Chapter Thirty
Thiago wasn’t joking about the flowers. He ambushed me with them the second I left the stadium.
I’d had the good sense to dart back to my room during my lunch for a calf-length black dress that crisscrosses over my shoulder blades.
Given that he’s in a shirt, slacks and a smart mac coat, it was a good call.
Now, the ridiculous, over-the-top bouquet of deep red roses sits in the center of the small table he’s claimed by the window.
The restaurant is just off-campus, a ten minute cab ride to a hidden Italian place I never knew was here.
The tablecloth is red plaid, framed by twin candles that flicker as I laugh.
“I can’t even see you,” I call over the flowers, leaning to the side. Thiago’s hands close around the glass vase the waitress supplied for us, and he moves the bouquet to the windowsill.
“There,” he grins, placing his forearms on the table and leaning forward slightly. His smile is wide, his blue eyes bright with that constant, teasing energy that seems to live just beneath his skin. “So, as you were saying in the cab, group therapy was good today?”
“It really was. I spoke when it was my turn, got some things off my chest, and I didn’t make anyone cry today.”
“That’s worth celebrating,” Thiago leans over to clink our water glasses together.
I laugh, raising mine as a salute and taking a sip.
The waitress returns to take our order, removing the menus from the table and Thiago promptly reaches out for my hand.
His palm is warm and soft, sending butterflies rioting within me. “And practice?”
“Better. The team is starting to listen to me, even if they’re not hiding their annoyance at my trust exercises.
Everest let me take the lead for the most part,” I nod encouragingly.
I leave out that I get the impression he’s simply keeping his distance.
He hasn’t muttered a word to me since I ran to Thiago’s side last night.
Either way, Thi just grins and continues on.
“And the asshole neighbor wasn’t so assholey. Sounds like you had a much better day than I did.” My smile falls flat.
“Shit, Thi,” I suddenly wince, “I didn’t even ask. How was your day?” He stretches his neck in the cage his collar creates, his chest pushes against the cotton to make it stretch deliciously. He takes a moment to reply.
“I hoped bombarding you outside the stadium with flowers and a cab waiting would avoid that question.” His thumb strokes small circles across the back of my hand. It doesn’t escape my attention that Thi avoids actually answering. I clasp his hand a little tighter.
“Did you…make any friends?” I ask hopefully. Again, his shoulders shift as if he’s fighting against a sense of discomfort.
“There’s only one person I’m here for.” Another deflection, as sweet as it is.
My brows pinch together. I love that Thiago is here, that he cares for me so openly.
With Thi, there’s no question of his devotion, but I worry if it’s enough.
If I’m enough, when the rest of his experiences at Hollowbrook start to chip away at his lighthearted demeanor.
As if sensing my thoughts, Thi leans further forward, his blue eyes seeking out mine.
“Hey, it was just a boring day, that’s all.
There’s only so long I can listen and nod when I know more than the professor lecturing me.
On the plus side, I made sure the surveillance around your apartment block is going to be increased and the IT guys are going to add a signal booster box to your room.
If you have any worries about Harrison, know that I’ll only ever be a screen and ten minutes away from breaking your door down. ”
I smile, although it’s not as wide as before. Thiago has a plan for everything, something that’s going to take some getting used to. Even before Frederick and Harrison, I was used to taking care of myself.
I spent most weekends with my twin. Given that she was adopted by an extremely rich family, she lived a sheltered life in a mansion, making me her only source of friendship. Now, however, she’s shacked up with men who spoil her, one of them being Thiago’s cousin.
Her home may have been beautiful and she was dearly loved by us all, but I never took my own adoptive mom for granted.
Our apartment is small and quaint, and it’s peaceful.
No drama ever happened to us, not until Frederick discovered what had become of his precious daughters.
Look at us all now. Frederick is dead, my mom hardly knows what to say when I pluck up the courage to actually call her, and I haven’t spoken to Avery in almost a year.
A flash of movement brings my gaze back to focus, Thiago’s hand retracting for our meals to be placed before us. I blink, an apology at the tip of my tongue for zoning out, but Thiago is exactly how I left him. Grinning, his chiseled face relaxed as he licks his lips.
