Theo in Love (In Love #4)

Chapter 1

Theo was standing at the top of the staircase in Peter’s house, his hair still damp from the shower. The scent of coffee was in the air, and the stained-glass window to his right made the stairs look like a rainbow. Theo clenched his fist, gnawed on his bottom lip.

It’s only a Monday. You can handle a Monday.

Theo took a deep breath and went downstairs, heading directly to the kitchen.

Peter was already there, dressed in his work clothes, sans the suit jacket.

The lawyer uniform—that tailored suit in a shimmery dark blue, with a matching shirt and tie—made him look hot.

He was standing over the drip filter and watching the coffee fill the pot, but then he looked up and smiled, and Theo’s stomach swooped.

“There you are. I was worried you’d lost track of time, Theodore. I wouldn’t want you to be late for class.”

“Hmm.”

Peter made his way over to Theo and wrapped him in a soft hug, one hand at the small of his back.

“Are you well? You seem distant. Is everything all right?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, totally. I was just lost in thought. Mentally preparing for the lecture, you know.”

Peter nodded. “Ah, higher education. It used to be about socializing and cementing your place in society more than anything else. But these days, I suppose you must focus.”

“Right.”

Peter frowned. “Dearest, are you sure you’re well? Maybe you should stay at home and take some rest? I don’t have to go in if you’re feeling unwell.”

Fuck no. Focus, Theo.

“No, that’s not happening. I’ve been looking forward to this lecture for ages, and I’m going. I just need coffee. Is there coffee?”

Peter’s face lit up. “And toast too. Sit, sit.”

Theo took his seat at Peter’s kitchen table.

Peter served him coffee and toast with jam in short order.

The toast was fresh, and Peter had buttered it and spread the jam on top, even pushing it all the way to the corners just like Theo used to like to do, back when he made his own toast. He might be better at doing this than I am.

Fuck. He doesn’t even eat food, and now he’s making me toast.

“It’s September, you know,” Peter said. Standing behind Theo, he pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Yeah, I noticed.”

“It gets cold, and you’re still only wearing a T-shirt. I’ll grab you a sweater, and maybe you should take a jacket along as well, just in case. Humans get sick around this time of year, and they’re shameless about spreading their diseases through snot on door handles and such.”

Peter sounded appalled at the very thought, but he managed to let concern seep into his voice too. Theo wanted to groan and curl up in a ball, but that wasn’t a solution. He knew he had to keep it together a little longer.

“Right. I can go get a sweater.”

“Nonsense. Have your breakfast. I’ll be back shortly.”

Theo made himself smile. When Peter made his silent way back up the stairs, Theo ate his toast and finished half his coffee, barely tasting anything.

And anyway, what am I even supposed to taste here? Artisanal bread and fancy coffee? I barely even know the taste of anything else these days. My sense for what’s good is totally gone because I get nothing bad anymore.

Peter came back with one of the new sweaters he’d bought for Theo on a lengthy shopping excursion two weeks ago. It was a really nice sweater—baggy in the way Theo liked, green in a way he knew Peter liked.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. Would you like some more toast?”

“Nope, I’m good.” Theo finished the remainder of his coffee and stood. “I’m ready to go.”

He took the sweater from Peter, and because he still knew how to please an audience, he slid it on, doing his best not to hurry too much or go too slow, in a reverse striptease he knew Peter would enjoy.

“Of course. Let’s get going, then.” Peter’s voice sounded strained, if only a little.

At least I still got it.

Peter pulled into the parking lot of the Linguistics Department, his sleek town car out of place among the tiny electric cars and the bikes those professors with a sense of humor parked in their designated spots.

“Will you be studying at the library today? I could join you for lunch.”

Theo knew exactly what that meant. Fancy takeout. Peter hanging around for no less than two hours, saying he was just going to do some remote work on his laptop. Theo suppressed an eye roll.

“I was going to compare notes with a few people who’re taking that course on Romantic writers. Rain check on lunch?”

“Of course, but let me know if you change your mind. And if you’re feeling unwell, don’t make yourself get on the tram, just text me to pick you up. In fact, maybe I should wait for you here? You’ll be done at around four, right?”

