11. Lila
ELEVEN
Lila
“Charlie, it’s seriously fine. Don’t even worry about it.”
“Are you sure? We can get you a reservation someplace else. I feel terrible.” The video shook as she threw on her sunglasses. I saw a flash of a stunning turquoise pool behind her as she readjusted on a chaise lounge.
“I’m positive. The woman that owns this place is so sweet; she’s already given us a million recommendations. And you know me, I love to support a small, family-owned business. Seriously, I want to stay.”
When I woke up this morning, just after seven a.m. local time, I removed my sleep mask to find that I’d already received several texts from Charlie instructing me to call her immediately. The only message I’d sent her last night told her there had been a slight change of plans, but we’d figured it all out. She still panicked, though.
I’d padded out of the room quietly, careful not to wake Harrison or the other sleeping forms in their beds. For being stuck in a room with strangers, there was surprisingly little snoring—either that, or I’d been too tired to notice.
Now, I sat on the pool deck, watching the sun rise over the horizon. It was official: you definitely didn’t need to be at some fancy hotel to appreciate the beauty of this place.
“Is that Lila?” I heard a woman say before Skylar poked her head onto the screen. “Hi.” She waved at me and smiled.
“Hey.” I smiled back, ignoring the dull ache of jealousy I felt while I heard Skylar say something to Charlie off-camera.
Charlie laughed before saying, “I’ll be down in a sec.”
For the longest time, it had just been Charlie and me. That’s why we’d started a business in the first place: to connect with other women. But through it all, the two of us had always been more like family.
But now here Charlie was, marrying the love of her life, adopting his friends as if they were her own. Even Oliver. He was one of my closest friends, but soon he would be Charlie’s new brother. She was growing and expanding her world so much, while I was just the tag-along.
It made me feel a little queasy.
“Is Harrison being an ass? Be honest. I can have Oliver call him and sort him out.” Charlie’s question pulled me down from my escalating thoughts.
“He’s fine. I think we have an understanding.” I hoped that he would at least attempt to have a good time on this trip. “It’s weird being here with just him, though. It feels so intimate to be on vacation with someone, and now here I am with Harrison, of all people.” I kept my voice low even though I knew that Harrison was still completely passed out. When I had tiptoed out of the room, he had looked so dead to the world that I had stopped to place a hand over his nose to check for breathing.
“Maybe, after being stuck together for a few days, you two will start a torrid affair,” Charlie whispered teasingly.
My lips fell open before I snapped them shut again. “What?” I asked, trying and failing to sound both casual and confused.
Charlie and I told each other everything . But I would never admit to her that I felt anything other than total and utter indifference toward Harrison. In fact, I couldn’t think of a more embarrassing revelation. Which was why I’d thought my little secret crush was just that—a secret. If I hadn’t so much as hinted at the subject to her, the person to whom I told my most embarrassing truths, then I figured no one would ever be the wiser. If a thought was never spoken, did it even truly exist?
“Come on. I know you,” she pressed.
I shook my head. “Exactly. You know me. So you’d know that I’ve never said anything about being interested in Harrison .”
She waited for a moment, waiting to see if I’d reveal more before letting out a sigh. “I know, but Oliver and I were talking?—”
“You were talking with Oliver?” I snapped, now sitting straight up. “Why would you two be talking about Harrison and me?” Something like horrified interest washed over me.
“Well, obviously we were talking about how weird it is that you two ended up all the way over in Greece just by yourselves. Then I joked that you’d definitely murder Harrison, or that Harrison wouldn’t even last half a day before leaving. But Oliver...” Her voice trailed off as she looked behind her.
“Oliver what?” I demanded.
“I don’t know. He mentioned that maybe there’s something there.”
“Oh, and Oliver is the expert on my love life? I can’t believe you’d talk about us like that.”
At least she had the decency to look guilty.
“Well, you can’t deny that Harrison is attractive. You even admitted you thought he was hot—that one night we were out for wine and cheese plates.”
“I was tipsy and that was months ago,” I said, offended that she’d hold that against me.
“Friends don’t forget.” Her sheepish smile turned devilish.
“Well, please do me a favor and forget that thought. Absolutely nothing will be happening between Harrison and me, so you and Oliver can drop the subject immediately. I don’t even find him attractive anymore,” I lied. “How could I, with that attitude of his? It’s a total turn-off.” Another lie. The part of me that needed to be liked by everyone was the same part that wanted to try just a little harder every time Harrison came at me with a rude comment.
“If you say so.” Charlie looked at me over the top of her sunglasses.
I gripped the phone tighter. “I do,” I said through clenched teeth. “Can we talk about literally anything else? What amazing Fiji adventure am I missing out on today?”
Charlie smirked, but obliged me by dropping the subject and describing the catamaran they had chartered. We finished chatting, and promised to call every morning with updates.
I set my phone down and picked up my forgotten espresso that I’d gotten from the small breakfast spread earlier. It was ice cold at this point, but I needed something to quell the sickening worry blooming in my chest that everyone was talking about me and Harrison behind our backs. I’m not sure if they saw the idea of us as a joke or some weird science experiment, but either way, I hated it.
My mind raced through every conversation I’d ever had with Charlie or Oliver, desperate to ensure I’d never unintentionally incriminated myself. No one could know about my minor inkling of a crush. The embarrassment would be unbearable.
“Enjoying the view?” I turned to see Maria waving at me as she walked to the small main office.
“Yes!” I called back. “I hope it’s alright that I brought my breakfast out here.”
“Of course,” Maria waved off my comment. “Please enjoy it.”
“Thank you.” I turned back and pulled out the map she’d marked up for us last night. If anything could take my mind off Charlie’s words, it was planning the day ahead. It was still early, but I already knew I wanted to head back into town. I’d hardly had a chance to see anything yet.
