Before I have time to exhale, I’m swept into his arms. He carries me to a grassy area closer to the road and sets me down amongst the wildflowers that grow there. We’re still holding on to each other. His grip doesn’t loosen, and neither does mine.

Anguish contorts his handsome features, making him look almost unrecognizable. I reach up to caress his face, to ease the pain that’s latched itself in his eyes. Tears flood my eyes as I try to comprehend what just happened. “Harbor . . .” There’s no question or nothing to say. I just need to know he’s still with me.

He closes his eyes and slowly releases a long breath while tilting his face to the sky. The breath he takes comes easier. Looking back at me, he runs his hand over my cheek. “Don’t scare me like that again, baby.” There’s no anger in his tone, just concern and a dash of something unfamiliar.

We’re far enough away to keep us safe, so I grin. “I’ll do my best.” I’m still unsure what I saw down there . . . I know, but I don’t know if I’m right thinking about it, much less asking him.

“I need you to promise you’ll never come back here, not ever, Lark. Can you do that?” Holding my shoulders, he tightens his grip with each insistence. “Will you do that for me?”

I wrap my hands around his wrists, still staring into his eyes that now reflect a watery surface. “I promise.”

He nods as if that’s enough for him. Taking my hand, we walk to the car in silence. The quiet between us used to be something I was okay with. Now, lately, it feels different. We are starting to feel different. And I don’t like it.

The wind picks up, so we hurry and hop inside the car. Harbor doesn’t rush to start it, but I’m ready to get out of here. I snap my seat belt and then sink against the seat. Closing my eyes, I wish this day away. It’s been horrible, and it’s not even two o’clock. “Can we go?” I ask, bordering on impatience.

He starts the car and shifts into gear. As soon as he pulls onto the road, I ask, “What just happened?”

Glancing at me quickly, he replies, “You got too close.”

Maybe it’s the tension between us, but the words hit me wrong. “To the cliff or to you?”

Emotion is lost in his eyes as he stares ahead at the road. Answered with silence again, I punch my fists against the seat beside my legs. “I’m too close to you, Harbor?” Staring right at him, I raise my voice when there’s no reaction. “Too clingy? What is it?”

He swerves the car to the left, cutting across the other lane to a picnic area a little distance from the cliffs. I hold the door to keep from banging into it. Slamming on the brakes, he shoves the gear into the park, and gets out of the car. “Fuck!” he shouts as loud as he can, storming away from me with his fisted hands punching the air at his sides. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”