Chapter 129: Moon-Eyed
** Eli **
For the Nth time today, Eli felt like he needed to pinch himself hard to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. And if he wasn’t, he would need to go mark his calendar asap, because this day would surely, positively, undoubtedly turn out to be one of the most important days in his life.
It was such a silly, moon-eyed thought that made him feel utterly unlike himself. But as always, Harper had the magic to turn him into an utterly different person ... in the best way.
In his arms, Harper rubbed the top of her head against his chin, like a happy cat satisfied with the unreserved affection she was receiving. "You should take advantage of your luckiness and hold me like this all night then," she murmured into the crook of his neck. "Heck, or all day tomorrow too. What a luxury it’d be if I get to sit in your lap instead of a chair in all those meetings."
Eli chuckled. "I’d be overjoyed to be your furniture any time. Though your coworkers might end up losing all their jaws if they see us actually do that."
Harper let out a cute snort. "Oh, they might surprise you. Rumors can get quite creative in our office sometimes, and I’m pretty sure every possibility of our relationship has already been imagined. It’ll only be a matter of who wins the bet."
The half joke about a potentially very real situation gave Eli pause. Slowly, his mind shifted gears, returning to the space of reality, and his brow knitted a little at the thought. "Your coworkers think we’re dating?"
Harper looked up this time. "Why, do you not want them to know?"
Oh shit. The slight uncertainty in her tone made him realize that he had given off the wrong impression with that question. "God, Harper, of course I’d want everyone to know who my girl is!" He tightened his arms around her. "I just don’t want them to think that’s the reason why I signed off on your project proposal. Your work deserves to be seen for what it’s truly worth, not as some benefit coming out of unspeakable personal favoritism."
The look in her eyes turned softer with every word he said. "I ... really appreciate the thought," she said. "No one gets how much my work means to me like you do ... But don’t worry, I don’t think they will. And even if a few might, those who actually understand the value of my project will know it for what it is. Those who don’t — their opinion doesn’t really matter anyway."