“No, you’re not.”
“That was too far. It was a dumb joke.”
“I know,” I spat, turning around just so he could see how completely and utterly pissed I was. “But it’s my fault. I was stupid for coming here in the first place. Everything about me is a joke to you, and that will never change. I shouldn’t have wasted my time.”
“Lila—”
“Bye.” I glared at him before spinning around and getting out of that shop as fast as my feet would carry me.
“Fuck,” I heard him mutter behind me, right as the door slammed shut.
Oliver was a dead man for sending me here, and I intended to tell him so. This whole charade had been some kind of weird, twisted plan to get Harrison and me to get along, but it had been an epic failure. Harrison would never like me, and I was done trying.
A biker came zooming down the sidewalk, forcing me to step aside and interrupting my rage-fueled walk home. Hot tears welled up at the corners of my eyes, and I cursed myself for letting someone who cared so little about me affect me. I swiped at them and continued on my way, eager to put as much distance between this shop and me as possible.
And as for this little surprise trip we’d all be taking in a couple weeks, Oliver would just have to live with the fact that we wouldn’t all be sitting around a bonfire singing kumbaya together. Of course I’d put on my best smile for Charlie’s sake, but I wouldn’t say two words to Harrison if I could help it. Maybe I couldn’t ignore him completely on a trip with only five other people, but I could certainly limit our interactions.
Harrison would not get the best of me, and he certainly wouldn’t be getting even a second more of my precious time. As long as it were up to me, I’d avoid him like the plague he was.
SIX
Harrison
A shoulder bumpedinto me as I clutched my small duffel closer to my chest. If there was one thing I hated more than the Denver airport, it was the packed train to get there. Crowds were decidedly not my thing, and I had yet to see the Denver airportnotoverflowing with obnoxious, likely incompetent, travelers.
Patience was not a virtue I held dear. Witnessing someone struggling in the TSA line, their baggage spilling out as they held up the people behind them, made me see red every single time.
The train pulled into the airport station, and I lingered near the doors, ready to step off as soon as they opened. From the moment I hit the walkway, I used my long strides to my advantage to distance myself from the throngs.
One thing I could be grateful for was that I was doing this part of the trip alone and not with the rest of the group. At least I didn’t have to make idle small talk. Oliver had been a little pissed when I told him I couldn’t leave yesterday with everyone else, but I’d had an appointment on the book with a long-time client that I didn’t want to reschedule. Nathan couldn’t care less, though, and the travel agent had booked me on a later flight without any issue. Now I got to navigate the airport alone. Theidea might not have appealed to some, but to me it was a huge fucking relief.
The security line was surprisingly short. It was a good thing, too, because the whole area smelled strongly of some sort of disinfectant. Although it should have been an indication of cleanliness, it just made me feel sick.
“Boarding pass.” A middle-aged woman in a blue TSA uniform looked right through me as she held up her hand.
I scrolled through my emails before selecting the one that had my travel information, but I couldn’t find one with my trip confirmation and boarding pass.
I muttered a curse under my breath as I stepped to the side and checked the time.
Charlie had been adamant that this whole thing would be a surprise. I couldn’t even imagine being so disgustingly rich that I could just book my friends a bunch of first-class tickets to some exotic destination, where we’d surely be staying at some five-star accommodation. But the lack of information meant this whole surprise trip thing had gotten old. I just wanted to get to my gate and get settled in.
I could feel eyes on me. I whipped my head around only to see a familiar redhead. We made eye contact before she tore her gaze away to pretend like she hadn’t been staring at me.
Fantastic. What an unfortunate turn of events.
Lila stood there, just behind the security belt barrier, wearing a fuzzy, light pink hoodie and matching sweatpants. I hadn’t seen her since that painfully awful encounter at my shop, and the deep frown on her face now told me she wasn’t thrilled about this unexpected reunion.
That day at my shop, she’d been trying so hard to connect with me—it had been written all over her face. That hopeful look, tossing out small details about herself, waiting for me to respond with a friendly ‘I know what you mean,’ or ‘I’ve been there.’ AndI’d had no reason to deny her that simple courtesy. She’d been nothing but kind and helpful from the moment she’d walked in. Her smile had been genuine, a clear sign that her usual irritation toward me was entirely my doing, not hers. Lila would’ve gladly been my friend if I’d let her.
And for whatever reason, the impenetrable forcefield I had spent my entire life crafting saw that as a threat. I’d lashed out.
I could admit that I had been an ass that day, and I knew I should apologize. But despite what Oliver thought, the two of us didn’t have to be friends. I was more than fine with never speaking to her again. But here we were, apparently both late to this spectacle of a trip.
I closed the gap between the two of us.
“What are you doing here?”
“Are you serious?” She lifted her gaze for a moment only to roll her eyes before looking back at her phone. “I’m obviously here for the same reason you are.”
