Warning: Lots of sexual innuendo in this one, and partially-clothed screenshots. Talk of drugs too.

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Erik leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against the top of Harper’s head for a few moments. She closed her eyes, and smiled slightly at his touch. Erik said nothing, but the sound of his heavy breaths said it all.

Harper continued smiling to herself as she rose to her feet and took a seat on the edge of Erik’s bed, watching as he put his boxers back on. She couldn’t help the strange sense of pride that swelled up inside her. It had been very scary at first and, as Rylie had warned her, quite messy and strange as well. But she’d done it. And seeing how good Erik felt made it all worth it.

“Thanks, Babe.” Erik spoke at last as he took a seat beside her on the bed. “That was amazing.”

“Really?” Harper’s voice was almost hopeful.

He nodded in reply and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a slow, gentle kiss.

Harper couldn’t help but laugh as they finally broke apart.

“What?” He asked, smiling.

“I just wasn’t expecting you to wanna kiss me after that…”

Erik rolled his eyes and simply kissed her again.

Harper melted into his arms. He always made her feel so safe. So appreciated. So loved. It was a feeling she knew she’d never grow tired of.

As they broke apart a second time, Erik leaned forward, whispering into her good ear. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to return the favor…” His voice was low and sultry in her ear. “If that’s okay with you?”

Oh my God! Erik had never touched her below her waist with anything but his hands before… The thought of him doing more sent a burst of white-hot fire rushing through her whole body.

“It’s more than okay.” Harper assured him, giggling with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

She felt so comfortable with Erik. Their past two months together had been amazing. And she felt so ready to take this next step with him... And maybe go even further. They had been so intimate with each other already. Could they finally be ready to go all the way?

Erik had risen to his feet and began leaning her back on the bed, looking deeply into her eyes as he did so. He brushed his fingers gently against her cheek as his other hand began creeping slowly up her thigh. Harper let out a soft sigh and smiled up at him…

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!

The sound was so faint to Harper’s ears, she almost though she’d been imagining it.

But Erik’s reaction confirmed her fears.

He broke away from her and stepped backward instantly, his face falling as he glanced toward the bedroom door. “Fuck.”

Harper’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment. Who the hell could that be? She wondered. “Can’t you just ignore it?”

Erik shook his head as a second round of heavy knocking filled the air. “Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back.” He assured her.

“Um… Okay, but –”

“Just… Stay here.” Erik repeated as he headed for the bedroom door.

Harper felt like she was going to be sick. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. That much was certain. She was on her feet in an instant, but did as Erik asked — she stayed inside.

Harper stood very close to the door and strained her ears as much as she possibly could, wishing more than ever that she had normal hearing.

She could make out the high-pitched creak of Erik’s front door being pushed open. Then, voices. Only two. Erik’s, and another man’s. It was difficult to distinguish between the two of them as she fought to make out as much of the conversation as she could.

“…ey Simon. What’s up?”

“…ut the crap, …rik.” The other man did nothing to mask his anger. “..id you …ink you could …nore me, huh?”

“I …sn’t ignoring you, …mise. Just … really busy.”

“Busy? Yeah, better be …sy …aying me ..ack my …oney!”

“Look, I’m …orry.” Even through the door, the fear was apparent in Erik’s voice. “…ive you …at I can…”

There was a pause, then. Harper closed her eyes, straining her ears to try to make out more of the conversation.

“…otta be …king kidding me. Is this …ome kind of …oke?”

“… all I’ve got this week. …orry.”

“Bullshit. …ere’s the rest?!”

She heard banging and clattering then. Like furniture being moved or things being pushed around on the counter top. Harper reached for the doorknob, her heart racing. Erik was in trouble, wasn’t he? Shouldn’t she go out there?

The banging of footsteps suddenly grew louder and louder.

“…ey! …othing in there, okay?!” Erik cried out.

“Yeah, I’ll see about that.”

Harper jumped backward just in time as the bedroom door flew open.

The man who stood in the doorway was tall and slender. Not quite as menacing as what she’d been expecting… Minus the terrible scowl on his face.

“Hey there, Beautiful.” For a moment, the man’s scowl was replaced with a sickening smile. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Erik rushed to her side immediately and reached down, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Harper wanted nothing more than to ask him what the hell was going on, but she knew that now was not the time.

