Chapter 33
Theodore
There will never be a good moment for what I have to tell her. The more I mull it over in my mind, the worse it gets. Waking up next to her this morning after what she did for me was the best damn thing I’ve ever felt. I just got her. I can’t lose her like this. But isn’t it because of what she did that I should wait? She looked so happy that I could see what people really thought of my work. I have to protect that, even if I’ll regret it later.
After breakfast, our teachers take us for a walk in the surrounding area, and once we reach the core of the village, we are instructed to spend the rest of the morning as our characters. Mannerism, inflection, whatever the meticulous character work we’ve done for the past months entails, we need to apply it–which would probably be embarrassing if we were anywhere else, but there are so few people in this place it’s unlikely we will even get to talk to anyone beside our group. I keep stealing looks at Devon, because everything would be easier if I could at least talk to my best friend. Dafne must sense me looking at him, because she inclines her head as if to say go talk to him . I look up and squint at the pale sky with a sigh.
When I turn in Devon’s direction she conveniently steps up to Oliver and drags her friend away with an elaborate Juliet-like turn of phrase, giving me a window to walk up to Devon.
“My friend, shall thou give me the opportunity to walk where honest men walk?” I try in my best Romeo attitude. He cuts me a long look, then huffs out a breath and gestures for me to lead the way.
“What an idiot hast life made of me,” I continue, “to forget thy heart resides in the map of honor and loyal–”
“Alright, shut up, mate,” Devon cuts me off, definitely not as Tybalt would.
“I have a talent for mucking things up,” I add in regular English, kicking lightly at the gravel.
Ms. Patterson clears her throat a few feet from us, so Devon pretends to extract a sword from its sheath and practice basic lunges.
“You know, good Romeo ,” he says as I join him in the air duel, “your life would be so much easier if you counted to ten before speaking.” He dodges my fake dab at his ribs.
“Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to tell me that,” I grunt as we switch places, a few of the towns-people walking by and looking at us with a mix of excitement and curiosity.
Devon pretends to throw his sword in the middle and bows. “Lucky for thee, I shall exchange peace for a free meal. Because you called yourself an idiot, I deem meself satisfied.”
“Well, that’s–”
Devon raises an eyebrow at me, crossing his arms.
“Indeed,” I concede, bowing back.
“I’m sorry too, by the way. I admit I haven’t handled the situation as well as I thought I would.”
I nod, appreciating the sentiment. “There’s something else I should tell you,” I sigh as we make our way towards the one tiny bakery in the village. Devon gives me his full attention.
“I had an anxiety attack not so long ago. Well, it wasn’t the first, and I wanted to say something earlier but I also didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I know it is, though, so … I’m going to see someone about it soon. Apparently being easily irritable can be part of it, so I guess that explains some things.”
Devon’s brows lower as he nods and he places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it for a second.
“I’m sorry, mate, that must’ve been awful. I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself, though,” he says, more serious than I’ve ever seen him. “I can come to the appointment if you’d like? For moral support,” he winks, even though I can tell he’s not happy I didn’t talk to him about it .
“Sure,” I smile.
Later, when we regroup with everyone else, Mr. Hackle lets us know we’re free to do as we please until late afternoon. Dafne finds me and smiles warmly as she walks up to me, and I’m suddenly so mad at myself for all the times I could’ve been the recipient of that warmth.
“So,” she says, practically bouncing on her heels, “what plans do you have?” she asks as Devon starts to retreat and head towards Oliver.
“I was thinking of…” I grimace, “you know what, never mind, we’re supposed to have fun.”
“You want to rehearse?” she asks simply, no teasing in her tone.
“That was my first thought, yes. It’s not like there’s much to do around here anyway,” I shrug.
“I agree,” she beams, which sends an electric jolt running through my body.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She grabs me by the wrist and leads me back inside
towards the bedroom .
Dafne
I press Theodore against the closed door with a little too much force, which draws a groan out of him that I know here and now I’d pay good money to hear again.
“I thought,” he breathes, “we were going to rehearse,” his hands belying his words as he haphazardly removes my blazer, his lips hungrily parting mine.
“We are,” I say against them. “It’s a scene that didn’t make it to the final cut,” I say before moving my mouth to place a kiss on the side of his neck. I feel powerful and I love it . I love that he loves it too, if his ragged breath is of any indication.
I practically rip his jean jacket from his shoulders, letting out a frustrated grunt when the cuffs get stuck at his wrists. Theodore looks all too amused by my efforts, and gently pries my hands away so he can do it himself, throwing the jacket on the gray carpet at the bed’s feet. He slides his hands through my hair and pulls me closer for another kiss, backing up until I hit the footboard, and he places a hand on the small of my back to prevent me from losing balance.
“Thank you, good pilgrim,” I whisper, resting my forehead against his.
“Tis’ my honour.”
“So, are–
I’m interrupted by Theodore hooking one arm under my knees, the other wrapped firmly around my back so he can sweep me up–in more ways than one, I think–and carry me to bed like we’re a pair of newlyweds.
I slap one hand on my mouth to keep a surprised sound from escaping, but I just feel so excited it’s bloody ridiculous. He places me carefully on the bed and hovers above me, a smile twitching on his lips.
“What?” I ask, tracing the veins on his toned arms with my fingertips.
“If someone told me at the beginning of the year we’d be in this position I would have had an aneurysm just thinking about it.”
“You mean with you on top of me?”
He drops his head and huffs out a laugh. “ Very funny.”
“You’re right, though,” I say. “I would have withdrawn from public life altogether–joined a witness protection program in Tennes–”
“Alright, smart mouth,” he says, dipping his head to wipe my smirk away with a kiss. He lowers his forearms so that we’re closer, and I take the opportunity to bring our bodies flushed and roll us around so that I’m on top of him.
“I hate to be the killjoy,” I whisper, peppering his jaw with kisses, “but… what if Ms. Patterson barges in? Or someone else?” I ask quietly against his cheek.
“Then it’s her fault for putting us in this room to-gether,” he says simply, a lazy smile on his lips .
His hands are resting on my hips now, his thumbs brushing back and forth doing absolutely nothing to stop the craving I’ve been feeling all morning.
“But if you’re not sure,” he adds, “that is perfectly fine, Dafne.”
I hold myself up higher so I can look in his eyes. My favorite eyes , I realise with no shortage of wonder.
“No,” I say, tracing his bottom lip with my thumb. His expression is so open and soft, even though his eyes are lined with a sparkle of lust.
“I don’t have the proper words for how sure I am.”
I push myself up to straddle him so I can grab the hem of his jumper and undershirt and push them over his head, revealing the firm planes of his chest.
I trace a finger on a small mole on his right peck that immediately snags my attention. I know I’m being a tease, but I can’t help it. I want to memorise every centimeter of him. When I don’t move he says, voice hoarse, “You’re killing me, Wright.”
I hold onto his shoulder with my free hand to urge him to get closer, so when he rises to rest on his elbows, my knees on either side of him, I say, “Let’s not waste any more time, then,” and close the distance between us.