Invisible to My First Love by Lypstical Novel

Chapter 117 Harper When Grayson had told me about Anna wanting to see me , I had so many hopes but after we made it to Los Angeles and he took me to where she was supposed to be , I was disappointed when we were told that she had already left as the people who had been looking for her were getting closer to finding her . I sat by the nearest bench on the sidewalk as I held back my tears . It hurt . Grayson sat right next to me in silence and I could feel him watching me in my peripheral vision .

He wrapped his arm around my body to comfort me and feeling his embrace , I immediately rested my head on his shoulder as I sighed deeply . Once again , I felt incomplete as I hadn't yet met Anna . It didn't hurt as much as it did when Tiffany and Kate tricked me because this time , my sister wanted to see me for real . Grayson had met her and spoken to her . His embrace was so warm and comforting that I held onto him and didn't want to let go , especially when I felt the vibrations of his voice as he spoke to me . " I'm sorry , Harp .

I feel awful that I brought you to Los Angeles for nothing . I really wanted this to be a special moment . " " Thank you for making so much effort . " My voice trembled with emotion . " I just wonder what type of trouble my sister keeps getting herself into ." " She wouldn't tell me no matter how many times I told her that I could help . I wish we could call her or something , but it's just as I told you , she currently doesn't have a cellphone ." It broke my heart to think about my sister living such a life . " We should get going now ," he said in a cheerful tone to brighten up my mood .

" We can spend the night at my dad's hotel . Don't worry about Tiffany . I told her I had an emergency work trip here in Los Angeles and will be back home before I head to Brazil tomorrow . " My eyebrows furrowed . " Brazil ? Wasn't it Japan ? " He chuckled . " Right , it's Japan . I mixed them up because I have so many meetings in both countries . " I nodded in understanding . He was about to pull me up when I said , " Actually , I prefer going back to San Francisco right away . It's only 8 PM ." " Is everything okay ? " He gave me a half smile .

While I was grateful that Grayson had done so much for me in just a few hours , I didn't want to go to the hotel with him . It was best for me to return home as soon as possible so I could get away from him . " Everything's fine , " I said . " I just don't want to be here in Los Angeles . It'll be a constant reminder that I came here for nothing . Can we please go ? " " Well , I preferred going back in the morning because of the weather over there tonight . There's going to be a heavy downpour , but whatever you want . Before we leave , let's grab something to eat .

" His lips curved into a charming smile and I was trying so hard not to let it pull me all the way in . 1/4 Vouchers When we arrived back in San Francisco , the downpour was already getting heavier by the minute and it began to be a little difficult to see the road ahead even with the windshield wipers activated . " In a few minutes , I won't be able to see shit , " he said . " I can't drive all the way to your place in this rain and we still have a long way to go . " " This is my fault . " I shook my head as I huffed . " I'm the one who wanted to come back here as soon as possible .

" " Don't worry about it . We have two options right now . We can wait in the car no matter how long it takes , or drive for about a minute to get to my childhood home and spend the night there . For me , being inside the house sounds better . " " I think we're safer just parking and waiting here . " " No. " He firmly shook his head . " We're safer in that house . We're very close and I can get us there . " No matter what I said , he kept driving there . I couldn't understand why he was determined to get to the house .

I swallowed hard , thinking about how I was going to be alone with him probably for the whole night . Grayson brought me to one of the bedrooms I used to sleep in whenever I slept over and so many memories came flooding back . " I think I understand why you didn't want to sell this house , " I said as I looked around . " If it's this nostalgic for me , I can only imagine what it's like for you . I can't wait to check out the treehouse tomorrow . " He chuckled , stepping closer to close the distance between us . " I'm just glad to see you smile .

I'm really sorry about what happened in Los Angeles ." He cupped my face , his warm hands sending a pleasant shiver down my spine . I knew that he was just trying to comfort me and I shouldn't think anything else of it . " It's really not your fault . Just look at you , still in your suit and not yet home because you wanted to reunite me with my sister . Thanks again ." " You're welcome . " He still didn't drop his hands from the sides of my face . " Harp , I know you're smiling and all , but deep down , you're still disappointed .

I'm just in the next bedroom , but I can stay a bit longer with you if you'd like that ." Even though I'd thought about it so many times in the past and liked the way it rolled off his tongue , that was the last thing I needed . It was just the two of us in that house , far away from everyone else and that wasn't the time for me to slip back into my old ways . " Thanks . " I forced a smile as I gently pushed his hands away and took a step back . " But I'll be fine ." His eyes narrowed , like he couldn't believe I had just said that . " Are you sure ?

" I firmly nodded , wanting to keep the distance , despite having him all to myself . " I'll be fine . I mean it . " He sighed . " If you say so . " He stepped forward , then held me in his arms again . I was about to close my eyes and lose myself to that feeling but quickly , I snapped out of it and said , " Goodnight ." He dropped his hands , taking that as a hint to leave , but even as he did , he kept looking back at me with that charming smile like he didn't want to go . I needed him as far away as possible and that was a perfect moment to keep that distance again .

