#harper coco

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Jared’s stonecold voice thundered out to them and it made the hairs on the back of Harper’s neck stand right up. Cooper on the other hand didn’t seem the least bit impressed “Chill, Jay, we’re just talking” that godawful self righteous smirk of him resurfaced, “Oh ok, and you need to talk with your hands all over her, do you?” he growled, the cool night breeze on his hot cheeks made him realize how worked up and angry he really was, did this fucker here even realize how hard he had fought to get Harper back in his life? And she didn't even seem to mind, maybe that was the worst part of all. Cooper pulled his hand off her knee and held them up in defeat, that smirk still firmly curled around his lips “hey man, no harm done, I'll go find Marie-Lou and Chloe, you've given them so much attention tonight, so they'll probably need some serious tlc after that”. Somehow Harper felt herself brace for Jared's anger here on display, she'd never been scared of him, but this was a first, the first time she'd actually thought he was going to lash out, his clenched fists were an indication of that. “Get the fuck outta here, Cooper” he hissed through clenched teeth as well “NOW”, had those blue eyes ever been this dark? Harper wanted Cooper to leave as well, but on the other hand she was scared of what was about to unfold once he would be gone. “Fine, alright, alright” he finally got up and then turned one last time to Harper “I'll drop by in your DM's alright?” with a fiery glint in his eyes, Harper didn't know what to do except feel very uncomfortable and nod.

The door slammed behind him with an almighty bang and there wasn't even time for any awkward silence to fall as Jared launched right into a rage “What the hell did he do?” the first shot was fired. “Nothing, he just showed up..and we talked..” Harper's voice was soft and trembling. “He just showed up? Oh really? And you let him talk with his hand between your legs?” unfair and uncalled for and he knew it but he didn't care, he was on the warpath and he wouldn't stop until he had the last word. “No! No of course not, and his hand was on my knee, it wasn't between my legs, Jared” she sounded so tired and emotional, like all the fire had gone out of her, from his trail blazing Joan of Arc to a meek, insecure little puppy. But his thirst for war wasn't quenched “It might have well been, you looked so cosy and loving, and I know how much you love the risk of getting caught” It was like a slap to her face and she shot up from the bed “I don't have to listen to this..I've never cheated on you, Jared and you know it”, she could smell the alcohol even though she wasn't even standing close to him, get out of here Coco, just get yourself out of this situation, but as she headed for the door, he grabbed her arm “I wasn't done yet” he barked. Normally she would have just pushed back but not this time, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Oh really? And what about Sean? Didn't you two end up in bed together?” he was verbally lashing out now, just the thought of Sean made her cringe “there was never anything between Sean and me, Jared” she wanted to remind him of all his frolicking around with other women past and present like tonight on the dancefloor, but she didn't want to, she just didn't have the energy anymore, all she wanted was to go back to NY but that was a no-go zone with her father in a NY hospital, so she was stuck, stuck in LA, stuck in the heat, stuck with her paintings, stuck with a man that didn't trust her, stuckstuckstuckstuck. It seemed like she had been waiting to exhale, because she sighed deeply and with that came the tears as well. Watching her struggle had Jared sobering up in a split second, “Coco..I'm..sorry..hey..” he tried to pull her against his chest but she only yanked herself free from his grip “don't, just don't, leave me be” she turrned on her heels and left the room with tears streaming down her face.

Air, I need some air, she stomped down the endless staircase, followed by Jared calling her name, she was almost at the door when he jumped in front of her “Harper, no, don't go!” his eyes bewildered, his voice raspy and dark. “I just need air, Jared” she hissed back at him, “I know what 'needing air' means for you, you'll dissapear again, for all I know you'll take the next plane back to New York, I don't want you to leave me again” for a minute he looked so lost. “I've bent over backwards trying to fit in here, fit into your way of life, fit in with your friends, but it's not working is it? I love you, Jared, but it's not enough for you, you say you want to be with me, but at the same time you surround yourself with all these stunning women who would give their right arm just to be in a relationship with you and you happily flirt along, but then you go accusing me of cheating???” she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. “And I'm just so lost, I feel like a goddamn puppy begging for attention, begging for someone to like me, and all I get is dirt thrown at me, that's what that family of mine does, and now you? No Jared, no, I think I really need to take myself out of this toxic equation. Some things are better left alone, and I honestly think that I'm that thing, I've tried, I honestly tried my very best, but I've been a loner all my life and I can't keep on going against my nature”.

A sharp pain tore right through his chest, her thinking of leaving him..he just wouldn't survive another break up “You're not a loner, you're just lonely, Coco, there's a difference..and I know you've got a lot on your plate with your family and all and me being a stupid ass and I'm sorry for what I've done, but I don't want you to be lonely, you have me, you have 'us', I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, darling, but you have to let me in..let me try” he took her hand and kissed it. She looked broken and distraught and before she could object he cupped her chin and looked her right in the eye “let's take ourselves out of this toxicity that surrounds me..wanna go for a drive?”. She was surprised at the offer and stammered “but your people..the party?”, he shrugged “let them party, they'll find their way out, when we get back, they'll be long gone”, grabbed her hand as he walked out the frontdoor and opened the door of his truck for her and she just let it happen, his words about being lonely had struck a nerve with her, somehow that man had always been able to read her like a book, where everyone else just read her manual in a language they didn't speak.

A blazing red dawn was starting to tickle the edges of night, she crossed her arms over her chest, shivering under the cool air that came streaming inside the car through Jared's open window, “cold?” was the first thing he said since they had left LA, he knew how much she enjoyed those moments of silence, so did he but his friends always managed to fill each and every possibility of silence. Silence was rarely uncomfortable with her, living a creative life asked for some introspection from time to time, he understood and respected that and vice versa. “A little” her voice still sounded strained, the argument in no way forgotten about, “there's a coffeeshop over there” he already turned the wheel and parked right in front of the coffeeshop with the sputtering neon light above the door. It was more of a truckstop than anything, filled with truckers and bikers grabbing some breakfast before the day would run away with them, Jared carefully held her hand as he guided her towards the only spot that was left beside the window. “I'm sorry, babe, I really am, I should have never doubted you, just seeing that..jerk made me..so..” he started, reaching for her hand, “Jared, what he did was uncalled for, but what you did was worse..you spent all night dancing and hanging out with those girls who clearly wanted something from you as well, I didn't say anything because I trust you..but every time a guy comes up to me or spends time with me, you take it out on me, you blame me..why, Jared, why? You know I don't care about any of those nitwits and I'm telling you now that this has to stop...I swear I'll pack my bags for real next time, I can't deal with this outrageous jealousy of yours”. The waitress putting some steaming hot mugs of coffee in front of them stopped her for a second earning herself a grateful nod before she carried on again, “You're right, Harper, I'm..” when he didn't immediately find the right words, she continued “I know you're sorry but something really needs to change..or else..I just can't take it anymore..what if he had really done something and actually harassed or assaulted me..would you have put the blame on me as well?”. Pain scribbled all over his face, he closed his eyes for a second “NO! No of course not..you know I want to keep you safe and protected at all time, I just get so frustrated and angry and I take it out on the wrong person” he ran his hand nervously through that beautiful wavy hair of his. “I'm scared..I'm scared of losing you, Harper..scared that I'm not enough..I don't think I've ever admitted this to anyone but I'm just..very insecure”. His confession surprised her “Insecure? You? Mr. Self Confidence” she squinted her eyes at him , “they gave me an Oscar, remember?” he gave her a little smile, “ah..yes of course..but the million dollar question here is: where does the acting start and where does it end?” she bit her lip and briefly looked out of the window where the world really seemed to be waking up now. “I've never acted with you, if that's what you're saying..this 'acting' puts me on a stage or in front of a camera or helps me interact with the outside world, it makes life and the necessary daily interactions a little easier for me. My lovelife on the other hand is 100% the real Jared, flaws and insecurities and success included. I'd never thought that someone like you could fall for someone as flawed as me..” and that's when she saw it, the insecurity he was talking about was right there in the little tremble of his voice, in his hands that were squeezing a bit tighter around the warm coffee cup. “I'm just as flawed as you are, Jared..but if there's one thing I can't be accused of, it's cheating, I never have in any of my relationships, no matter how shortlived or godawful they were, so accuse me one more time and you won't know what hit you” it was her short but final warning.

