25. Harrison
TWENTY-FIVE
Harrison
“We don’t have to go if you don’t think you can stomach it,” I insisted.
“For the last time, I want to go. The ferry was just bad for me because we were inside.”
“You’re sure?” I eyed her up and down, not wanting her to brave this activity just because I had come up with it. Or rather, Maria had.
After Lila and I had spent that incredible night together, I’d barely been able to sleep. I was too focused on how perfectly she fit, wrapped in my arms as she drifted off. I woke up earlier than her for the first time and went in search of Maria. Lila had spent the whole trip dragging me around, and I wanted to plan something for her for a change. She deserved it for putting up with my grouchy ass this whole time.
Maria had suggested a boat to the volcano, where we could get out and walk around. It sounded perfect, but I was wary of taking Lila on another boat after she’d gotten sick the last time. I’d made a list of alternatives, but when I’d presented the volcano option to Lila, she had gotten so excited and insisted she would be fine.
“Look,” she said, patting her bag. “I’ve got my motion sickness medicine and some crackers. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” I relented, leaning down and kissing her on the top of the head without even thinking about it. When I pulled away, she looked a bit taken aback.
Shit.
Was I not supposed to do that? Were we not there yet? Affection came easy with Lila, easier than it had ever come in my entire life. I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but I hoped she’d be patient while I figured it out. I’d likely be a bumbling fool, but I needed to make her realize that I’d do anything for her.
Making plans for today was just the start. I had to show her that I was worth her time, even though I knew I probably wasn’t.
“Eh, it’s our hero!” A loud voice exclaimed.
“Oh no.” I groaned, dropping my head back.
Nigel, Mark, and Will joined us at the hotel entrance, all carrying large backpacks.
Lila gasped when she saw the huge bruise under Nigel’s eyes, his swollen nose, and the large gash that had since been stitched up.
“Looks worse than it is,” Nigel said, his voice a hell of a lot more casual than yesterday, when he’d practically been weeping.
“You’ll have a sick scar after this, mate.” Mark grinned.
“The girls will love it,” Will added.
“Thanks for your help getting us to the clinic. Even if you did ditch us.” Nigel clapped me on the shoulder.
“Glad it all worked out,” I said, my voice flat. I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping they would get the hint that we wouldn’t be having some long, drawn-out goodbye.
“Anyway, we’re on our way out of here. Lovely meeting the two of you.” Nigel said as he adjusted his backpack straps.
“It was great meeting you, too,” Lila said, her voice just as warm as it always was. Why did she have to be so nice all the freaking time?
“Bye, Lily.” Nigel smiled and held open his arms.
“Oh, uh, bye.” Lila awkwardly gave him a short hug. I had to forcibly restrain myself from not stepping between the two of them.
“Harrison.” Nigel turned toward me and I glared at him.
“Bye,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
“Perhaps we should exchange numbers or something?” Nigel asked holding up his phone and shaking it in an invitation.
I shrugged. “Nah, I’m good.”
Lila coughed to disguise a laugh. She cleared her throat and then took his phone.
“Do you have social media?” He nodded as she typed something before handing his phone back. “Here’s my account. Why don’t we follow each other? I’d love to keep up with your future travels.”
“Perfect.” Nigel grinned. He, Mark, and Will waved their goodbyes, but this time when Nigel tried to give Lila another hug, I slung an arm around her shoulder. Fuck it. She could call me overprotective all she wanted; I wasn’t giving this guy any more opportunities to touch her.
“Good going,” I said when they’d finally retreated. “He’s definitely going to stalk all of your pictures.”
She snorted. “I followed him from the ConnectHer account. He’s just going to see a lot of pictures from networking events.”
My lip tugged up. “Nice.”
We strolled into town, keeping a hurried pace so we’d arrive at the port in time for our boat tour. The weather was perfect for our final day in Greece. The sun bathed everything in warmth, while a cool, fresh breeze kept the air perfectly balanced. The water appeared calm too, thankfully.
“At the bottom of all these steps?” Lila asked through a smile.
“Yep.” I said, looking down the hundreds of steps built into the cliffside.
“Can you handle it? I know hiking isn’t your thing,” she teased, starting the trek down.
“I’ll be fine. Plus, there’s a gondola to take us back up later.” I pointed above us to the carts rising up the side of the cliff on a thick wire.
“Thank God for that. I couldn’t handle your incessant whining if we had to walk up this.”
I bit back a chuckle, savoring how good it felt that she was comfortable teasing me now. I no longer made her nervous. At least not in the ways I used to.
After nearly fifteen minutes of walking down the steps, we boarded a small open-air boat. It had a few rows of seats, two that lined the sides, and one that came down the middle. I let Lila choose our spot. No surprise, she picked front-and-center where we’d have the best view of everything.
Lila stood to record a video of the boat, rotating to capture everything. The middle-aged man sitting next to us glowered up at her.
“Can you sit down?” he asked, scowling.
“Oh—” Lila flushed, but I shot up to stand by her side.
“She’ll sit when she's finished recording.” I glared at the rude man, daring him to speak to Lila like that again. As soon as he took in my expression and my size, he paled. His wife elbowed him and offered me an apologetic smile.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
Lila chuckled before finishing her video, and only then did we both take our seats.
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing. It’s just—” She bit back a smile. “That would have been you, a few days ago.”
