Empire - The Next Step

unfamiliar feelings inside

Avoiding Noah was something that Harper had decided to do until she had figured out her feelings, but it was by no means an easy task. He seemed to be everywhere around the studio. Despite wanting to ignore him, when she saw him sitting alone on a bench in the corridor, something inside drove her to console him.

"What's up?" Harper inquired curiously, taking Noah by surprise as she took the seat beside him. She had never seen him look so disappointed, he was usually more laid back about things. Noah silently shook his head without even glancing up to his friend suggesting that he didn't want to talk about it but Harper was determined to be a good friend like he had been for her. "Noah if you forced me to talk about me issues then I only think it's fair I do the same."

"Why don't you take a look in there." Noah suggested bitterly as he lazily gestured to studio A where the song 'coming home' could be heard booming from the speakers. Harper was extremely confused as she glanced around the corner and saw the team doing a strange looking square dance. If A Troupe were having a rehearsal, which it looked like they were since pretty much everyone else was involved, then Noah should have been dancing alongside them. Something was definitely going on.

"Why aren't you dancing with them?" She asked him with a look of inquisitiveness as he finally brought himself to meet her eyes. Instead of the smiling face and bright eyes that Noah usually had, he looked like he disappointed and it was clear from his facial expression.

"I spent all day practising to try and prove myself to the team, but then I find out that they were rehearsing an internationals routine the whole day that I didn't even know about. I just feel like such an outsider." Harper understood where Noah was coming from, it must have been difficult to be the youngest member of the team and have only just moved up from J Troupe. He was ignoring all the positives though. He was actually on A Troupe, he was going to internationals and he was going to be featured in both of their ten person dances.

"You don't have to prove anything Noah, you're a phenomenal dancer. They might overlook you now, but I can guarantee you'll knock their socks off at internationals." She told him confidently which finally managed to bring the faintest of smiles to his face.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Harper confirmed which finally brought Noah's signature grin to his brightened features. The way he smiled at her almost made her melt, and as much as Harper hated to admit it, she knew that she was beginning to develop some feelings fro Noah. She had always wanted to keep their relationship completely platonic, so she was just going to have to try and push her feelings down.

When her phone went off and a message from her dad saying he was there to pick up herself and Michelle, Harper excused herself from Noah biding him a quick goodbye before making her way down to the car park. Before she had even made it to the exit, a voice calling from behind dragged her from her thoughts.

"Harper, I need to apologise." Michelle said as she stopped her younger sister from leaving the building. It had been a while since their fight so Harper had begun to wonder if Michelle would ever apologise, she was thankful for it. "What I said was way out of line and I'm just really sorry. I guess the pressure of A Troupe making me decide was really getting to me and I know it's no excuse, but I really hope you can forgive me."

Without uttering another word, Harper had engulfed her sister in a bone crushing hug. She had never realised how difficult things at the studio would become without Michelle by her side but she never wanted to experience anything like that again. Hopefully, since she had plenty of experience in the field, Michelle could give her younger sister some good advice about her situation with Noah. She had never really felt that way about anyone, she didn't even know what her feelings meant, but she was certainly confused.

"Hey Michelle, can I just ask you something before we get in the car?" She asked timidly as she stood between her sister and the car door. Michelle looked confused, Harper seemed very serious but she had no idea what might have been troubling her. She nodded, eager to hear what Harper's issue was so she could be of some help. "Well I'm just a little bit confused to tell you the truth. One minute I could never imagine Noah and I being more than friends, but then when he hugged me the other day I got the strangest feeling inside. Like I wanted something more, but I'm not sure why."

"Isn't it obvious? You like Noah, and from what I'm hearing it's not just a crush. You really like him." Michelle explained to her younger sister as though it was the simplest thing. Harper deep down was not all too shocked. She had guess, to some extent, that her feelings for Noah had gradually become less platonic, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. The last thing she needed to do was get involved in a love triangle.

"Well what should I do about it?" She asked and Michelle rolled her eyes playfully as she placed a gentle hand on Harper's shoulder. Clearly, the younger of the two siblings was lacking in experience when regarding boys.

"You should tell him how you feel." The older blonde said softly as her gently eyes were fixated on her sister. Harper suddenly felt a rush of nerves overflow as she became more and more flustered at the thought of telling Noah, but luckily Michelle was there to relax her. "Don't worry. You can tell him at Amanda's welcome home party on Saturday. There hopefully won't be as much pressure and you'll have all of tomorrow to prepare yourself."

"I guess you're right."

"I always am." Michelle told her with a proud smile as she considered how much Harper had grown. She remembered times when they would argue over the good chair in their living room and who would get to choose the songs they listened to on the radio, but they had both matured and developed so much at the next step. It was truly incredibly to witness.

As the two of them finally got in the car to drive home, Harper allowed her mind to wander. She thought about Noah and how he might react to finding out she had feelings for him. It could go either way, but something deep inside Harper told her that he was still hung up on Abi. She only hoped this wouldn't end in another heartbreak.