Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Helen
“Truckers?” says Teddy, a delighted grin on his face as he digs into the new tub of Rocky Road I got on the way home. “Of all the excuses in the world, you decided to go with truckers?”
I bat his hand away, again ignoring how my stomach flips when his fingers brush mine, so I can get my own spoon into the ice cream. “Don’t make fun. It was all I could think of. I panicked.”
He laughs, belly-deep and warm. “But truckers?”
I glare, my lips pouted in mock offense. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”
Honestly, I shouldn’t have. I came home sweaty and flustered, still coming down from the adrenaline of ballet followed by sprinting down the street. Teddy had taken one look at me and asked what happened. Next thing I knew, I was word-vomiting the entire Lindsey disaster.
Usually I keep that stuff to myself, but not this time.
And now he’s laughing.
My pout softens into something real. My lower lip gives one quiver.
Teddy notices. He shuffles closer on the couch. “Hey, I’m just teasing, Helen. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“It’s okay, it’s just…” I sigh. “It’s been a lot recently.”
As vague as that is, Teddy seems to understand. He nods his head sympathetically but doesn’t say anything. No pressure. Just sits with me, a steady presence at my side.
A pause like he’s thinking, then he says, “How do you know that’s what she was going to ask? About the suspension, I mean.”
I shrug. “What else could it have been? She said she heard and then I cut her off.”
“There are a lot of possibilities. I heard you like jazz. I heard your favorite color is purple. I heard you’re living with a hot guy in crutches.” Teddy points to himself smiling at the last one and I giggle, wondering how he’s so good at getting me out of my head.
“My favorite color is purple.” I swallow a spoonful of ice cream, then lick my lips and try not to notice how Teddy stares at my mouth. “How’d you know?”
“Your bedspread is purple. It’s the only color in your room. Everything else is white. Plus there’s your purple robe. The one you wore all day.”
I raise my eyebrows. “How astute of you, Mr. Wright.”
Teddy straightens an imaginary tie, grinning. “Why, thank you, Dr. Chu. I try.”
We both laugh at that, and something in my chest loosens.
Maybe it won’t be so bad having him here.