Page 137 of Harrison's Wedding

I’m confused because she kissed me like that, but then she called me Harrison. I’m not her honey anymore, and I don’t know what to do.

“What do you want from me, angel?” I ask quietly.

“I want to be here. With you. Right now. Just…stay here.”

It’s an earnest request, and I can tell she needs it. I would do anything for her. So, if she wants to be in my arms, I won’t refuse, not even if it hurts me doing it. Except, it doesn’t hurt. It feels right and amazing and as though there is some kind of light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

“We should be social,” Heather says after a few minutes, and then sighs deeply.

“Being social is the worst,” I laugh as I drop my arms from around her waist again.

She pulls her arms out from under my jacket and steps back from me as she says, “We still need to talk, Harrison.”

It’s probably the understatement of the year, but even the idea of having some kind of deep and meaningful talk with Heather about what this all means is better than the nothingness of our relationship since November.

“I know,” I smile at her, feeling happier than I have in a long time, “but it’s a start. Finish your drink, angel.”

“Evil man,” she says with a laugh as she picks up the drink and takes another sip.

I pick up my whisky, then reach my free hand out toward hers. When she links her hand with mine, I’m in pure bliss. We turn to face the room together and look at the party going on completely without us.

Heather points out Ally and Hayden, so we make our way over to them. When we get there, Sebastian has appeared and is standing with them, sans the actress he was dancing with before.

“Hi, darling,” Heather smiles at Ally.

“Hey, lady. You seem like you’re having a good time,” Ally smiles back at her.

Heather glances up at me before looking back at her friend, “Better than I expected to have.”

“I get the feeling that our love affair might be over,” Sebastian says with an overly dramatic sigh, and we all laugh.

“Sorry, Seb, but I really hope so,” I tell him, daring to hope that this might be the start of a reconciliation for Heather and me.

“Ah, well, we’ll always have Galena,” he tells Heather, giving her a wink.

“It was fun while it lasted, darling,” she grins at him.

We talk with our friends for a while before I ask Heather if she wants to dance with me. As we spend the next few hours dancing and talking with our friends, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. It feels as though I’ve been plucked from reality and dropped into one of my dreams.

I spend the entire evening with Heather. Every moment of the night, I’m touching her somehow. Either holding her hand, or cuddling her, or kissing her, or dancing with her. She drinks a lot and laughs a lot, but I switch to water after I finish my whisky. I encourage Heather to do the same as the evening begins to wind down. I want her sober and able to consent if we end up doing anything.

We cheer together as speeches are made for Gabriel, and we each make one about him and what his friendship means to us. Sebastian calls him Perfect Gabriel, and we all laugh.

The entire world has taken on a glow. Everything seems brighter and louder. As people start to leave the party, I stand behind Heather. My arms are wrapped around her waist, and I have my head resting on hers as I watch the guests saying their goodbyes.

“Where to, now?” I ask Heather.

If she wants this to be the end of our evening, I will be okay with that. This has been one of the best nights of my life, and just being with her has soothed something deep inside me. I don’t need to have sex with her to make it any more perfect than it has been.

“Well, I mean, we are in a hotel…” she trails off.

Just because I didn’t need sex, doesn’t mean that I don’t want it. I drop my arms from around her, grab her hand and lead her over to Gabriel and Ariana.

“We’re leaving,” I inform them. “Happy birthday, Gabriel. The party has been awesome!”

“It certainly seems like you’ve been having a good time,” Gabriel smirks at me.

Heather steps forward and puts her free arm around Gabriel to give him a hug, “Happy thirtieth birthday, darling.”

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