But Jared stayed right where he was, curling and twirling around Chloe on that improvised dancefloor full of tired, drunk friends, she looked at the scene in front of her on her way back to the table, it was actually adorable, somehow it was rare to see Jay this frivolous, rare but heartwarming. “Everything ok?” Cooper sat down again next to her, “sure” she tried not to mumble or look distressed, but she was, “I can see why you and LA don’t mix, this city is full of actors, so you’re definitely out of place here” grinning, he took a swig from his bottle of beer. “Trouble in paradise, I can tell, I’m a good listener you know” he leaned back in his chair, not taking his eyes off her, “I’m sure you are, but I’m not as good a talker..the only thing I can truly confide in is chocolate, I’ve got some dessert left, want one?” she got up again, feeling a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “Sure” he shrugged as she instantly headed for the kitchen, just getting my thoughts together, just a minute to myself, she opened the fridge reaching for the chocolate cake, “uhm, while you’re at it, give us another bottle of vodka will ya?” the voice behind her startled her so much she nearly let the plate with the cake slip out of her hands. “Oh..” she spun around to see the spitting image of that other girl who was dancing with Jared outside, “here you go” she took the bottle out of the fridge “you must be..Marie-Lou?” she forced a smile, “yup, and you’ve been hanging around my man all night” the girl snapped at her and then turned with a dramatic flip of her hair rushing out of the kitchen without giving Harper any more attention. Slowly and in a bit of a shock she closed the fridge door, had she been suggesting that she spent too much time tonight with her boyfriend? Please no more misunderstandings, ever since Sean, she was so done with them, wait how did Sean slip back into her mind? Where was he now? And how was he? Why do I even care? She shook her head and carried on filling up two plates with chocolate cake before she walked out into the crisp evening air again. “I..uhm..met Marie-Lou” she put the plate in front of Cooper but found him too wrapped up in an animated conversation with the guy next to him, so she sat down and pushed a spoonful of chocolate cake in her mouth while she looked sighing at the party in full swing in front of her, connection lost again, story of her frikkin life.

”You really love chocolate cake, don't you?” Cooper turned his attention back to Harper who put her fork back on her empty plate, “treading on thin ice here , buddy, I really don't need to hear you say out loud what is bubbling through your mind, yes I actually eat, I'm definitely no LA woman, there I said it out loud, can we move on now?”. Cooper leaned back in his seat with a grin, this is one feisty, little firecracker, I actually like her, she's such a breath of fresh air, “ok, moving on then, don't you get jealous seeing all these women throw themselves at Jared's feet?”. Harper looked at the dancefloor where her man was the centre of attention “Jared will always attract attention, I guess I've learned to live with it, the only ones jealous are those girls out there, they’re jealous because they’re not in a relationship with him and I am and that’s an entirely different ballgame” she sighed as she pushed another piece of cake in her mouth. “I’ve always wondered if Jared is into twins, I mean look at Marie-Lou and Chloe” Cooper didn’t seem the least bit affected by his lover’s and her sister’s grinding against Jared, “you must have one kinky sex life”, his wide grin and his assumption annoyed her. “First, my sex life is nobody’s business, second: why don’t you ask Marie-Lou that question? Sounds like you’re the one fantasizing about Marie-Lou and her sister” she calmly said watching his jaw drop, ha, the shoe was on the other foot now. “Marie-Lou? You obviously don’t know her, Marie-Lou is..well, let’s say she’s not the most passionate woman alive” he sniggered, finding himself extremely funny. “You’re right, I can’t say that I know her, but I’ve met her in the kitchen just now and she’s definitely passionate about you, she said I’ve been hanging around you all night and she didn’t seem to pleased with that” Harper took a few sips looking at Cooper’s reaction, was that a smirk?. “Oh really?” his lip curled into a smile while his eyes drifted over to his lover “never confuse passion with jealousy, I told you, passionate relationships are so early 20th century..I can honestly say I’ve never had one of those, do you?” the way he squinted his eyes and bit his lip made her shiver. Before she could even think of an answer, he did “Maybe we should ask Jared that question, he’s more of an early 20th century guy isn’t he? I mean he’s pushing on 50 so he’s had quite the experience with women”. Harper shifted in her seat, don’t show him you’re getting agitated, too late, “ah there he is, the man of the hour” Cooper looked up at Jared approaching their side of the table.

”I missed you” he pushed a kiss on her lips that tasted of alcohol and his skin smelled of expensive women's perfume, no wonder with how the girls had been rubbing themselves against him under the pretence of dancing. When they came up for air, her eyes connected with those burning ones of Cooper, “I thought you were going to come dance with me” he whispered when he straightened his back, “hey Cooper” he casually said turning his head slightly to greet Cooper, but deep down he felt a twang of jealousy burn, a good looking young guy who was clearly as fascinated by Harper as he was, a man with a brain too, and she was a sucker for those, “hey Jay, you lucky bastard” Cooper greeted him with a little grin. Jared pulled a chair up and strategically sat down in between them, you're not gonna dig your claws into her, back off! “must have been quite the conversation if you can keep my woman away from a dancefloor” in his voice this hint of venom that didn't go unnoticed by any of them. “Funny you ask because we were actually talking about passionate relationships and how they're so 20th century, an era we all know you're very familiar with” Cooper licked his lips before he took a sip from his glass. Don’t do it, just let him stew in all his obvious sarcasm, let it slide..too late “ah, the 20th century, yes I remember it well, see the good thing about being my age is knowing what you want and don’t want, especially in love, it took me until my late forties to find the woman of my dreams but I’m finally 100% sure I found her, unlike you millennials who have to fuck every friend you have, hoping someone will stick because you don’t know how to treat or satisfy someone because you’re all too wrapped up in yourself and the image you want to create, see, there’s no ‘I’ in the word ‘love’, is there? so yeah, I’m happy I’m a hopeless 20th century romantic..” he mockingly raised his eyebrow. Everyone in a one metre radius could feel the tension rise, so Harper quickly intervened “Well, this millennial sure has no complaints about her hopeless 20th century romantic” she quickly crawled on his lap and then whispered in his ear “and can I just say that this millennial can’t wait for this party to be over so I can get a good fucking tonight” before she kissed him. She could feel him relax instantly, a crisis avoided, nice work Harper, but the actual action she wasn’t too sure of yet with all these alcohol drenched kisses but it was a fact that she needed to be shot back to life, some lovin’ would surely get her head out of this mental fog and her creative juices flowing again. “Why wait? Why don’t you go upstairs now and I’ll come fuck your brains out in a few minutes” he whispered back at her with a little lick of her earlobe, “so far for my 20th century god of romance” she giggled, normally she would have just brushed it off because they had a whole lot of company, but not this time, she needed action and she needed it right now. “I’m just going to get some more wine” Harper got up, Jared’s eyes shooting daggers at Cooper who thoroughly checked out her glorious body, “sure yeah” Jared nervously shuffled in his seat and tried to hide his imminent arousal while she walked back to the house, rocking those hips just a little too obvious.

