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“Maybe,” I say, but I’m not sure I quite believe it.
“So, do you still talk to him?”
I hesitate a beat before lying through my teeth. “No. He’s in a serious relationship now, so I thought it was better to keep my distance.”
I only pray I find the strength to actually do this one day, if I never truly get over him. I’d be a much better person, to Ben and to myself. But that’s what this whole rebound is for: to get over Ben, so I don’t end up damaging our friendship later.
“Maybe you need to do the same with Alice. Keep some distance.” I’m a hypocrite for suggesting it, but he’s worse off than me, isn’t he? He’s the one who just tried to ruin their engagement after all.
“Yeah.” He nods, resigned. I’m a bit surprised he doesn’t try to put up more of a fight. “You’re probably right.”
“And you know what a good start would be?” His brows crease in question. I bend down and pull out the box of condoms from my tote bag. His jaw drops as he looks between me and the box. “Wanna get out of here?” I give him my best teasing smile.
“Are you kidding?” His arms close around my waist, spinning me off the bleachers. I let out a loud squeal, grasping his arms for dear life. “Let’s get a move on, woman!”
Twelve
We rush back to my apartment, arriving in the parking lot outside my building at the same exact time. He pulls in next to me, jumps from his car, and immediately runs around the vehicle to open my door. His hands cup my face as he kisses me, and he tastes like relief. Like I’ve been holding my breath all day, and he’s finally allowing me the air I’m craving. Each time feels covert and brand new, as if at any second this could all fall away from us.
When we finally manage to make it inside my apartment, he pushes me against the door and pins my hands over my head. He kisses me until my mind turns fuzzy, and I’m aching to feel his hard body against mine. My hands slip from his grasp to touch his hair, and his move up my shirt. I let out an involuntary moan in his mouth, tugging him closer against me.
“This isn’t moving too fast for you, is it?” he asks, lips moving down my neck. I shake my head, and he smirks against my skin. “Thank god.”
He raises the hem of my shirt, and my arms go up of their own accord. My shirt is off and tossed to the floor in one fell swoop before we’re desperately grasping for each other in the dark. Our lips meet again, tongues clashing in the most addicting way. My hands are roaming under his shirt next, inching the fabric upward when the buzz of my phone vibrating in my pocket threatens to undo the moment. I pay it no mind as his shirt is peeled off and we’re skin to skin. My hands roam up his sculpted chest, fingers running through the indentations of muscle.
“Bedroom?” I ask, my voice raspy.
He nods vigorously, his head outlined by the dim glow through the blinds. My fingers curl in the belt loops of his jeans to pull him forward, but when my phone vibrates again, I let out a frustrated groan. I pull it out of my jeans pocket and throw it across the living room. Theo huffs a laugh against the side of my head before our lips meet again.
We don’t get very far across the room before Theo says, “Dammit,” and pulls his own phone out of his pocket. A picture of his brother fills the screen, and my heart jumps.
Damn him.
“Was he calling you, too?” he asks, holding out his phone.
“I don’t know. I didn’t bother checking,” I admit, biting my lip.
“Should I…?” He trails off.
The moment is officially killed. Good god, why does this keep happening to us? I nod, stepping away from him for my discarded shirt. It’s a miracle I’m able to find it through the darkness, the only trace of light coming from my Blu-ray player displaying the time. Once my shirt is back on, I flick on the hall light and step into the living room. Theo is seated on the couch, looking rumpled and annoyed. As he talks to his brother, I search for where my phone landed and find it wedged under the coffee table. Sure enough, there are two missed calls from Ben on my notification screen.
“Why do you wanna know?” Theo asks his brother. He rolls his eyes at whatever Ben’s reply is. “Because it’s none of your business.” Another pause. “Ben, let her make her own decisions. This has nothing to do with—” He lets out a frustrated noise before hanging up the phone. Dread creeps up my spine when he looks up at me and says, “Jesus.”
“What?” I ask. “What did he say?”
My heart races at the sight of Theo’s sunken form. He rubs a rough hand down his face, chest rising and falling fast with his breaths. I’m still breathing fast, but for a very different reason now.
“Did he talk to you about me?” When he looks up at me, his eyes pin me in place. “Before you came to see me?”
I mash my lips together, my eyes searching for any clue on his face that shows me what he’s thinking. But he might as well be carved from stone for how much he gives away. When I finally nod, he lets out a breath. His body deflates as he leans back on the couch.
“It’s not just because of you, though,” I say quickly. “Ben’s always been like this when I start dating someone. It’s protective, macho bullshit, but he just wants to make sure I don’t get hurt.”
“Believe me. It has everything to do with me.” He rakes his hair back from his face with a scowl. I clutch my stomach with both hands. This outright interference is a line I never expected Ben to cross, but I don’t feel good about it. Not at all. What would Alice think? And why is he so dead set against us?
“What did he say exactly?”
“He just… really doesn’t want me around you,” he says, a hand resting under his jaw. “Look, I’m not close with my brother. Alice has wanted us to change that for years. Ben thinks that I’m going to hurt you if we keep seeing each other. And apparently, he’d go as far as calling both of us past midnight to prevent that from happening.”
