Page 37 of Septembers

“Do you know how many of these talks you and I have had?”

He took a bite, thinking back to the rare near-breakups he’d expertly helped them avoid. The sweet coolness melted on his tongue before he could come up with a guess.

“Seven,” she said, impatient. Damn, he knew he’d lost count, but seven? Her sigh was unconscious, raw, her body’s way of letting out the hurt she was trying so hard to hide. “Dae is a great boyfriend. He’s kind, supportive, he gives me thoughtful gifts, he listens to me and remembers what I tell him, and he’s talented at… stuff.”

Well, that was intriguing but also dangerous. Focus. “Sounds like you don’t need a pep talk from me.”

“But he doesn’t choose me, Theo.” She had a defeated, left-out, last-to-be-picked-for-dodgeball kind of expression. “If he has a choice between me or…” She bit her lip, as if trapping the words inside.

“Or?”

A high-pitched laugh punched through the open window, making her flinch, and she seemed to decide on something, shaking her head. “Or something else, he usually chooses something else. And I know he gets anxious and doesn’t like crowds, and he sometimes needs to be alone. I get that. It’s just hard not to take it personally.” She slapped my arm. “Stop it.”

“What?”

Her eyes reduced to gorgeous slits. “Scheming.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He scooped some ice cream and held it out to her, as if they were on a date.

She shook her head but ate it anyway. “I don’t want him to do some grand gesture because you told him to. I want him to do it because he wants to. Promise me you won’t interfere.”

“But…” Interfering was what he did. He would’ve put it on his business card if business cards were still a thing.

“Seriously. Promise me you won’t say anything to Dae.” She huffed when he hesitated. “Theo, promise.”

“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands in surrender.

“I need to hear you say it.”

“I, Theodore Walker, will not, under any circumstances, tell Dae what we’ve discussed today.” He flashed her his most charming smile. “I promise.”

༻𓆪 𓆩༺

“You have to choose Jacinda.” He wasn’t proud of himself, but he couldn’t deny who he was.

Dae sat at his desk drawing in a new notebook. He’d been going through them so fast he was running out of room under his bed. The pen scratched to a halt, and he glared at Theo with a mix of dread and disappointment. “What did you do?”

“Don’t get mad.”

“Theo.”

“I had a talk with my friend about her boyfriend, who happens to be you. You don’t own Jacinda, you know.” It was easy to rationalize this double-betrayal with the knowledge that everyone would get what they wanted and everything would work out perfectly.

Dae sat back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. He was due for another cut, which Theo was getting better and better at, but he was also liking the way it got messy when it was longer.

“What does choose her mean?”

“Dae, you’re not that dense. You know what it means.”

Dae held his gaze and his walls shimmered, giving Theo a brief glimpse inside. He saw something lonely there, something sad and neglected.

My fault.

“Hey, um…” Theo’s voice came out as a squeak, so he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about the other day.”

The sentence wasn’t even out of his mouth before tension travelled through Dae’s body. Whatever glimpse Theo had gotten behind his walls was cut off as they erected thicker, taller, stronger. “You don’t have to⁠—”

“I’m too excitable. I know that.”