Being Harrison Bloom’s Girl

All she had now was a houseplant, and sh*t, had she forgotten to water it? Leigh had always had a green thumb. Ten green fingers, really. If law school was taking that away from her, too…

She needed a break from the place.

“I will. I’d love to. I’ll make it for dinner, one way or another, and we’ll spend the weekend together,” she promised.

It did cheer her up.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Leigh, I miss you, so much. I’ve been spoiled. Now I need you all the time.”

Leigh sighed and smiled. So what if she might be late with her paper? It wasn’t the end of the world.

She had a life, and there was nothing wrong with that, too.

“I miss you, too.”

“I’ve barely seen you in the last month.”

Leigh chuckled.

“Except for the three times you drove down here and took me out, and sent all the girls and a few guys into paroxysms of envy?”

“It wasn’t that bad,” said Harrison, sounding sheepish.

“You turned up in a Ferrari with three potted rose bushes,” pointed out Leigh, beginning to enjoy herself.

“I was about to bring you a hundred roses, but I thought you’d prefer plants.”

Leigh chuckled.

“I would, if I had the time or the space to take care of actual plants. It was sweet, but every girl wanted a boyfriend like you by the end of that, and every boy here wished he could be like you.”

“But I’m yours.”

Leigh sighed.

“Yes, you are. And you’ll have me this weekend. I promise.”

She’d make it work, somehow, because she had to.

“But I have to get back to work now. I… I’ll talk to you later tonight, okay?”

“You mean you’ll send me a text at three saying you’re going to sleep and you’re sorry.”

Leigh sighed again.

“Harrison, you know I’m taking extra credits. You know I want to graduate early. I want to get it all done so we can move on from this. The distance, it’s getting to me, too, but I’m trying, I truly am. So please, don’t push me, all right?”

“I know. I’m sorry, Leigh. I just miss you.”

“I know. I miss you, too.”

“Then I’ll let you get back to it. See you in three days. And hopefully, speak to you before that.”

Leigh smiled.

Everything was fine in her world again.

“Yes. I love you, Harrison.”

“I love you, Leigh. More than anything in the world.”

Everything inside Leigh seemed to soften and settle as he said the words. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed them until he’d said them.

He always seemed to know what she needed. At least, he had, until the distance had made itself felt.

But as Leigh hung up, the smile was still in place.

She was a very lucky girl.

“That’s not a smile I’ve seen on the face of anybody trying to get through one of those terrible Contracts papers set by the dreaded Dragon, Ms. Flame.”

Leigh looked around and saw one of the girls in her dorm who reminded her very much of her best friend, Emily – who was also away, in Beijing, working with her firm’s branch there.

Everybody seemed to have left Leigh behind, she thought, and felt the beginnings of petulance coming on.

“Hana! Boy, am I glad to see you. And the smile is possibly because I’m not doing the Contracts paper, I’m doing the Criminal Law one.”

Hana rolled her eyes, her expressive and animated face flickering with so many expressions that it was hard to keep up with her.

“The Hunk isn’t nearly as strict about deadlines as the Dragon, Leigh. You should do the Contracts one first and leave the Criminal Law one for later. Then it doesn’t matter if you don’t hit the deadline. Anyway, we’ll have to work all weekend to make it. I hate Monday morning deadlines.”

Leigh gulped a little.

“I have to go home this weekend.”

Hana’s eyes widened.

“You’re going to do it all in the next three days? Or have you some kind of time turner that you’re keeping to yourself?”

Leigh gulped again.

“I forgot about the Contracts paper when I said I’d go home. I have to go. Sh*t.”

“Well, sh*t is what you’re going to be in if you don’t get to work now instead of sitting there and dreaming, with that dopey look on your face. Were you thinking of the Prince Charming? You were, weren’t you?”

Leigh smiled, but it was strained, now that she knew just how much work she had to finish over the next couple of days. Sleeping at three seemed out of the question, too.

“And look where that’s getting me. I’d better get to work.”

Hana nodded.

“You can have my cheat sheet if you like. I have cheat sheets – from the best graded papers from the last five years.”

Leigh looked at Hana gratefully.

“You are a treasure – an absolute treasure. I’ll take the cheat sheets, with thanks.”

“And in exchange, you can loan me your Prince Charming,” teased Hana, making Leigh chuckle.

“I think your own Prince Charming might have something to say about that.”

“Ah, but he’s not a billionaire, so he’ll have to bow out gracefully.”

Leigh felt the little prickle of discomfort as Hana said that.

A lot of people on campus seemed to have decided that she was a bit of an unscrupulous gold-digger when they realized that she was that Leigh – the one who was dating her billionaire stepbrother.

They hadn’t even got their facts right. Harrison wasn’t her stepbrother, he was her adopted brother, and not even that, technically. Harrison had never been adopted by her parents as their son, though he was their son in everything but legality. They had become his legal guardians, and he their ward.

Leigh hadn’t thought about the nuances of that until a few months ago, when she decided to finally pursue her dream and do her LSAT. And had decided that she wanted to date him.

“Well, let’s figure that out later, shall we?” said Leigh, tersely, and Hana, understanding, settled down in the chair next to her and took her notes out.

Leigh tried to work, but she knew that part of her mind was wandering. It didn’t help the next day, or the next – it didn’t help, not even when she got in her car and made the two-hour drive back home.