Chapter 6 #2
The store felt unfamiliar, almost foreign. I wandered the narrow aisles, reading labels, comparing prices. I’d never done my own shopping before. I’d always paid someone else to think about things like this for me.
That was probably why it took me so long to track down Theo’s favorites—sour Skittles, extra buttered popcorn, and pretzels. I stacked them in my basket, a small, quiet satisfaction settling in.
We could share, I told myself.
And somehow, that made it feel like mine too.
Theo showed up at five with a pizza box tucked under his arm from our favorite local spot. When he opened it, my chest gave a small, traitorous lift. Half pepperoni, exactly how he liked it. The other half smothered in mushrooms, exactly how I did. It was unexpected.
“I figured you might need someone to bring you food now,” he said, flashing a grin. “You know, now that you’re living like a real person.”
He wasn’t wrong. I cooked occasionally, but most nights meant frozen meals or takeout.
I’d grown up with a chef. Someone else had always handled food, and I’d never questioned it.
Maria had tried to prepare me before college, teaching me a handful of basics, how to scramble eggs, how to work the oven so I wouldn’t burn the place down.
It still felt like learning a language I’d never needed before.
“I got snacks,” I said, reaching for the bag as he set the pizza on the counter. I tipped it toward him, watching his eyes light up when he saw what I’d picked.
“You’ve gotta stop buying stuff,” he said, stepping closer. His voice dropped as he leaned in, warm breath brushing my ear. “Let me be your sugar daddy.”
My skin prickled, goosebumps racing up my arms before I could stop them.
Then he pulled back, easy as ever. “So where are your brothers tonight?”
“Ian’s buried in his room studying,” I said. “Lucas is… somewhere.” Normally he’d be glued to the TV by now, controller in hand, but the apartment was quiet. We weren’t as close as we used to be. I’d learned not to ask questions I didn’t want answers to.
“Well,” Theo said, lifting the pizza box again, “let’s take this to your room and get started.”
I grabbed the pizza while he carried the snacks, and we shut ourselves in, spreading everything across the bed like we were settling in for a long night. Laptop open. Boxes and wrappers within reach. Too close.
We didn’t usually sit like this unless it was intentional, unless we were half-laughing and pretending it was platonic while a horror movie played.
Now, there was no excuse. Just inches. Our knees brushed when one of us shifted, a soft, accidental contact that sent something sharp and electric up my spine.
I stayed very still. So did he.
“So, uh… I figured we could watch the video together. For your approval.” Theo cleared his throat, his gaze drifting around my room, lingering on anything that wasn’t me. I’d learned that look over the years. It meant nerves. Second thoughts.
Making the video together had been one thing. Watching it afterward felt like stepping back onto unstable ground. Still, I nodded. It was a risk. One I decided I was willing to take.
“Sure,” I said, hoping my voice sounded steadier than I felt. “That works.”
I wasn’t used to treating time alone with my best friend like something delicate, something that needed careful handling.
This felt different from our usual hangouts.
Closer. Heavier. Maybe it was the context.
Maybe it was the fact that we were about to watch ourselves cross lines we hadn’t fully talked about yet.
Theo slid a flash drive into my laptop and opened a folder with two files. “This one’s the preview,” he said, pointing. “I’ll post it on my page to funnel people toward yours. And this is the full-length.”
He clicked the longer file and expanded it to full screen, then set the laptop between us. The video started playing.
It was polished. Clean cuts, smooth transitions. Better than I remembered. Seeing it now, removed from the moment, felt strange, like watching a version of myself I hadn’t known existed. And then there was Theo.
I hadn’t noticed it before. The way he looked at me. Not just want, but something quieter beneath it. Focused. Almost reverent. My chest tightened as the realization settled in.
Heat curled low in my stomach, uninvited and immediate. I shifted slightly, acutely aware of how close he was, how little space there was between us.
“Christ,” I muttered, unable to help myself. “We’re hot.” So hot, I felt my dick hardening through my jeans.
Theo huffed a soft laugh beside me, but he didn’t look away from the screen. Neither did I.
“Mmm,” Theo said, eyes moving downward toward my bulge. “I hope your response is a good sign for potential subscribers.” He dragged his teeth over his lower lip, leaving it faintly flushed as his eyes roamed my body before quickly shifting back toward the screen.
My friendship with Theo meant the world to me.
If he were anyone else, I would’ve taken the clues and made a move, but we hadn’t discussed our boundaries and how things would look outside of filming.
Would we act like nothing more than best friends again?
Did he want more? It seemed like watching him suck my dick on my laptop wasn’t the right time to bring it up.
The video was nothing short of electric, thanks to Theo.
His dark lashes fluttered against his flushed cheeks as he worked, his lips stretched and glistening.
Every now and then he’d look up, eyes heavy-lidded but intense, maintaining eye contact as he hollowed his cheeks.
The wet sounds filled the room as his head bobbed rhythmically, his fingers digging into my thighs.
I hadn’t noticed these details at the moment—the way his shoulders tensed, how his breathing quickened—too lost in the overwhelming sensation of my first experience with a man. Not just any man…my best friend.