" Can we leave around 7 tomorrow morning ? " I said . " I have to get to my place as early as possible and work on a few things before my date in Paris with Maddox . " 2/4 He looked back at me with a blank expression . " Of course . I wouldn't want you to miss out on that . " His voice was now quiet . When he was finally gone , I approached the door and locked it , like that would lock him out of my heart . I was woken up by the sound of the constant message notifications , making me wonder what was going on . I lazily reached for my phone to check and my eyes widened with pleasant surprise .

It was Maddox . He'd sent me twenty pictures of the same thing , the Eiffel Tower , but I didn't even mind it because that counted as him talking to me and I'd been longing for that , so I quickly replied . " You're quite early in Paris . You said 7 PM , not 7 AM . " As soon as I sent the message , he read it but I got no reply no matter how much I waited . I should've been mad about it , but it just made me chuckle loudly because that evening , we were still going to talk in person . " Harp ? " Grayson said in the hallway while knocking on my door .

I got out of bed and opened the door , only to hold my breath at the sight before me . He was in some tight shorts , his bare chest dripping with sweat while his hair clung to his forehead . I tried not to stare too long at those sexy muscles all over his body , so I focused on his face , telling myself not to fail . " Hey , I just woke up , " I said , trying to keep my voice steady . " Trying to show off that you're in shape ? " He scoffed , wiping the sweat off his forehead with the same hand that had his wedding ring . " Nope .

I just happened to pass by at the right time when I heard you chuckle . The weather's lovely outside and I thought it was a good idea to go jogging . We should leave in the next thirty minutes . " I nodded , still trying my best not to drop my eyes to the rest of his body . When he excused himself to freshen up , I stepped into the shower too , slapping myself gently so I wouldn't lose focus .

Yes , he had only gotten sexier since the last time I'd seen him shirtless and that was years ago , but so had Maddox and the more I thought about it and compared , the more I preferred Maddox's physique . It must have been because I knew every contour of his muscles as I had seen him naked so many times . The thought of how it felt each time I'd touched his toned chest as he thrust into me made me pause for a moment to bite my lip . I couldn't wait to see him again and just ... talk .

When I was finally dressed , we stepped out of the house and were ready to go to the car when I saw the treehouse again . I paused with a soft chuckle as I remembered all the ways I used to climb up that ladder to get inside . " Why not go in and check it out ? " he suggested . " I know we have to go but come on , five minutes won't hurt . " I nodded in agreement as I really wanted to check it out . Making my way up the ladder , I gasped when I pushed open the door .

The treehouse had undergone major renovations on the outside and inside , yet it still felt the same and everything was still in its place . I smiled as I touched the hat I used to wear a lot . " I can't believe this hat still looks so good . " " I've taken good care of this place . It's only you and I who know how special this treehouse is . I knew that if I didn't look after it , no one would . " He picked up a baseball bat , reminding me of the one time I pretended to hit the ball and accidentally smashed something else .

His description of other unforgettable moments when we were younger made me laugh so hard that my ribs hurt . I wanted 3/4 him to stop because I couldn't take it anymore . I was just in the middle of reminding him of something too when the phone in his hand rang . He looked down at the caller ID and the way he smiled instantly broke my heart because he only smiled like that for one person . " It's my wife . Just a second ," he said to me , then began to make his way out the door as he said , " Hey babe .

" As he got further and further away until I couldn't hear a thing , I clenched my jaw hard at how the two of them seemed to still be so happy together . I could never forget how I'd exposed her affair with Josh and he still took her side . It hurt that he loved her that much . I shut it out , telling myself I couldn't change what had happened , so I continued to look around at everything and in just a minute , I giggled . Every item had a memory attached to it . Then , I spotted a box on the top shelf that made me tilt my head . It had never been there before , so I reached for it .

The box might have been new , but when I looked inside , most of the stuff was familiar . There were toys , some cards and bangles . Right at the bottom was a notebook that I was unfamiliar with but there was a picture between some pages . Because the edges of the picture were sticking out , I could already tell what it was , so I lifted the book and opened it just to confirm . I grinned because I was right . It was a picture of Grayson and I on my 14th birthday . We had our cheeks smeared in the chocolate cream from the same large cake he'd bought for me .

While I had terrible skin and was in my ugly and baggy clothes , there he was , looking so cool in his trendy style and clear skin . He hugged me tightly , like we would always be inseparable . I stared at him first for a while , then looked at my old self and was so proud because I'd come so far . When I looked away from the picture and my eyes landed on the page I'd opened , not only did my smile instantly fade , but my heart shattered as I read what Grayson used to write about me . It was so awful that tears blurred my vision quickly .

Sara Lili Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland's breathtaking cold.