Page 71 of Until Him

Assholes, trying to be all sneaky about it. They’d make terrible spies.

Finn glances inside and I flip him off. He nudges Theo who turns to look as well. I narrow my eyes at him, and he tugs the hood over his head again.

“So what’s up with you and Finn?” I ask, moving my gaze back to Landon. “You look sort of like a…couple. All handsy and shit.”

Landon rolls his eyes. “We got close through all of this. He’s just clingy. He always was.”

“Hm,” I say, not sure he’s being completely truthful.

Landon scoffs and takes a sip of his drink. “It’s not what you think.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, and he chucks a straw wrapper at me.

“Knock it off. And besides, I like it—how he is with me. It’s nice to have someone fawn all over me.”

“You have our parents to do that. You know how mom is, and dad is even worse. You’re still the baby.”

“Yeah, well, sue me. I’m a sucker when it comes to Finn, okay? He just gets me.”

I lean back and run a hand over my chest, eyeing my brother.

“Yeah, okay. I get it.” Not that Theo fawns all over me, but I would fawn all over him if he’d let me.

“Here they come,” Landon says, and I put on a faux angry face as Theo slides into the booth next to me, but I’m not mad, not at all. Because this is the most normal I’ve felt around Landon in ages, and it’s all because of smart, clever Theo, who conspired against me for the greater good. Lord knows Landon and I would have ignored this for all eternity.

So, I let Theo know how thankful I’m feeling by invading his space the entire time we walk around downtown. I stand under his little umbrella and press my shoulder into his, and I think he lets me because he thinks I’m mad at him for interfering in my life.

Little does he know, that his interfering only makes me like him more. God, this is so far past transactional for me, I don’t even know what this is anymore. Who knew that when I showed up at his door that first day, I’d end up feeling like this?

When we finally say goodbye to Finn and Landon a few hours later, and Theo and I are on the road, he taps his pencil nervously against his journal.

“Theo—” I start, but he interrupts me.

“I owe you a tutoring session. How about I review stuff while you drive? Just let me know if you need me to stop and go back over anything you miss.”

I sigh as he reaches back and pulls the chemistry book from my backseat and opens it to where we left off.

“Well, hold on,” I say. “I need to stop by my parents’ house. Just for a bit to say hi. My mom’s been bugging me, and my dad gets too emotional if I stay away for too long.”

Theo swallows and taps his pencil faster. “Okay.”

“Plus, I want them to meet you,” I say, even though this guy just wants nothing to do with me.

“Alright,” he whispers and then clears his throat, delving into the chemistry concepts until we arrive at my parents’ house.

They only live twenty minutes away from Landon; they wanted him to have his independence but still be close enough just in case he needed help.

He obviously doesn’t, as evidenced by this weekend and the way Finn hovers.

I shut off the car and turn to face Theo who is thumbing the pages of my chemistry book.

“You can just stay in here, if you want. I won’t be long.”

He shakes his head. “No. I can go in and meet them.”

I have to purse my lips to keep myself from smiling. Asshole wants to meet my parents, even if he won’t admit it.

I hop out and then wrench his door open because I know I’ll need to physically push him through that front door.

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