**Archie''s POV **


    Something is wrong with Harper. She is trying to pretend everything is fine, but I can sense her growing anxiety. Was Dillon right? Is she nervous about bonding with us?


    I want her, badly. I''ve dreamed about her every single night for over a year, but I can wait as long as it takes until she is ready.


    Hell, if she is never ready, then I''d still be here, worshipping the ground she walks on. I am more than ready to take our rtionship to the next stage and be intimate with her, but just having her in my life is eno She is enough.


    In any capacity.


    Dillon waited at the table whilst I took Harper up to choose her food, and then he went to get his. Dillon casts me a worried nce when he returns to see Harper has barely touched the bowl of pasta she had cl "Don''t you like it? Do you want me to get you something else?" Dillon asks.


    Harper blinks her eyes, as if just returning from another ce within her mind, and looks at him. "No, this is fine," she half smiles before returning to pushing the pasta around her bowl with her fork.


    "You should try the cookies. They do a raspberry and white chocte one that is to die for. Do you want me to see if they have any?" He asks.


    "No, thank you. I''m pretty full already."


    "How can you be full? You''ve not even eaten half the bowl," I ask.


    "I''m just tired I guess," she shrugs, but her gaze briefly flicks towards the unbonded table before going back to her food.


    Dillon doesn''t miss it either and we


    both look at the long table at the back of the hall. Is someone making her ufortable?


    A few of the unbonded cast curious nces around the room. They''re probably wondering if their potential bond is in among the new students, but none


    seems to pay Harper much attention, except one. The troublemaker, Finley. Who beams at me when he notices me looking at him.


    Does he just recognise us from the corridor earlier? Or does he feel drawn to Harper? I really hope it''s not thetter. He doesn''t seem a good fit for our girl.


    Harper is confident in some ways, buttely she has be more introverted. Finley seems like he would draw too much unwanted attention, plus I doubt he''s a favourite of her parents.


    "Do you want to get out of here?" I ask, sharing a look with Dillon, whose expression has turned into a frown. "Yes please," Harper breathes, standing to leave.


    "Go. I''ll catch you up,” Dillon says, shovelling his spaghetti into his mouth.


    I stand and wrap an arm around Harper''s waist, guiding her out of the dining hall and back towards our apartment.


    "Thank you," Harper says with a sigh of relief, and her body seems to go from tense to more rxed with every step we take.


    "Why are you thanking me? What happened in there?"


    "For getting me out. I don''t know what''s wrong with me. Since we spent that time with the rogues, I''ve felt ustrophobic whenever there are to many people around I feel like everyone is watching me and it''s hard to breathe. Being here, with so many new people, is making it worse,” she admits with a tremble in her voice.


    "That''s understandable. We spent days being watched whilst in that group of strangers, but we are safe now and you just have to keep reminding yourself of that. We''ve only been here a few hours. It will get ea "I hope so," she says, attempting a smile as I unlock the door to our apartment.


    "What do you want to


    do with the rest of our evening? Should we watch a movie?"


    Harper nces towards her bedroom door with an unreadable expression before nodding. "Let''s wait for Dillon, though."


    Whilst we


    wait for Dillon to return, I scroll through the movie selection and Harper texts with someone on her phone.


    "I have a lesson with Sage during second period tomorrow. She says you and Dillon should attend with me." "Do you think she is going to confirm we are bonds?" I ask, hoping she says yes.


    I trust Harper''s judgement that we are bonds, but I want it confirmed so we can get rid of the uncertainty from others.


    "Who knows? She doesn''t like to


    give much away. I think she wants me to work it out for myself," she shrugs. The door to our apartment opens and Dillon walks in with his arms loaded with food he''s grabbed from the dining hall. He grins


    proudly as he dumps his haul on the


    coffee table in front of us.


    Iugh as I look at the food. He has brought cookies, fruit, bags of crisps and chocte bars. Harper leans forward and takes one of the cookies, nibbling on it, and I give Dillon a subtle nod of approval.


    I will need


    to make sure we get the kitchen stocked up for when she is too anxious to eat in the dining hall. I''m no chief, but I can make a few simple meals to keep her fed if needed.


    Dillon sits on Harper''s other side and


    I start the movie I''d chosen for us. I''d


    uT


    gone for one that looked girly and Harper seems pleased as she snuggles into my side. Dillon pulls her feet onto hisp and takes off


    her shoes, rubbing her feet and she lets out a moan that goes straight to my dick.


    Shifting slightly, I grab a cushion to cover myp and hope she doesn''t notice, I don''t want to make this awkward for her, but she can''t be making noises like that and not expect my mind to go straight to the gutt Dillon''s eyes meet mine over Harper''s head, and he gives me a knowing smirk. He can smirk all he likes. I can guarantee


    he is just as affected by her sound as I am.


    Adjusting my position so I can easily reach Harper''s shoulders, I massage


    them, drawing another small moan of pleasure from her.


    Dillon''s hands slowly work their way up her legs, massaging her as he goes. I watch her chest rise and fall, looking for any signs she is ufortable with


    this.


    When he reaches her thighs, her breath hitches, but she doesn''t tense. Instead, she hums softly and I can clearly see her nipples pebble under her t- shirt. She is enjoying it


    My hand moves from her shoulder, over her corbone, and my fingers skim over the swell of her breast. My fingers itch to tease her nipple through the fabric of her t- shirt, but I resist. If we move too fast, she might feel pressured into something she is not ready for.


    I move my


    hand back up towards her shoulder but Harper''s hand grips my wrist, guiding


    my hand back to her breast and I finally get my wish as I skim my thumb lightly over her nipple and I am rewarded with the most beautiful gasp from her sweet lips.