AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But liking Harris and being excited to see him and talk to him doesn’t automatically equate to falling in love. I think that’s where most people get it wrong. Luckily for me, I’m not most people.
——
“I’m so glad you’rehome.” Hannah wraps me in a big hug seconds after I exit the airport.
My plan was to call an Uber but she’d informed me this morning that she had taken the afternoon off to pick me up. Really, I think she wanted an excuse to take a half day on a Friday and get an early start to her weekend, but whatever her reason I’m grateful not to have to Uber. I’ll do it when necessary but I’m not the biggest fan of riding with a complete stranger when I’m alone.
“I’m so glad to be home,” I tell her, stepping out of her embrace.
“Come on. I’m parked right over there.” She points to the line of cars waiting in the pickup area.
I follow her to her car, throwing my duffel in the back before sliding into the passenger seat.
“So.” She slips her seatbelt on and pops the car into drive. “Catch me up. How is everything? How’s your dad doing now that he’s home.”
“He’s really good. I expected him to be different somehow, or for this whole ordeal to slow him down but it hasn’t. Yesterday he was back out in the garage working on the bookshelf he’s building for my mom.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Hannah veers right and pulls into traffic.
Hannah knows my parents pretty well. Considering we’ve been friends for a decade, she got to spend nine years around them before they moved to Florida.
“Anything else going on? Have you talked to Harris?”
“Not since Wednesday. He text me a couple times yesterday and then again this morning. Which reminds me...” I trail off, leaning forward to dig my phone out of my purse. “I promised him I’d let him know once I landed,” I say, typing out the message as I talk.
Me:Just landed. Heading home now.
“Things seem to be really heating up between the two of you.”
“It’s just a bet, Hannah.” I let out a sigh, relaxing back into my seat.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself.” She throws me a sideways glance. “But you know that not saying it out loud doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Not saying what?”
“That you like him.”
“I do like him. I’m not trying to deny that.”
“But?”
“But nothing. I like him, that’s it. We both know it’s not going anywhere. I’m just trying to enjoy the ride while it lasts.”
“If you say so.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Because I think you’re in denial.”
“Whatever.” I pause for a moment, then, “By the way, Harris wants you to come to dinner with us next Friday.”
“Why? Hoping to throw a threesome into the mix,” she teases.
“Shut up.” I shake my head at her. “His brother is coming into town and he thought it might be fun for the four of us to go out.”
“Oh god, please don’t tell me this is some ploy to try to hook me up with his brother.”
“Not at all. He’s in the military and is currently stationed in Hawaii. I think that might take long distance relationship to a new level.”