Theo sighed. “Peter, seriously. I swear I’m fine, okay? And I won’t get near anyone who has the sniffles, okay?”

“You can’t always tell. Your human nose wouldn’t be able to smell the sickness on them.”

Theo opened his door. “Peter, you’re not smelling the other students. I have to get to class. I’ll text you, okay?”

“Theodore.”

Theo turned. “Huh?”

Peter reached for him, making his gesture slow and deliberate, something that hadn’t changed even in the few months after Bernard and…after everything. He cupped the back of Theo’s head.

“Let me kiss you goodbye, my precious one.”

Theo smiled, the expression genuine this time. He leaned in, taking Peter’s lips or letting Peter take his; it didn’t matter. There was immediate relief there, a tension easing. Theo relaxed in Peter’s hold.

“There. Now I can let you go. Have a wonderful day.”

Theo nodded, slightly dazed. “Yeah, you too. Sue someone and win.”

“I always do.”

Theo turned when he was a few steps away from the car, his bag over his shoulder, and waved at Peter without stopping. Peter waved back, but he didn’t immediately drive away, instead he waited, presumably for as long as it took Theo to vanish from his line of sight.

When Theo was pretty sure he couldn’t be seen anymore, he pulled out his phone to text Corvin.

Hey, you in today?

Nope. Have a day off. It’s reading day. ??

Right. How’d you feel about skipping reading day and hanging out?

After class?

Now.

Oh, are you skipping class?

Only if you can skip the books.

I need to put on going-out pants, but then I’ll be right there. Library?

Yup. See you there.

It took Corvin less than thirty minutes to get to the library. Theo had picked their normal meeting spot—the communal table on the ground floor. As soon as he saw Corvin walk in, he picked up his backpack and moved to intercept him.

“Hey. Want to get out of here?”

Corvin blinked at him. He was wearing a cardigan over a T-shirt that read I read to get isekaied. It featured a cute cartoon geek and three hot elven-type warriors with lots of sexy muscles in just the right places.

“What happened? Why do you look like you’re running away from something?”

Theo took a deep breath. “I’m just running away from class, okay?”

“Liar.”

“Okay, fine. I’m sort of running away from… Look, can we talk about this elsewhere?”

Corvin adjusted his bedazzled shoulder bag. “Where were you thinking?”

Theo was about to suggest one of the cafés on campus, but the issue was that too many campus people hung out there. He didn’t want to be seen. Or overheard, for that matter.

“Okay, so I know a place, but you’ll have to keep an open mind.”

Corvin’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “Oh! Intrigue! I’m loving it. Let’s go, but I’m warning you, there better be enough there for my mind to need some diligent rimming before it gets stretched.”

Theo readjusted his bag. “You know what? You just might fit right in.”

Theo wasn’t sure which entrance they should be using. There was the front door, the one you could access from the sidewalk. Then there was the entrance through the garage. I’d use the employee entrance, but I don’t have my keycard anymore.

“It’s too hot to be doing all this walking,” Corvin said.

“Sorry about that.”

Corvin waved it off. “It’s fine. But it totally reaffirms that we can’t do anything too strenuous for my bachelor party.”

“You’re really doing that?”

Corvin rolled his eyes. “Mama—that’s Mike’s mom, not mine—says she cannot let me wed Mike without it. I don’t know. I think she just wants to have the opportunity to throw me a party.”

“But not Mike? This way. We’re going in through the garage.”

“I love underground stuff. And no, Mike said he’d save himself for the wedding and the after-party. Then I said it made me feel bad for being sort of okay with it, and he was all, ‘But it’s for my mom, and you should at least get a spa day out of it.’ So I can’t get out of it now.”

“Sounds like a bother.”

They headed toward the client entrance, past the few cars that were there at this time of day on a Monday.

Corvin cackled. “Oh, you’re coming too. Mama said she wasn’t because she doesn’t want me to have to feel awkward while enjoying myself, but she made me give her names.”

“Ugh, fuck.”

“Spa day.”

“I’ve seen bachelor parties from…a different side, you might say. I don’t think you’ll get a spa day. Carl, hi.”

Carl, dressed in his black suit and tie and standing on guard near the client elevator, perked up.

