AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The sight of his suit from last night laid out on my bedspread does nothing to help the sudden anxiety creeping in my veins. There’s a man in my bathroom. A naked man. He’s probably drying off his body with one of my towels this very second. His naked body, because all the clothes he came with are lying on my bed.
Oh my god.
I just shared a bathroom with a naked man I know little to nothing about. I can count on one hand the things I know about Theo Young.
Index: He plays (played?) for the Dallas Cowboys. A fact I barely know about him, so should it even count?
Middle: He has some sort of feud going on with his brother. Another fact I don’t know the details of.
Ring: He’s in love with Alice Cho, his brother’s fiancée.
Pinkie: He… actually is sweet. I’ve never once met a man willing to put a woman’s goals before his own desire for her. Angela was right about him.
Thumb: Like me, he can’t say no to food.
Theo meets me in the living room once he’s dressed in last night’s clothes, suit jacket tucked awkwardly under one arm and hair slightly damp. Wordlessly, he follows me out to my tiny car. Trapped in the confined space together, I note the smell of my rose-and-amber body wash on him. I’m not sure how to feel about that.
Once we arrive in the parking lot of the restaurant, I send Angela a quick text to check in on how she’s feeling. Theo shifts in his seat, eyes roaming the lot as if he can already sense trouble. His head turns right and left so fast he’s making me dizzy. When Angela doesn’t reply right away, I assume she must be sleeping off the stomach bug. Though I’ve given Theo a moment to prepare himself for what’s to come inside, he looks more anxious than ever.
“Are you ready?” I ask him, already knowing the answer.
“No.” His shoulders deflate with a sigh. “Not that it even matters.”
The table is full except for two seats by the time we reach our party. Ben sits at the head of the table, Alice by his side. Alice’s parents are seated beside her, but Ben’s parents are separated by the two empty chairs placed next to each other. A quick reminder of their not-so-amicable divorce. I take the seat next to Mrs. Young, because it’s the farthest away from Ben and Alice. With one look at Theo’s face, however, I immediately regret the decision. He hesitates as he steps forward, reluctantly taking the seat beside his father, diagonally across from Alice.
His eyes lock on her face, even when she glances away from us. She’s the only one who does, though. At every turn, all eyes are directly on me. Christine in particular is staring daggers in my direction, brown eyes narrowed to slits. A chill of unease runs down my spine as I realize something. No, it’s not me they’re all staring at. They’re staring at us. At me and Theo.
Weird.
“Nice of you to finally show up, boy,” Theo’s father says, clapping him on the back. “And with a pretty girl on your arm to boot. Is she the reason you ducked out of the party early?” Then his eyes widen as he leans across the table and pins them on me. “Oh, Marcela! What a surprise!”
“Hi, Mr. Young.” I give him a shy wave, not quite making eye contact.
“Oh, no, we’re not—” Theo is in the middle of correcting his father when Mr. Young cuts him off.
“It’s not like my oldest to spend his time with quality women,” he says, chuckling hard at his own comment. Next to me, his ex-wife rolls her eyes the way I wish I could. Instead, I glance up at Theo, brows furrowing as I imagine what criteria his father thinks these women have to meet to be considered “quality.” I’m sure I’d rather not know. Then he points a pink finger at Theo and says, “Don’t blow it with this one, son.”
Maybe I should be flattered that Mr. Young thinks so much of me, but the sentiment only makes me uneasy. I’ve met him a handful of times at family brunches and always considered him decent enough, but never actually knew what he thought of me until now. In fact, we’ve never spoken more than a few words to each other, so I have no idea how he’s basing his opinion of me.
“Noted.” Theo’s tone is clipped, as if he wishes he could evaporate into the air and be done with this conversation. I know I am, and I’m not even the one being spoken to.
“Are you still at the library, Marcela?” Mrs. Young asks me.
“Yup.” I nod. “We’re starting up a YA book club,” I say, mostly to turn the conversation away from me and Theo, as if there will ever actually be a me and Theo. But I’m afraid to contradict what they think, for fear of making a scene out of an already awkward situation. How will it look if we deny anything happened between us? We can’t exactly tell them the truth.
Oh no, your son and I didn’t hook up. I just stopped him from sabotaging your younger son’s engagement party by pulling him into an Uber and letting him sleep (no euphemisms here!) off his heartache at my place. No, it wouldn’t be wise to contradict the assumption.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Ben’s expression. His eyes are trained on me. His cool expression sends chills down my back, the question in his face crystal clear. He’s looking at me like he has no idea who I am. Then his eyes flick to his brother and he just shakes his head. My skin heats at the implication, heart racing double speed for no good reason. I’ve upset him somehow, coming here with Theo.
I sneak a glance at Alice and find the exact opposite in her expression. She seems unfazed, cutting into her spinach-and-egg-white omelet with a sly smile. When she looks up at Theo, her eyes fill with warmth. Her smile is nothing but friendly, but the same can’t be said for Theo. His eyes soften as he meets hers across the table. I recognize the look for what it is. Longing.
His hand shakes slightly as he passes her the pepper shaker, his thumb brushing the edge of her fingers as he hands it off. She doesn’t seem to feel his touch, just peppers her eggs and takes another bite as if nothing happened. But Theo clears his throat, as if clearing the emotion building there.
How am I the only one who can see it? Is it that everyone around us is genuinely oblivious, or that this new knowledge has changed how I perceive Theo’s interactions with her?
My skin feels overheated. I wonder if I’m as obvious as he is.
As soon as I’m finished eating, I excuse myself to use the restroom. I make myself take deep breaths on the way, but it isn’t until I lock myself inside a stall that I’m able to steady my breathing. Why did I think forcing Theo to brunch was a good idea? What if he tries to blow up his brother’s relationship again? It’ll be my fault for not stopping him sooner. The door swings open, momentarily distracting me from my mini freak-out and back into the present moment. I do my business before washing my hands at the sink, where Christine is reapplying her lipstick in front of a mirror.
