Chapter 19
Nineteen
We settled into a nice little routine the next couple of days.
Theo and I would have coffee together, never Lori as she was always up before the sun, then they would go into work. I’d stay home and paint. Then Theo would come straight home to me in the early evening.
He was very attentive. I wasn’t sure what he would be like after we slept together, but he greeted me every time with a kiss—not just a peck either, like a real, passionate, movie-ending type kiss.
After the second night, I didn’t bother leaving his bed after we had sex, sleeping the whole night tucked under his arm.
It was almost alarming how fast I was getting settled into him.
Four nights after the power outage, and two nights before Halloween, he came home to find me setting out more pumpkins outside Lori’s front porch.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Decorating.”
“For what? It’s freezing out here. You should get a coat.”
“For the trick-or-treaters. And I’m fine,” I said, waiving off his concern but nearly fainting when he strode over to me, bent down, and kissed me. Maybe it was the newness of it all, but it still managed to take my breath away every damn time.
I turned back around to assess the string of bats I was taping to the ceiling. I’d found them spilling out of a bin in one of Lori’s many storage closets.
“Do you know what trick-or-treaters are?”
“Kids dressing up in costumes. We celebrate a few of the same holidays, actually. But not in the same way.”
“Really?” I put the last piece of tape in place and stepped back to admire my handiwork. “You celebrate Halloween?”
“It’s more ceremonial in my realm. All Hallow’s Eve. It’s supposed to be a time for energy cleansing. No one dresses up in costumes. I’m not sure where your tradition came from. It’s something my parents probably would have known.”
He’d said the last part quietly.
“So the family desire to research this realm didn’t get passed down to you? You could stick around for a little?” I winced when those words spilled out of my mouth. Had I sounded desperate for him to stay?
Sure, I’d never felt stronger about someone, but that didn’t mean I could suddenly act hopelessly obsessed over a guy I’d basically just met. It wasn’t fair to him.
“I never had their hunger or curiosity for more. I don’t even like managing the relics,” he said, slipping his zip-up hoodie off and placing it over my shoulders.
I didn’t bother protesting.
“You can’t do something else?”
“There’s not much else to do. Jobs are slim and our population is dwindling.”
I snorted. “Doesn’t sound too different from here.”
Theo took a seat on the stairs and I joined him.
“I always hated this realm so much. I thought I’d never come back…until now.”
“Do you still hate it?” My words were so quiet. I was scared of his answer.
He looked at me carefully and shook his head. “I don’t know. Even before…”
I desperately wished I could force him to finish that sentence. But instead he said, “I liked working with Lori. It’s interesting. People open up. Share things with me. No one talks to me back home.”
My chest ached. I ran my hands up and down my dark jeans. “No one talks to me much either. Although, I don’t think I invite a lot of conversation.”
A soft smile graced his lips. “I suppose I don’t either. But it’s just because I’ve never known how. Connection has always been tough.” He looked at me then, as if hoping I’d take something away from his expression.
Or maybe that was my imagination. Because what he was saying was my line. Connection didn’t come easily for me.
Not until him.
I’d never felt so connected in my life.
I leaned in and kissed him, savoring how it felt, but I could hardly enjoy it without the sadness creeping in.
Our connection, as strong as it was, would inevitably be severed.