I winced. “Well, I’m lucky I found someone to set me straight.”
A perky tour operator walked to the front of the boat and greeted us over her microphone. She gave us some safety instructions and then we were on our way.
I held my breath as soon as the boat started moving. But even as we started rocking slowly, Lila appeared fine. Not a trace of green dotted her rosy cheeks. She nestled into my side and my chest swelled with some unfamiliar feeling. Pride? Possessiveness? Whatever it was it felt good.
When the boat pulled into the small dock at the volcano, I stood up first, holding out my hand to help steady her.
“This is perfect for our last day.” Lila beamed at me, letting me help her up.
The volcano seemed more like an island to me.
A trail wound its way from the boat all the way up the side of the volcano, through a landscape that was rugged, almost otherworldly. The tour guide led the way for our small group. As we hiked up the trail, she pointed out the different layers of volcanic rock we could see underneath our feet.
Lila slipped her hand in mine, listening intently to the guide. I found it hard to focus on anything other than the way her thumb occasionally brushed across my knuckles, or the coolness of her silver ring pressed into my palm.
“Wow, not since 1950,” Lila said, looking up at me expectantly.
I blinked a few times. “What?”
She rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “Since the last eruption. Are you even paying attention?”
“Of course,” I said, my eyes studying her face.
“Not to me. To the tour.” Lila laughed.
The tour guide could have been spouting out the secret to eternal life and I still don’t think it could have pulled my attention away from the girl at my side. The one I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to be here with.
The tour continued and I tried my best to pay attention to all of the rapid-fire factoids the perky guide shouted at us. Mostly just so I’d be prepared in case Lila quizzed me again. But even as I attempted to listen, my brain just couldn't compute. Instead, it was stuck on one very singular track.
“You look cute when you're interested,” I whispered. I snaked my arm around her waist while the guide told us all about the volcano’s biggest eruption, the one that had formed the caldera thousands of years ago.
“Pay attention.” Her stern voice held little weight when she smiled like that. I brushed her hair from her shoulder and traced her bare skin lightly.
“I can't help it, you’re very distracting.”
Lila shook her head against my chest. I was already convinced that I’d never get sick of holding her.
The guide finished her spiel and instructed us to feel free to explore, but to be back at the boat in thirty minutes or it would take off without us. That got some polite chuckles from the group.
“Take a picture of me,” Lila said, scrambling up onto a rock on the path. She spread her arms out wide and smiled.
I took out my phone and snapped a few.
“Come here.” She gestured for me to join her, and I did so without argument.
“Isn’t life better when you aren’t resisting me at every turn?”
“Yes,” I said, staring into her eyes.
Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink before she smiled and snatched my phone. She held it out in front of me and snapped a few selfies of the two of us. Our rocky surroundings drifted off into the blue water and our faces were front and center.
She tickled my side without warning.
“Hey!” I exclaimed, unable to hold back a laugh.
“Perfect.” She showed me the picture she'd just taken. Her smile was big, staring into the camera. I was facing her, caught mid-laugh.
“Is this the happiest picture of you in existence?” she asked.
“My mom might have some baby photos of me smiling. I'm sure she’d love to show you.”
Lila's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
Had I said the wrong thing? Was it too soon to talk about our parents? I meant the comment in the friendliest of ways. Plus, technically, she had already met my parents. But whatever had flashed across her face was gone now, as she returned to examining the picture.
“Should we send this one to Oliver?” she asked.
“I think we better hold off on that.”
I took my phone back from her and slipped it into my pocket. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a million questions from Oliver when Lila and I hadn't even talked things through yet.
Speaking of which, should I bring that up? What would I even say? Was this a relationship? Was it way too soon for that? I was completely out of my element here, and I didn’t want to mess anything up with Lila again by not handling whatever this was in the best possible way.
“Oh. Okay.” She interrupted my spiraling thoughts and gave me a weird look before nodding her head toward the trail. “We’d better follow the group back. I don’t want to get left behind.”
We walked back, strolling in a comfortable silence, her hand loosely threaded in mine. At least the silence was comfortable for me. Shit, should I be talking? I glanced down at her, but she seemed perfectly content, gazing out at the horizon and using my arm to steady her feet since she wasn’t watching where she stepped.
We boarded the boat again and Lila snuggled in as the boat cruised along the calm waters. Whatever was going on between us felt heavy. Heavy in the best possible way, like the weight of my emotions was blanketing me, offering me comfort and security. I could drown in this feeling and be better off for it.
I could only hope that Lila felt the same way. This transformation I’d undertaken was all her doing, and it still didn’t make me half the man she deserved. But I’d show her what I could offer and just pray that it could be enough. Maybe I didn’t have a fancy job or a lot of friends. Maybe I was tech illiterate and had a hard time loosening up. But I was loyal. I would do anything for the small inner circle I let into my life. The circle I now realized she was at the center of.
The realization quickened my pulse.
It was way too soon to be having thoughts like these. This was exactly why I had kept my walls up all these years. Yet somehow, she’d gotten in. She had created a crack that hadn’t been there at the start and slipped right through with ease. And just as my walls were an impenetrable force field to break, they were also just as hard to escape.
I was hers in whatever way she’d have me. I just prayed she’d be patient with me as I navigated it with my piss-poor communication skills.
We’d be on our way home tomorrow. We’d figure it all out then.
No sense in freaking her out now.