Page 20 of Meet Me at the Metro (Gildenhill #1)

20

VINYL MEMORIES

E L L I E

I kick off my shoes as soon as I reach the security of my flat, relieved to have finally reached the end of this overwhelming day. Evie and Harvey’s grins reach their eyes when they see me walking through the front door.

Unfortunately, I know exactly why they’re looking so damn elated tonight.

“You and Theo are fucking!” Evie immediately shouts.

“You are so cruel,” Harvey chuckles, even though he’s looking just as pleased as her.

“Don’t think you can just waltz in here and not tell us what happened between you two last night! You little cheeky thing!”

“I have nothing to say.” I attempt to hide the smile threatening my lips. I’m so full of shit, and both of my roommates know it. Especially Evie, considering the fact that she walked in on me half-dressed in Theo’s room last night.

“Like hell you don’t!” Harvey hollers. This is the first time I’ve heard this soft-spoken guy so riled up. “Ellie-Jellie, get your arse on this couch right now and tell us every single detail from last night.”

It’s about to get rated R in here really fast.

“Do I have to?”

“I let you off the hook last night. So yes, you have to!”

“Fine… but I don’t even know where to start... ”

We don’t leave the couch for the entire next hour as I run them down every hot, sticky, and heart-racing detail that led to me getting finger-fucked in Theo’s bed last night. I tell them about everything—from my run-in with John to Wilton’s and dinner and all the activities Theo and I engaged in. I even told them about today, my total failure at getting registered for a replacement class, and about Connor kissing me.

“What are you planning to do about John?” Evie asks. “I’ll fucking skin him alive if he touches you again.”

“Because solving violence with violence is a good solution.” Harvey rolls his eyes before calmly asking me, “Does Theo know it was him at the train station?”

“N-no . I don’t want to get him involved in all of this mess. And I sure as hell don’t want to add John into the equation of whatever this is between the two of us.”

“Oh, Ellie,” Harvey sighs, wrapping his arms around me sweetly. “I’m sorry you had to go through what you did last night with John. I won’t push you to do anything you’re not ready to do. Still, I think you should consider mentioning it to Theo. It might be safer to have one extra person in the loop so we can look out for you.”

“Harv’s right,” Evie agrees. “Especially since there’s a higher possibility of you running into him again. Since you two are enrolled in the same school now…”

“I know.” Everything except for Theo just feels so heavy right now. I don’t want him to have to worry about me when he’s expressed to me how much of his own shit he’s trying to figure out. I think that maybe I’m scared of running him away with all of this, even if I don’t want to admit that out loud. “I do plan on telling him. I just have to figure out how … and when .”

“Have you thought about mentioning this to anyone in higher authority?” Harvey asks.

“Not really. I don’t have any real evidence that anything happened, and John would just deny it, so I don’t know what the school could do for me. Seeing him like that last night was so strange. His anger has never gone that far before.”

Harvey’s thumb rubs reassuring circles against the back of my hand. “It makes me worried for you.”

“Me too,” Evie whispers.

“Promise us that you will tell Theo eventually,” Harvey pleads. “He’ll find out either way because nothing slides by that man. We’re here for you until then, you know that.”

“I promise.”

I allow myself to relax into their embrace, feeling the weight of my problems become a little less heavy. It’s because of them that I know I’ll get through this. Even in the short time I’ve been here, they’ve been such good friends to me. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

A knock at the door interrupts our conversation in perfect timing. I’m thankful for its distraction because having to think about John and remember the way he acted toward me last night has bile rising in the back of my throat. I honestly just wish I could forget it all.

“I’ve got it.” I quickly stand from the sofa and make my way toward the door. This is my excuse for dropping the conversation, and I’m pleased when I open it to find Theo standing on the other side.

“Well, hey there, stranger,” I smile, enjoying the sight of the man before me. His dark blonde hair is mussed on the top of his head, carefully disheveled. His face is flushed like he ran to get over here, and he’s got a stack of papers in his hands.

He looks like he’s had a really long day.

“Stranger,” he nods, slightly grinning as he runs his eyes from my head to my toes. “I’ve got something for you.”

“ For me? What is it?”

“See for yourself.”

I read the blank ink printed against the very front paper, showing that I’ve been registered for an Acting II course starting in October for the late fall semester.

“Wait, you—how did you do this, Theo? Is this for real? Like, these are actually real? ”

“Yes. They’re real.”

