The rest of the group had been twenty feet in front of us for a while. Then it was thirty, then forty. Now they were out of sight.
Oliver was definitely at the front, arm in arm with Elise. The thought made me more nauseous than the hike. I grabbed my water bottle and took another sip.
“We’ll still get there before sunset,” Harrison said, squinting toward the direction of the end of the hike.
“Thank God. I was so worried,” I said, still bent over.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “It’ll be worth it at the end. At least, that’s what Lila always says.”
“She seems like a glass-half-full type of gal.” I straightenedup and took one big inhale through my nose before starting on the hike again.
“She definitely is.” Harrison was gruff and covered in tattoos. It would be a lie to say I hadn’t been intimidated by him at first. But the way he watched Lila, always making sure she was okay and not overexerting herself, the way he couldn’t stop his eyes from lighting up anytime he looked at her or anytime her name was brought up—it immediately made me feel comfortable around him.
I was still confused as hell about how this was Oliver’s best friend though. The two couldn’t be any more different.
“She and Oliver probably have a lot in common,” I said.
“They’re exhausting together,” Harrison admitted. “I finally got a break when he left for Key Ridge.” Even as he said those words, it was obvious he missed his friend.
“I can imagine that,” I joked, then quickly backtracked. “I mean, it’s not like I know him that well or anything. He just seems like the type.”
Harrison and I made brief eye contact before I ripped my gaze away to focus on my feet. The view at the end better be worth it because my only view going up was the ground. If I looked up for even a second, I stumbled.
“Look.” Harrison let out a sigh. “I’m going to be straight with you. Oliver told us everything.”
That halted me in my tracks.
“What?” I asked shakily.
“He told us that you two have been hanging out and that he likes you. He said you wanted to keep it a secret, but you should know that Oliver cannot keep a secret to save his life.”
I gripped my backpack straps, feeling silly and unsure of what to say next. Of course it had been a stupid suggestion. I should have realized that as soon as I said it, but once it was out, I couldn’t take it back.
“I feel like an idiot,” I admitted.
Harrison didn’t look apologetic, he simply shook his head. “Don’t. Oliver isn’t the best communicator. I’m not surprised he’d land himself in a situation like this.”
“ButI’msupposed to be the good communicator.” I tilted my head back and groaned. “This is probably the worst first impression I could possibly make.”
Harrison shrugged. “I like you so far.”
“You do?” I asked skeptically.
He’d been hanging back with me on the hike, but we’d mostly walked in silence. He wasn’t much of a talker, and I wasn’t much of a pusher. If someone wanted silence, who was I to deny them that?
“You’re relaxed. You aren’t trying to be anyone but yourself. Oliver brings around a lot of girls.” He winced as soon as he saw me cringe at his words. “Shit, forget I said that. My only point is, let’s just say I’ve seen my fair share of girls who’ve tried to fake an interest to get his attention. Pretend to be this bubbly girl that loves to snowboard or rock climb. It gets old.”
I blew out a breath. “He took me snowboarding and I pretended my wrist injury was worse than it was just to get off the mountain and stop falling on my ass.”
To my genuine shock, Harrison let out a low chuckle. “See? I like that. That’s the kind of shit I would do.”
“Well, I probably ruined it all. I’ve been acting like a weirdo all week, and now he’s up at the front talking to his dream girl.”
Harrison squinted. “Who? Elise?”
I nodded. “She’s stunning and perfect for him.” I waved my hands in the air, not even caring that I sounded insecure. “They’re about to go work at the same place all summer. It’s practically destiny.”
Harrison paused before staring up ahead. “I don’t know about all that. What I do know, is he wouldn’t stop talking about you the entire drive up here.”
