All Chapters of Playing Hard To Get: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Chapter Forty-Six: AlmostHarperThey didn’t talk much on the way home.The windows were cracked just enough to let in the warm night air, and the buzz of prom still lingered—music pulsing faintly in her memory, whispers fading, that kiss still glowing on her mouth like a secret she hadn’t finished unwrapping.Jaxon held her hand the entire ride. Not tightly. Not possessively.Just enough to say I’m here, if you want me to be.When they pulled into her driveway, the porch light was on, and the neighborhood was quiet. Her dad’s truck was gone, just like he said it would be—overnight shift.Jaxon turned off the engine but didn’t move right away.Neither did she.He looked over, smiling just a little. “So… still not sure about that real date?”She hesitated, heart thudding. “I’m just not ready for labels.”“Fair,” he said. “Labels are overrated.”Silence stretched.She opened the door. “But… do you want to come in?”He blinked. “Your dad—?”“Gone till morning.”He nodded once, got out, a

Chapter Forty-Eight: FalloutHarperIt was Saturday.The sun was already up, but Harper hadn’t left her bed. Her sheets were tangled around her legs, and her thoughts even more so. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her father’s face—how disappointed he looked. How betrayed.She hadn’t spoken to Jaxon since last night. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t. Not yet.The house was quiet until she heard the gravel crunch in the driveway.Voices.Then a knock at the door.Not hers.The front door.Her stomach dropped.She slid off the bed and tiptoed to her door, cracking it open just enough to hear.Her dad answered the door."Jaxon."Harper’s heart hammered."Mr. Lane," Jaxon said, steady and quiet. "I’m not here to make excuses. I just... I need to apologize."There was a long silence. She imagined her dad just staring at him."I care about your daughter more than I’ve ever cared about anything," Jaxon continued. "And I know what it looked like. I know what it

Chapter Fifty-One: Shifting ShadowsHarperFor the first time in what felt like months, Harper Lane could walk the hallways of East Ridge High without her name trailing behind her like a bad rumor.No more side-eyes. No more snickering in the girls’ bathroom. No more TikToks with her face blurred out under captions like “guess who slept with their BFF’s ex.”The storm had passed. Or at least, quieted.People had found something else to talk about—college decisions, prom dress fails, who got into where and who didn’t. The seniors were too distracted with countdowns and beach trip plans to keep poking at her bruises. And Jaxon? Well... Jaxon had pulled back just enough to let her breathe.He wasn’t showing up at her car every morning anymore, or waiting outside her third period like clockwork. He wasn’t blowing up her phone, or trying to force a conversation she wasn’t ready to have. But he was there. Always there. Just… quieter now. Gentler.Still Jaxon.Still the boy who could ruin he

UnmovedJaxonHe didn’t leave.Even after Harper quietly shut the door in his face, even after her silence cut deeper than any words could have—Jaxon stayed.At first, he just stood there, staring at the wood grain of her front door like it might somehow open again. Like if he just stood still long enough, she’d realize he was still out here and change her mind.But she didn’t.So after a while, he dropped down onto the porch, stretched his long legs out across the boards, and leaned his back against the railing. He slipped off his hoodie, balled it up behind his head like a pillow, and just laid there—watching the stars, feeling the night settle over him like a heavy, humid blanket.The Mississippi summer air was thick, buzzing softly with the sound of cicadas. A train howled somewhere far off, low and mournful. Porch lights flickered on in the neighbor’s yard across the street, casting soft glows over the driveway gravel. Somewhere down the block, a dog barked halfheartedly before q

Chapter Fifty-Five: In the QuietHarperWhen Jaxon’s truck rumbled up at exactly 7:00 on the dot, Harper was already there—curled into the porch swing, her socked foot tucked under her, two steaming mugs of coffee lined up on the little table beside her like a quiet truce offering.She didn’t wave.Didn’t speak.Just looked at him with that unreadable Harper expression—calm on the surface, but always carrying more underneath.He stepped out of the truck slowly, shutting the door with a soft thunk, hands shoved in the pockets of his sweatshirt. He looked tired. Not just in the physical sense, but soul-tired. Like the last few days had wrung him out.She nudged the second mug with her foot. “Still drink it black?”His face broke into a soft grin as he stepped onto the porch. “You remembered.”“I also remember you used to sneak sugar packets from the diner and pretend you were too cool for sweetener.”He took the cup and sat beside her, shoulders barely touching, but the space between th