Page 48 of Caden & Theo

“Hey yourself.” I close the distance, drop my duffel by his feet, and lean in so that only he hears the next part. “Wanna come back to my room and let me be really inappropriate in ways that would make my Catholic grandma cry?”

He snorts, grinning. “Jesus, Caden.”

“What? She’s not alive to be offended.”

“Wow.”

“What?” I say, mock-innocent. “You coming or not?”

“Oh, I’m coming,” he says, eyes glinting. “But I’m not letting you talk about your grandma again while we’re making out. That’s officially banned.”

“Fair.”

We walk together back through campus. It’s quiet tonight. Most of the student body’s already left for the holidays. The air’scrisp and the sky’s clear. It smells like pine and cold asphalt, and Theo’s shoulder keeps brushing mine as we walk.

I feel bigger next to him, like I always do. I’m still holding out hope for at least another growth spurt. Gotta hit that six-four mark, just to be safe. Maybe I’ll start sleeping upside down or chugging calcium by the gallon.

When we get back to my dorm, I unlock the door with a little too much urgency.

Theo laughs behind me. “Subtle, North.”

“Whatever. It’s our last shot at real privacy. My parents are going to be up my ass all break.”

He steps inside, drops his bag, and kicks the door shut behind him. “Well, then,” he says, his voice low and playful as he walks toward me, “better make it count.”

I catch him around the waist, and in the quiet of the room, I kiss him hard.

It tastes like victory. Like sweat and Gatorade and something more—something that grounds me after the rush of the game. His hands find the hem of my shirt, and mine tangle in his hair, which is soft and easy to thread my fingers through.

I plan to make good on the promise to wear him out and make him hoarse from yelling my name.

But just as I lean in to kiss the corner of his mouth, Theo lets out a small breath. “My mom called,” he says.

Not exactly the sexy phrase I was hoping would come out of his mouth. Still, I blink. “Yeah?”

He tugs my hand and leads me to my bed, where we sprawl out. “She said two envelopes came in the mail this morning.”

That gets my attention immediately. “The colleges?”

He nods, and something flickers in his eyes—excited, maybe a little stunned. “I told her she and Dad could open them if they came. I didn’t want to wait.”

“And?” My stomach tightens, but I try to keep it light. “Tell me one of them was UK.”

“Yep.” He smiles, soft and fond. “Got into both.”

My breath catches for a second. “So, what’s the verdict?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he curls one of his fingers in mine, eyes on the ceiling like he’s thinking of the right words. That alone makes me nervous.

“I’m going to accept the offer from Louisville,” he says finally.

I blink. My heart sort of stumbles, like it missed a step. “Oh.” It’s all I manage. Just one tiny, empty syllable, because what the hell else can I say?

Theo sits up a little, tugging me with him. “Hey—don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act like I just told you I’m moving to another country.”