“Everything’s ready outside” walking back inside the kitchen, he was met by a spoon full of homemade guacamole “taste! Needs a lot more garlic, doesn’t it?” she puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes looking a little bewildered. “It’s absolutely perfect..” he licked his lips and then looked at the kitchen counter with a million pots, pans, bowls with the most delish food “wooow, wait a minute, you’re cooking up a feast and it’s just a little evening with friends” grinning he took another scoop of the guacamole. “I know but..no, I don’t know, I just thought it’s easier to talk with some good food..oh I still need to make the mozza bowls, arrghh” she spun on her heels but he grabbed her arm “will you just chill? You’ve done more than enough so you go take a nice shower, make yourself even prettier than you already are, I’ll take all this outside in the meantime..oh and stop being nervous, they’ll adore you, trust me”. He pulled her in his arms to plant a soft kiss on her lips that got too deep too quickly “stop it, I’m sticky” she pulled back, waving her fingers covered in guacamole and tomato sauce in front of his face, which was his queue to slowly put two of her fingers in his mouth, ohhh god, erotic much? She already felt her stomach tingle “Oh no you don’t, I know what you’re up to mister, no way, you’ll just have to wait until your bedtime”. That sexy, silly pout of his, walk away now or find yourself shoved against a kitchen counter while he takes you from behind, just the thought of her body being completely owned and possessed by him had her all moist, “Ok ok ok, I don’t like it, but ok” he let her fingers slip out of his mouth and reluctantly let go of her. “Good boy!” she quickly wiped her hands on a towel and hopped on out the kitchen, Jared had a grin from ear to ear until she was out of sight and was met again by a kitchen that looked like a bomb had exploded, sighing he opened the dishwasher door, it’s only fair, she cooked, you clean.

Hair, outfit..hmm, I don’t know, should I wear th.. her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell, ok leave it, it is what it is, you did your best, nervously she walked down the stairs, Jared was on his way to open the door when she walked down, wowww, she looked absolutely breathtaking. “You look..gorgeous” he smiled up at her, the fact that his friend were on the other side of the door completely forgotten about, “thank you! Uhm floppy hair, your friends are waiting” she giggled. “Heellooo sexy” a skinny, dark haired girl jumped in his arms, purring in his ear, a few friends he said..god, I hope there’s enough food for everyone, she took the last steps and slowly walked up to the bunch of people trickling inside. Should I introduce myself? Stop being so awkward De Robiano, just smile and act confident with the emphasis on ‘act’, “you must be Jared’s new flame” one of the girls noticed her standing behind Jared, “I’m Harper Coco, nice to meet you” she extended her hand, too formal maybe? I’m just not a hugger. The girl lifted her eyebrow at Jared like this was probably the most awkward way that she had been greeted in her entire life, yep Harper, you fucked up, what was it your mother said ‘you can never make a first impression twice’?. But after a few seconds she took Harper’s hand and lightly shook it, ugghh fishhands, Harper uncomfortably pulled back her hand, luckily Jared saved the day “alright alright, you know the way, we’re in the garden” he pointed at the back of the house. “You ok?” he whispered as the gang headed towards the back of the house, “yep, I’ll just go get the bottles” she smiled but he could see the nervous clench in her jaw, “it’s gonna be fine, trust me” he kissed the tip of her nose.

By the time every guest had a drink and something to eat, it was an hour later and the excited conversations were flowing around the table, with all her walking in and out there was only one spot free tucked away at the end of the table. Plopping down on her chair, she took a sip of her wine and tried to follow the conversation, but they were all so wrapped up in each other that she couldn’t get two words in, Jay looked completely in his element though, talking and laughing. Stop stressing, just enjoy the moment, enjoy your man who is in his element like you’ve never seen him before, she leaned back, lit up her cigarette and took a sip of her wine, the weather here reminded her of those Italian summer evenings in a way but did she warm up to LA yet? Nope! Not really, this just wasn’t her home..yet..would it ever be? Come on, make an effort, your man calls it home, then surely you can too. While the rest of the table was reminiscing about previous tours and things only they could know, the guy on her right gave her a friendly smile “so, how’s LA treating ya?”. She gave him an equally friendly smile back “I’m still trying to find my way round I guess..it’s not New York, that’s for sure!” he had really friendly eyes and seemed pretty genuine which was so refreshing in LA-la land. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? I don’t think we’ve been introduced, I’m Harper Coco” she extended her hand which he grabbed and gently shook “Oh you’re right, sorry, I’m Cooper..I’m with Marie-Lou” he pointed at one half of the twin sisters who are curling around Jared. “Aha..” she looked to get a better look of the girl but nah..still ordinary, oh for crying out loud Coco, stop it, for all you know she might be the sweetest woman alive “..and what does Cooper do, besides being Marie-Lou's boyfriend?” she turned her attention at the man again, “I work for a local art dealer”. Her head shot up, he really had her attention now “oh! You buying or selling? Contemporary or classic?” she took another drag of her cigarette, “I’m a buyer and I also scout new talent, shame that you signed with Charles already” he gave her a coy smile “your work is so, so..amazing!”. What?? A fan? “you know my work?” she said genuinely surprised, “know your work? Oh Harper, you really are too precious, how can anyone not be a fan of your work? everyone in the business is asking where Charles has kept you hidden for so long? Your work is such a breath of fresh air..it’s shocking and relevant and completely..” he rambled but paused to find the right words “new..it’s unlike anything anyone has ever seen before”. A warm blush crept around her cheeks, she never knew what to do with compliments of this magnitude “Uhm..thank you”, she wanted to shout at him that she was in a complete panic now that all her inspiration seemed to have dried up but she kept her cool and gave him a grateful nod instead.

”Excuse me a second, I think everyone is ready for a second round of drinks and nibbly things” she got up from her chair, oh come on Jay, get up for a second and help me, talk to me, I just want a few minutes with you, but he didn’t even notice, too wrapped up in his conversations. “Need some help?” Cooper spontaneously got up as well and followed her back to the house, in the kitchen she started rummaging through the fridge, taking out a huge pitcher of L’americano cocktail and then started taking out what seemed like a hundred different bowls of delish food “oh my, a crazy talented painter and a cook as well, Jared is a lucky man”. She never was good with compliments and this man was full of them “thank you, you’re too kind, but why don’t we take all this outside and then you have to tell me all about your job” she blushed and stammered as she handed him the pitcher. Walking back to the table with her hands full, she stopped behind Jared’s chair “Jay, can you make a bit of room and take these?” but he didn’t seem to hear her and the tray was getting really heavy. “Jay?” she kicked his chair a little to make him notice her but like this afternoon he was too wrapped in his bubble of friends, and it was exactly the same girl, Chloe?? Who had to make him aware that she was standing right behind him. “Oh sorry, didn’t see you there” he turned in his chair to take the tray from her, maybe she’d expected him to say something sweet or pull her against him for a second but there was none of that, trying not to look too frustrated she hurried back to her seat. “Try not to stress, I get the same thing with Marie-Lou, she forgets who I am when this bunch gets together, I only decided to come along when I heard who Jared’s new girlfriend was” Cooper shrugged when she sat down again. “I’m not stressing, anyway, let’s talk about you and your job” she quickly pushed a piece of bruschetta in her mouth.

