Chapter Three #2
She waited. And the longer she sat with him quietly, not saying anything, not demanding anything of him, the more he calmed.
Theo stilled and he raised his trembling right hand again, turning his left one over and picking hers up, softly cradling it between both of his.
His palms were truly massive; they dwarfed her own, drowning her hand in warmth, and that same warmth rose slowly up through her arm and spread all the way up into her neck, finally landing in her cheeks when he drew a calloused thumb across her life line.
The more he explored what was written there, tracing the lines of her palm like the grid on a globe, looking at her as though he were searching for how he might find who she was through where she’d been, the longer he held her and the longer he seemed to concentrate, the more the trembling subsided—at least slightly.
After a while, he blinked and drew in another slow breath. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry if I’m a weirdo.”
She hummed and smiled softly. “I don’t mind weird. Josh calls me Audball for a reason, you know.”
“I thought it was Audsbodkins?”
“Not since he didn’t get the part. Too painful, he says. He’s been searching for a bodkin to make his quietus ever since.”
Theo finally laughed.
It was low and deep, his eye crinkling so much that it closed before the laugh was suddenly stifled with a grunt and a wince. But after a second, his gaze traveled back up to her face, and he gave her hand a light squeeze before returning his grasp to his coffee mug.
“How about you tell me what you’re working on at school? I’m really interested in hearing more about this whole electrical engineering thing.”
“You remembered?”
“Of course I did. I never forget anything you tell me.”
So she did. Audrey prattled on and told him all about her classes, her classmates, her capstone project, and her goals for graduation and beyond.
Theo listened, nodding attentively when warranted and asking intelligent, incisive questions when he had them.
Her break time flew by, and before she knew it, the timer went off on her phone and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.
“Over already?” Theo’s one visible eyebrow dipped into a disappointed frown.
“I’m afraid so.” Audrey gathered her mug and stood. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
He lifted a shoulder in a careless half-shrug. “Same thing as usual. Nothing.”
“Do you want to change that?”
He straightened so quickly in his seat that Audrey stifled a laugh. “Yes.”
“Okay, great. Then I’ll text you later and we’ll figure something out.”
His eye widened and panic flashed across it. “Oh, uh, I—I haven’t—I h-haven’t been out in so long, I don’t even know what to—”
She rested her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Theo, it’s all right. Don’t stress about it. We can always just take a walk in Central Park and look at the trees.” She leaned down and swept part of his sweatshirt hood carefully out of the way of his right ear with her free hand.
He froze as soon as he felt the subtle movement of the fabric. His breathing quickened and he stared straight ahead.
She leaned down. Theo was so tall even sitting that she didn’t have far to go. “Does that sound okay to you?” she murmured. “A walk—with me?”
It was a chance she was taking, she knew that, but she wanted to see how he might react to stripping away part of his public armor.
For the first time, she could see one of his ears. It was huge and adorable, and while it was partially buried in the depths of his thick, dark waves, the tip of it poked through beneath his cap. The tiniest freckles dotted along it like the delicate speckles of a quail egg.
It flushed bright red, the scarlet creeping swiftly along the visible curve of the shell and settling fiery-hot at the apex.
But Theo didn’t say anything. He didn’t even turn to look at her. He only nodded once—a tiny movement, barely perceptible—and then again slowly, more assuredly.
A wicked grin spread across Audrey’s lips as she gently tugged his hood back into place and straightened it over his cap for him, running a hand along the fabric to smooth it down and tuck him safely back in. She squeezed his shoulder fondly before pulling away.
“See you tomorrow, Theo.”
For the rest of the time he stayed in the café, he didn’t draw. He didn’t pull out his phone. He didn’t even so much as shift his posture or move.
Instead, for almost the next hour, he alternated between clutching his tumbler to his chest with his eye closed and glancing quickly up at her over the counter to catch her gaze while she worked.
This time, he was never the one to look away first.
Theo | Are you sure all you want to do is take a walk tomorrow?
Audrey grinned at her phone as she walked home from the coffeehouse, tired and spent and with a pocket full of tips in cash. A not-insignificant portion of it was from Theo, and the message from him lit up her screen just as she was turning onto her block on the way home to go take a nap.
Audrey | What, did you have a better idea or something?
Was he getting a bit bolder?
Three dots danced across her screen and another message bubble slid through.
Theo | I could buy you dinner.
She blinked in surprise. Okay, that was a lot bolder. She bit her lip in amusement.
Guess he’d had a good time today.
Audrey | Do you have any idea how many dinners you’ve already bought me?
Audrey | You always tip way too much.
She wanted to give him an out. Imagining him in a restaurant trying to order an actual meal when he could barely order coffee seemed a bit ambitious, but she appreciated the gesture all the same.
Three dots appeared, then disappeared. They popped up again, faded, leapt onto the screen once more, and then promptly left.
She snorted.
He was having a right conniption on the other side of her messages, that was sure.
Finally, something concrete pinged through.
Theo | No, I tip just the right amount, especially if I’ve been feeding you all this time.
Theo | That’s more than worth it.
Theo | I’m sure you’re not paid enough.
Her grin widened. Look at him, trying so hard to be smooth.
It was really cute.
Another bubble jumped into the conversation.
Theo | If you don’t want to do dinner, we could do a movie instead.
Ah. That seemed more his speed. Maybe he’d thought better of the dinner plans after all. Or maybe…
She chewed on the inside of her cheek, hoping she hadn’t been too quick to shut him down and immediately regretting her initial quip about the tips. Maybe it was a mistake not taking him up on his first suggestion. She could only imagine the courage he’d had to screw up to send it at all.
Audrey | I’d love to do a movie. What do you wanna see?
That response took no time whatsoever.
Theo | They’re showing Casablanca in 35mm at my favorite classic movie theater this weekend.
Theo | Have you ever seen it?
Audrey | No. But I’d love to go with you
Theo | Great. We could go for a walk and then see a movie.
She smiled to herself, hardly able to contain the warmth swelling in her chest.
Audrey | Sounds perfect.
She reached her stoop and paused, resting a hand on the iron rail before heading inside. She typed another text and sent it off before she second-guessed herself.
Audrey | And just so you know, it wasn’t a no to dinner.
Audrey | But we can play it by ear.
She was just about to let herself into the building when her phone buzzed one more time, stopping her in her tracks.
Theo | “Play it by ear,” huh?
More dots. The cool autumn air swept past her cheeks while she stared at that last message and waited, wondering what on earth could be taking him so long to type.
Finally, she had her answer.
And she blushed.
Theo | I did enjoy the last time you played it by one of MY ears, Miss Adams—as big and dumb as they are.
Theo | You can do that anytime you like.
Her face burned as she raced inside and up the stairs to hide in her apartment.
She’d learned something new about him today.
Snapped another puzzle piece into the edges of him.
Theo Sullivan was a lot more audacious in writing than he was face-to-face.