Would Harrison want to join me, or would he be bored by the idea of spending a few hours walking around and enjoying the sights? We hadn’t explicitly said we’d stick together, but at the same time, I didn’t want to start this trip by ditching him if he did want to tag along. Selfishly, I wanted him to come with me. Sure, he was a grouch, but he was kind of warming up to me. Plus, while I felt confident I could have fun in any situation, I preferred to have company. It was likely the reason I was so dead-set on finding a serious boyfriend. It was laughable to think back to my early twenties when I thought I’d be married by now.
“Eh, good morning. Are you our new roommate?” A younger blond guy with a British accent of some sort approached me, followed by two boyish-looking guys with brown hair. They all looked a bit disheveled from sleep.
“Um, possibly,” I offered. While I had noticed three of the beds were occupied this morning, I hadn’t exactly gone over to inspect what the other inhabitants of the room looked like. “I’m in the shared room over that way.”
“I think she is,” the shorter of the two brown-haired guys piped up. “She’s above the big bloke.”
“That would be us,” I said.
“I’m Nigel,” the shaggy blond said. “And this is Mark and Will.”
“How’s it going?” They said in unison. They didn’t look identical, and one had several inches on the other, but judging by the strong resemblance they had to be brothers.
“Lila,” I said, extending my hand and shaking Nigel’s.
“Whereabouts are you from, Lily?” Nigel asked as he sat down in the seat next to me while Mark, the shorter one, leaned against the chair. Will stood in the back.
“Um...it’s Lila, actually. And we’re from the U.S.”
Nigel brightened. “Eh? I’ve been there. Only to New York City, though.”
“I’ve actually never been to New York,” I said, his friendly smile instantly making me feel comfortable. “We’re from Colorado.”
“No way. The skiing there is supposed to be great,” Will said.
“Oh, it definitely is. Although I wouldn’t know much about that personally.” Aside from one misguided attempt from Oliver to teach me last winter, I’d never gotten into the sport.
“Are you just here on holiday?” Nigel asked.
“Um, kind of? Yes. I guess we are. We’re only here through Sunday.”
“You’ll be able to see a lot in a few days. We only just got here the other day and we’ve already done loads. We’re down for Mark and Will’s birthday.”
“Twins?” I guessed.
“Yep,” the two said in unison.
“Fraternal, obviously,” Mark added.
“Well, happy birthday, then.”
“Thanks,” they said again before Will added, “We just turned twenty. Turning into old farts.”
My smile froze before I burst out laughing. “Right; talk to me when you’re approaching twenty-seven.”
“You don’t look a day over twenty-two.” Nigel smiled and winked at me.
“Sure, thanks for trying,” I said, still laughing. “I suppose you’re twenty as well.”
“Nah, I’m only nineteen,” Nigel said, grinning.
Infants.
I shifted my posture, hoping my back didn’t creak in the process.
“What’s on your agenda for the day?” Nigel asked.
“I wanted to head into town soon. We didn’t get to see much last night.”
“We’re about to head that way now. Care to join us?” Nigel sprang to his feet and offered up his hand.
“Oh, um, well...” I hesitated, my hand hovering over his. Would Harrison want me to wait for him?
“We can wait a bit, if you need to grab something from the room,” Will offered.
“Just let me get my bag.”
I could leave Harrison a note if he was still sleeping. It was already almost nine, after all. I had been up for hours at this point and I was itching to get moving. He would understand.
As I entered the room, I quietly approached our bunk bed, noting a lump under the covers. I grabbed my shoulder bag and threw in some sunscreen, my wallet, and a few other necessities. I scanned the shelf by my bed for a pen and paper so I could leave that note.
“What are you doing?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin and whipped around to see Harrison standing behind me, fully awake and dressed for the day. I tried not to stare at the thigh tattoos that poked out of his black cutoff shorts.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I accused.
He furrowed his brow. “I’ve been standing here this whole time.”
“I thought you were still asleep.” I gestured to his bed. Upon closer inspection, the lump I’d noticed turned out to be just a pillow and a rumpled comforter.
“Nope. I’m up.”
“Oh, well. Were you interested in going into town? I know you just woke up, but I met the other guys from our room, and we were all about to head out.”
He scowled at me, and I swore I saw a vein bulge in his muscular neck.
“ What?”
“I said, me and the other guys from our room?—”
“No, I heard you the first time. I’m just in disbelief that you’d traipse off with men you don’t know in a country you’ve never been to.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. When the hell had he become so protective?
“They’re hardly men . They’re basically boys. I felt like a corpse just breathing the same air as them.”
“Young men are still men. And you shouldn’t just trust them because they seem nice. Haven’t you ever seen Taken ?”
I sighed, knowing he was probably right, but still irritated that he was questioning my judgement. “Yes, I’ve seen Taken . I don’t need a lecture.”
“You sure? Because I’ll give you one.”
I waved away his comment. “Do you want to come, too?” I asked, hopeful. “Because I wasn’t sure if you’d want to do your own thing, or?—”
He arched a brow and shook his head. “Do our own thing? Lila, no. We’re here together. We’re sticking together. Got it? No running off on your own. Jesus, I didn’t realize that I was at risk of losing you if I took my eyes off you for a second.”
“Alright, enough,” I said, holding up a hand. “I appreciate the concern and the attempted chivalry, but let’s not act like I’m a dog you let loose in your front yard.”
To my surprise, a quiet huff of laughter escaped him. “You know what I meant,” he said, the tiniest of smiles etched into his features.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, holding out my arm, elbow bent, gesturing for Harrison to thread his into mine. I’d meant it as a joke, of course, but it still stung a little when he just stared at it before shrugging and moving toward the door.
“Let’s go,” he said, without turning back.