Urgent Call
1313 Words
Chapter Seven
Harper’s POV
The sound of my skates gliding across the ice echoed through the quiet rink as I chased the puck from one end to the other. The cool air filled my lungs, and for the first time in what felt like forever, my mind wasn’t drowning in painful memories. Ever since I signed the contract with Xavier yesterday, I had been trying to convince myself that nothing had really changed.
It was only an agreement.
Nothing more.
I wasn’t his real girlfriend.
He wasn’t my real boyfriend.
We had simply decided to help each other.
That was all.
I stopped near the blue line, steadied the puck with my stick, and sent it flying toward the goal.
The puck struck the top corner of the net with a sharp sound.
A small smile appeared on my face.
At least my shot was getting better.
Just as I bent down to collect another puck, my phone began to ring from inside my sports bag.
I frowned.
Almost nobody called me while I was training.
I skated toward the bench, picked up my phone, and looked at the screen.
Xavier.
My heart skipped. Why was he calling me?
I quickly answered. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” His calm voice came through the phone.
“I’m at the rink.”
“Good.”
I waited for him to continue. “Stay there.”
I frowned in confusion.m“Why?”
“I’m coming to pick you up.”
I blinked.m“…Pick me up?”
“Yes.”
I looked around the empty rink as though the answer might somehow be written on the ice.m“What happened?”
There was a brief silence before he spoke again.n“We’re going to my parents’ place.”
For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrongly. “…What?”
“My parents want to meet you.”
I almost dropped my phone. “So soon?”
“Yes.”
“But…” I looked down at my hockey clothes. My jersey was damp with sweat, and my hair was tied into a messy ponytail. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said in the same calm voice, “Wear your hockey clothes.”
I stared at my phone. “What?”
“I don’t mind.”
Before I could protest… The call ended.
I slowly lowered the phone and stared at the dark screen.n“He hung up…”
I couldn’t believe it. I looked down at myself again. “My hockey clothes?”
I laughed in disbelief. “What kind of person tells someone to meet his parents wearing hockey clothes?”
I rubbed my forehead. “No. There is no way I’m doing that.”
I quickly packed my things into my sports bag, grabbed my hockey stick, and hurried out of the rink.
The closer I got to my apartment, the faster my heart beat.
Why today? We had only signed the contract yesterday.
Shouldn’t people wait at least a week before introducing someone to their parents?
What if they hated me? What if they asked questions I couldn’t answer? What if they found out this relationship wasn’t real?
The thoughts refused to stop.
By the time I reached my apartment, I was already out of breath.
I rushed inside and opened my wardrobe.
My eyes moved across the clothes hanging inside.
None of them looked right.
I pulled out a blue dress. “No.”
Then a white blouse. “No.”
A long skirt. “No.”
I sighed and dropped everything onto the bed. “I don’t own clothes for meeting rich parents.”
After another few minutes of searching, I finally found a simple cream-colored dress.
It wasn’t expensive, it wasn’t fashionable but it was clean, neat, and the best thing I had.
I changed quickly before standing in front of the mirror.
I untied my hair, brushed it carefully, and let it fall over my shoulders.
Then I looked at my reflection. “You’ll be fine.”
The words sounded far more confident than I felt.
Just then, I heard the sound of a car stopping outside.
I walked toward the window and pulled the curtain aside.
A large black luxury SUV was parked directly in front of my building.
My eyes widened. “That’s… his car?”
Several neighbors had already stopped to look.
Mrs. Carter from next door stood outside with a basket of laundry, staring openly at the vehicle.
Two children who had been playing football on the street had completely forgotten about their game.
Even the security guard looked curious, hear rushed to my face.
Please don’t let everyone think I’m important.
I picked up my bag, locked the apartment, and hurried downstairs.
The driver was already standing beside the vehicle.
The moment he saw me, he respectfully opened the rear door.
“Good afternoon, Miss Harper.”
“Good afternoon.”
I thanked him quietly before climbing into the back seat, the door closed behind me.
Xavier was already sitting inside.
He looked up from the documents in his hand.
His eyes rested on me for a brief moment.
Then they slowly traveled from my shoes to my face.
I suddenly became very aware of how nervous I was.
He closed the file and placed it beside him. “It seems you found something better than your hockey clothes.”
A small laugh escaped my lips. “I couldn’t really meet your parents dressed for practice.”
For a second, I thought I saw the corner of his mouth lift slightly.“I expected as much.”
I smiled nervously. “I wasn’t sure if you were joking.”
“I wasn’t.”
That made me laugh again. “I figured.”
The driver started the engine.
The SUV pulled away from the apartment building and joined the road.
For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke.
I looked out of the window, watching the familiar streets slowly disappear behind us.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was simply… quiet.
After a while, I finally gathered enough courage to speak. “Your parents…”
He looked at me.
“What are they like?”
“They’re reasonable.”
That answer didn’t help.
“And your father?”
“He asks direct questions.”
I swallowed. “Your mother?”
“She notices everything.”
My stomach tightened. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
I turned to look at him. He was still wearing the same calm expression. “You could at least pretend to comfort me.”
“I don’t lie.”
I stared at him for a second before shaking my head. “I walked right into that.”
“You did.”
Another small laugh escaped my lips, I couldn’t believe it, I was actually laughing.
Somehow, without even trying, Xavier had made me forget how nervous I was… at least for a moment.
Then the car left the city behind, the buildings became fewer.
The road stretched toward a large forest surrounded by tall mountains.
I looked through the window in surprise. “We’re going this far?”
“Yes.”
I slowly turned back toward him.
“Exactly how big is your place ?”
He looked out through the windshield before answering. “You’ll see soon enough.”
I followed his gaze.
Far ahead, beyond the trees, large iron gates slowly came into view.
Several armed guards stood outside, and behind the gates, I could already make out the rooftops of what looked like an entire town hidden inside the forest.
My heartbeat quickened.
For the first time since signing the contract…
I realized I wasn’t just meeting Xavier’s parents.
I was stepping into his world.
- Writer
