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His eyes snap up to mine. “No, not like that…Jesus. This was a mistake…I shouldn’t have said anything.”
And yet, we stand, suspended in time, at the entrance to the convenience store just staring at each other.
“I need a distraction too,” I admit, and Theo meets my gaze. “I’m going home to visit my brother, as I said.”
“And why do you need a distraction from that?”
“I’ve been avoiding him, kind of. I just…” my voice trails off and I shake my head, trying to gain control of my emotions. “The accident he was in was my fault.”
Theo’s brows meet and he steps a little closer to me.
“Logan.”
I swallow and fiddle with the bag hanging off his wrist. “It’s hard to see what I did to him, you know? The guilt….”
The sound of cash being exchanged behind us, the voices of customers moving around the store, and the sound of the soda machine dispensing drinks all fade to white noise when Theo reaches out and links his pinkie with mine.
Fuck, he’s sweet in his own way. He reminds me of a cold wild animal that snaps at you when you try to pet it, but really, it just wants you to curl up with it and keep it warm.
“Come with me,” I blurt. “Come with me this weekend, Theo. I know we don’t know each other well, but maybe we can just put that aside and help each other out.”
His pinkie slips from mine, and he glances around the store. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Distract me,” I try again. “Distract me and I’ll owe you. I’ll owe you big time.”
He swallows, his eyes flicking from mine to the door, like he’s looking to escape. I full-on expect him to dash away and leave me staring after him, but miraculously, he doesn’t. He just whispers, “Okay.”
It’s said so softly, I can barely make it out, but fuck, he actually said okay.
“Yeah?” I say, feeling kind of excited and mostly relieved. The thought of not seeing him this weekend bummed me out more than I cared to admit.
“Sure, I just need…I just need to grab some stuff before we go.”
I nod, already pulling him out the door and as I do, I slip my fingers through his. A slight gasp escapes him, and I glance over, squeezing his hand lightly.
“Don’t make it weird, Theo.”
His eyes flash as he stares at me, his mouth parted slightly.
“People may see,” he protests, and I roll my eyes.
“You embarrassed to be seen with me?” I ask and he just stares down at our interlocked hands. Because the truth is, no one has ever been embarrassed to be seen with me.
Although, if anyone would be, it would be Theo. For some reason, this guy wants to keep me a secret.
I’m not sure if I like that. I want someone who will be proud of me.
“A little,” he mutters, and I scoff.
“Whatever,” I say, walking him through the parking lot. Our hands are still linked, and he makes no move to extract himself from me, so I just hold on a little longer. I don’t really know why and I don’t bother questioning myself. It is what it is, as my grandma used to say.
“Where’s your car?” I ask, not really sure where I’m going. Maybe I’ll just walk to my brother’s place. We could get there Sunday and then turn around and walk back. Avoid all this nonsense.
“Um, uh….” Theo stumbles on his words, his mouth opening and closing. He keeps staring at our hands.
“Your car?” I remind him.
“Oh, I walked. I walked here.”
