Tiffany:
Harry carried my bags into my dorm room, placing them on the floor beside my bed. I had done a ton of shopping in the city, and I hated that he was my personal valet. But sometimes, being Wonder Woman was admitting when you couldn’t handle everything.
“Thanks so much, Harry.” I smiled at him. He nodded. The boy looked exhausted. I knew he was sad to leave the city, but I didn’t think it would affect him this much. “You look like you need to crash.”
“Yeah. I regret not having my car. My apartment is a pretty far walk.”
“Well, I’d be happy to drive you.”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, that would be great.” He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
“If you really need to rest, you can crash here for a bit. You look like you’re about to collapse.” Harry eyed the bed longingly. I knew he was having an internal argument with himself. I could read him like a book. Kicking off my moccasins, I took him by the hand. “Come on, one quick nap and I’ll drive you home.”
“You slept on the train.”
“What can I say? I enjoy sleeping with you.” Before I could catch the words, they had escaped, and Harry laughed lightly. “Besides, I’m working tonight. Some extra rest wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
“Fine. You wore me down. One last time.”
Taking a step closer, I removed his glasses, folded them, and placed them on the desk beside the bed. Then, taking his hand, I took him to my bed.
I had a twin bed, which meant there was not too much room to really maneuver, but it didn’t matter. Harry crumpled his body up against mine and drew me close to him. His breath was warm on my neck. Our limbs were braided together like a pretzel, and I doubt any couple ever fit together this perfect. When his breathing changed and I knew he had entered that realm where he was lost to the real world, I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his head and whispered, “I love you, Harry Archer.”
“So? How was your romantic getaway?” Iris batted her eyelashes at me and gave me a smirk.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Then explain to me what was it like?”
I bit my lip. “In a word? Amazing.”
“Spill. I need all the details.”
“Um… he gave me this.” I lifted up the anchor pendant.
Iris put on her reading glasses and flipped the anchor to the back. “Tiffany’s.” She looked up at me from behind her lenses. “The boy got you jewelry from Tiffany’s?”
“Uh-huh.” I was basically trying to refrain from squealing.
“So tell me the important stuff. How does he kiss, and how far did you go?”
“He didn’t kiss me, and holding hands. Oh! And we napped together.”
Iris looked like she was ready to fall over from disbelief. “How old is this guy?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five and he hasn’t tried to get in your pants?” She shook her head. “Either he’s the most patient man in America or he’s gay.”
“I told you he just wants to be friends. And he’s definitely not gay!”
“How do you know?”
“Because I grew up in the theatre. I have impeccable gay-dar.”
“Well, sweetie, I am blown away.”
I took in a long, deep breath and sighed. “I’m in love with him, Iris. I mean, my feelings for Harry are like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I wake up thinking about him. I go to sleep thinking about him. I think I might lose my mind if he doesn’t take this friendship to the next level. I met his family and adored them—even my mother likes him. Everything is where it should be, but we can’t take that next step.”
“Have you spoken about it since the last time?”
“No, but I mean, isn’t it obvious?”
“Men often need to be hit over the head with a mallet before they can see the stars. You know what I mean?”
“No.”
“Unless you tell him you love him, he may never know.”
“Technically, I did tell him. He was just asleep when I said the words.”
“Then it doesn’t count. Being conscious is a big part of the moment.”
I leaned against the bar, slinking my shoulders down. “What if he doesn’t feel the same?” It was my biggest fear.
Iris reached over and gently took the silver anchor between her fingers, raising it so I could see. “You’re his anchor. What more of a sign do you want?”