“I shouldn’t have said anything,” he admitted. “You were helping me out, and I was a dick. I’m sorry. Unfortunately, it’s just my nature. Sometimes, I find myself saying the worst possible thing to... I don’t even know. Get the upper hand, maybe? I’ve been doing it my entire life and I’m sorry you were caught in the crossfire.”
Attempting to analyze the sincerity in his words was tough. On the one hand, I didn’t know that I’d ever be able to fully trust Harrison. But on the other hand, he’d never been so earnest with me before. This felt like a different person.
“Crossfire? Seems more like any time we’re together, I’m in your direct line of attack,” I pointed out, still not prepared to let him off the hook.
“And it’s fun, right? A little friendly banter?” His guilty grin caused me to snort.
“Oh, that’s what you’re calling it? No wonder Oliver is your only friend if that’s what you consider ‘friendly banter.’”
“Look, I don’t do apologies,” he said tersely, jaw clenched.
“Shhh.” I held up my finger and nodded forward, indicating we’d gain an audience if he kept that up.
“I suck at this.” His voice was now just above a whisper. “But I know that you deserve an apology—a real one. And you’re right. I do always give you a hard time. I can’t change how I’ve acted in the past, but I’ll try to do better.”
I dipped my chin.
“Iwilldo better.”
I paused for at least thirty seconds, letting him sweat. Did I believe him? I mean, he hadn’t said he was going to try and be my best friend or anything. He just said he’d try to be less of a jerk. Which, let’s be real, was not a very high bar to reach. But this awkward repentance was miles more than I had received in the past. Maybe he’d never accept me, or want to be friendly, but we could at the very least coexist. Plus, it wasn’t like I had to completely open myself up to him. Calling a truce was not going to leave me vulnerable.
I hoped.
“Fine. I’ll accept that.”
His shoulders dropped.
“Thank God,” he grunted and turned away from me.
And just like that, the hairs on the back of my neck bristled. “Wow, apologizing to me really took that much out of you?” I whispered. “Grow up, Harrison.”
He ran a hand over his face but didn’t look fazed.
“Apologizing in general is hard for me. But I can admit when I’m wrong.”
“Must be easy to admit it when you’re always in the wrong,” I fired back, unable to help myself.
“Hey.” He tore out a blank piece of white paper from his sketchbook and waved it. “Did we not just have a nice moment? We can’t ruin it already.”
“I didn’t start it,” I insisted, rolling my eyes and snatching the paper out of his hand. A smile snuck onto my lips looking at his exasperated face.
His eyes shone with relief when he noticed my shift in demeanor. If he was truly going to try and be a little nicer to me, then I wasn’t about to be the one holding on to any bitterness.
“Let’s just have a nice trip with everyone,” he said.
“I’m planning on it.” My shoulders sagged. This was the first time I had been away from work since... since... well, since I couldn’t even remember. But it had been too long. “I’ve needed a vacation for months, and I’m not about to let any animosity between us ruin it,” I added.
“No animosity here,” Harrison insisted.
“Good,” I said, picking my book back up.
“Good.” Harrison opened his worn book and produced a pencil that had been lodged behind his ear. It was one of those nice artist’s ones that was so satisfying to sketch with. My eyes itched to sneak a glance at his drawings, but something told me he wouldn’t appreciate that.
I tried to focus on my new book, but the words blurred together on the page. My mind wandered to the trip ahead instead. Freaking Greece! We’d be there in just a few hours. Well, it was more like twenty hours of travel, but still. Less than a day away. I assumed our hotel had a pool, and the first thing I wanted to do was drag Charlie and Oliver out for a swim. My mental calculations informed me we wouldn’t get there untildinnertime, local time, but what a magical way to start a trip. A little evening swim. Maybe I could even convince everyone to go.
My thoughts drifted back to Harrison and the bathing suit he apparently definitely owned. A small chuckle escaped my lips.
“What?” Harrison demanded, jerking away from his drawing. It was like he was attuned to any trace of joy, ready to squash it instantly.
