16. Harrison
SIXTEEN
Harrison
“Are you sure about this?” Lila eyed me warily as a man came around and tightened her helmet. I resisted the urge to shoulder him out of the way and do it myself.
“Maria did say it was the best way to see the island,” I pointed out.
“But every blog in existence talks about how unsafe it is,” she whispered.
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” the man renting us the four-wheeler boomed with a thick Greek accent. “The ones worried about safety are never the ones that crash.”
“See?” I said.
“You’re sure you know how to drive one of these?” she questioned me for the millionth time.
“I’m sure, Lila.”
Somehow, my patience had grown in the little time I’d spent with her. Maybe it was the escape from real life, but today I felt completely at ease. It had taken nearly an hour over breakfast today to persuade Lila that we should rent an ATV to see the island. I could tell she was interested, despite her reservations, and I wanted her to have this adventure.
Normal Harrison would have rolled his eyes and dropped the topic immediately. But new Harrison wanted to experience this with her. New Harrison recognized that, if he was gentle and confident with his words, he could convince her this was going to be fine. More than fine. This was going to be fun .
Just thinking the word felt odd to me. Fun was entirely new to my vocabulary, but what could I say? Lila brought out a new side of me. Perhaps this was the exact reason I had kept her at a safe distance before. But after yesterday, she had officially weaseled her way into my mind, where she now resided rent-free. And she likely wouldn’t be evicted any time soon. Not after I had spent last night tossing and turning, knowing only a feeble pillow brigade kept me from her warm body. More than once last night, I had thought about how easy it would be just to lean down and capture her lips with mine. They looked so inviting...
“Let’s see you start it up,” the man with the rental company said.
I forced my concentration back on the safety demo we were being given. It was still early in the day, so the roads were relatively empty. I felt confident in my driving skills. I would go the speed limit, and I wouldn’t do anything remotely stupid.
A few minutes later, Lila and I hit the road. I quickly discovered an unexpected benefit of this excursion: Lila had to press herself against my back, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. While the position wouldn’t do much to quell any wandering fantasies I was having, I wasn’t complaining.
Her chest pressed against my back and I forced myself to give driving my full attention.
“Left or right up here?” I asked at the first light.
Lila had been given another map by the counter guy at the rental company, who had circled various stops we might want to check out.
“Um, I don’t remember,” she said.
I smirked and turned to look at her, but she was pressed so tightly against me I could only see the top of her helmet.
“Can you check the map? We’re stopped, and I promise I won’t go until you’re hanging on again.”
Quickly, and only releasing half of her grip on me, Lila unfolded the map and spun it around.
“Left,” she finally said, before crumpling the map between us and resuming her vice-like grip around me.
My lip curled up in amusement as the light turned green and I eased onto the gas.
Lila let out a small yelp and held on even tighter.
Chuckling, I shifted my face slightly so my mouth was closer to her ear, but my eyes were still locked on the road.
“We’re only going twenty kilometers an hour. Relax, or you might crush one of my ribs.”
“Sorry,” she called over the wind, and loosened her arms just enough to let me take a full breath.
The winding roads in Santorini were relatively straightforward and easy to navigate. Lila had picked out the farthest point on the map to try first—a lighthouse located on the southern tip of the island.
Just based off direction, I didn’t have much trouble getting us there, but I did have to ask Lila to check the map one additional time. She had glanced at it so hastily before stuffing it away, I wasn’t convinced she knew where we were.
We eventually turned onto a road that hugged the edge of the cliff and overlooked the vast sea. Lila gasped behind me.
“Are you seeing this?”
There was a large shoulder on the road just ahead, so I slowed down and came to a stop. We both took off our helmets so we could get an unobstructed view.
“Wow,” she breathed. I couldn’t help but watch her as she stared out over the water in awe before pulling out her phone to snap a few pictures.
She was wearing tiny jean shorts that showcased her sun-kissed legs, a testament to the time we’d spent outdoors yesterday. A loose white T-shirt billowed around her in the wind, slipping off one shoulder. Her smooth skin was almost too inviting.
“This is even prettier than I imagined.” She turned to me and I tore my gaze away, cursing myself for getting caught staring.
“Lighthouse should be just up there,” I mumbled.
Five minutes later, we pulled into a small gravel parking lot with only two other cars. A short path led to the front of the Akrotiri Lighthouse. The lighthouse itself was set atop large boulders, facing the sea.
“This is so cool.” Lila sounded giddy as she scurried across the rocks, almost slipping in the process.
“Careful,” I barked, moving quickly and grabbing her elbow.
“I’m fine.” She waved off my concern and positioned herself on a large rock. She plopped down and looked up at the lighthouse before turning back to the sea.
I sank down next to her and did the same.
“Smile.” She held up her phone to take a selfie of the two of us with the lighthouse in the background. Shifting a few times, she struggled to get us both in the frame with her short arms.
“Give me that.” I held out my hand for the phone before lifting it up and snapping a few pictures.
“You have to smile,” she insisted, pinching my side. The small gesture caused my whole body to light up.
“I am smiling,” I said, but widened my grin a little to appease her.
“How unreal is this?” she asked. “Would you have ever in a million years have thought that you’d be in Greece with me, sitting at an ancient lighthouse?”
“I definitely saw this coming,” I said dryly.
She smiled up at me before slapping my leg.
“They say sarcasm is the lowest form of humor, you know.”
“Who’s they?” I challenged, unable to keep the playfulness out of my voice. Being around Lila had made me feel more relaxed and comfortable than I had in years. And while that freaked me out more than a little bit, it was hard not to savor the unfamiliar feeling.
“The executive board of humor,” she said seriously.
Letting out a small laugh, I shook my head. “Whatever you say, Lila.”
Her name tasted sweet on my tongue. Almost as though, if I said it enough, I could lay some sort of claim over it.