Still, the implication had me blushing so hard I hoped it looked like a sun-kissed glow instead of my obvious unease. But Harrison said nothing, and we resumed wandering the streets.
When we got to the food stand Maria had suggested, we all fell into line. Apparently, Nigel, Mark, and Will had already eaten there, and informed us it was indeed well worth the wait.
When I finally took a bite of the warm sandwich, my eyes closed in pure pleasure.
“This is so freaking delicious,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand.
Harrison nodded in agreement, yet remained as aloof as ever. His constant composure left me feeling a little deflated. Why couldn’t he ever just let loose?
“Mmmm,” I moaned exaggeratedly, leaning closer to Harrison.
“Everything alright?” he asked, brow furrowed as he took another gigantic bite of his pita.
“Is this not the best thing you’ve ever eaten?” I pressed.
“I’m already planning on coming back a third time,” Mark chimed in, and Will agreed.
“It’s good,” Harrison said, as we all raved. I gave him a pointed look. “What? It’s a sandwich. What do you want me to say?”
“Could you be any more bloody serious?” Nigel asked, laughing and nudging me in the ribs. “How do you get on with this guy?”
“You met me five seconds ago. I’m not always serious.” Harrison’s glower made us all burst into laughter.
“Five seconds, five months, five years, it’s all the same, I reckon,” Nigel continued.
“It’s true,” I said. “I’ve known him nearly a year and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh.”
“I laugh,” he insisted, although he looked like he barely believed that himself.
To be fair, I’m sure he laughed sometimes. Like maybe once a year, in the safety of his shared living quarters, with only Oliver present as a witness.
Making Harrison laugh felt like a challenge now. One I would likely fail, but a challenge nonetheless.
We continued on, in and out of the winding alleys and stores. There were a few times I held up a souvenir to Harrison to get his opinion, but he would just shoot me a harsh look.
I insisted on stopping at one of the jewelry vendors while Mark, Nigel, and Will moved ahead. I was enthralled by all of the delicate necklaces on silver chains. Many of them held a dainty charm depicting an evil eye with white and blue crystals, a symbol I’d seen everywhere since arriving in Greece. I wanted one to commemorate the trip and this looked perfect.
The shopkeeper appeared next to me, having noticed my interest in the necklace. “It’s to ward off evil spirits, you know.”
I smiled as she returned to the counter.
“She’s lying. She’s just trying to make a sale,” Harrison said, leaning against the door frame of the shop. He was already glancing down the narrow street, obviously eager to leave.
My smile fell, but I tried to keep my resolve. “I think I’ll get this one.” I held it up to my neck and looked at my reflection in one of the many mirrors.
Harrison snorted. “You can’t seriously be one of those people who gets taken in by tacky, overpriced trinkets,” he said.
My face flushed. I set down the necklace and made a mental note to come back to the shop by myself later.
To Harrison’s credit, aside from the occasional snide remark, he followed us around without much of a struggle. I even caught him staring out at the view a few times. Maybe he wasn’t a ball of excitement, but he seemed to be warming up nonetheless.
After another hour I finally checked the time.
“It’s already past one,” I said to Harrison. “Maria mentioned today would be a good day to do the hike to Oia to see the sunset. We should probably get back and get changed if we want to make it there in time.”
“You lot are on your own for that,” Nigel said.
“Yeah, we did that yesterday and my legs are still on fire,” Mark added.
