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I frowned, looking out over the beach, but it was still pretty dead. School was still in session, not letting out for another week for the summer, so we still had a little bit of time to chill.
“Do you know why?” I asked him, my curiosity winning out over my pride.
Colwyn shot me a weird look, probably wondering why I was so worried about someone I supposedly couldn’t stand. I wouldn’t meet his eye. I didn’t understand why I was so worried either. I mean, hell, I still didn’t understand why I shoved Harlow out of the way when that dumbass biker came riding down the hill way too fast.
And the way Harlow had looked at me when he realized I was the one who’d saved his ass…
He looked at me like I held world peace in my hands, and it was still making my mind spin. Because after all I did to him, how the fuck could he have looked at me like that?
“No, I don’t,” Colwyn finally said. “I imagine he’s probably just sick.”
I didn’t say anything else about it, and since I knew Colwyn liked to work in peace, I kept my mouth shut, just trying to get through the day.
* * *
By the endof the workday, I’d decided I was going to go check on him. Harlow just didn’t seem like the kind of person to miss work, and dammit, I couldn’t get him or what happened the other day out of my head.
The way he had looked at me…
I just hoped he didn’t punch me in the nose for invading his personal space without his permission. The old Harlow might not have. The old Harlow might have even expected me to not give two fucks about his boundaries. But the new Harlow… it was clear he’d been through something. And when he’d first gotten here, I hadn’t cared.
But something changed the other day. The whole fucking world shifted with that look in his eyes. And I was still trying to find my footing. Still trying to navigate whatever happened—whatever shifted.
Colwyn dipped pretty quickly once our shift was over, and instead of going home like I normally would, I headed straight in the direction of where Harlow lived. A quick text to the chief asking for his address so I could send him something to eat and attempt to make amends had easily gotten me the information I needed.
Perks of living in a small beach town, I supposed. People were quick to trust. Then again, Chief and I both knew he would have my ass if I acted out of line.
Harlow lived in a small, white house with blue shutters. The curtains were open, allowing me to see inside to the open floor plan. He had minimal furniture—just the necessities: couch, coffee table, TV mounted on the wall—and his living room was separated from his kitchen only by a kitchen island.
I rang his doorbell, but when I didn’t get an answer, I rang again. Frowning when he still didn’t come to the door, I sighed and went to the side of the house. His backyard was fenced, but there had to be a way back there, right? Maybe he was out back and couldn’t hear the doorbell.
Finding the fence unlocked, I pushed it open and stepped through. Walking around the house, my eyes widened when I found him asleep on one of his sun loungers that were out on his deck, which faced the ocean. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, filling me with peace.
Thunder suddenly rolled in the distance, and I frowned, looking up at the sky. Clouds were rolling in, and at the speed they were moving, we didn’t have long before it hit Sizzle Beach. Storms were usually pretty ugly here.
Hoping I wouldn’t get my ass kicked, I locked his gate and walked over to him, reaching down to gently shake him. He lurched into a sitting position before I could even open my mouth to call his name. His hand latched around my throat, tightening to the point I couldn’t breathe, his eyes wide and his nostrils flared.
I choked, wrapping my fingers around his wrists. His eyes widened a little more, and he blinked before he quickly released me as if I’d burned him. I dropped to my knees, coughing and spluttering. Reaching up, I rubbed my throat, wincing. I woulddefinitelybe bruised later.
“Fuck,” Harlow groaned, reaching up to scrub his hands over his face. Finally, he looked at me. “I’m fucking sorry. You okay?”
I weakly nodded and stood to my feet. “Storm is rolling in,” I rasped, my throat aching something fierce, burning with every word I spoke. “Came to check on you.”
He winced and stood to his feet, apologies residing in the depths of his eyes. “Come inside. No sense in you walking to your place when it’s about to come down out here. You walked, right?”
I nodded at his back, but he saw my reflection in the glass of his sliding doors. He pulled open the door and gestured for me to walk in ahead of him. I turned to look at him as soon as the door was shut, thunder rumbling again. Lightning streaked across the sky in the distance.
“Harlow…”
“Not now,” he mumbled, shaking his hand. He brushed his palms over his buzzed hair. “I know I almost choked the fuck out of you, but I just need a few minutes.”
I nodded, blowing out a soft breath. If he needed that, I would give it to him. After all, he hadn’t asked for me to sneak into his backyard and scare him half to death.
My eyes tracked him as he moved through his house, his expression pinched.
Harlow, what happened to you?
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