In His Apartment
823 Words
Chapter Nine
Harper’s POV
The drive back was quiet.
Neither of us spoke after leaving the mansion.
I sat beside Xavier in the back seat, my hands resting on my lap as I watched the trees disappear behind us.
The dinner kept replaying in my mind.
His father’s disappointed voice, his mother’s worried expression. Lyra’s calm smile.
Then Xavier’s words. I choose Harper.
I lowered my eyes.
No matter how many times I remembered it, I still couldn’t believe he had stood against his own family because of me.
The silence inside the car became heavier with every passing minute.
Finally, I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself anymore. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Xavier turned his head slightly. “What?”
I took a slow breath. “You shouldn’t have gone against your parents because of me.”
He looked at me for a moment before answering. “This isn’t about you.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“My father and I disagreed.”
“But they were talking about me.”
“They were.”
I looked at him in confusion. “Then how isn’t it about me?”
He rested one arm against the door. “They weren’t questioning you. They were questioning my decision.”
I stayed quiet.
“There is a difference.” His calm voice made me think about everything that had happened during dinner.
His father hadn’t insulted me because he don’t want me to be with his son, he believed Xavier had made the wrong choice.
I sighed softly. “I still don’t want them to think you argued with them because of me.”
“They already do.” The words came so simply that I couldn’t even argue.
I looked down at my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
I slowly looked back at him. “I feel like I’ve caused trouble ever since we met.”
“You haven’t.”
“I have.” I laughed quietly, but there wasn’t any happiness in it. “You’ve helped me every single time, you took me to your house., you treated my injury, you stood up for me in front of Tyler.And today…”
My voice became softer. “You stood against your own parents. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“You don’t have to, cause I didn’t do that because of you”
The car became quiet again.
After a few moments, Xavier spoke. “If this agreement is going to work…”
I turned toward him.
“…my parents have to believe it’s real.”
I blinked. “They don’t?”
“They don’t.”
“But you told them I was your girlfriend.”
“I did.”
“Then why wouldn’t they believe it?”
“They believe we’re pretending.”
I thought about it for a moment. “They probably do.”
“My father isn’t someone who gives up easily. Neither is my mother.”
I nodded slowly. “So…”
“What do we do?”
He answered without hesitation. “You’ll move in with me.”
For a second, I forgot how to breathe. “…What?”
“My parents visit my house, so do the elders. They don’t announce themselves before coming.”
I listened carefully. “If they never see you there…They’ll know this relationship isn’t real.”
Everything suddenly made sense, It wasn’t about living together, It was about making the contract believable.
I bit my lower lip. “So… if I stay in my apartment…”m They’ll keep trying to separate us.”
I looked out of the window. The city lights were beginning to appear in the distance.
I looked back at him. “You’ll have your own bedroom. You’ll have your own space. Nothing changes except where you sleep.”
His answer made me relax a little, he wasn’t asking for anything more than what we had agreed.
It was still just a contract. Nothing else.
I leaned back against the seat. His calm confidence made the situation sound much less frightening.
I smiled without realizing it. “You really think about everything.”
“I try to.”
I laughed quietly. “I noticed.”
For the first time since leaving the mansion, the tight feeling in my chest began to disappear.
I thought about my small apartment.
Then I thought about Xavier standing in front of his father.
I choose Harper.
No one had ever chosen me like that before.
Not even the man I had once believed loved me.
I slowly nodded. “…Okay.”
Xavier looked at me. “Okay?”
“I’ll move in.”
He gave one small nod. “Good.”
That was all he said.
No celebration, no dramatic speech.
Just one simple word.
Somehow… It made me feel that I had made the right decision.
- Writer