The man’s dark eyes scanned the room for a moment, finally falling on Erik’s wallet, which lay on top of his dresser. He crossed the room in two long strides.

“Let’s see what we’ve got in here…” He reached inside, and pulled out a small wad of bills.

Harper couldn’t quite tell from where she was standing, but it looked to be at least fifty euros.

“No!” Erik suddenly released her hand, closing the distance between himself and the stranger. “Simon, please… I –”

With one sharp strike of Simon’s hand, Erik was on the floor.

“That was for lying to me.” Simon practically growled as he pocketed the money and put his foot on Erik’s chest. “You’re lucky this pretty little thing was watching, or you’d have gotten a hell of a lot worse.” He narrowed his eyes for a moment before finally lifting his foot.

Erik said nothing as Harper helped him to his feet. What the hell is going on?! She wondered. She felt like she was going to either cry or throw up… She couldn’t decide which.

Simon was already heading for the door. “I’ll be back next week… Don’t even think about pulling this shit with me again, you understand?” He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, then left the room without another word.

A few seconds later, they heard the opening and closing of the front door.

“A-are you hurt?” Harper broke the silence at last, her voice shaking. She reached a hand tentatively toward Erik’s face as she spoke.

Erik shook his head. “I’m fine.” He promised her. “Just pissed about that money. It was for my nephew’s birthday…” He continued sadly.

She wrapped her arms around him for a moment, pressing her head against his shoulder. She was sure Kaleb would understand. What mattered was that Erik had made it through the encounter in one piece! “Thank God you’re okay.” She breathed. “I was so scared.”

“I’m so sorry, Harper.” He replied seriously. “I never wanted you to see that…”

“See what?” Harper pulled away from him at last, her worry finally giving way to suspicion. “What the hell was that, Erik?”

He sighed softly. “Okay, let’s sit down for a second.” Erik muttered, his voice pained as he led the way back to the bed. “I can explain.”

“Erik, who is that guy?” Harper asked as she took a seat beside him. “Someone you owe money to?”

Her boyfriend nodded. “His name’s Simon.”

“I got that part… That’s not what I meant. What I mean is, who is he?” Harper repeated her question, terrified she already knew the answer.

For a moment, Erik seemed unable to meet her gaze. “My dealer.” He whispered.

She felt her heart sink at his words. “You mean for weed?” Harper asked almost hopefully.

As she feared, Erik shook his head. “N-not for weed.” He replied nervously. “Or X…”

“Something worse?” Harper’s voice was very small.

Erik nodded. “Way worse.” He admitted.

Harper bit her lip as a hazy memory from the New Years Eve party suddenly found itself at the forefront of her mind. It was one she’d been trying not to think of, ever since that night.

Erik, alone in the bathroom, wiping his nose.

Three small lines of white powder on the edge of the sink…

“Oh God… that night at the party…”

“Harper, please. I’m sorry.” Erik reached out for a moment, taking one of her hands in his. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. It’s not exactly something I’m proud of… And it’s definitely not something I want you getting mixed up in.”

Harper felt herself buckling under the weight of his words. She knew smoking a little weed or taking some X at a party wasn’t really a big deal. But this… Wasn’t it dangerous? And not just because of angry dealers either…

“So… once you pay this Simon guy back… Can’t you… Can’t you just, like… stop?” She felt like a stupid little girl as soon as the words left her lips. Harper knew it couldn’t be that simple.

For a moment, Erik almost laughed. “I wish it were that easy.” He replied. His voice sounded so sad, despite his smile. “Look, it’s not… It’s not like, terrible, really. It’s fun. It makes me feel good. I just wish I didn’t need it, y’know? And I wish it wasn’t so damn expensive…” He paused. “But now that I’m in this deep, I don’t really have much of a choice… I just hoped you wouldn’t have to find out about it this way.”

Harper did not immediately reply. It was just so much to take in. She wasn’t really sure what to say…

“I know this is probably freaking you out a little.” Erik continued, his voice almost desperate. “But I hope this doesn’t change things between us… Because I really really like you, Harper. More than that, actually.” He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I… I think I love you.”

Harper’s eyes widened. It felt like her heart had stopped beating. “What?”