“Oh, Teddy,” I sigh, content and relieved. I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a fierce, unapologetic hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

He squeezes me right back and picks my feet off the floor as he says against my neck, “You’re welcome.”

“How in the world did you do this?”

“With hellfire and brimstone.” He sets me back down on my feet. “Let’s just say I know how to pull a few strings.”

“You’ve got him whipped like a fucking racehorse,” Evie taunts.

Theo’s shoulders tense, and I can see the weight of the day he’s had suddenly overcome him. I don’t know what he had to do to miraculously get this done for me, but whatever it was, it didn’t come at the easy cost he’s trying to convince me of.

“Will you tell me how you were really able to do this?” I whisper for only him to hear.

“I just spoke to the head advisor,” he mutters. “Have you guys eaten already?”

“Harvey and I have.” A promiscuous expression rises to Evie’s face. “But I think Ellie might have quite a craving that needs to be taken care of.”

“ Alrighty then ,” Harvey interjects. “I think it’s our bedtime now, Evie.” She opens her mouth to blurt something else, but he covers it before she can get another word out. I laugh as he drags her toward the back of the flat. “Night, guys. See you in the morning, Ellie!”

“Sainsbury’s is open 24/7 if you guys need to stop and pick up some condoms!”

“Evie, enough!”

I turn back to Theo, my cheeks flushed and hot with humiliation. Once the coast is clear, he lifts my feet off the floor again. I wrap my arms around his neck while my legs encircle his waist.

“Come spend the night with me,” he suggests, looking me over.

“You want to have a sleepover?”

“I do,” he smirks. “And I think you do, too.”

“What about Evie and Harvey? They’ll be expecting me to be here in the morning.”

“They’ll be okay with me borrowing you for one night. Just leave them a pretty little note or something. It’ll be fine.”

“I just don’t know,” I sigh, feigning contemplation. I squeal as his mouth presses against my neck, and his teeth nip my skin. “I’m definitely not, now!”

He licks the tender spot in a considerate apology before politely begging, “ Please? ”

“You think you’re so smooth, don’t you?”

“No. I just think that deep down, you want me as bad as I want you right now.”

Shit .

There was no question; I’m staying at Theo’s place tonight.

Theo and I waste no time hurrying back to his place. He orders Chinese takeout for us on the way home and it’s waiting for us outside the front door when we arrive. We carry the bags and boxes of food up to his loft, throwing a picnic across his bed as Hozier plays on his record player.

I loved listening to the way the music sounded as the needle scratched along the rotating vinyl—loved the subtle clicks and rumbles you could hear in the background of the songs.

“I love how this sounds,” I confess, mouth full of Kung Po chicken and rice.

Theo chuckles. “Bloody hell. What did you say? ”

I giggle and swallow the rest of the bite before attempting to repeat myself. This time, I speak with an empty mouth. “I said, I love how this sounds.”

“What, you chewing?” He pinches a fingerful of rice and flicks it my way.

“Bite me!”

“Already did that,” he smiles smugly.

“I mean the music. I love the way it sounds on the record player.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I grin, feeling a veil of nostalgia sweep over me. “It reminds me of my childhood. When I was little, my parents would take me to this second-hand bookstore every Sunday. I remember thinking it felt like a maze when I was a kid. There was just row after row of CDs, DVDs, books—they had everything there. We’d spend hours just losing ourselves in the aisles.”

It feels good to recall the memories—ones I may have even forgotten were there if it wasn’t for this moment with Theo.

“It had this quaint little corner in the back, too, with a record player and the most ridiculous amount of vinyl. Mom would always let me choose a record and put it on for me. We’d just sit with all the books we picked from the shelves, reading and soaking in the sound of the music until it was time for us to leave.”

“I’m willing to bet you had show tunes playing every time, didn’t you?”

I blush. “I’m not giving you the satisfaction of answering that.”

“No need, I already know you were,” he laughs, “but that still sounds fucking sublime.”

“It was! Oh my God, but there was this one visit that wasn’t—” I stop myself for a moment, suddenly embarrassed by my loud yapping, but there’s a light in Theo’s eyes that eliminates every ounce of humility in me.

“I’m waiting,” he says impatiently.

“Okay, so picture this: we went in one Sunday, and my Dad was having a hard time reaching one of the books from the shelves, so he threw me up on his shoulders and had me try to grab it for him.”