Guacamole, nacho-sss, what else? Corn..duhhh who can live without popcorn? Got everything I think, check with Harper first, where is she? Finishing up his shoppinglist on his phone he strolled up the stairs, bedroom? Nope..ahhh there she is, he walked inside the room he had set up for her as her working space. “Babe, I’m going to the shops, is there anything you need?” he typed the last item on his phone, but when there was no reply, he quickly tucked it in his pocket, she sat crosslegged on the floor, above her a whole series of blank canvases. “Earth to Harper, come in Harper” he plopped down next to her, a little startled she looked up at him, she really had been on another planet it seemed, “I think I have a problem” she looked at him and then turned her head again staring at nothing in particular. “Oh? Tell me” he watched her scrunch up her nose, “I don’t think I can do this anymore” she sighed, “do what?” he shuffled a little closer, “paint” another deep sigh followed, this one even more serious than the previous one. “Huh? What do you mean?” he frowned, he totally didn’t get it, “I’ve been sitting here for hours and I just can’t do it anymore..nothing comes, I just don’t know what to paint about anymore..see, I was right, LA numbs any creativity or inspiration” she threw her hands up in despair.  “Heyheyhey” he folded his arm around her shoulders “you’ve only been in LA for what? 48 hours? I really don’t think LA is the problem” he kissed her cheek, “I just think you need to get out of the house, wanna come grocery shopping with me? It might distract you”. Some fresh air was better than being cooped up “sure, yeah..but I think I might be in desperate need of ice cream afterwards” she shrugged and nodded, “ice cream? I can definitely do that” he kissed her again and shot up, pulling her up with him.

Harper was an added bonus to the tedious grocery shopping, every other section they walked through she would grab something he had never heard of or tried and put it in his basket, he had always wanted to learn more about real Italian food, so that was something to cross off his bucketlist now that he was in a relationship with a fiery Italian badass who clearly knew everything about Italian cuisine. And then there was the added bonus of watching her float through every aisle, it was like her feet barely touched the ground, she twirled, stood on her tippytoes, almost danced her way through, she was just the most breathtakingly beautiful creature he had ever seen, he wanted to scratch out the eyes of all the men walking by who were shamelessly checking her out, fuck off, she’s MINE, all MINE. Her mind was still racing, no matter how much she tried to distract herself with shopping, had she really hoped that this kind of stupid distraction would get her to paint again? That it would bring her inspiration? Really? You’re a goddamn loser, Coco, ok so you had one hit with that collection, but it turns out now that you’re nothing but a one-trick pony. “Babe? Do you want vanilla? Babe?” Jared waved a pint of ice cream in front of her, “huh? Vanilla? Oh Jared, I thought you had more imagination in you than just plain vanilla, Dulce de Leche on the other hand” she pushed in front of him to take her favorite flavor out of the freezer “is a whole different, more exciting ballgame” and put the carton in his basket before she floated away again. Something’s up, he could tell “wanna talk about it?” he followed her into the cleaning products aisle, “still fretting about your painting?” he stepped between her and the series of multi-purpose cleaning products, “no!..why?” she so didn’t want to talk about this, this was her problem, not anybody else’s, not even Jared’s. “Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that you seem so absentminded..” he put his hands on her shoulders, “I’m not..I’m absolutely fine and now we’re here anyway, I think you need kitchen cleaner” she pulled out a random brand of the stuff and dumped it in his basket before she hopped off again, her way of putting down her boundaries and wanting to sort whatever was bothering her out with herself first.

”Wanna go for a coffee?” he tried piercing her bubble again as they were putting all the groceries in the back of the car, “there’s a cool place right across the road” he tried to make eyecontact with her, “sure” she shrugged. Hearts appeared in a woman’s eyes, a jaw dropped here and there and whispers started as they made their entrance, yeah I know I’ve got a gorgeous man, have a good look and don’t get too depressed when you realize he’s only got eyes for me, yay me!. An arm firmly wrapped around her waist, he almost paraded her around the coffeeshop, he’d never been so open about any of his relationships before, but so much had changed, she was the real deal, what on earth had he been thinking only focusing on models in the past, arm candy that’s all they were. Coco was beyond arm candy, plus she was so talented, plus she was highly intelligent..everything was PLUS with her, this woman..well he simply wasn’t worthy of all that beauty and soul, for the first time in his mature life, he believed in..LOVE. “Ah, I love a real gentleman” she giggled as he pulled her chair back, something he always did when they were out in public, but it was still surprising and if she was honest she adored it, it was that old fashioned bit of manners that this world craved so much. “So..?” he started as he sat down opposite of her, but immediately got interrupted by his phone bleeping incessantly, “what?” he frowned and grinned at the screen and started tapping ferociously. “Just a sec..” the tip of his tongue locked between his teeth in amusement as the wooshy ‘sent’ sound made him put down his phone and he grabbed her hand “ok..talk to me, your painting..” but then another ‘beep’, bye bye pouring your heart out, he was completely distracted. “I’m sorry..” he grabbed the phone again and started texting back but when he was still tapping 5 minutes later she got up “I’ll be waiting in the car, ok?”, stay calm Coco, it’s not that big a deal, you didn’t really want to talk about your troubles anyway. Two minutes later, he came running after her on her way to the car “Coco, honey, I’m so sorry..wanna go back and have that coffee after all? I’m all yours now I promise” he grabbed her arm, “nahh, it’s alright, don’t worry, let’s just go back home because that ice cream is probably melting as we speak and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s melted ice cream” no, it’s not ok what you did, and yes my feelings are a little bit hurt, but am I gonna let it show? Hell no! It’s not that big a deal I guess, so come on Coco, just snap out of this funk you’re in.

”I really didn’t mean to ignore you, I just got news that some of my best friends are coming over tonight, just a little get-together, they’re all dying to meet you” he put one hand on her thigh while the other steered the car through the hectic LA traffic. “Oh..ok!” uh-oh, big step this, meeting the friends, well I guess it was only a matter of time before that would be on the agenda, “you’ll love them and they’ll love you, I’m so looking forward to this”, will I? ah well, you know them better than I do. “What is it? you’re awfully quiet” he squeezed her thigh while she tried to look as happy as was physically possible, “Nah, I’m ok..it’s just that..well, you know what an awkward and anti-social animal I am around people” she looked out of the window to hide the nervous blush on her cheeks. The more I think about it, the less I want to do this, I’ll act all awkward and weird again, and these are Jay’s people he’s known for a gazillion years, bleeeghhh!.  “You’re not anti-social or awkward, babe, you’re just your beautiful reserved self, it’s a European thing that us Americans really love, so stop stressing, just go with the flow” he grinningly leaned over the midconsole to push a kiss on her shoulder. Go with the flow, go with the flow, what flow? No, stop it! don’t overanalyze, these people all love Jared and he loves them, so do your best for once to try and get to know them at least, maybe getting to know other people will work a miracle on this lack of inspiration. Jared looked at her nervously biting her lip, “so..it’s just you and me in this car now, so come on, out with it babelicious, let’s talk about what is actually bothering you”, ah he’s offering, come on just spit it out, it’ll make you feel better. His phone ringing again spoiled that party though, don’t pick up, don’t pick up, don’t..a pair of puppy eyes stared back at her while his thumb hovered over the screen, nooooo.. “hey Chloe” he connected the call while his mouth silently formed an ‘I’m sorry, I have to take this’, “hey beautiful” a female voice danced through the car.

