at the crowd around them.

  “God, David, when are you not hungry?” He laughed as she grabbed the handles of his chair. Surprisingly, he didn’t fight her as she pushed him towards the exit to meet her parents.

  “So, it wasn’t so bad was it?” Harley leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. He

  smiled back at her over her shoulder.

  “Nah, it wasn’t. You were worried for nothing, sis.” Harley slugged him in the shoulder,

  and he winced, laughing even harder.

  “Whatever. You were the worried one. I was just worried for you. It doesn’t matter now.

  I’m just excited that we never, ever have to set foot in this place again.” He smiled back at her, but he didn’t respond.

  She wondered what he was thinking. Did he not feel the same way? Then again, he


  technically hadn’t been back inside the school for almost two years.

  Abigail and her parents were there next to Harley’s parents, chatting politely back and

  forth. It was rare to see the Zanes all out together. They may have appeared to be a married couple to others around them, but to the people who knew them best, like Abigail, Harley and David, they were a raging inferno, ready to explode on a moment’s notice. Not a lot of teenagers actually wished that their parents were going to get a divorce, but Abigail was one of a kind.

  “Well, what do you guys think? You want to go get some pizza? Never mind. That was

  probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever asked,” Harley’s dad laughed, as her mom reached out to grab his hand. Her eyes were sickeningly sweet and all too adoring as she stared up at her

  husband.

  Yeah, the Andersons and the Zane’s were night and day.

  A text message sounded on her phone, and eagerly she searched through her pockets to

  grab it. There was only one person she expected to hear from. She grinned like an idiot as she stared down at his written words.

  Hey, little beast. I wish I was there with you, but still know that I am thinking of you. I’m so, so proud. I miss you…

  Those three little words said it all. I miss you. She grinned as the seven of them made their way out the door. She absolutely, one hundred percent, couldn’t wait to see him again, but her giddiness was short lived when she noticed her best friend staring longingly off in the distance.

  “Everything okay, Abs?” Abigail turned to face her, eyes wide in surprise. Her demeanor

  instantly changes into a fake looking mask of happiness.

  Abigail blinked, seeming to refocus on the present rather than her daydreams as he turned

  to answer her. “Yep, everything is fantastic, Har. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m actually pretty good,” she nodded, flexing her hands at her waist as they made

  their way to the car. “But don’t try changing the subject on me. I know when something’s up, so spill it.”

  Abigail sighed, resting her head against Harley’s shoulder. Her voice was barely above a