Chapter 100

AMBER'S POV
'Why are you staring at me like you've just seen a ghost?" Peter Harley's voice was very firm but cheerful, exactly the way I had remembered it to be. It was strange how much changed with time and how little also changed with time.
'Aren't you going to give me a hug at least?" He asked as he smiled broadly revealing perfect set of teeth. I leaned closer to him unconsciously, it looked like a miracle what braces could actually achieve.
Peter Harley from 10 years ago, had the most horrible set of teeth. It wasn't too awful that I sided with the bullies but it was just enough for him to get pinned as a subject of constant mockery for them. It felt very strange seeing him without the braces bit then, he wasn't 18 years old anymore, he looked nothing like he used to.
The timid kid who wore braces had been replaced with a handsome man with the nicest set of teeth I'd seen in a while. Stalling was one skill I had inherited from my mum and had passed down to my children unconsciously, it was something I had little or no power over. Even though It had it benefits sometimes, it was still not a great thing to have.
'It is so nice to see you, Harley!" I almost screamed as I regained my composure. I wasn't even given a chance to say anything else cause my feet left the ground as he wrapped his huge arms around me.
I laughed hysterically as he placed me on the ground. Peter Harley had never been short, puberty was good to him unlike Melissa and I but this was a completely different Peter Harley. It took me awhile to finally stops laughing, no one had lifted me up in forever.
'What was that for?!" I asked amidst laughter. His grin was answer enough. Peter Harley and I had one of the most confusing relationships back then in highschool. We weren't close enough to be best friends but also weren't distant enough to be acquaintances.
Peter nudged me slightly with one very broad shoulder, 'How have you been, Swift? Its been forever. I think I saw you back at the decade reunion party but I wasn't sure if it was you" his voice was laced with almost the same excitement as I was feeling. It felt good to meet someone from my past that I had no bad history with, it felt really good.
'Likewise, Harley. Its so nice to see you after so long, so so nice" I smiled as I gave him a soft punch on the arm. 'You lost the braces?" I asked jokingly and watched in satisfaction as his smile broadened.
'Something like that" he said with a smile on his very handsome face. I couldn't help but imagine how different the two Harley boys were. Unlike Peter who had traded his boyish looks for the new manky look I was swooning over, Jay had always looked attractive.
'How about we sit and chat for a bit? We have a lot of catching up to do" Peter interrupted my trail of thoughts. There was no use thinking about the brothers while I was scheduled to meet up with one in about an hour and the other one was standing right in front of me.
We were supposed to be chatting as Peter had said but instead it was just him staring at me and me struggling to not blush profusely. It had been easy to look at the teenage Peter but this one? Even his eyes appeared different from before and I wondered how I wasn't able to notice all the times we had spent together.
Tired of his stares, I shoved him lightly with my shoulder, 'Will you quit staring at me like that? You wanted to talk but all you've done since we placed our order was sit and stare at me" I said as I smiled broadly. It was nice to see someone look at me the way Peter Harley was looking at me but it also felt strange altogether.
'I'm sorry, Am" he laughed, 'It's just so crazy how you still look the exact same way you use to ten years ago. Don't you age, Amber Swift?" He asked as hand brushed my cheeks lightly and the grey I didn't even know he had in his eyes, deepened. It was an entirely different look on him and I stiffened involuntarily.
Sensing something was wrong, he quickly withdrew the hand and asked, 'Is something wrong, Amber?" I could hear the concern in his voice but I couldn't pinpoint anything that was wrong except my defensive walks that had lifted themselves up with just one touch.
'I have to be somewhere, Harley. Let's do this some other time" I mumbled as I rose up from the chair. We had spent almost an hour at Alfred's and i knew it was way past the time I was supposed to go meet Jay.
Peter still had the same look on his face as he stood up too. 'Can I maybe drop you off? Where are you headed? It could be on my..." He trailed off as his eyes completed the question. I knew he meant well, besides, was there any harm in allowing someone care for me? I had allowed Jay Harley to kiss me, wasn't that passing my boundaries?
I gave him a small smile, 'You may, if you're headed to your company cause that's where I have to go" I said. I could see the question in the look he gave me as soon as I mentioned where I had to go to. But there was something I had associated with the Harleys and it was their ability to not probe into other people's affairs.
It would have been a nice attribute to have but my triplets, Maddie most especially, thrived in poking around in other people's affairs. It could have been something they got from their grandmother, my mother would gladly hold the camera if it involved spying on people.
'Thank you for the ride, Harley. Call me up sometime and we can do our catching up, okay?" I winked at him as he walked into the building after giving me a hug. It felt odd to be hugged but oddly good. Just as I was about to take the first step into the building, I crashed into someone who was exiting it.
'Would you watch where you're going?!" The women asked angrily as she bent to pick her folder that had fallen in the crash. I suddenly felt numb, there was no way I could ever forget such a voice. It had haunted my dreams for over 10 years.