Chapter 20
TWENTY
Watching through the glass, I grimaced as Theo paced his office. Whatever was happening in his meeting with Adam was not going well. It had been almost an hour since they walked in together, leaving me out here to wonder what they were talking about. I knew that Theo needed to be in there alone, dealing with Adam as more of a friend than an agent.
But Adam’s posture was so different than usual, and it made me edgy. We’d spent a good amount of time together back at the lake due to our close friendships with Alex and Cole. As far as I knew, Adam was always calm, cool, and collected. The stress of his life would leave most people in shambles, but he seemed to take all of it in stride.
Until today.
Every muscle in his body was tense, and he was leaning against the wall the furthest from Theo’s desk. Adam crossed his arms around his chest, and if looks could kill, my boss would be a pile of ash on the floor. The peacekeeper in me wanted to bust in to soothe the mounting tension, but it wasn’t my place, no matter my role in Theo’s life—especially not here.
As my eyes darted between the two of them, someone stepped up to my desk, dropping a folder on top of my keyboard. “Holy shit,” Jack whispered. “What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall.”
My annoyance reared up. “What do you want, Jack?”
He tilted his head at my words before barking out a laugh. “Easy there, Calla. I was just dropping off Anders’ contract. Theo wanted me to take a look before they started discussing next season.”
After the gala, I talked with Devyn about Jack and how something about him unsettled me. However, instead of agreeing, she defended Jack, which was odd. Maybe she was right; because I was so protective of Theo, I was seeing threats that didn’t exist.
But something about his words and actions still didn’t sit right with me. I took the folder, holding it close to my chest. Maybe it was old insecurities. Perhaps it was the look that Jack got when Theo led a meeting. But my instincts weren’t usually wrong, and they were telling me to be cautious with this man.
I tried to hide all my suspicions behind a smile. “I’ll let him know. Thanks for dropping it off.”
Without another word, I pushed back from my desk, beelining straight to Theo’s door. Maybe I should have let them continue their argument, but my desire to get away from Jack won out. There was also a part of me that wanted to protect Theo. The entire office’s eyes were trained on the glass walls, watching their boss argue with his biggest client. I knew if he wasn’t so preoccupied with Adam, Theo would hate that they were seeing him like this .
I knocked lightly on his door, and when Theo called out, I stepped inside. “Sorry to interrupt, but Jack dropped off this contract, and it seemed urgent.” Theo motioned for me to hand it to him. While he looked it over, I offered Adam a half-smile. He did the same, running his hand through his shaggy blond hair.
Seeing him up close, it was clear that Theo was right to worry. Adam didn’t look like himself at all. Typically, he was very put together, closely shaved, his hair sculpted to the point of perfection. Today, he looked like he’d just climbed off a barstool, the faint smell of scotch surrounding him.
Theo’s eyes met mine for a brief moment before I stepped closer to Adam. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Same,” he sighed, a little bit of that light entering his eyes again. “I’m glad the job is working out for you.”
“Yeah, thank you so much for setting up my interview,” I chuckled. “Sunshine over there took a little bit to get used to, but he’s grown on me. He cares about the people he works with, you know?”
Adam swallowed, looking down at his feet. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I should get going. Thanks for the heads up, Theo.” He placed his hand on my arm and squeezed lightly. “Hope to see you again soon, Calla.”
“You got it. If you need anything, let me know.”
He nodded, barely looking at Theo as he crossed the room. But before he could open the door, Theo called out. “Think about what I said.”
Adam didn’t respond, leaving before either of us could say anything else. The moment the door closed, Theo collapsed in his chair, tossing the contract across his desk. His head dropped into his hands. “Fuck! ”
All I wanted was to crawl into his lap, to make him feel better. However, with the entire office on the other side of the wall, it was impossible to do anything but stand there awkwardly.
Theo shook his head then finally glanced up at me. “If you couldn’t tell, that did not pan out the way I was expecting.”
“What happened?”
“Wish I fucking knew.” Theo rubbed his eyes. “I tried to talk to him about what’s been going on, but the guy’s a fortress. He wouldn’t tell me anything, just that he’s not ready to take any more jobs.” He laughed, but there was no warmth in it. “Shit, Calla. What the hell am I supposed to do? It’s like he’s self-destructing in front of me, and all I can do is watch.”
With one glance through the glass, I moved over to Theo’s desk, pretending that I was showing him part of the contract. My hand briefly found his, offering him a comforting squeeze. “Give him time,” I whispered. “Keep letting him know that you are there for him as his friend, not his agent. When he’s ready, he’ll open up.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
I wanted to make the moment better, to make promises I knew I couldn’t keep, to tell Theo that everything would be alright when we had no idea what the future would hold. But all those words were out of reach, so I did what I could for him in this dark moment. I stood with him, waiting with him for as long as he needed.
