The Ghost Protocol

Chapter 7-Late Night Shift

I opened my mouth to tell David no, to tell him that his sudden appearance by the humanities curb wasn't going to erase weeks of radio silence. But as I looked at him standing there in the afternoon sun, looking genuinely frantic at the thought of me walking away, my defenses softened just a fraction.

"One conversation," I sighed, adjusting the heavy internship folder in my arms. "Just food, David. That’s it."

That single conversation turned into the most confusing, intoxicating two weeks of my semester.

David didn't try to force his way back into my life with loud excuses. Instead, he completely flipped the script. He became the ultimate gentleman. When he found out how stressed I was about getting my final grades cleared for the New York internship, he showed up at the campus library at 10:00 PM with a bag of snacks and a large iced coffee.

For three nights straight, we sat in the quiet, fluorescent-lit basement of the library, our laptops glowing, studying side-by-side. Between paragraphs of my final papers, we talked. Really talked. Not about campus gossip or Snapchat streaks, but about his family, my fears about moving to Manhattan, and what had gone wrong between us. He listened in a way he never had before, his dark eyes fixed on me like I was the only person in the entire building.

Then came the movie night. He didn't invite me to a chaotic frat house party. He set up a projector in his apartment, threw a mountain of pillows on the floor, and ordered from my favorite restaurant down the boulevard.

As the movie played in the dark, he reached over, his fingers gently tangling with mine. The warmth of his hand sent a familiar, electric thrill straight to my core. Sitting there in the dark, smelling his familiar cologne, I could feel myself sliding right back into love with him. I was falling hard, but externally, I kept my guard up. I played it cool, acting like the "big girl" who was totally unbothered and independent, even while my heart was doing backflips.

By the time the weekend hit, my mind was a total blur of David’s newfound romance and my upcoming move.

The front door of my apartment flew open on Sunday evening, the loud scraping of a heavy suitcase breaking the silence. My roommate, Leah, practically burst through the entrance, her hair a bit messy from travel but her eyes bright with energy. She had been away visiting family for the break.

"Harper! Oh my gosh, I am so glad to be back," Leah groaned, dropping her bags on the floor and immediately throwing herself onto our shared living room couch. "Tell me everything. I feel like I've been living under a rock. What is the campus gist?"

I laughed, leaning against the kitchen counter as I poured us both some juice. "Girl, you have no idea. You missed a whole lifetime of drama."

Leah sat up instantly, her eyes widening with excitement. "No way. Start from the beginning. Did that pre-law guy Vincent ever text you back? And what is the status with David?"

I sat down next to her, taking a deep breath as the full weight of the last two weeks caught up to me. "Okay, so Vincent is completely out of the picture—total trash, I'll tell you about his dorm room disaster later. But David... Leah, David has been doing the absolute most."

For the next two hours, we sat on that couch, completely lost in our own world as I filled her in on everything. I told her about the library dates, the movie night, and how a part of me felt like he was finally being real with me. Leah listened, nodding along, but as I finished, a look of caution crossed her face.

Leah reached over, placing a hand on my knee. "Harper, it sounds amazing, truly. But you leave for New York in seven days. Is he doing all this because he genuinely loves you, or is he just trying to make sure he’s the last guy in your head before you get on that plane?"