An hour and a half passed. Magnus was still out cold in the backseat. No one disturbed him - he just slept on.
Then ca a loud banging on the car door. Startled, Magnus opened his eyes, thinking sothing had gone wrong. He was about to get up when he realized soone was lying on top of him. The figure was small, completely covered by a few pieces of clothing, head tucked in. But under his hand - it was all soft and smooth...
He froze. Did I... lose control?
The past few days had been rough, sleep barely enough. Magnus shook his head hard, trying to rember what happened after he got in the car.
Nothing. He was sure he’d done nothing.
He clearly recalled greeting Harper before lying down. He’d told her to wake him in about fifty minutes. Then he faintly rembered her massaging his arm... But that was it. Nothing beyond that.
Then how the hell did things end up like this?
Mind blank, and the door banging still going. Isabel hadn’t been able to see clearly through the front windshield - just that he had been sprawled out asleep.
"Hold on! I’m getting out!" Magnus shouted.
The banging stopped. He quickly patted Harper. "Get up, we’re leaving."
Whatever the hell this is, there’s no ti to deal with it now. They’d sort it out on the ride back to the Ice Regint’s main unit.
Truth was, Harper had been wide awake the whole ti. Over an hour ago, she’d made a decision - the first ti in her life to undress in front of a man. Sleep? Not a chance.
She followed the plan she had in her head from the start. Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes already red from forced rubbing. Tear-stained and pitiful, she looked at Magnus, wiping her eyes.
Magnus still had no clue what was going on. He didn’t dare think any deeper. Just hurried her along in a low voice. "Co on, put your clothes on. Isabel’s still outside. She’s not the type to let this slide."
Harper, eyes brimming with tears, asked him to turn around. She carefully put her clothes back on one piece at a ti. Magnus climbed to the front seat, glanced back - she was almost dressed. Her ponytail was still ssy, strands of hair hanging over her forehead.
He pointed at his own head, signaling her to fix her hair, then took a deep breath and opened the door.
Isabel saw him get out from the front seat and blinked in surprise. She’d just seen him asleep in the back. So why’d he go all the way to the front to get out? Seed off.
She gave him a sharp look, but with blood and gri caked on her face and body from not washing the past two days, she didn’t look too intimidating right now.
Magnus didn’t want to explain anything. He gave so excuse about needing to rush back to base and sent her off. Getting back into the car, he found Harper in the driver’s seat, face gloomy, red eyes staring ahead, not even glancing at him.
Seeing her like that, Magnus started second-guessing himself.
He lit a cigarette, trying to recall what exactly happened before he fell asleep. He was certain - he’d only said one thing to her: "Wake up in an hour." Nothing more. Nothing. How the hell did it turn out like this? Don’t tell I sleepwalked?
Magnus had warned himself just days ago - no more screw-ups. With everything going to shit, if he pulled another stunt, even he wouldn’t be able to face himself.
Besides, he’d barely slept three hours in the last two days. Where would he even get the energy for anything else? It made no damn sense.
Harper was behind the wheel now, stone-faced, silent, not even sparing him a glance. Every ti he looked over, she let out a cold snort.
Didn’t seem like she was faking it either...
But if he had really forced her into anything, shouldn’t it have been the other way around? Her lying beneath him, not curled up on top?
They’d only been on the road for a bit - trip was about an hour long, and it’d been maybe ten minutes so far - and Magnus already felt like exploding. He didn’t want her going back and stirring up rumors. He was done explaining himself.
He ran a hand through his hair, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled hard. "What the hell happened earlier? I seriously don’t rember doing anything."
Silence.
Harper kept her eyes forward, still driving like nothing had been said.
Her attitude started pissing him off. He was exhausted, not blackout drunk. He knew himself well enough to be 90% sure he’d done nothing.
If she didn’t want to talk, fine. He decided not to say anything else either. Not like he was gonna admit to sothing he didn’t do.
Ten more minutes passed.
Magnus leaned back in the passenger seat, eyes closed. He was just trying to rest again when Harper glanced sideways at him and panicked - this wasn’t how it was supposed to go!
Why the hell isn’t he asking more questions? I haven’t even gotten halfway into the act yet! Don’t go falling asleep!
Still, she had to stick to her victim routine. She gave a light cough, kept her face tight, and said coldly, "Do your words an anything?"
His eyes cracked open. "What words?"
"You said..." Harper’s voice wavered, just a little. She wasn’t great at lying - it showed on her slightly flushed cheeks - but she kept her gaze on the road. Her voice stayed cold, mouths barely moving. "You said once we got back, you’d introduce to Sarah."
I said that?
Magnus frowned. That didn’t sound like him. He didn’t buy it. "Doesn’t sound like sothing I’d say."
"Forget it. I knew you wouldn’t take responsibility anyway." Harper’s voice was sharp, still as frosty as ever.
Magnus forced himself to stay calm. "It’s not that I won’t take responsibility - I just never planned on anything with you. I wouldn’t do that."
That blunt rejection stung. Harper’s nose twitched, and a second later, fat tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She said nothing more.
Seeing her cry, Magnus felt a twinge of guilt, but he couldn’t admit to sothing he hadn’t done. So he stayed quiet, lighting cigarette after cigarette in silence. At three in the afternoon, the convoy rolled into the Ice Regint’s base and linked up with the main forces. Harper parked the vehicle. Magnus glanced at her, let out a quiet sigh, and reached for the door.
But before he could step out, Harper suddenly raised her slender hand in front of him. "Since you’ve decided not to take responsibility," she said coldly, "then give back what’s in your pocket..."
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