His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 184: She Would Love You

** Eli **

As soon as the words left his lips, Eli felt an embarrassing urge to ... blush. Damn, that was cheesy. Since when had he ever said such a cheesy thing in such a serious tone?

Fortunately, again, Harper was too hazy-minded to notice anything odd. She fluttered those pretty lashes and chuckled at the prompt. "Oh, we’ve got a long list to go through then," she declared. "Let’s see ... I want to go on a camping roadtrip again. Just the two of us, on that mountain where we first saw those shooting stars. I have lots of new wishes to make and lots of new checkboxes to complete, now that I finally get to share a tent with you."

Eli raised an amused eyebrow, recalling the reminisce of their last camping trip a few nights ago under the stars. Alright, maybe that previous conversation had been just as cheesy as the current one ... and he didn’t mind tracking back into the same territory again.

"Sure, that can easily be arranged," he promised, secretly reminding himself to start shopping for the smallest two-person tent as soon as they returned home. That should help to make the checkbox-ticking process more convenient.

"And I want to learn cooking from you." The girl was quick to move on to the next bullet point. "I want to surprise you someday with a romantic dinner of my own. Veal and risotto, the exact same way you made it for me last time. I’ll decorate it nicely too ... Flowers and chocolates and candles, all that."

"... But how do you make it a surprise if you’re telling me about it now already?"

"... Oh, hmm, that’s a good point. Ok, then forget I just told you about it." Harper nodded in agreement. "What’s next then ... Ah, how about I want to see where you lived on the west coast? Not the place for the past four years, but your home as a kid before we met."

That was the type of topic that would usually give Eli pause. This time, though, he only looked at her softly. "Why do you want to see it?" he asked.

Harper considered the question in glassy-eyed seriousness. Her thumb traced a pensive pattern at the center of his palm, and after a few moments, she said, "I want to share all the important memories of your life with you. Both the good ones and the bad ones. We can laugh and smile about the good ones together, and we can replace the bad ones with something new. When you think back about the same places later, I want the first scene to come up in your mind to be better, happier. I want you to be able to find something to like about that part of your life again, so you don’t have to keep hiding everything about it from yourself."

A chord was struck so deep within him that for a long while, Eli was left without words.

This girl ... When she wakes up tomorrow, would she remember what she had said to him in this state of half-consciousness? Would she realize what it meant to him ... and how faithfully he’d remember and worship every word of it even if she might completely forget it herself?

"Let’s see, what else ..." The girl went on dreamily. A small yawn escaped her lips — the alcohol must be getting closer to reaching its final effect now. "Oh, right, kids. We were talking about kids ... Are we supposed to name them after our parents? At least for middle names? I heard that’s a common thing to do. Though I never knew your mother’s name ... and I assume you don’t care about honoring your fucker of a dad."

"..."

Eli choked on a cough when he heard that phrase from Cecilia being borrowed so effortlessly. Damn, this drunken girl was good at switching her thought process at a speed faster than light, putting him through a whirlwind of emotions.

He looked into her half-hooded eyes, shaking his head, though he couldn’t help an indulgent smile. "My mother’s name is Fiore," he said. The sound of it on his tongue felt surreal — he hadn’t uttered that name in so many years.

"Fiore?" Harper repeated it, and the same syllables sounded lovely from her lips. "That’s beautiful ... Is it Italian?"

When Eli nodded, her gaze turned softer. And a little ... longing. "I wish I could have met her," she said. "She must be a beautiful woman just like her name. And a wonderful mother, to have raised someone like you."

She yawned again, her head starting to droop a little, though she rubbed her eyes and clearly wanted to keep the conversation going. Eli pulled her closer, letting her lean over his shoulder. "She would’ve loved you if you did meet her," he replied. "She liked smart girls. Especially sweet and charming ones like you." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"... You think so?" Harper sounded delighted. "I really wish ... I want her to like me. She must be so worried about you ... and I want her to rest assured that I can take care of you. That I can be good for you ... That I ..."

Her voice became lighter and lighter, until the words finally trailed off into something he could no longer tell. She yawned one last time, tucking her face comfortably into the crook of his neck, and the rhythm of her breathing grew slow and steady, softly tickling his skin.

Eli blinked. In the peaceful silence that gradually settled upon them, her scent enveloped him, sweet and familiar. He took a deep breath, tightening his arm around the soft warmth draping over his body, and it wasn’t until a long while later that he realized his heart had been racing, the sound of its lost rhythm particularly loud in the quiet of the night.

"... Thank you for telling me all this, Harper," he whispered.

She probably didn’t hear him, but the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his was enough response that he sought.