With that, he hops out of the car, slams the door, and simply leans against it, arms crossed, staring out at the view.
I shake my head, hopping out as well and turning to face the campfire. Harrison is sitting on a log, looking nearly as frustrated as I feel right now. I figure he must have been forcefully taken here as well. Theo sits next to him and looks up as I approach. Harrison doesn’t.
It’s been weeks since we’ve spoken. We avoid each other around the apartment, spending most of our time in our rooms. And whenever he can be somewhere else, he is. He’s basically only home to sleep.
“We’re not children,” I say to Theo as soon as I’m within hearing distance.
Theo raises an eyebrow. “Could’ve fooled me.”
I take a deep breath. “We’re working through some stuff.”
“We knowthe stuff,” Theo says. “The whole ranch knowsthe stuff.”
How—?I sigh. I shouldn’t be surprised by how quickly gossip moves through this town anymore. It’s practically air here.
I stand there for a moment, stuff my hands in my jeans, and stare at the grass. I don’t know what to say. What can I say?
“Comeon,” Theo groans, slapping his hands on his thighs and standing. “You guys are best friends.”
“That’s what I thought,” Harrison mutters, and fuck that hurts.
Theo takes a deep breath. “Besides the both of you being real pains in the ass to deal with around here—I mean, come on,Logan’sinvolved—” He gestures dramatically to where Logan is leaned against his truck, completely ignoring us, facing the opposite way. “—you’re also being ridiculous. You can’t throw away an entire lifetime’s worth of friendship over this.”
“It’s not that simple,” Harrison snaps, his gaze turning to Theo.
Theo holds up his hands. “Don’t tell it to me.” He gestures to me, and my shoulders sag. “Talk to him.”
And with that, Theo walks off to join Logan at his truck.
I don’t move. I simply listen to Theo’s footsteps as he stomps away behind me.
“I’m sorry,” I finally break the ice with.
“You’ve said that already.”
For the first time since this whole thing began, anger flares inside of me. “What do you want me to say?” I snap.
At this, Harrison finally looks up. In his eyes is anger—but alsohurt. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know what you can say to make this better, all I know is that I’m …”
“Upset, I know,” I say, my tone calm again. I move to slowly take a seat on a nearby log. Not directly next to him, but close enough.
Harrison breathes in deep. “I trusted you, Graham. Like, really trusted you. More than most people in my life. And mybaby sister?” He turns to me then, and guilt worms its way in and out of my heart at the look on his face. He shakes his head. “I love her more than anything in this world, and it’s my job to protect her as much as I can from all the shit that’s out there. And you … I thought you got that.”
Fuck me. I wish he’d just punch me again.
“It’s not that the two of you went out or whatever. It’s that you’re …” He trails off, looking pained, frustrated, like he wants to say the stuff he said to me that day he found us.
“I’m the kind of man you’ve tried to protect her from,” I finish, as much as the words burn on their way out.
Harrison looks at me for a long moment, and I can’t quite read his face. “So you do get it,” he says evenly.
I run a hand through my hair, reaching my neck and tugging.
“Can I just ask why?”
Harrison’s question has me scrunching my eyebrows, staring harder at the dirt beneath my feet. I don’t want to betray Delilah, but I also want Harrison back. Theo’s right. We’re best friends. Andnotbeing his best friend? It’s kind of eating me up inside.
“This is going to sound stupid, but everything I did was because I care about Delilah,” I settle on.