My fingers gripped the sheets below me, my hands wanting nothing more than to grip Theo, pull him against me, and rub myself against him until we both came, but best friends didn’t do that. I restrained myself, channeling my strength into my arm until it physically hurt to strain my muscles.
When I glanced at Theo, I caught his eyes drifting back to me, his lower lip caught between his teeth. The want was there. Quiet, unmistakable.
We’d only crossed that line once, and even then it hadn’t come with instructions or a plan.
Now, without a camera to justify the closeness or give us something to hide behind, neither of us knew how to move forward.
Want lingered between us, unclaimed, waiting for someone brave enough to reach for it.
When the video ended, the room felt smaller.
I became aware of Theo all at once. The brushing of our knees.
The near-touch of his shoulder against mine.
My breath had gone shallow somewhere along the way, each inhale careful, measured.
I cleared my throat and shifted a few inches away, the movement deliberate, as if I were pretending I hadn’t noticed any of it.
“So,” he said, eyes still fixed on the darkened screen. “What do you think?”
“It’s great.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “I hope everyone else loves it, because I had a lot of fun making it.”
I didn’t say how warm my skin felt, or how the video had left me keyed up in a way I couldn’t ignore.
“I think we look really good together,” Theo said. He reached for the mouse, then hesitated before moving it. Color crept into his cheeks. “I’ll show you how to upload it. Then I’ll post mine while I’m here.”
I watched him instead of the screen. The faint flush, the way he leaned closer without realizing it. I wondered how long it had been there, this version of him. How I’d missed it.
For a moment, the laptop felt like the wrong thing to be paying attention to. I imagined something softer in its place. His weight against mine. A movie playing quietly in the background. The easy closeness we’d always had, tipped just slightly into something else. Something neither of us named.
I logged Theo into my account and watched as he walked me through the upload process, his shoulder brushing mine as he leaned in. He typed out a playful caption, framing it like a story about experimenting with a best friend, and nodded to himself. “This’ll hook people. They like feeling involved.”
Then he pulled out his phone, logged into his own account, and uploaded the preview. He tagged me, added a quick note telling people where to subscribe, and didn’t hesitate once. Like this was already a given.
He adjusted my subscription price, filled out my profile, and smoothed out the rough edges. “Don’t charge for individual videos,” he said. “Let people tip. They usually do.”
I didn’t question him. I just watched, absorbing it all. This wasn’t something I was running so much as something we were building. He was as invested as I was. Maybe more. My future depended on this working, and if it didn’t, there was nothing waiting for me on the other side.
When everything was finished, I shut the laptop. The quiet that followed felt heavier than before. “Thank you,” I said. “For helping me with this. And for… trusting me enough to make videos with you and Asher.” I hesitated, then added, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Theo didn’t joke right away. Then he bumped his elbow lightly against my arm. “I’d do anything for you, Beck. If I weren’t making videos, I’d just marry you, divorce you, and give you half my money.” He grinned. “Or be your sugar daddy.”
I smiled, warmth curling low in my chest.
“So,” I said, grounding myself in logistics before my thoughts went somewhere dangerous. “Once a week, right? And the next video is frotting? Saturday?”
“Saturday night,” he confirmed. Then his head tilted, eyes catching mine. “And Friday we’re going to the party, right?”
The question lingered, carrying more weight than it should have.
“Of course,” I said. “It’s the first Delta party of the year.”
Delta was infamous for their parties. The kind people talked about afterward, the kind that blurred into rumor. Sometimes they leaned into themes. Masquerade. Halloween. Always with an edge that tipped firmly into indulgent.
Theo’s friend Max was the president. If I’d known how tight money would get, I might’ve taken him up on his offer to pledge. Free housing was tempting. Still, living with my brothers had its own gravity.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Theo said, quieter now. “I invited Asher.”
My jaw tightened. “Lovely.”
Theo rushed on. “It’s just… he doesn’t get out much. He hates parties, but he said he’d come.”
There was something careful in his tone, as if he were bracing for impact. I wasn’t angry. Not really. If anything, curiosity stirred beneath the irritation. Seeing Asher in a room like that might be worth it. Maybe the rigid control would crack. Maybe he’d loosen up.
The thought slid somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have.
I shut it down immediately.
“It’s fine, Theo,” I said, forcing ease into my voice. “Really. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing him let go a little.” I paused, then added, “Before you head out, I do need to ask you a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need textbooks,” I said. “And I don’t have the money yet. My card hasn’t come in, and I’m still waiting for everything to hit my account.” I hesitated. “Could I borrow some cash? I’ll pay you back.”
Theo stared at me for a second, then sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “You don’t even know how to buy them, do you?”
I didn’t answer.
“Okay,” he said, already moving closer. “I’ll help you find the online bookstore and order them.” He waved off my protest before I could start. “Don’t worry about paying me back. Call it an early Christmas gift.”
Relief washed through me, loosening something tight in my chest. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “Seriously. I’d be completely lost without you.”
He smiled as if it were nothing.
“Let’s finish the pizza first,” I added. “Then we can deal with textbooks.”
For now, that felt manageable.