Chapter 10 #2
My arms wrap around him instantly, hugging him close, and the weight of my hands seems to relax him.
We don’t speak for a long time. I just hold him as deep, wrenching sobs shake his whole frame.
He cries until his breath gradually steadies and the tears stop falling.
My fingers trace gentle, slow patterns across his back, circles and lines meant to soothe and remind him he’s with me and he’s safe.
Eventually his breathing evens out, the shaking subsides, and he goes quiet against my chest. I don’t move or loosen my hold, just sit there with him cradled in my lap, letting the night air cool the sweat on our skin while the distant party noise reminds us the world is still turning.
I rest my cheek against the top of his head and close my eyes. “I’ve got you,” I whisper again, the words a vow I mean more than anything I’ve ever said. “I’ve always got you.”
He doesn’t answer with words, just presses closer, fingers curling tighter into my shirt like he’s anchoring himself to me. And for the first time in years, the walls I’ve spent so long building feel less like protection and more like a prison that keeps me away from him.
I press a soft kiss to his hair. “Tai brought your bag if you want to fix your makeup and stay here. If you’d rather go home, I’ll make sure you get there safely. Whatever you want. Where you go, I go.” My voice is raspy, shredded by the sharp edges of my pent-up anger.
He nods against me and sits up, red-rimmed eyes meeting mine and breaking my heart all over again. “I don’t want to ruin the party.”
I offer him a small smile as I push his hair back from his damp forehead.
“You could never ruin anything. You’ll just make some sort of new fashion statement, and next thing we know, celebrities will be running around with streaky mascara.
” His laugh is nothing more than a quick exhale, fragile and fleeting.
For what seems like forever, we simply stare at each other. Then he leans forward, eyes tracing the curve of my lips. It leaves no doubt about his intentions.
And fuck, how I want him—crave him, have craved him for years—but it’s not the time to be selfish.
I rest my hand on his chest. “Theo…”
“Please,” he whispers, begging me with those blue eyes as they flicker back up to mine. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, and tomorrow we can pretend it never happened. I’ll never mention it again. Just take the taste of him off my lips. Please.”
His hands land on my cheeks, trembling but warm, and even in this state—even tear-stained and shaken, goddamned desperate—he’s the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen. He inches closer until our breaths mingle.
“I just want to forget him, Dante. Help me forget. Erase the memory and replace it with one that will make me smile.”
My heart slams against my ribs, every instinct screaming yes while every scar I carry screams no. I search his face and something inside me gives way. It’s not surrender I see in his eyes. Not recklessness.
It’s trust.
I lift my hand to cup the side of his face, thumb brushing away a tear track. “Okay,” I murmur, voice low and rough. “But only if you’re sure.”
He nods once, quick and certain, and that’s all it takes.
My hand loosens from his chest, wrapping around to cup the back of his neck instead. “It will always mean something with you, Theo,” I whisper. “Always.”
He closes the distance between us and presses his lips to mine.
The taste of his tears blends with the faint sweetness of champagne lingering on his tongue.
My entire body lights up as our lips slide together.
We’re slow and careful, like we’re both afraid the moment might shatter if we move too fast. It completes me in a way I never thought possible, like every jagged piece I’ve carried for years finally finds its match.
At every step I follow his lead. It’s gentle and controlled, cautious lips moving against each other as my fingers rake softly through the short hair at his nape. How can a simple kiss be an awakening? How does the world shift under our feet with just the brush of his mouth?
His body turns to face me fully, chest to chest, knees sliding to either side of my hips as he fights to get closer.
With one arm securely around my neck, the other hand traces up to my cheek, fingers exploring every contour and crevice of my face like he’s memorizing me by touch.
The way our bodies align is effortless—like they were always meant to fit together this way.
A deep, unshakable sense of rightness washes over me at the weight of him in my lap, the steady pressure of his lips, and the quiet hitch in his breath every time we part for air.
And so, for a minute, I allow myself to get lost in the beauty of it all.
We never take it further than soft kisses and gentle touches. We never push past the line where comfort ends and something more urgent begins, and eventually he pulls away and leans his forehead against mine.
“Thank you,” he whispers, hand still cradling my cheek.
“You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“No?” His lips find mine again, briefer this time, and I drink it in, knowing the moment has to end.
“Never,” I whisper against his mouth.
“Well, never mind then.” His usual light-hearted teasing is creeping back into his voice. With one last soft kiss, he sits back on my thighs. He’s more composed now, though his eyes are still glassy and his cheeks flushed. “How did you know I needed you?”
I swallow hard and shake my head. “I just… didn’t trust him. Something about the way he showed up uninvited didn’t sit right.”
His distracted gaze fixates on the darkness surrounding us as he nods. “If I had told him no at the door…”
“Hey.” I nudge him gently, forcing his eyes back to mine. “This wasn’t your fault.”
