Harlan misses the girl more than he cares to admit. If he'd been asked a few mere weeks ago if he could ever see himself in the state he finds himself in now, carrying her with him in his mind, with every step he takes, every agonizing day away from her... well, how could he have even considered the possibility?
But now, his nights are sleepless. The left side of his bed empty. His thoughts swim in his mind, insatiable. Loud. Agonizing.
He'd made a mistake today.
That stupid pet name he'd called her on the phone had just slipped out. It scares him how easily the word fell from his mouth, without so much as a forethought. He has to draw back now, to make it a point to create some distance. Not because he wants to, but because he can't have her confused about what they are. What they can
