“Oh, well. Were you interested in going into town? I know you just woke up, but I met the other guys from our room, and we were all about to head out.”
He scowled at me, and I swore I saw a vein bulge in his muscular neck.
“What?”
“I said, me and the other guys from our room?—”
“No, I heard you the first time. I’m just in disbelief that you’d traipse off with men you don’t know in a country you’ve never been to.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. When the hell had he become so protective?
“They’re hardlymen. They’re basically boys. I felt like a corpse just breathing the same air as them.”
“Young men are still men. And you shouldn’t just trust them because they seem nice. Haven’t you ever seenTaken?”
I sighed, knowing he was probably right, but still irritated that he was questioning my judgement. “Yes, I’ve seenTaken. I don’t need a lecture.”
“You sure? Because I’ll give you one.”
I waved away his comment. “Do you want to come, too?” I asked, hopeful. “Because I wasn’t sure if you’d want to do your own thing, or?—”
He arched a brow and shook his head. “Do our own thing? Lila, no. We’re here together. We’re sticking together. Got it? No running off on your own. Jesus, I didn’t realize that I was at risk of losing you if I took my eyes off you for a second.”
“Alright, enough,” I said, holding up a hand. “I appreciate the concern and the attempted chivalry, but let’s not act like I’m a dog you let loose in your front yard.”
To my surprise, a quiet huff of laughter escaped him. “You know what I meant,” he said, the tiniest of smiles etched into his features.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, holding out my arm, elbow bent, gesturing for Harrison to thread his into mine. I’d meant it as a joke, of course, but it still stung a little when he just stared at it before shrugging and moving toward the door.
“Let’s go,” he said, without turning back.
TWELVE
Lila
The walkinto town stole my breath away more times than I could count. With each step, the view transformed before us, revealing vibrant blue water and cascading white-washed buildings that seemed to glow in the sunlight. The scents of blooming flowers filled the air, and the distant sound of waves lapping against the rocky shore added to the allure.
Every fifteen feet or so, I had to stop and snap a new picture. I couldn’t resist. Nigel and the other boys were right alongside me, holding up their phones and gaping at the spectacular views. Harrison, on the other hand, hung back. While he did take one quick picture at the first stop, I could tell he was getting a little irritated. To his credit, though, he didn’t make a single snarky comment.
Honestly, after spending more time with our roommates, he was probably thinking twice about how annoyingIwas. Nigel, Mark, and Will were a bundle of energy, and then some. They even asked Harrison to get in a group shot with them while I took it. He said no at first, but when they begged loudly and dramatically, he finally moved beside them, frowning. I giggled when I snapped it.
Had I ever been that energetic? I could hardly remember myself at twenty, and what memories I did have usually involved my ex sucking the joy out of my college experience. Maybe sometimes I had a hard time grappling with the fact that I was still single, but I said a silent prayer that at least I wasn’t still with that nightmare of a human.
Everyone we passed on the walk—myself included—was dressed in light blue and white linens. Even though I hadn’t known we’d be going to Greece, I had packed a blue and white checkered sundress that felt perfect for wandering the narrow streets of Santorini. Harrison’s all-black outfit of a T-shirt, shorts, and Converse stuck out ever so slightly, but it did make him look more like a local than a tourist.
Just on the walk over alone, three different people had approached him speaking Greek. His dark features probably hadn’t helped their confusion. Or the fact that he looked like a Greek god...
“Go on, you two,” Nigel waved at Harrison and me. “Go stand over there for a picture.”
“I’m good.” Harrison lifted up a hand.
“What? You don’t want a picture with your girlfriend and that epic background?” Mark asked.
“We aren’t together,” I offered weakly, as Harrison cringed. Why that thought unsettled him so much was something I’d never understand.
The boys should have known we weren’t together; I’d already mentioned it twice on the walk over here. But they seemed to have the collective short-term memory capacity of a goldfish. Either that, or they really weren’t all that interested in conversation.
“Whether you’re together or not, it’s silly not to get a picture,” Nigel insisted before lightly grabbing me by the shoulders and placing me in front of a short stone wall, with thecliff below descending into the water as a backdrop. He held out his hand for my phone.
