“Tom,” I say, the panic building up to tears. I can’t stop looking at them. I know it’s more than just the birds now. It’s being here with Tom, with someone who doesn’t care, or worse, would rather laugh at my fear than help me through it.
My face heats up, embarrassment and fear mixing together. No, don’t cry.
Why do I have to be afraid of birds?
“If they poo on you, I’ll buy you a new outfit. Just enjoy the view.” He puts his hands in his pockets, officially shutting me down.
“Tom,” I say again, a shudder going through me as I look up at the birds. I want to run away, I really do, but I’m stuck in place.
“Harper, stop.” Tom finally turns to me, but his voice isn’tkind. He’s lost any sort of patience for me and would rather walk away than deal with me.
“Harper.” The voice coming from behind me is so familiar that it eases back my fears enough to take a long, steadying breath. Luke comes up from behind me, his attention glued on me. “Come on, don’t bother with him.”
His voice is firm. He walks over and puts his hands on either side of my arms, backing me away from Tom a half step.
“Who are you, anyway?” Tom shouts, like he’s been dying to ask the question all day. I’ve seen the way Tom was eyeballing Luke, but it isn’t until he shouts that I connect the dots. Tom is acting the same way Cassie had. And not because they’re crazy, jealous people, but because Luke and I drift around each other like a couple in denial.
“Her friend,” Luke says, but with my revelation, the word doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t feel likeenough.
“Are you sure? Because you look at her like she’s your property. Do I need your permission?”
My head snaps up, turning to Tom and then Luke. Tom looks angry but almost amused in the way he smiles, like this entire thing is a ridiculous waste of time. Luke, on the other hand... he’s furious.
His hands are still on my arms, his touch gentle but firm. His face is twisted, contorted in an anger I’ve never seen from him before. “I look at her like I care about my friend’s safety when she’s around strange men.”
“Piss off, man,” Tom says, clearly over it. “If you wanna go at her, at least admit it to yourself.”
I don’t dare look at Luke. I keep my eyes on the ground,but I wish I knew what he was thinking. Sure, plenty of people have made comments to Luke and me about our relationship, but never to both of us, and never so seriously.
“Come on, Harper,” Luke says, guiding me away from Tom and the birds.
I don’t look back at Tom as we walk away, shame coating my skin. Luke takes me down the beach, away from the rocks and the crowd of people taking photos. We get away from Tom and the rest of the group, and most of all, the birds.
When Luke stops walking in the middle of the beach, I sit down. I take a few moments to breathe, letting myself take in the open air and the crisp ocean breeze. I curl my knees to my chest and bury my face in my hands.
“You okay?” Luke’s voice is gentle in comparison to how it just was.
I lift my face up. “Mortified. Humiliated. Embarrassed.” I pause. “Did I cover all the words?”
He sits down next to me, his hand stroking my back in slow, calming circles. “That just about covers it.”
I let out a nervous laugh, almost crying. “Luke, why do the birds do this to me? I made a fool of myself in front of a cute guy.” But even as I say the words, I know that’s not the problem. The birds may have started this, but my relationship with Luke is what made my dignity crash and burn.
“He really wasn’t that attractive,” Luke mumbles.
I glance over, and he smiles. I roll my eyes.
“There are better-looking people in the world. Me, for example.” He puts his hand out, gesturing to himself.
It’s meant as a joke, probably to distract me, but it’s theclosest Luke has come to outright flirting with me. And given Tom’s comment, it feels like too much.
“Right.” I laugh, my head spinning.
He’s sitting so close to me that by instinct, I lean over until my head is resting on his shoulder. The two of us have always been touchy growing up. We’ve given each other plenty of hugs or leaned on one another, but not like this. This feels different now, but I think the only thing that’s changed is me.
Every moment on this trip has been like this. Remove the epic failures of Cassie and Tom, and Luke and I are on a romantic trip. The only thing missing is a kiss.
The thought makes my insides curl, but it feels more like nerves than anything else.