“Ugh, oh.”

“Yeah, ugh, oh, is exactly right,” I giggle. “I was literally one inch from reaching the damn thing when I fell right onto my face.” He winces. “Yeah, it was bad. Ended up having to get three stitches on my chin.”

Theo’s fingers brush my jaw, and he tilts my head back so he can inspect the pink scar engraved on my skin closer. “ Ouch .”

“My Dad tells me it adds character and makes me look like a badass.”

“It does,” he chuckles, gently running his fingertips along the battle scar. “You look like a total badass.”

“I’m sorry for rambling.”

“I like hearing you ramble,” he says matter-of-factly. “And it’s nice to know that you’ve always been a little clumsy arse. I thought maybe it was me bringing it out of you.”

“Don’t get cocky, Teddy. I’ve just got two left feet.”

“So I’m guessing you must be close to your parents?”

“Yeah,” I grin, remembering them— missing them. “They’re pretty amazing. They’re, umm —not actually my birth parents, though. I was adopted.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, my birth mother never wanted anything to do with me, and my birth father… well, I don’t even know what his name is.”

“That’s shit,” he frowns. “Sucks for them. They’ve missed out.”

“I wouldn’t change it, though. Not for anything. My adoptive parents struggled with infertility for years. They found me when I was a little over three, and ever since the moment they met me, they’ve treated me as their own. I’m so thankful they chose me.”

“I’d guarantee they’re just as thankful they chose you. Your parents lucked out. They got a kick-arse daughter out of it.”

Hearing him say that brings the brightest smile to my face. “What about you? What about your family?”

I watch him swallow. “What about them?”

“Well,” I exhale, not wanting to push him too hard. I just want to learn more about him. What I’d give to hear this man ramble. “What are they like? Are you close to them?”

“No.”

I give him silence and allow him the option to speak further on the matter or stay quiet. I honestly don’t expect him to speak up again, but if there’s one thing about him—he’s always full of surprises.

“My birth mom was shit, too.” He continues. “She left my Dad to take care of me on his own when I was a baby, and I still have yet to hear from her. I don’t expect to either.”

The air in the room has changed, now thick and heavy with the sliver of truth he was willing to give me. I can see him getting caught in his own head as I look at him, so I say the first thing that comes to mind so I can see his handsome smile again.

“That’s shit .”

“It is fucking shit, isn’t it?” His boyish grin returns, and I wonder if he notices how much more he’s been letting me see it lately. “My Dad was the best, though. He always made sure I was provided for—and loved.”

“Did he ever remarry?”

Theo tenses, but after another few beats of silence, he finally answers me. “Yeah, he did. I haven’t spoken to her in months, though. Well, at least not until, umm —today.”

“Today?” I’m confused about how he had time to do that, work, and help sort out my class schedule until it suddenly all clicked. “Wait—the head advisor. She’s your… stepmom ?”

He nods.

“You went and talked with her just to help me out?”

“Yeah.”

“Theo,” I sigh. Judging by the way he’s never spoken about his stepmom before now and how rigid he becomes just at mentioning her, I can tell that having to go talk to her today wasn’t an easy feat. “You didn’t have to do that for me. I hate that I made you feel like you needed to.”

“It’s not a big deal, Nora.”

I don’t buy the lie.

“I wanted to help you get your schedule sorted. I didn’t want you to be stressed about it and have your tuition all fucked up.”

“Thank you, Theo. It seriously means so much to me.” I draw my palms up to cup his face, hoping he can see the sincerity in my eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Not in the same way you are.”

He pulls me over top of him, and I can’t help but notice how good our bodies feel when they’re connected like this—sharing their warmth. He kisses me, deep and needy, as if it’s the last time he’ll ever get to. Then, he draws his mouth away from mine and hushes into my ear, “Everything feels quiet when you’re here.”

“You think so? I think my rambling contradicts that statement.”

“You make my mind quiet.”

He didn’t need to say anymore because I get it. He makes my mind quiet, too.

I appreciate the way he holds me after that confession, stroking my hair until my eyelids and body start to grow heavy. Even as much as I want to explore every inch of this man beneath his clothes, I’m completely fine with exploring this side of him too—the subtle, sweet side that I have no trouble believing he’s saved just for me.

As my eyes begin to flutter closed, the warmth of his body still pressed against me, I settle on a single thought…

I could get used to this type of quiet.