Cecilia - Four #3
Theo clears his throat, shifting in his seat as if resetting the mood, though the energy crackling between us lingers. He sits up straighter, running a hand through his hair before saying, “And Adrian? He doesn’t mind you gallivanting across Europe?”
I blink at him before letting out a soft, humourless laugh. “No,” I say, shaking my head. “He’d absolutely hate it.” I take another sip of wine, savouring the taste before adding, “Which is exactly why it was one of the reasons I broke up with him last year.”
Theo’s brows lift slightly, but his expression doesn’t change much, just a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. Without missing a beat, he repeats, “One of the reasons?”
I shrug, not really wanting to get into it. There were plenty of reasons, and none of them feel worth revisiting right now. Not when the night is warm and buzzing, not when Theo is sitting across from me, looking at me like that.
He exhales sharply through his nose, then shakes his head. “He never deserved you.”
I swallow, caught off guard by the certainty in his voice. The words settle between us, the energy that’s been simmering suddenly pulling tight, coiling like a wire ready to snap .
Then, before I can even think of a response, Theo adds, “Plus, he was a complete prick.”
That does it. A startled laugh bursts from me, and Theo grins, his shoulders shaking with his own amusement.
“Okay, well, that’s fair,” I admit, still smiling.
Just as the moment stretches, Siena comes rushing back, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Oh my god, that queue was ridiculous,” she groans, practically panting as she drops into her chair. “I was about to send you a distress signal, Cece.”
I laugh, turning toward her, but before I can say anything, her gaze lands on Theo. She pauses, eyes narrowing in confusion.
“Who are you?” she blurts, looking between us.
Theo smirks, leaning back in his chair with an easy confidence. “Well, you must be Siena,” he says smoothly. “How are you doing?”
I sigh, already preparing for the chaos that’s about to unfold.
“Before you start, Siena, he bought us a bottle of wine and he’s not a stranger, this is Theo – you remember,” I explained, desperately trying to ease the tension before she went into protective mumma bear mode.
Despite the fact, that I have been friends with Siena for ten years and was friends with Theo six years ago, their paths never crossed. So, although they had heard briefly of one another, they’d never met and I hadn’t planned when I’d gotten dressed this morning, that today was going to be the day.
“I remember Cece mentioning you,” Siena said, her narrowed eyes and imaginary claws retracting. “Thank you for the wine, Theo,” she said in a more pleasant tone and with a charming smile, he passed the bottle over and topped up her glass.
“Anytime.”
Theo exhales, glancing over my shoulder. “I should be going,” he announces, and before I can process the disappointment that immediately follows, he lifts a hand in a small wave toward someone behind me.
I instinctively turn, but before I can spot who he’s waving at, he’s already rising from his chair. I push up too, mirroring him, not entirely ready to let the moment end just yet.
He smiles down at me, a little softer now, a little less teasing.
Then, before I can overthink it, he steps forward and pulls me into a hug.
The warmth of him, the solid feel of his arms around me, is enough to momentarily still my breathing.
I catch the scent of his cologne—woodsy, clean, and unfairly intoxicating.
I close my eyes for half a second, just taking it in.
As he pulls back, he holds onto my arms for a moment longer. “We shouldn’t wait six years next time.”
I laugh, trying to ignore the way my heart does something ridiculous in my chest. “Agreed.”
His smile tilts into something almost knowing. “I’ll be here for another ten days. It’s a sign from the universe, Celia—we need to be friends again.”
Friends. The word lands strangely, but I nod anyway, because what else can I do ?
Before I can think of a reply, he leans in and presses a quick kiss to my left cheek and then my right, the brush of his lips warm against my skin.
“Goodbye, Celia,” he murmurs before turning to Siena. “Nice meeting you.”
And just like that, he’s gone.
I sit back down, my fingers drifting absentmindedly to my right cheek where his kiss still lingers.
Siena watches me, her eyes slightly narrowed before she finally asks, “Is that the same Theo from when you were eighteen?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“The same Theo you always fancied?”
A pause. Then another nod. “Yes.”
Siena blinks at me. “And why exactly is he walking away from you?”
I let out a long sigh. “Because I’m an idiot.”
Siena bursts out laughing, then picks up the wine bottle, draining the last of it into our glasses. She lifts hers toward me with a smile.
“Well, cheers to that.”
I clink my glass against hers and take a sip, ignoring the way my heart still beats a little too fast and the fact the kisses on my cheek feel as if they’re searing into my skin in the most delicious way.