Second star to the right - Larry

SEVEN

The journey back to the ship is dreadful. We're all exhausted, but the twins hardly have any energy to go on. The boys go hunting when we settle down at sunset—the twins eat a rabbit each, but it's not as disturbing to watch anymore. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to the bizarre way things work in Neverland. Or maybe I'm so numb that nothing is currently affecting me other than the way Harry is stroking my wrist.

I'm understanding now that there's a reason why Neverland has an age limit. It's a magical place I've been lucky—or not—to experience on my own, but it's not made to sustain adults other than the ones who belong in the Piccaninny tribe. I've grown up and it's about time I come to terms with it. Harry and I are the last ones awake, sitting quietly next to each other as my mind spins over and over until I'm tearing up again.

"I'm sorry I brought you here."

"I'm not."

"I put you in danger."

"I know you thought it was gonna be different."

"I never meant to traumatise you."

"You need to stop worrying," he says. "This entire thing has been unreal. And we're probably gonna need some proper therapy when we get home, but it's not on you, Louis."

"My trauma was never real, but yours was, yeah?"

"No," he says. "You do realise not everyone at school is traumatised, right?"

"Yeah, obviously, but you're going to therapy, so I just... assumed."

"I'm going to therapy because it makes sense to me, not because I have something to work through."

"How does that work?"

He chuckles. "My sessions are shorter than yours. And you know I only go once a week, so it's mainly to catch up on how I'm doing. Sometimes we talk about home because I tend to get homesick. Other times we talk about how I'm doing in my classes. And recently, we've been talking about you."

"Me?"

"I've been struggling with our no-strings-attached agreement."

"I've talked about you, too, once or twice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I told her that sometimes... that sometimes you're the only thing that makes sense. I mean... you've been my only constant since we met."

He tugs me closer to his body. "I've been your roommate since we were... what? Fourteen? And even when I didn't believe in your stories, I never saw you as weird. I genuinely thought you were going through something, that you were surviving your trauma by convincing yourself something else had happened. I've been crushing on you since... since we met, I think, but I haven't always made it obvious. I was teasing you because I wanted your attention. I wanted you to look at me, but every time I tried to be nice, you thought I had ulterior motives, so I stuck with the teasing instead. And I'm sorry about that. I'm not even sure what went on in my head when I kissed you, but I'm glad you kissed me back."

"You were teasing me to get my attention?"

"Is that stupid?"

"I mean... you certainly weren't scoring any points with me, but I can appreciate your enthusiasm."

He smiles. "I'm sorry I never believed you."

"I don't see why you would," I admit, keeping quiet a moment longer before I change the subject. "I had never kissed anyone when you kissed me."

"No?"

"No. There has never been anyone else—you know, other than Jack, but I'm not even sure that counts. Or maybe it does, but I don't want it to."