“I have mints for you too, when you’re feeling up to it.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, feeling grateful that for a minute, what had happened between us last night could be completely forgotten. I knew the weirdness would resurface as soon as the ferry docked and my mind cleared, but for now, this moment felt nice. Despite the nausea, and the fact that I probably looked a bit pathetic.
“Now, keep eating that and rest your head on my shoulder.”
“I’m fine?—”
“Do it,” he insisted.
“Bossy,” I said again weakly, but I complied. And I had to admit, the steadiness of his strong shoulder did feel nice. Plus, he smelled really good. Which didn’t feel fair when I felt as gross as I did. I closed my eyes and brought the cracker to my lip, continuing to eat it in tiny bites.
“Why did you agree to come on this if you get seasick?” Harrison asked, after I had a few moments to collect myself.
“I don’t, normally,” I whispered. Charlie and I had gone on a boat trip just this past summer with ConnectHer, and I’d been completely fine. It was probably the nerves twisting my stomach as a result of last night, but I didn’t want to admit that to Harrison. “It’s probably because we’re inside,” I offered.
His eyes narrowed as he looked around the large ferry. “We can try to stand up top on the way back. How are you feeling now?” he asked, shifting so that his shoulder was a little lower and I could nestle even further into the crook of his neck.
“Better,” I said, still keeping my eyes sealed shut. “It’s the cracker.”
He let out a small chuckle.
We sat in silence after that, until eventually, I dozed off.
TWENTY-ONE
Lila
“Mykonos!”Nigel, Mark, and Will called out in strange attempts at a Greek accent for the fifth time since we’d arrived on the new island. The girls from our hotel—whose names I’d found out were Baily, Paige, and Kate—shared an unimpressed look with me.
We had shared two taxis when we’d arrived at the Old Port a couple hours ago. And when someone had suggested a girls’ and boys’ taxi, I had probably accepted all too eagerly. Harrison hadn’t been happy about it, but I had scrambled into the back of the cab faster than he could object.
Despite sharing a sweet moment on the ferry, memories of last night still invaded my mind, like an unwelcome visitor.
Any time I’d managed to get myself to meet Harrison’s eyes, all I could see were visions of my humiliation. But this day trip had been a karmic gift of massive proportions. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve this distraction, but I was immensely thankful for it.
The trio of girls were actually great. They were all in their senior year of college and studying abroad in Paris. They had decided to come to Greece on a whim during an extendedweekend break. Even though they were only maybe five years younger than me, I felt like their mom. Or, at the very least, their cool older aunt.
“So, you two aren’t a couple?” Paige, the one with short dark hair, asked.
“Nope,” I responded, glancing back at a miserable-looking Harrison.
House music bumped through the DJ’s speakers, and I could barely hear anything even though we stood on the edge of the crowd.
“Mind if I have a go?” Bailey, the most outgoing of the three, asked, tipping her sunglasses down and eyeing Harrison hungrily. I shoved aside the little spark of jealousy that ignited within me.
“He’s not much for flirting,” I said, which wasn’t even a lie. Even if nothing had happened between Harrison and me, and even if I’d never had a crush, I would have bet money that Harrison wouldn’t be interested in any of these girls. They were sweet, but they were young and just wanted to have a good time. I couldn’t see Harrison lasting for more than two minutes in a conversation with any of them.
“Shame he’s so stiff,” Bailey continued. “He could really use someone to loosen him up.”
“Trust me, I’ve been trying.” I glanced at Harrison again, who looked incredibly out of place. He sat in a lounger and slowly sipped a beer, looking like he wished he were anywhere but here. We made eye contact briefly before I tore my gaze away.
My heart went out to him a little. If last night hadn’t happened, I would have asked him an hour ago if he wanted to ditch this party and go back to the town to explore. That was really all I wanted to do. But being stranded alone with him now... I just wasn’t ready for that. Perhaps I was beingimmature, but shame and discomfort still gnawed at my gut, and I couldn’t quite shake it.
We were at a beach party specifically designed for tourists to get drunk and dance as DJs hyped us all up. Nigel, Mark, and Will were obviously in their element, and hadn’t left the dance floor. The girls and I were having fun, but after dancing for a few songs we had already taken a break at the edge of the crowd.
“You should try harder.” Kate, the most introverted of the three, looked between me and Harrison. “He looks so sad.”
Bailey snorted. “Sad? More like scary.”
