"to love at all is to be vulnerable"

***

Harry fidgets uncomfortably, his eyebrows knitted together in worry. He tugs on the hem of his shirt, seeming to struggle with looking between the floor and Eden.

"What do . . . how do we do this?" he asks quietly.

"I don't know," Eden admits. "I've never had to talk with someone about something like this."

"Eden, I want you to know how truly sorry I am," he says, peering up at her with keen eyes.

"I know you are," she says. "But I just have a few things I want to get off my chest."

"Alright," he assents, and she sighs aloud. An awkward beat passes as Eden wrestles with the flurry of words in her head, completely unsure of where to begin. Harry seems to pick up on her indecision about what to say first.

"Eden," he begins.

"I'm trying to . . . I need to think," she says exasperatedly. "There's so much in my head, I don't even know where to start."

"I know," he says softly, filling in for her when the words won't come. "I know."

"Just . . ." she frets, waving her hands around gently as if she can somehow push the words out. "Just let me say it."

He nods, and within his gaze is a familiar look of patient interest. She's missed that - missed the sense of urgency that comes with speaking to Harry, like he hangs on every word she says.

"When I started my list, I never thought I would actually go through with anything on it. It was therapeutic, yes, but it was just meant to stay in my desk forever. And I was okay with that, I was okay with just having something to dream about.

"And then . . . something changed inside me. I probably won't ever fully understand why but I was able to finally do it, to follow my list and leave behind everything I ever knew, and I was okay with going it alone. I made the choice to leave and I made it for me, and it was exciting and terrifying all the same."

She pauses to steady herself; her hands are beginning to tremble. Harry stands quietly with his eyes on her and waits for her to continue. She can't help but glance over at him, something she instantly regrets when she feels the rising blush on her cheeks.

"And then I met you. I never expected you to be anything more than another item on my list but for reasons I'll never know, we were put in that diner at the same time because we were meant to be on this trip together."

Harry has a small smile on his lips, and one dimple is just starting to peek out from his skin. His expression is wistful, dreamy; as if he's remembering the night they met with fondness.

Eden wrings her hands together and stares at the floor while she paces. Despite knowing she should, she can't bring herself to look him in the eye anymore. "Amenkha may be my friend soulmate but I thought I'd finally met someone who understood the deepest parts of me, parts that I don't even understand. It was wonderful to feel like I had that kind of unconditional devotion to rely on. Whatever I needed, you were willing to be, whether that was a friend or more. I let you in, let you know more about me than anyone had before."

She stops again and her eyes well up as the hurt resurfaces. "I really tried with you, Harry. I tried to be open and let someone in. And then that awful business in New York happened. It broke me."

Harry looks down shamefully and she takes a second to steady herself. "I don't want to talk about it too much but I think it's important that we both understand how devastating that was."

Harry nods dolefully. "Eden, you should know that it was hard for me too, having to put you through that. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself."

"I know," Eden says, licking her lips. "And it will take me a long time to forgive you fully. But I don't hate you, Harry, I could never hate you. And while I don't like what you did or appreciate how you did it, I understand why. And intentions mean a lot to me."

A shadow of confusion passes over his features. Eden forces herself to meet his gaze.

"I have to remind myself that the Harry who wrote that terrible article is not who you are. The Harry I met is kind, and compassionate, and a protector, and funny, and empathetic, and . . ." She trails off with a shy smile. "And a lover. I just don't believe there could be that kind of hate in your heart."

Harry's cheeks are beginning to tint pink and he seems to be fighting back a little grin. He glances away, one hand gently massaging the back of his neck. If Eden didn't know any better, she'd say he looks embarrassed.

"I just want things to go back to the way they were," Eden confesses. "I miss having the freedom we had on the road, and I miss knowing I could trust the man in my passenger seat."

"I want that too," he admits in a hushed voice. "Very much."

"I'm . . . I'm sorry I went behind your back and read your computer," she apologizes. "I shouldn't have done that, and I shouldn't have pressured you to tell me more. You and I aren't the same person and I have to respect that people share different parts of themselves at different times."

"Thank you, Eden, I genuinely appreciate that," Harry replies, and from the look in his eyes she knows he means it. "I'm sorry to you too, for how I made you feel. For everything. I should have been more forthcoming."

She inches closer, peering up at him with doe-like eyes. "If we're going to be friends again and trust one another, we have to work for it. We have to choose each other, everyday. It won't come back without effort."

"Friends." As if I could ever see you as just as a friend after everything we've been through.

He nods, his smile finally appearing unabated. Eden's feet melt into the floor as she catches sight of his lovely dimples. "I know. I want that."

"And I have a condition."

"Name it," he says without hesitation.

"No more secrets, no more hiding," she says solemnly. "No more fear. We have to be honest."

"No more fear," Harry repeats, and Eden knows by the look in his eye that the Harry she met in Lucky's Diner in Georgia is back. Her heart sings with relief as the weight of guilt, of betrayal and the unknown, lifts.

"That's not to say you have to tell me everything," she quickly clarifies. "You have your right to privacy, as do I. But please don't feel like you have to keep things from me anymore."

"I understand, Eden."

She offers him a soft smile and his grin grows wider. "I don't know if I'm in any place to be doing this, but I have something for you."