“He always made me a little uncomfortable… I should never have—”
“Theo,” I say, and he stops at my tone. I hesitate for only a heartbeat before I offer him one of those hidden pieces of myself.
“I know what it’s like to be at the other end of something you don’t deserve.
I know what it’s like to blame yourself for what someone else took from you.
Nothing you did excuses this, and none of it is your fault. Please tell me you understand that.”
Theo takes a deep breath and nods again, nestling into my chest like he’s trying to hide inside me.
“There’s an hour and a half left at the party,” I say softly. “Do you want to clean up and stay, or would you rather I take you home?”
“You don’t need to leave on my account. We can stay.”
“That isn’t what I asked,” I scold gently. “I asked what you want to do. Forget about me.”
“You say that like it could ever happen,” he says, pulling himself up and popping a quick kiss on my cheek. “I’d love to hang out until the party is done, if you promise you’ll stay with me.”
“I’ll be stuck on you like superglue,” I tease, moving to shift him off my lap, but he clings tighter. I chuckle and stand, lifting him with me and carrying him toward the door. “Tai is bringing your stuff so you can freshen up.”
“Then it’s settled,” he says, voice far more controlled now. “You keep carrying me in a manner befitting the princess I am, and I’ll make myself fit for public viewing once more.”
“Yes, your majesty.” We step inside, and I make sure the hallway is empty, because despite his joking, he won’t want to be seen like this. One solitary body occupies the hallway, leaning against the wall in a purple jacket.
“To the bathroom, my faithful steed,” Theo teases, pointing toward the restrooms across the hall.
Tai straightens when he sees us, eyes flicking from Theo to me with quiet concern. He doesn’t ask questions, just steps forward with Theo’s bag in his hand.
Theo wiggles, and I set him on his feet, keeping one hand steady on his waist until I’m sure he won’t sway. He reaches for Tai immediately, and they wrap each other in a tight hug.
Tai meets my eyes over Theo’s shoulder. “I should’ve listened to you when you said something felt off.”
“It’s not your fault,” I assure him.
“But if I hadn’t stopped you… fuck, I was giving you a hard time instead of helping.”
Theo pulls out of the hug and shakes his head, voice weak but resolute. “The only one to blame is the asshole that did it.”
“Did he…” Tai swallows so forcefully his throat clicks. “Did he…”
“No,” Theo insists, stepping back to my side and leaning into my chest like it’s the only safe place left. “No, Dante got there in time. I’m fine… I promise.”
Tai takes a deep inhale, then blows it out in a heavy sigh, shoulders dropping as the tension bleeds out of him a fraction.
“Theo’s going to get cleaned up, and then we’ll rejoin you guys,” I tell him. “Was the party disrupted?”
He shakes his head. “They took Jesse out the rear exit. I don’t know what happened after that, but security’s handling it. No one inside seems to have noticed anything.”
“Okay.” I plant another soft kiss on Theo’s forehead, lingering just long enough to feel him exhale against my shirt.
“Come on, sunshine. Let’s get your party face on and go pilfer more of that overpriced champagne.
Maybe find a few rock stars we can convince to take a picture with you. How’s that sound?”
Theo places a dramatic hand over his chest. He’s still a little shaky, and his eyes are heavy with everything that just happened, but his voice finds its familiar lilt. “Expensive champagne and men in tight leather pants? You know the way to my heart, Dante.”
I huff a quiet laugh, relieved to hear even a sliver of his usual spark returning. “Always have, always will.”
Tai gives us both a small smile, then claps me once on the shoulder before heading back toward the main room. “I’ll tell the others you’re good. Take your time.”
Theo watches him go for a second, then turns back to me, fingers curling into the front of my shirt. “Thank you,” he whispers again, quieter this time.
I brush my thumb along his jaw, as gentle as I can manage. “Don’t thank me. Just… stay close tonight, yeah? I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
He nods and tucks himself against my side as we head toward the restrooms. His steps are steadier now, but he leans into me like I’m the only thing keeping the world upright.
And maybe I am.
At least for tonight.
I wait outside the door while he freshens up, listening to the muffled sounds of running water and soft curses as he works on the mascara streaks.
When he finally steps out, the tear tracks are gone, his eyeliner is sharpened, and the color of his lips is fresh. His eyes are still a little too bright, smile a little too practiced, but he looks like Theo again.
He does a slow twirl in the hallway, blazer flaring dramatically. “Better?”
I push off the wall, step close, and brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “Perfect.”
“Then let’s go steal some champagne and pretend we’re okay.”
I offer my arm, and he takes it without hesitation. “Lead the way, princess.”
He laughs and tucks himself against my side as we walk back toward the party lights and the waiting crowd.