“I love you.” His voice was much more confident this time. “This isn’t exactly the way I wanted to tell you… But it’s true. And I don’t wanna lose you. Especially over something stupid like this. Just… try to understand. Please.”

Harper took a slow, deep breath before replying. “It’s okay.” She said at last. “I mean, I can’t lie. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it right now.” Harper admitted. “It might take a while to like, ‘process’ it, y’know? But I’d be a bigger hypocrite than my parents if I judged you for something like this.” Her lip curled slightly into a smile for a moment.

“I have a… habit that I’m not super proud of either.” She confessed, her smile suddenly fading. “But it’s like yours… It makes me feel good, and I wish I didn’t need it, but I do.”

Erik looked at her questioningly.

“I… take stuff sometimes.” Harper clarified. “Like… without paying for them.”

“You mean stealing.” The way Erik spoke worried her.

“Just little things!” She assured him. “Like a bottle of nail polish, or a lollipop, or a magazine… Nothing anyone would miss. And nothing I actually need.” Harper explained. “And it’s not like I do it ALL the time. Only when I need it…”

“Need it…” Erik repeated her words. “So… you’re kind of… like… addicted?”

Harper visibly cringed. “I hate that word. But… kinda. I dunno. It’s hard to explain. It just helps me feel better when I’m stressed and stuff… It’s all about the rush, I guess.”

His expression was so hard to read. “The rush… Kinda like getting high, you mean.”

She nodded. “Exactly. And I can’t tell anybody about it, because I know they wouldn’t understand… But I trust you, Erik. More than anybody.” Harper added with a soft smile.

His lips stretched into a slight smile as well at her words. “Guess we’re in the same boat… I’d be a total hypocrite if I judged you for this.”

He paused before continuing. “But I’ve gotta admit…” Erik’s smile faded for a moment. “It might take some time for me to process too. I mean, stealing’s not good, Harper. You know that, don’t you?”

“It’s not.” She agreed almost reluctantly. “But… neither is doing drugs.”

The edge of Erik’s lip twitched slightly. “Touché.”

“It’s not the end of the world or anything though, is it?” She asked, hoping she sounded confident. “I mean, yeah, maybe these aren’t the greatest things to get caught up in. But like… we aren’t gonna let this stuff get out of hand or anything, are we?”

“Of course not.” He assured her.

Harper hesitated for a moment. “And… we can both work on stopping right? Or cutting back or something?”

Erik’s smile was just as unconvincing as her own. “Sure.”

“And… neither of us is hurting anybody, right?”

He shook his head.

“Well… what’s that old expression they always say?” Harper furrowed her brow for a moment as she struggled to remember. “No harm…”

“No foul.” Erik finished for her, smiling gently. “And… you’re right. We shouldn’t let this change anything. I meant what I said before… I love you. And I’m not gonna stop because of something like this.”

“Me neither.” Harper promised, closing the distance between them. “‘Cause, for the record… I love you too.”

She could feel him smiling against her lips, and the thought sent a rush of warmth soaring through her. Harper never dreamed she’d find someone who could understand her like he did, or love her so unconditionally…

Still, now that she knew the truth, it was hard not to worry a little. Harper bit her lip nervously as she pulled away from him. “So… what are you gonna do about the money?” She asked softly.

Erik’s smile vanished instantly. “I dunno.” He confessed. “I lined up another tutoring job, so that’s been helping… But I still owe Simon about four hundred.”

Yikes. Harper hesitated for a moment, thinking. “Well… What if I help out a little?” She offered at last.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, why not?” She shrugged. “I’ve been saving up my paychecks for the past couple months… It’s not like I have to pay rent or anything. What else am I gonna do with all that money?”

Erik shook his head. “That’s super sweet of you, but… I can’t ask you to do that.”

Harper smiled. “You’re not asking, I’m offering.”

“You’d seriously do that?”

She nodded.

“God, you’re the best, Harper.” Erik’s relief was apparent on his face. “I love you so much.”

Her heart was bursting with joy at his words. “I love you too.”

“And I promise I’ll find some way to thank you for this.” He continued seriously.

Harper just smiled. “Well, what was that you said before? About returning the favor?” She teased. “Do a good enough job, and how about we call it even?”

Erik reached over, smiling as he unfastened the button on her jeans. “Deal.” He whispered.