As his breath started to even out, Theo looked up at me, an apprehensive smile gracing his features. “I’m sorry about that, Calla. You said Jack wanted me to look through that contract? ”
“Oh, yes!” I jumped up and settled back on the couch. “He was going to drop it off later, but I thought you and Adam could use a little break from your conversation.”
“Always looking out for me.” He smiled before glancing over the documents. As he read through the text, I sat back, toying with the idea of saying something about Jack. Even though Devyn had dismissed my concerns, something about Jack still bothered me, like when he tried to warn me away from Theo.
“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head.” Theo closed the folder and looked up at me. “What’s going on, Calla?”
I sighed, toying with my bracelet before deciding to speak. “So Jack… You guys have known each other a long time?”
Theo nodded. “Over a decade. We started at the agency within weeks of each other. We’ve been a solid team ever since.” He tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know how to take him,” I answered honestly. “He’s made a couple of comments that haven’t sat right.”
Theo sighed as he sat back on his chair. “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No, nothing like that!”
“Calla, I’m serious. If he’s making you uncomfortable in any way, I will handle it. Immediately.”
“Theo, I promise. He hasn’t said anything like that.” I chewed on my lower lip. “But you trust him, right?”
“With my life,” Theo answered. “He’s had my back for years, Calla. There aren’t many people I truly trust. Jack is one of them.” He smiled at me. “You’re another.”
And with that simple admission, my heart started to beat a little faster, knowing I trusted Theo just as much. If he put his faith in Jack, I would have to as well, even if it seemed like the wrong choice.
Later that evening, I stood in the middle of Theo’s elevator, twisting my fingers together. I pushed my breath through my lips as I stared at the rising numbers, my anxiety growing as we got closer to the top.
Even though we spent last night together, this felt different. That was a collision, an inevitable conclusion to the tension between us. But being here tonight—this was a choice. I was walking into his apartment with no pretenses, no pretending that this was strictly a work relationship.
My nerves started when I arrived at his building, lying to his doorman about my visit. Thomas was a good man, one I’d gotten to know well during my frequent visits as Theo’s assistant. I probably could have told him the truth, but after hiding our relationship from everyone else, it felt easier to continue the ruse.
I closed my eyes to push away the guilt, focusing on what was important. Even though I was anxious about taking this next step, I was dying to spend more time with Theo. I told Devyn I was going out with a few girls from work and that I was crashing on one of their couches for the night. She’d just nodded, barely looking up from her pile of paperwork as I ran out the door. Eventually, I’d have to come clean with her and the other people in my life, but for now, I wanted to enjoy my time with Theo without anyone else’s input.
When the elevator door dinged open, I stepped inside his foyer, lifting my hand to knock on the door. Before I could, though, Theo ripped it open, pulling me into his apartment. The moment I saw his face, all my earlier nerves disappeared, and I was finally at ease now that it was just us.
“Thank God you’re here,” he called out as he rushed back to the kitchen. “I screwed something up, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
I chuckled as I followed him into the kitchen. The smell of burnt food invaded my nostrils the moment I walked inside. Covering my mouth, I stepped closer to his stove, lifting a pan lid to see a pile of black mush. “Do I even want to know?”
Theo ran his hand over his face. “I was trying to recreate one of my mother’s recipes—this chicken stew she’d make when I was younger. She called it moghrabieh. Safe to say, I have no clue what I’m doing.” He peeked over my shoulder. "Is there any way we can save it?”
“Nope.” I chuckled in his arms. “Do you have any more ingredients? We can try again, together this time.”
“Not really. To be honest, this was attempt number two. The first one was even worse.” He grimaced as he looked inside the plan. “I wanted to make tonight special for you.”
I leaned back, pressing the back of my head into his chest. “You don’t need to do anything for me, Theo.”
“I know, but I want to.” He kissed my forehead before walking over to grab his phone. “Take out it is. What’s your preference?”
“I can always go for pizza.”
With a few clicks of the phone, edible food was on its way, and I helped Theo clean up the rest of his mess. Moving around his space should have felt awkward or foreign, but we moved in sync, like always. It was weird; I’d never had a connection like this one before. It was so natural that I almost didn’t believe it was real .
Once his pans were scorch-free, Theo checked his phone, frowning. “Still another 30 minutes until the food gets here.” He came closer to me and tugged me into his arms. “However will we pass the time?”
I leaned forward, capturing his lips with mine. “I’m pretty sure we can think of something.”