Her eyebrows shoot up in mild surprise. "I'm not sure I'm in any place to be accepting anything," she simpers. He winks at her before gesturing for her to wait where she is.

"Stay here," he instructs. He crosses the room and she clasps her hands in front of her, bouncing on her heels and biting back an excited smirk.

He returns holding a small manila envelope. "Okay, I actually have two things."

She arches a brow. "I'm a lucky lady."

Harry holds her gaze for a moment longer, his eyes betraying the deep sense of relief he also seems to be feeling at her presence, before he reaches into the folder. "This is the first one."

In his hand is a small photo. When Eden takes it, she nearly jumps in elation upon realizing it's the Polaroid she and Harry took at the wedding.

"Harry!" she cries in excitement, unable to stop herself from clinging onto him in a hug. His free hand flutters onto her waist as a low chuckle leaves his lips. "I can't believe you saved it!"

"How could I not?" he grins. "It's a great photo, I couldn't bear to leave it there."

"Oh, I'm so happy you kept it," she sniffles, suddenly aware she's crying. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and beams down at the photo, her heart swelling with adoration. "It really is a great photo, isn't it?"

There were so many other beautiful moments she wishes she'd thought to capture: Harry sitting across from her in Lucky's Diner the night they met; his face as she sang to him in the bar; his utter bliss and carefree expression as they soared off the cliff hand-in-hand. All moments tucked safely away in her mind's eye, but nonetheless she wishes she had more pictures to look at.

"We should've taken more photos," she muses aloud, gently running her finger over the Polaroid.

"Don't worry, we will next time," Harry says, his eyes on her as he carefully gauges her reaction.

"Yeah," she sighs placidly before his words truly hit her ears. Her head snaps up, her face contorted with disbelief. "Wait, what did you say?"

"Try not to cry more," he says, nudging her while she stares back at him in confusion. A playful smile crosses his lips.

"No promises," she whispers with a breathy laugh, suddenly nervous about what he's about to give her.

He reaches in and pulls out a small white rectangle of paper. Her brows furrow together as he hands it to her.

The realization hits after a moment.

In her hands is a ticket voucher, good for one round-trip overseas flight. Her heart nearly stops beating and her knees almost buckle.

"Don't worry, we will next time."

"H-Harry, what is this?" she asks faintly.

"A plane voucher, you dork," he answers teasingly.

Eden's mouth goes dry. "Harry, this is too much, I . . . I can't accept this."

She goes to hand it back but he gently pushes her hand away. "I wasn't sure when I bought it, if I'd ever get the chance to use it. But if we're going to give this honesty thing a shot, I figure it's time I show you my corner of the world. There are quite a few people who are eager to meet the brave girl from the article."

Eden's abruptly grateful she didn't promise she wouldn't cry because there's no way she can stop the tears from flooding back. Harry pulls her in for another hug and she sobs into his chest, not caring how terrible she sounds or looks.

"Why are you crying?" he asks somewhat incredulously, although she can hear the laughter in his voice.

"Because I'm just s-so happy," she cries, hiding her face in his chest. When she finally steps back she can see a big pool on Harry's shirt where her tears have soaked through the fabric. "Thank you, Harry, thank you so much."

"No, thank you," he says. "You've made life much more meaningful and no amount of Polaroids or plane tickets is ever going to repay you for what you've done for me."

***

She remains at Harry's hotel the rest of the night, curled up in one corner of the bed while he fills her in on his time apart from her. Apparently he'd spent a couple days in New York, considering his next moves, before ultimately reaching out to Amenkha and traveling to Florida. Listening to him talk animatedly about his days does something oddly satisfying for Eden; like remembering her favorite song after years of not hearing it. For the first time in days, she's overwhelmed with the same easy feeling she experienced while on the road with him. The rain patters on in the background, but they're safe and cozy together in the warm light of his room.

Content is a good way to describe the feeling within.

The evening winds down and ends with the two of them sitting atop the bed covers, Harry's head in Eden's lap while a random movie flickers by on the television screen. Eden can't focus on much else except the feeling of Harry's fingers trailing patterns down her thighs and how soft his curls are between her hands.

She plays absently with his hair, combing her fingers through it while her mind wanders. She thinks about their time together, their time apart, and how natural things still feel between them. Despite their short time in each other's lives, Eden suddenly can't imagine how she got by without having someone like Harry to count on.

A new thought emerges as she thinks, pulling her back to the present moment. "Harry," she says softly.

He rolls over in the bed so he can look up at her. "Yes?" he hums.

She brushes some loose hairs away from his forehead. "What if I'd never seen your emails? How long would you have stayed?"

He smiles, dimples poking into his cheeks. He pulls her hand from his hair and holds it in his own, gently threading his fingers through hers.

"Forever."

~~~

their story begins and ends in a hotel room. i'm not crying, you are.

okay i guess technically it started in a diner but i was trying to make things come full circle lmao

well folks, i am so sorry to say that this is the last chapter of the brave ones :c eden's learned to confront her fears, harry's learned to tell the truth, and they've forgiven each other, so i think this is a good place to end things, don't you?

i am honestly so attached to this story, i'm really sad to say that it's come to an end but never fear: there will be an epilogue! so i guess this isn't technically the last chapter, there's still one more. so don't worry just yet :D

stay tuned and stay lovely xx