“Oh, hi! What brings you here?”

Theo sighed. “Can we go up? Just to the bar.”

Carl cocked his head. “Sure. Is everything all right?”

“Aw, Theo, we’re all worried about you,” Corvin said, taking Theo’s right arm and hugging it like a stuffy. “Nice to meet you, Carl.”

Carl put on a brighter smile than he ever had. “Hey there. And you are?”

“Taken. I have found my pineapple, and there’s just frothy pina colada in my future, nothing else.”

Carl chuckled. “So I should call you Coconut?”

Corvin turned to Theo. “I like this one. We’re taking him. Do you have his contact info?”

“Taking me?” Carl crossed his arms and looked from one of them to the other. “Fellas, if you two are planning on abducting me—”

“To my bachelor party.”

Carl’s eyes widened. “You’re a direct one, huh? Fine, I’m in.” He pulled a card from his inside pocket. “This is me. Theo, no hard feelings, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to have my contact on you. Wouldn’t want Mr. Collins to get the wrong idea.”

Theo groaned. “Oh, fuck me.”

“Emphatically, no,” Carl said. “But maybe I should chaperone?”

Corvin cackled. “Oh my. Who are you, Carl?”

Carl straightened. “Security.”

“I bet.”

Theo rubbed his forehead. “Okay, can we cut this short? Carl, I don’t need a chaperone. We’re just here for, I don’t know. Maybe a coffee. And I wanted to say hi to Celeste.”

“And you wanted to dish,” Corvin whispered.

“That too.”

Carl narrowed his eyes before finally nodding. “You know the way. But if anything is the matter, you let me know, okay? Or you talk to Kira. She’s upstairs. You can tell her.”

Corvin’s jaw dropped. “No. No-oh. Is my gaydar broken? Carl, are you one of the straights?”

“Not overly much, no. Kira’s my sister.”

“Oh, good. In a totally platonic way.”

“Sure, Coconut.”

Carl winked at them as he stepped back and hit the elevator call button.

“Did you have to flirt with Carl?” Theo asked when the elevator doors closed behind them.

Corvin shrugged. “Listen, not only have I been on a monster romance reading streak, but I’m also about to embark on my one and only bachelor party. I’m getting warmed up, you could say.”

“For the spa day.”

Corvin shrugged again, his smile stretching. “Yup.”

Theo rolled his eyes, but just then the elevator stopped, delivering them to the bar area. Thankfully, Celeste was right there, a hand on her hip, her smile almost hidden by her impressive beard.

“Theo! How long has it been?”

Theo heard a small noise of surprise from Corvin, but he didn’t say anything. Celeste rounded the bar, showing off pumps that weren’t as high as she could go. When she reached Theo, she still had to bend forward to give him a proper hug, which was enough to drive the air from his lungs.

“Hey. Uh, Corvin, this is Celeste. Celeste, Corvin.”

She held out her hand for Corvin to shake. “Theo, please don’t tell me you’re here to test the bounds of your relationship with Peter? He’s a big old fluff ball, but he has his limits, you know.”

Corvin cocked his head. “Fluff ball? Are we talking about the same Peter?”

She gestured. “About this tall, bleach blond but the natural way, lawyer?”

“Yup, that’s the one.” Corvin looked at Theo. “Your man’s a fluff ball?”

Theo let his head drop. “Yeah, I guess?” He looked at Corvin. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. It’s like—do you know what he did the other day?”

“Honey, you tell me what Peter did, and I’ll take care of it,” Celeste said, crossing her arms.

Theo frowned. “He got this cook. Chef. Like, the man had stars. Those tire stars. Whatever. He had the chef come to the house, and then he had him make me dinner while we watched and talked and had wine. He said it was because he didn’t cook, but he wanted to surprise me with dinner.

It was a fucking weeknight. He had a professional chef make me dinner on a fucking weeknight! ”

Corvin blinked. “I don’t see the problem.”

Celeste sighed. “I don’t think this conversation is suitable for the bar. At least not at this time of day.”

“No, I could use a drink, actually,” Theo said.

Celeste looked at him. “I have cookies upstairs.”

Theo swallowed. “Okay. We can go upstairs.”