Harper arched her back in bliss, it was like life was being breathed into her again after a lifetime of coma, his skin rubbing against hers, it was intoxicating to feel all those muscles on his back flexing and rippling under her fingers, to say she had missed him and that cathedral of a body was an understatement. Hard and throbbing he pushed himself agaist her and there was nothing else she could or wanted to do then open her legs and welcome him back inside her warm body that had been deprived of his love and attention for way too long, “I need you inside of me” she breathed in his ear, he was being considerate with foreplay as always, but the fire was burning out of control already, it was time for the real deal, her head fell back and her mouth formed a silent ‘O’ as he slowly entered her, making her feel like she was going to burst. No matter how many times they had made love in the past, she would never get used to his gigantic size. “You ok?” he held himself up on stretched arms above her, with a mix of lust and concern in his glazed over eyes. Without a word but with a simple grin, she clasped her legs around his waist to urge him to move and push himself further and even deeper inside of her. Jared threw his head in his neck with a blissful groan. It was her whispered “come on big boy, just fuck me real hard and good” that drove him insane and his hips started a hard, slow thrusting that had her completely breathless by the time he sped things up. Slowly she was losing her mind in the best way possible, she lost all control over her speech, all she could utter were moans of painful, yet delightful pleasure, seeing her wriggle underneath him was so intoxicating even if they were doing plain missionary, her hands kneading her breasts, fingers tweaking her nipples, moaning and groaning her way up to a much needed orgasm but that orgasm would have to wait a little, first he was going to destroy that sweet pussy of hers even harder. “I fucking love you so much” he groaned at her, a rush of blood clouding his head, it had been too long, he wasn’t going to last long but it didn’t matter, they could do it again and again and again all through the night and if not tonight then there was always the rest of their lives, because he wasn’t going to let her slip away anymore. His hips pushed harder and faster, the white hot heat building up in his groin with every thrust, Harper was suddenly swept up in a whirlwind of sensations and right after him, she too screamed out her orgasm.

Fifteen minutes later they were still glued to each other, like both their bodies had morphed into one, “don't ever leave me again, I don't wanna be without you, not even for one more second” he breathed against her forehead, being the first to break the silence between them. He could see Harper's faint smile and then she exhaled so deep like she had been waiting a lifetime to exhale and that's when he saw the tears roll down, “hey, hey, what's wrong? Babe?” he cupped her face in his hands “did I say or do something wrong?”. Harper shook her head, “No..it's not you..I don't know what's wrong..” she sniffed through her tears, “you just had so much on your plate..all that pent up stress and tension..” he kissed her wet eyes.  “Just let it go, we're together now and that's all that matters, I'll help you through this, I promise” he pulled her even closer to him, dotting butterfly kisses all over her tear-stained face and his heart jumped when she held on to him and released all the tears she had in her. “I've missed you so much” she breathed, “not as much as I missed you, I was so lost without you” Jared reassured her but she suddenly pulled away from him, with a look that betrayed she didn't believe him “what? What is it?” fear squeezed his throat together. “Steph..you had a call with Steph before..you say you've missed me so much, but you still hooked up with her so soon after..us..oh djeez, now I sound like a jealous bitch” she knew she was being completely irrational but she just could help it. “You have every right to say what you say, you're right, it was the old me that resurfaced after you and I..well after we split up” he kept caressing and kissing her hair to have her relax a bit, he didn't want things to escalate between them, “I'm not that man anymore, that's all I can say”. Harper squinted her eyes “how do I know that? You were that man until..what? 48 hours or so ago?” it was a valid question, “true..but hooking up with Steph was out of..spite..I wasn't myself when you left me..I lost it and fell back into old habits..” he tried to explain but she was having none of it. “Old habits? I don't know if they're really old habits, or just who Jared is? We split up because you cheated remember?” this was not going well, not well at all, “I know..and I also know there's nothing I can say to change your mind, but I'm not gonna fuck things up between us ever again, I swear, just have a little faith..”. He was right, there was nothing he could say to miraculously make his past disappear, she had decided to take the plunge and given in to her feelings for him again, so she would just have to stick with it and start believing in his good intentions. “I think I can do that..” those six little words were all it took to defuse the situation, “good girl..Steph is out of my life, I chose you and I'll always choose you, I let things cloud my vision for the last time, she's a dumb mistake that's in the past, you are everything I need for a bright future” he kissed her bottom lip to erase the tiny pout that formed on there. “Just love me Jared, that's all I can ask, just love me the way only you can” she returned his kiss and soon all the tears were washed away by another round of glorious lovemaking.

”Any news?” Jared came walking out of the bathroom with a towel riding dangerously low on his hips, “no..no news” sighing she put her phone back on the nightstand and got a bit lost in her thoughts again, “no news is good news, right?” he sat down on the bed next to her and rubbed her thigh. “I guess so..I'll call Arno later on” she started to resurface again but she wasn't completely out yet, “so what do you want to do today?” his voice was so soft and tender, “Oh..well, I was thinking of checking in with Charles, even though I still think he's the root to all this evil..you know, bringing my parents here..” she sighed, “I know, but I honestly think that he had everyone's best intentions in mind..he's pretty shook up about everything's that happened..anyway, I'll come with you, we'll face him together, alright?” he tried to kiss her doubts away, but he knew they would only disappear when she faced Charles again and talked things through with him.

He loved walking around New York with her, here he felt he could do it because he could keep a certain kind of anonymity here, NY always kept it real, in sharp contrast to the gossip and glamour of LA, of which he was reminded by the constant buzzing in his pocket from Steph blowing up his phone even after he told her he wanted nothing more to do with her. The wonderful smell of fresh baked bread greeted them as he held the door open for Harper walking into the renowned bakery/coffee bar, “I love this place” he took off his coat and sat down, grabbing her hands, “and I didn't just choose it for its' wonderful breakfast but also for another reason” he grinned and looked out the window pointing “remember?”. Harper followed his gaze and then it dawned on her “Oohhh, the place where we first met..” she swallowed hard in excitement “that was such a weird moment”. Jared sat back grinning “weird and yet so amazing and so..normal, deep in my heart I wasn't surprised to see you turn up, I guess deep down I was really hoping it'd be you”, they were interrupted to place their order, which they did but as soon as the waiter left Harper squeezed his hand. “You were hoping for Coco to show up because you had met Harper first? Or were you feeling guilty somehow that you were going to meet Coco and in the back of your mind you were hoping for Harper?” her difficult question had him frowning and thinking for a second, pondering on his answer “Honestly, I was so fond of you both, I dreaded having to give up one for the other and then I got my prayers answered when Harper Coco showed up, I was so torn, there was Coco who was so intruiging and funny and artistic and mysterious who I was so completely besotted with even though I had never seen her, I knew in the depth of my heart that no matter how she looked, I'd fallen for her hook, line and sinker..and then there was Harper who was equally artistic and genius and completely nuts, fighting off guys twice her size, very high in energy, you were like a fucking loaded gun” his grin became bigger and bigger just talking about her “and then there was the way Harper looked that had my hormones racing, girl, I was so fuckin' jealous of Sean at the time, just the fact that you both were so physically and emotionally close”.

