Page 51

Chapter Forty-Nine

Theodore

I close the front door, making sure it’s locked before moving down the hallway and turning into the living room so I can get to the kitchen. I stop short when I see Asher sitting on the couch with a guy I’ve never met before.

“Oh, sorry,” I mutter. “I’ll be out of the way in a minute.”

“No worries,” Asher says. “You can hang with us if you want.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

I get a bottle of water from the fridge and when I turn to leave, Asher is standing in the doorway.

“Didn’t go well?” he asks with a sad smile.

“Go back to your date.”

He barks out a laugh. “Victor is not a date, and he just left.”

Asher brings guys home sometimes. Morgan is cool with it. I still find it… unsettling. But it’s their life, their business. They can do whatever the hell they want. I’m the guest here.

“He’s a friend from work,” Asher adds .

“Uh-huh.”

“Don’t make things weird, Theo. I can have friends without fucking them.”

I groan, leaning against the counter. “This was such a bad idea.”

“Should I say I told you so now, or wait a little while?”

I give him the middle finger, right in his face. He shoves it away.

“I’m just saying, I told you not to do it. I knew it wouldn’t work.”

“Okay, fine. You were right!” I throw my arms up, dropping them at my sides. The water bottle crunches and I remember it’s in my hand, so I open it and take a mouthful.

“I spent two grand for nothing,” I complain. “That’s a lot of money.”

“Yeah, it is. Welcome to the real world.”

“This fucking sucks.”

“Sure does.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, you could call him like a normal person.”

“He won’t answer.”

“Then text.”

“What if he doesn’t read it?”

“Theo,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Sometimes it’s not about getting a response, he just needs to know you’re trying. Call him. Text him. Show up at his house. Let him know you’re not giving up. ”

“That’s how you get a restraining order on you,” I say, shrugging out of his grip.

Asher chuckles. “Well, at least you’ll have your answer.”

Yeah, I guess I would…

He heads to bed, and I take my bottle of water into my room.

It’s cramped and packed with stuff of theirs they don’t have room for anywhere else.

Extra clothing and shoes take up the closet, both hanging and in totes.

Beneath the bed are a ton of boxes, filled with who knows what.

All my clothes are still in suitcases, piled in the corner.

I dig through and pull out sweatpants and a T-shirt before going across the hall to shower.

The bathroom is small with barely room to turn around, and the shower head is a cheap plastic one that has no pressure.

When I pull my phone from my pocket to put on the counter top, I notice a text from Marianne.

It’s a photo, so I open it up and see Biscuit’s smiling face.

I miss her so much. I didn’t ask Asher and Morgan if I could bring her here.

I’m sure they would have let me, but I was already imposing, and Marianne offered to keep her until I get on my feet.

It seemed like the best option, so I went with it.

Marianne has a nice house with a big back yard that Biscuit gets to enjoy.

I text Marianne back, letting her know to tell Biscuit that I love her and I’ll see her soon. Then I hop in the shower, scrubbing myself clean. It was a relief to see Tobias, and I loved hearing his voice, but the way he walked out devastated me even more.

When I get back to my room, I’m exhausted. I lay down in the bed that is not all that comfortable and stare at the ceiling that has a few cracks in it.

There’s nothing wrong with Morgan and Asher’s house.

It’s perfectly fine and homey, and it’s theirs.

It’s just… not mine. It’s not what I’m used to.

I appreciate them letting me stay here, and I appreciate them listening to me complaining even more, but I hate not having my own space.

I hate needing help. Which makes no sense, since help is what I've gotten from my parents my whole life.

With the money I had in my account, I could have found a small house to buy, but that seemed stupid. What would I do for money if it all went toward a house? What about bills? Food? I need to get a job before I consider making such a big purchase.

My parents cut me off. Told me not to speak to them again. I’m not sure if they’ll come around or not, but maybe they will. I knew this would happen, I only hoped that it would be with Tobias by my side and not on my own, but I only have myself to blame for that.

I miss him so fucking much it makes me sick.

Everything about him, but especially his smile.

I’d hoped I’d get to see it today, but I didn’t.

Guess I can’t blame him for that either.

Doing what I did was a gamble, and I knew there was a good chance of it going badly.

It was pretty stupid, and I guess I shouldn’t have done it at all.

The more I think about it, the more I wish I could go back and just send him a text telling him I miss him.

I think back to what Asher said. I don’t know how he can give me advice, since he’s been with Morgan forever and hasn’t dealt with a break up. but maybe I should listen to Asher. He is in a successful relationship…

What harm can it do?

Tobias’s text thread is pinned to the top of my messages, even though I haven’t used it in weeks. I tap on it, then type out a message and send it.

I’m sorry for tonight. Can we please talk?

Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day.

I plug it in and when it vibrates, I hold my breath and glance at the screen. I can’t tell if it’s a text, and I try not to get my hopes up. Picking up my phone, I see that it is in fact a text, but it’s not one from Tobias.

She says she loves you too. Let’s do lunch tomorrow?

Sure. I’ll be there at twelve.

Night.

Good night .

I put my phone back down, and with nothing else to do, I turn over and force myself to go to sleep.

I knock on Marianne’s door, but let myself in, like I usually do. Boundaries between us are very few, and we’re okay with that.

“Hey!” I call out. “It’s me!”

“In here!” Her voice comes from the kitchen. I go that way and I’m met halfway by an excited Biscuit. I drop to my knees and pull her in for a hug, scratching her back and sides. She’s wiggling and licking me.

“I miss you, girl.” I hug her tight around her neck. “Come on, let’s go see what your step-mother is up to.”

We walk into the kitchen, and I give Marianne a kiss on the cheek while looking over her shoulder to see what she’s mixing in the pot—pasta.

“You’re early,” she comments.

“There was nothing else to do.”

I grab an apple from her fruit basket and bite into it.

“Food will be done soon.”

“Good, I’m starving,” I respond, noting the oven is on too. “What are you making?”

“Spaghetti and meatballs. ”

“Yum.”

“How did last night go?” she asks.

I groan. “Can we not?”

“I assumed it didn’t go well. If it had, you wouldn’t have accepted my lunch date today.”

“Then why are you asking me? Enjoying the torture?”

“No.” She turns to me with a frown. “But you should talk about it.”

“I talked to Asher.”

“Fine,” she says with a huff. “But there is something I need to talk to you about.”

“Great,” I mutter, taking another bite of my apple. I pull it out of my mouth and give it to Biscuit, then take another.

“Is that good for her?” Marianne asks.

“In small amounts.”

She shoos me out of the way so she can strain the pasta before pulling a dish out of the oven that’s full of meatballs and sauce, and a sheet of garlic bread. I get out the plates and silverware. Five minutes later, we’re at the table eating.

“So,” I say when my plate is half finished. “What do we need to talk about?”

She holds my gaze, giving me a look that tells me I’m not going to like what she says. Just what I need. More bad news.

“I talked to my father.”

“Okay?” I have no idea where this is going and what talking to her father could have to do with me. The man hates me.

“He’s offered to give you a job. ”

“No.” I give a firm shake of my head and stab a meatball.

“Theo,” she whines. “This will help you.”

“I am not working for your father. He hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t. He’s just trying to understand, is all.”

“I don’t need charity.”

“Actually, I think that’s exactly what you need right now.”

I scoff, but I hate that she’s right.

“I’ll think about it,” I finally say, knowing she won’t let this go. If Marianne is anything, it’s stubborn.

We finish eating and we take Biscuit for a walk. I stay until late evening, then I make my way back to Asher’s. I still don’t have a text from Tobias. So I send him another one to make sure he knows I’m not giving up.