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“No,” I reply, then take a sip of my coffee. “I just fit here better, I guess.”
Theo chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. My folks are pushing for me to consider University of Iowa. They thought Washington was far. Massachusetts sounds like a different planet to them.”
“That’s nice, though. That you’re so close to them.”
He nods, his expression serious. “Yeah. They’re the best. My dad took out a second mortgage on the house to send me to the best high school in the state.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I ask.
“Yeah, I…”
The rest of Theo’s answer is drowned out by the rush of blood in my ears.
Aidan is walking in with two guys I don’t recognize. One of them is wearing a Holt Hockey hoodie, so I assume they’re all teammates.
He’s grinning in response to what one of them is saying, his expression nothing like the defeated, exhausted one he was wearing on Tuesday night.
I’m still not sure what possessed me to climb on his bed and act like his personal masseuse. My mom used to get terrible migraines when I was younger, and I got used to seeing my dad rubbing her temples regardless of whether she was experiencing one or not. Aidan said he was sore, and a back rub was just the thing that occurred to me to do. But I feel weird about it now, just like I’m embarrassed Hunter walked in on us.
I showed up to make sure things between us weren’t weird, and then I managed to make it more awkward.
“What about you?” Theo is asking.
Since I missed most of what he just said, my response is a gamble we’re still on the same topic. “Nope. Only child.”
Theo says, “Lucky,” with an exasperated eye roll that makes me think I missed some funny story about his siblings.
I could tell him that my mom had two miscarriages after me, but I don’t.
Those trips to the hospital feel too personal to share with a guy I hardly know. Never mind that I told Aidan about Walker cheating on me the first time we met. Maybe there’s some thinline between not knowing someone at all and not knowing them well enough, and that’s the zone Theo and I are in.
“I’m going to grab another muffin,” Theo tells me. “You want anything?”
“No. I’m good, thanks.”
I glance down at my open notebook as soon as Theo leaves the table. We were comparing answers on this week’s problem set earlier. Now it’s a convenient way to look busy while I’m sitting alone.
My phone buzzes on the table.
AIDAN: You look bored.
I keep my eyes down, fighting the urge to look up at him and react.
I didn’t think he’d noticed me. Theo chose a table tucked in the back corner.
RYLAN: I’m studying math. According to you, that’s boring.
His response is immediate.
AIDAN: I never said that.
AIDAN: Looks like you’re on a date.
I gnaw on my bottom lip, then stop when I remember he might be watching.
RYLAN: You’ve implied it.
RYLAN: And so what if I am?