“Harper, babe, come on..let’s talk about this” Jared had to run to catch up with her outside, when he grabbed her arm she stopped and the look in her eyes was pure bewilderment “talk about what?” she looked at him like she had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. “Harper, are you serious? We need to talk about you, and everything that is troubling you right now, you’ve got so much to deal with and you’re walking around like a zombie” he bit his lip, the worry scribbled all over his face was undeniable, “I’m fine..I just need some time alone..would you mind if I just went back to my apartment..alone?” the look of detachment she gave him squeezed his throat together, of course I don’t want you to go anywhere by yourself, and especially not now, but what can I do? I need to respect your boundaries “no..you go and do you..I understand..if you need me, you know where I am, ok?”. There was no kiss to calm his racing mind, no touch, all she did was nod in appreciation, turned on her heels and half ran-half walked away from him without even looking back, who was it that once said ‘if you love someone, set them free, if they don’t come back to you, they were never yours to keep’? don’t care, all I care and wish for is that you find your way back to me real soon. With a heavy heart and lead in his shoes he started walking in the other direction, get some air, distract yourself, thinking about her walking away from you is unbearable, central park, a little bit of nature and away from this racing city will do you good. Evening was throwing its’ last rays of light around as he walked back to the hotel, so weird that every corner of every street in this crazy city seemed to hold so many memories even if they had been together for a relative short time, he saw her dance and twirl and giggle in front of his eyes everytime he turned a corner, just come home to me babe, please. “Good evening, Sir, will you be dining out? Do you need reservations?” the clerk at the hotel reception asked him as he handed him his keycard, “Uhh, no..not tonight, I’ll order in I guess..” with a friendly nod he took the key and headed on up to his room. Flicking through the channels on TV, checking his phone for the umpteenth time, checking his iPad, checking his hair for split ends, nothing could calm him down, he brushed every device from his lap and got up to stare through the window, should I call her? Send an app? Start an e-mail? Tempting but no..leave her be for a bit, if she hasn’t come back by tomorrow morning, you can go over to her apartment, give her some space.

After hours of tossing and turning his mind finally welcomed the sweet darkness of sleep, somewhere in the distance he heard a door open and close again, he was dreaming,..five minutes later he could’ve sworn he felt the mattress dip, still not waking up, I’m still sleeping. It was the arm digging under him and an arm folding over him and a warm body glueing itself against him that had him resurfacing, his eyes slowly fluttered open only to find himself wishing he wasn’t dreaming, and he wasn’t because there she was “I’m ready, Jay..I’m coming back to LA with you” her breath was warm and sweet against his cheek. Wide awake now, he rolled on his side and kissed her full lips “are you really sure? I mean..I don’t want to pressure you”, even in the darkness she could see the worried cloud veiling his eyes. “I’m not sure of most things anymore, but the one thing I’m sure of is that I love you and I want to be with you”. Jay gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face “I love you too..we’ll take it step by step, ok? We can evaluate after a month or so..”, his words made her tap his nose “now you make it sound like school, with all those evaluations..let’s just agree that whenever there’s an issue we’re open about it” she clarified, he nodded. “Thanks for giving me some alone-time” she added, “yeah..are you ok? So, did you go back to your apartment?” he tried to get to the bottom of her Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act, but it obviously was a bridge too far because she instantly shut down again “I’d imagined you being a lot happier about me moving in with you”. He stole another kiss from her lips “Honey, I've just been woken up after hours of tossing and turning, so I'm really sorry that at my age it gets more and more difficult to do all excited cartwheels in the middle of the night” he gave her a fat, exhausted grin “but trust me, I'm deliriously happy” his finger tracing the perfection of her nose. “I knew I had to give you some space but tonight was hell..being here all by myself, I barely managed to not drive myself insane” another kiss and she put her head back down against his chest “I'm trouble, Jay, plain and simple trouble” her warm breath tickled against his naked skin. “Oh no, you're not, you're exquisite trouble, but more importantly you're all the trouble I love so much..I'm not exactly your typical choir boy either, now am I?” his arm caressed her back which made her cuddle up even closer. “Shame..I could do with a choir boy in my life..” she giggled as he slapped her butt in response, “oh really? Well I may look like Jesus but what do you think I let Satan out to play?” he rolled her over and pinned her down on the mattress.

The doorbell rang, oh god, she was nowhere near ready and Jay was already there, she had left the hotel early this morning to start on getting most of her stuff ready, and even though there wasn't much to pack apart from some clothes, she didn't know where to start on all her brushes, paints, pencils. “You ready?” Jared pushed open the door, “no..I'm so sorry, I don't know where to start..it's gonna take forever to get all my stuff packed up” she nervously puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes, while he looked at the warzone in front of him. “Oh honey, you only need some clothes..I was gonna keep it as a surprise but everything you need to paint and more is being delivered to my house right now, so you can keep everything here..so next time we're in New York you can come and paint here without having to move everything”. Huh? She looked at him in shock, “but..it took me years to collect all this stuff, do you know how much even one of these brushes cost?” but his reaction was just a shrug “I haven't got a clue, does it matter? You'll have two sets now”. Was she being ungrateful? Uhg, yeah she was “thank you, Jay..just promise you'll let me pay for it?” it was the least she could do now she finally had some money in the bank, “I will do no such thing, consider it a 'welcome to your new home' present” he gave her a fast wink before he folded his arms around her waist and kissed her. “You are amazing..I couldn't have done all this, gotten through all this without your help..I don't think you know how grateful I am” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “Oh trust me, I do know..I felt your gratitude last night” he grinned, stealing kisses “there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, except keep our plane waiting, so come on, let's get your stuff and let's get out of here, the sun is waiting for us”.

Was it having to say goodbye to New York? Was it all the drama with her family? Whatever it was, she was zoning out again, during the flight down here, she had seemed so absent, she had been staring out of the plane window completely lost in her own thoughts. The car drove up his driveway and he squeezed her hand “home at last”, Harper sat up and grabbed her bag, it was like she saw his house for the first time..she didn't remember much from a couple of days ago, the size of his house still shocked her. “How can anyone ever afford such a house?..I don't remember it being this big” she jumped out of the car “and I thought my parents' house was ridiculous but this one is just next level”. Jared, clearly embarrassed, shrugged, was it really that over the top? Looking at it..actually yeah..it was much bigger than the previous house “it's just a house, darling..a roof over my..our head, and aren't you glad to be out of that frikkin' cold of New York?..that's why I love LA so much, the climate is real constant all year round, good for my old bones”. A smile on the verge of a giggle curled around those delicious lips, “come on, golden oldie, take me inside” she hooked her arm in his, all the doom and gloom of the plane and car ride suddenly completely forgotten about, or was that just a fine example of excellent acting?. “Did I already tell you that your bedroom is actually the size of my entire apartment?” she dropped her bag, taking in the beautiful room full of light with an enormous, plush looking, bed against the only wall, all the rest was windows all around, guitars neatly lined up in one corner of the room..guitars? “do you keep those around to serenade all your conquests for the night?” she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “This room has got the best acoustics..that and the inspiration usually comes in the middle of the night, so I like to have a guitar at hand” he couldn't help but be a little annoyed, why was there always a sense of mistrust? “and it's no longer my bedroom..it's OUR bedroom”. Did she even listen to anything he had just said? She just sat down on the side of the bed, clearly absorbed with whatever was dancing round in her head, “what is it?” he sat down next to her, twirling a strand of hair around his finger, “huh?” to his surprise she got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the city of Angels underneath her “now that is an iconic view” she tried to change the subject, the last thing she wanted to talk about was the mess in her head. “Yeah it is” he came standing behind her, folding his arms around her waist as he kissed the side of her neck, you don't want to talk about it, fine, just know that you're gonna have to talk about it sooner or later.

