His Naughty Lessons

** Eli **

Ugh, why was Harper here? This was hours earlier than when she was supposed to show up for the evening, and Eli could only imagine that the sight of him being shoved up against the wall by her brother was not the type of scene that she eagerly came to see.

"You’re not supposed to be here, Harp," Tyler uttered the same thought in Eli’s stead, though obviously for a different reason. The guy took a step back, finally releasing the collar clutched tight in his grip, probably to create a more civil conversation environment suitable for his innocent little sister.

Eli rubbed his neck with a quiet sigh. No doubt that this shirt was as ruined as he was tonight.

"Neither are you!" Harper exclaimed in reply. Her eyes darted between the two men, questions and concern written all over her face. "Aren’t you going to be late for your flight? What’s going on here?"

"I’m not taking that flight anymore." With one last withering glare at his no-longer-friend, Tyler turned to pick up his suitcase from the living room. "I’m still leaving this place though," he said to Harper, "and you’re coming with me. We need to talk."

"We can talk right here." His sister wasn’t buying his bossiness. Instead, she hurried into the foyer, and Eli’s heart stopped for a moment when she cupped his cheeks, searching his face up and down with so much worry in her eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Don’t tell me you actually let him beat you."

He liked how she said "let" Tyler beat him, like she trusted him with all the control over this stupid situation.

"Harper, get away from that asshole."

Behind her, Tyler was fuming. Even more so than before, now that he saw the two of them so close with his own eyes. "I don’t know what kind of fake promises he has made to you, but don’t believe them. You have no idea what he’s like with women. Come, let’s go and we can take all the time you want to talk about it."

Clutching his suitcase in one hand, he reached over with the other and tried to pull Harper away. However, to his obvious surprise, Harper swatted his hand away, returning him only a hard glare that matched his own from a moment ago.

"Stop talking to me like you’re my dad! And even if you were Dad, it’s not like I have to listen to you anymore as an adult." Harper raised her chin and stood firmly between the two men, shielding Eli behind her. "Geez, everyone else was right. I didn’t know you could be so unreasonably judgemental! Did you even try to listen to everything he had to say before getting so angry and violent?"