“Smells fantastic,” he beams at the waitress before she retreats.
My shoulders relax as I spear my fork into my spaghetti and twizzle.
The first bite is enough to pull a quiet groan from the back of my throat, rich tomato and garlic coating my tongue.
Thiago makes a show of tasting everything on his plate like a food critic, dramatically closing his eyes and nodding as if he’s about to award the place a Michelin star.
I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head at him as I take another bite.
We fall into an easy rhythm, the clink of cutlery and low murmur of conversation filling the space around us.
It’s a simple moment, the kind of normal I didn’t think I’d get back so easily.
“You’re smiling,” Thi points out, his fork hovering mid-air as his gaze locks onto my face.
“Am I not allowed?” I shoot back with a raised brow, though there’s no bite to it. Just a curve of a smile around my fork.
“You absolutely are. I’ve got a secret scoreboard in my head for the amount of times I make you smile.”
“Not so much a secret now,” I roll my eyes. “Is there a prize when you get to a certain target?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, Thiago’s expression morphs and his eyes glide down my collarbones and indulge themselves in my cleavage.
“Hell yeah there is,” he answers and I feel the flush creep across my chest and neck.
It’s easy to forget that amongst the romantic gestures and jokes, there’s another side to Thiago.
One I’ve yet to explore but I know I will very much enjoy.
Taking another bite of my food, I chew and swallow before dabbing the corners of my mouth with a napkin.
“I suppose I’d better keep smiling then.”
Thiago’s pupils explode, the lust rolling off him evident from across the table.
He sets down his fork and pushes his plate towards the center of the table.
Raising two fingers into the air, he calls for the bill, holding my stare the entire time.
My face is burning now, anticipation curling in my gut.
Holy shit, he’s hot when he switches from bestie to dominant mode.
The waitress returns a few moments later, but not with the bill as requested.
Instead, she places down a pair of cocktail glasses, pale pink liquid inside with a twist of citrus perched on the rim.
“Oh, um, we didn’t order those,” I state automatically, my brows pulling together. The waitress smiles politely, setting them down between us anyway.
“They’re from the gentleman over there.” She steps aside to point to a booth tucked into the back corner. Shadows wrapping around it give an air of discretion, but the person seated at the table is anything but.
My stomach drops at the muted blond hair.
He’s sitting alone, one arm stretched along the back of the booth, a glass of something dark in his hand.
His shirt is open at the collar, sleeves rolled just enough to expose strong forearms, his posture too relaxed to have only just walked in.
He’s been here a while. As he feels my gaze, Everest’s eyes lift, locking onto mine across the room.
They’re the opposite of Thiago’s. Not warm and inviting. Cold and disapproving.
Before I can even process the flood of emotions crashing through me, he sets his glass down and pushes to his feet.
His movements are unhurried as he makes his way across the restaurant.
Grabbing an empty chair from a nearby table, Everest drags it over, the legs scraping loudly against the floor before he turns it and drops into it between us, entirely unapologetic.
“Well,” he drawls, glancing between us. “This is cozy.” Up close, the scent of whiskey clings to him, his presence instantly suffocating the easy-going atmosphere.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” I snap with narrowed eyes, every inch of my body bristling.
Everest’s own gaze roams my body in the tight, black dress like he has every right.
I immediately fold my arms across my chest, angling myself away from him.
Without me needing to say anything, Thiago twists in his seat, lifting his jacket in one smooth motion and passing it across the table.
I take it, tugging on the oversized fabric and wrapping it across my front.
Everest watches the entire exchange in silence, his jaw tightening just enough to betray the irritation simmering beneath his composed exterior.
“As your co-captain, I felt it necessary that I tagged along,” Everest says with an air of dismissal for me.
He turns in his seat, giving Thiago his full attention.
The two of them stare off, neither one wanting to back down first. Thiago’s smile grows, an air of arrogance gathering around him as Everest scowls. “I’d like to know your intentions.”
My mouth drops open. “Are you serious right now?” My upper lip curls. Everest doesn’t pay me any mind, coolly waiting for Thiago’s answer.