“But..LA..I mean..it's..LA” she muttered, “Well, you've obviously only flash-visited LA..what is wrong with Los Angeles? it's warm, it's laidback, it's got me..it's my home” he tried to laugh it off but deep down he already knew what was wrong, he was just so scared that she was gonna say no. “Exactly! It's laidback, too laidback..the reason I once ended up here in New York is because it's so electric and it's got such a wild energy for..”, he immediately interrupted her “for your painting, you're scared your inspiration will leave you once you go to LA, but I think you forget that your inspiration is not a city, it's right here” he touched her head and let his finger drop to her chest, touching her heart “and here, it's not about where you are”. Harper knew she couldn't explain to him that it wasn't just her painting that was holding her back, it was about giving up everything she had fought so hard for her, her independence included, long time ago she had sworn she would no longer let a man, any man, dictate her life..what if it all went belly up? She refused to have to pull all her stuff out of a guy's house, she was much more comfortable with having her own spot, besides, they had been living together on the road for a while and where did they end up? Not exactly together!. She also knew that if she refused this, then she would lose him, they were just two hard-headed people, too hard-headed for each other probably. “Maybe you're right..but I just can't leave, I've got the situation with my father, Arno..my apartment..” she put her two cents in, even though she already knew it was a lost cause, “aren't you just looking for excuses? I just want to build up our relationship again, away from all the buzz and the crowd” he sputtered. “Oh and LA is a small town somewhere in the Midwest where there's no camera's, no buzz? come on Jay, it's the epicentre of everything and everyone who wants to be in the spotlight” she was getting worked up he could tell and decided to pull the plug for a bit “You know what? Let's talk about something else for now, just give it some thought, sleep on it maybe? that's all I'm asking” he leaned back a bit and studied her face that predicted stormy weather.

”Arno, how is he?” her heart pounded in her chest when she saw her brother's name appear on her phone just when they were about to leave and Jared was paying the bill at the counter. “He's awake..” the words rolled in her ear and had her a little dizzy, “what? He is?..oh god” was she happy, was she angry or was it still a whole lot of pent-up anger? Jared came walking up to their table, seeing her wobble on her feet when she got up, his arm wrapped just in time around her waist. “What's wrong? You ok?”, Harper looked up at him with the weirdest look in her eyes “My Dad..” fear put an iron fist around his heart as he looked at the phone in her hands, oh fuck this was THE call, “he's awake..Arno just called” she stammered in bewilderment. “Let's just go outside” he guided her to the exit, this was not the place to discuss something like this, too many eyes and ears about, the cold wind greeting them had her closing her eyes, “so he's gonna be alright? That's amazing news” he pulled her against his chest, this whole living together in LA was back on the table sooner than he had expected. “I don't know..I need to get to the hospital” her eyes were already scanning for a cab, “sure, come on let's go” he whistled and a cab instantly pulled to the curb. At the hospital, Arno was waiting at the entrance of the ward, “I have to warn you, Mama and the rest are here as well” his words made her stop in her tracks, what did she expect? Why was she actually here? She'd made a decision in the craziness of the moment. “If you want, we can go in and see him together” Arno took the hand of his nervous sister, “I don't know, I..” her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw her mother come out of a room and then walked straight up to her the minute she caught sight of her. “What is she doing here? She's the one who started all this” she yelled in Italian at her son, Jared didn't understand a word she was saying but from feeling Harper cringe he knew exactly what was going on. “Mrs. De Robiano” Jared tried but earned himself a deadly stare from Harper's mother “Get her out of here, Mr. Leto, I don't know her and I don't want to know her, she's not a part of this family, she never was or wanted to be so she has no reason to be here” her mother's voice returned to normal the minute she addressed him. “Mrs. De Robiano, she's your daughter and she always will be, I don't know how you can call yourself a mother if you keep on denying her just because she chose her own path, I..” he literally felt his blood boil. The accusations only made matters worse because her mother completely lost it and lashed out at her daughter, stomping her fists on her head and digging her long, perfectly manicured nails in Harper's neck “Mama, stop it, what are you doing?” Arno tried pushing her back while Jared had to prevent a shocked Harper from falling down. “Jared, get her out of here” Arno yelled still struggling to keep his mother back, Jared quickly gathered his thoughts and pulled Harper out of the warzone, she could barely keep up that's how fast he was running.

“Stop, please stop” she tried to catch her breath once they were outside again, her head was hurting so much, Jared stopped and sat her down on a bench “what the fuck..” his worried eyes as he checked on her injuries brought her back to reality. “You're bleeding, we should get back inside and have you checked out” he swallowed hard seeing the damage her mother's nails had done to his lover's throat, “I'm not going back in there..just..take me home, Jared, just take me home” she whispered. “But..” his protest fell on deaf ears, “help me up, will you?” she grabbed his hands so he could pull her back on her feet, instinctively she folded her arm around him, pushing herself against his side, he didn't say anything, knowing that all protest was futile and guided her to another waiting cab. “I'm so sorry, babe” what else could he say? If she was ok? Of course she wasn't, she didn't say anything, she just shrugged and kept staring through the side window, it was clear she was still processing what had just happened. The doorman at the hotel stared at them like he had seen a ghost “you are hurt, let me call you a doctor” he tried to stop them, but Harper just waved it away “no, it's ok, it's nothing” and kept walking trying to cover up the blood so the crowded lobby wouldn't see. When she finally walked in the room and walked past a mirror, she realized what had actually happened “Oh..” her fingers traced the tracks of the dried up blood before she plopped down on the couch. She just felt so cold all of a sudden and couldn't stop shivering, the aftershock coursing through her body he sat down next to her with a wet washcloth “let's get you cleaned up” the feel of the warm water against her skin made her jump. “It's ok, it's just water” he hissed seeing the damage that sorry excuse of a mother had done to her daughter's skin and body, “what the fuck, Jay..” she just didn't know what to say, her mind was still a haze. “I know..it was..she just went crazy..I just wasn't expecting her to go absolutely nuts” he stammered “one thing's for sure, I'm calling her tonight and I'm gonna tell her that I'm gonna sue her sorry ass”. Was he actually saying this about her mother? In all this mayhem with her parents, Jared had always been like Switzerland, trying to be neutral and trying to negotiate, but this time it seemed like his boiling point had been reached. “Don't..nothing you or I can say that's gonna change her or their mind..it's done, she's hurt me enough, this is where I cut the umbilical cord with them if there even was one..Daddy dearest is awake and on the mend, fine, so case closed..fuck them with their money and titles..I've got my own money and my own career and fuck that title”, all surprised about her relatively chill answer Jared stopped wiping her throat. “Really? Case closed, that's it? after they've driven you to hell and back?” he just couldn't believe what he was hearing, “I'm done, Jay..all my life I've been waiting for their approval and why? I've wasted so much time..I've wasted the biggest part of my life on them, but I refuse to waste my future on them, so this is where I draw the line..no more, it ends right here! From now on they are no longer part of my life and I refuse to waste another thought on them”. Her voice was icecold and completely void of any emotion which worried him because it was a side of her that he hadn't seen before, the contrast with the fireball he loved so much couldn't be any bigger, he didn't say anything, he just nodded while taking care of her injuries.

“You have got to be kidding me” Steph growled and turned to face her enemy “you know you deserve everything that is happening to you right now” she wagged her finger in front of Harper's face with a vicious grin “and don't worry, he'll cheat on you again and again and again, just like he's done in the past”. Jared blew up at her “are you deaf? I told you to get the fuck out of my house” making her grab her bag and with a sniggering smile of contempt she click-clacked out of the room , swaying her hips extra obvious as if to tell him what exactly it was that was walking out of his life. The door slammed, sending a shiver down her spine, Jared came walking up to her with a gleam in his eyes that had been missing for far too long “you love me? Still? You actually love me?” he licked his lips. Harper batted her eyelashes, he loved how she stood there blushing like a schoolgirl, nothing was fake with this woman, she could try all she liked but in the end she could never hide the truth from him. His hands slowly landed on her hips when he closed the distance and they were toe to toe “I can say the same about you..” she nervously put her hands on his upper arms, “I've always loved you, Harper, then, now, always..I can run to the edge of the world and still there's only one name pounding in my head and that's you, Coco..you're tattooed on my brain, my heart, under my skin”. Coco felt his words tug at her heartstrings, every inch of her skin felt like it was covered in hot lava, and then he lowered his head and closed the last distance between them, his lips covering hers in an electrifying, deep kiss. Time was no longer of the essence, nothing was, the emotion completely overpowered her as her tears started to run down her cheeks, it made him break the kiss “hey..don't cry..” his calloused thumbs wiped the tears from under her eyes. Her watery eyes locked with his compassionate blues “I love you” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to reconnect again with his hungry mouth, “I love you too..” he breathed, his hands wandering over her body wanting to lift her so he could carry her to his room. “No..not yet” reluctantly she broke the kiss and locked her hand around his wrist to stop him, “ok..” his hand stilled and he refused to break eyecontact with her “you're right, I'm sorry, I got caught up in the heat of the moment”. The ringing of his phone startled them both, looking at the screen Jared raised his eyebrows and handed the phone over to her immediately.

Jared heard her enter the kitchen behind him and instantly stopped with what he was doing, it had been a long call, “what did he say?” he swallowed hard trying to figure out the look on her face, god, don't let it be 'that' call. She didn't say anything, she just sat down and buried her face in her hands with a deep sigh, “Coco?” he walked up to her and caressed her hair, making her lean into his touch “he wants me to come back to NY, he said it's probably my last chance if I ever want to see my father again..”. Jared kissed the top of her head “I see..” and enveloped her in a hug from behind, “I..just..it's just so..why does he keep calling me? I haven't heard from Arno in years and now..” she muttered, her mouth couldn't keep up with the gestures her hands were making in true Italian style. He let go of her and sat down next to her, grabbing her hands as he looked her in the eye “Coco, look at me” she was still too jittery and locked inside her internal struggle to look at him “ will you just look..at..me..” he slowly repeated while squeezing her hands to get her attention. Finally her head lifted and he had what he wanted “what do you want to do?  Forget about your brother or your family, alright? What does Harper Coco want?” he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, “I don't know..part of me wants to jump on the first plane over there, but another part just doesn't want anything to do with them anymore..they fucked up my life so much..my father, he's..all that abuse..it's just”. Abuse..the word was out, it was unthinkable that anyone would ever want to raise his hand to her, “every time I let the film of my youth inside my head roll and I feel his hand hit me, my stomach turns and I think: 'you don't deserve my tears or attention, you only deserve to fuckin' rot in hell” she growled, clearly overpowered by the memories. “I understand..take your time, but whatever the decision, I'm behind you all the way” he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, “thank you” she whispered as she pulled her hand free and snuggled up close to him, she needed to be as close to him as she possibly could right now.

”How is she?” Charles seemed genuinely concerned, “upset as hell, struggling with what her Daddy dearest has put her through all of her life, but apart from that she's ok, I guess” Jared plopped down on his bed, why did he keep calling him? Couldn't he just leave things be?. “I'm glad..” Charles sighed relieved “I know this is probably not the right timing..but I've got to tell you..every single one of her works is gone, completely sold out..I had to put people on a waiting list”. Where was he? She had gotten a bit lost upstairs and she didn't want to open every closed door, this was not her home and respecting someone's privacy was always top of her list, “wait..what?” she heard Jared's melodic voice drift out of a room somewhere a little further down the corridor. That beautiful head of hers popped up in the doorway and his heart instantly started thumping in his chest, how beautiful was she? He so didn't deserve her, “I've gotta go, talk to you later” he didn't wait for Charles response to disconnect the call. “I didn't mean to interrupt your call” she hesitated to walk in but she couldn't keep her eyes off the breathtaking décor inside, so this was his bedroom? It was practically the size of her loft, “you..” he got up off the bed and walked up to her “never interrupt, you're my priority” seizing her lips in a fierce kiss. “Is this your bedroom” she licked her lips savouring the kiss when they came up for air, Jared grinned as he followed her stare “yes it is, I won't give you the grand tour but I can definitely show you how soft the mattress is?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggesting some much needed bodily action.

“I don't know what to do..” she let her indexfinger trail down from his chin to his chest, “one part of me wants to go to New York and the other part wants to curl up into a little ball and hide away, what am I to do?”. Softly she laid her head against his chest, needing to be held, needing guidance, “hiding away is not an option, that's not gonna help you or this whole situation” he slowly caressed her back and thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of her warm breath flowing over his chest. “So you think I should go back to New York, is that what you're saying? Are you trying to get rid of me already?” she sulked, “whoa, hold on a second, can we rewind just a little?!” he grinned and took a step back so he had her full attention. “I'm not doing anything, you're asking me for help, and that's exactly what I'm offering, so why don't I help you make a list of all the pro's and the con's?” he sat her down on the bed and took a deep breath, “nah..I think I already know what I need to do, but that don't mean I have to like it..or even want to do it” she shrugged and bit her lip. “So, you're thinking of..” he needed to hear her say it for some reason, “going back to New York, yeah, even though I already know now that I'll be regretting it for the rest of my life..but then again, I also know that I'll never forgive myself if I stay here and he dies..” she finished his sentence. Take me with you, please, don't leave LA without me, I've only just got you back, I don't want to lose you again “makes sense” was all he could say right now, “oh Jay, I've only just got here and we had so little time together..even thinking of flying back already, makes me want to throw up, I can't do this alone..I know it's a lot to ask and I'll completely understand if you won't or can't but will you..”, he was the one to finish her sentence now “of course I'll come to New York with you, I won't let you do this alone”.

A suitcase, a private plane, take off and airborne, all in just a couple of hours, underneath them America whizzed by at 500 miles an hour, closer to home again, but the furthest removed from what should have always been her real home, physically she was getting closer to her father or family but mentally she was still so terribly detached and that wasn't about to change anytime soon. “I forgot to tell you something..” Jared pulled her out of her daydream, “oh..?” she shuffled in her seat, “Charles..called me right before we left, the exhibition is completely sold out, he even had to put people on a waiting list..seems like you finally had your break” he grabbed her hand and kissed it. “No..what? Really? Oh my..” her big brown eyes drilled into his, her free hand clasped over her mouth “but..how?..ever since..what happened, I didn't even think about my work anymore, because Daddy dearest just had to spoil things” the venom in her voice touched him. “How? That's simple, you're the one who made all that beauty..I was smart enough to buy a few too, thank god” he grinned against her lips, “You? But you didn't have to buy anything, I would have given them to you..which one?”. Her work was all sold out, really? She still couldn't get her head around it, “you mean which ones?” he wiggled his eyebrows “seriously, I bought two..my mother really wanted the one where I look like the new Messiah, so I bought that for her and for myself I bought the other real disturbing one where I seem to be screaming, that one is soooo good”. So she actually meant something to him, just thinking that they weren't even together at the time, and yet he had shown up and had even bought two paintings without her knowing, god she loved him so much, was this the one? Yes Harper, trust yourself for once, he definitely is the ONE!. “Your mother? She wasn't there..oh..right” her penny dropped “digital times..right, I get it”.  He saw the flight attendant move towards them to inform them of the imminent descent so he quickly stole a kiss from her lips “you've finally had your break, kiddo, and you deserve every single minute of it, so how does it feel to be rich?”.