Seven
Turns out, I don’t have to wait long to find out. I receive a text from an unknown number when I get home from work. I almost delete it until I spot the area code. 469. Dallas.
What are you up to tonight?
This is Theo, btw
I reply that I have zero plans for the night, and he suggests we go out for drinks. On him. I’m sure I’m reading too much into the invitation. Angela’s right, though. As far as rebounds go, Theo probably isn’t the worst viable option. Not that I’m expecting anything remotely romantic to happen between us. If girls like Christine don’t stand a chance with him, there’s no way I do. And even if I did, he’s the last person, apart from Ben, I should want. Just imagining the tagline to this low budget Lifetime film is enough to make me cringe:
He wants the bride, she wants the groom. But what if all they really want… is each other?
Blegh. I shake my head to clear the thought. Of the ridiculousness I have no time for.
But then, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if Theo found a rebound of his own, either. I make a mental note to bring up the idea to him tonight as I text my agreement.
Should I drive or Uber?
He replies with a smiling devil emoji and a time and place. Uber it is.
Well, if I’m about to get trashed on a Monday night, I might as well be comfortable. I change into a faded pair of jeans and my favorite cotton blouse, despite the squint-to-see-it coffee stain on the collar. The bar we’re headed to is usually dimly lit, and even if it wasn’t, I doubt I’d care. I leave my hair down but keep a chongo on my wrist for when I’ll inevitably need to pull it up later in the night.
Havana Bar is my usual haunt, though Theo has no way of knowing that. Connected to a hotel right off the River Walk, it looks less like a bar and more like a speakeasy before the sin and debauchery start. Entirely candlelit, the bar is tinged a devilish red to match the furniture’s red velvet upholstery. Lounge chairs are placed around rickety wooden tables. It’s like something straight out of a novel, which is part of the reason it appealed to me in the first place. Angela and I have spent far too many nights here to count. We even befriended some of the staff and trust them enough to guard our smartphones after a certain number of drinks.
I’m the first to arrive even though I’m ten minutes late. Krystal Ramirez is working tonight, which is lucky for me because she’s my favorite bartender.
“Haven’t seen you in here in a while,” she says, smirking. Her dark, curly hair is tinted red from the jarred candles behind the bar. As if that’s not a fire hazard. To this day, I still don’t understand how the bartenders can reach the alcohol without accidentally setting the place on fire. With her large hoop earrings and black tank top that shows off her tattoos, she fits right in with the atmosphere.
“You meeting up with Angela?”
“Nope. It’s a new friend this time.” She raises a brow, intrigued. “Can you get me a raspberry mojito?”
“New friend, old drink. You got it.”
Theo arrives the same moment my drink does, dressed in dark-wash jeans and a blue hoodie. His hair is damp, from a shower maybe. When he spots me, he lifts his hand in a wave and makes his way toward me.
“Hey.” He envelops me into a side hug, and I get a whiff of his shower gel. I inhale the woodsy musk of his scent, hoping he doesn’t notice. He smells dizzyingly good, and I can’t decide if this is better or worse for my common sense than when he smelled like my amber-and-rose body wash.
“You surprised me tonight,” I say. “What’s the occasion?”
“I wanted to say thanks for this weekend.” Theo orders two shots of tequila from Krystal, and when she looks back at me, her eyes glitter knowingly. My face heats at the assumption on her face.
“Really, I can’t thank you enough,” Theo says, calling me back to the moment. “When I got back to my brother’s place, I realized what a dick move that would’ve been had I gone through with it. I can’t do that to my own brother. So, thank you.” He puts his hand over mine and squeezes. His grip is firm, warm, and it evokes something in me I haven’t felt in a long time. Or rather, something I haven’t allowed myself to feel. The heat of Krystal’s gaze warms the side of my face, but I don’t dare turn around to check.
But mostly, I can’t bear to make myself look away from Theo. I think of the muscles pressed up against my body during my numerous attempts to drag him away from the party. His rumpled clothes on my bed. The way he smelled like my body wash at brunch. The steady weight of his eyes, pulling me in with the force of a rising tide.
Oh, shit. I’m attracted to him, aren’t I?
“Just looking out.” My voice wavers slightly. We haven’t even been here ten minutes, and I don’t like the thoughts circling my head. “Listen, I’m not one to judge. We all make mistakes in the heat of the moment, but that moment has to pass eventually,” I say, not only to convince him. I muster all the determination I can to add “And it will.”
He looks away from me, brows creased. Then he nods. “I know. You’re right. Which is why I have to thank you properly.” When Krystal sets two shots down in front of us, he takes one and hands me the other.
“To the moment passing.”
“Cheers.” We clink glasses and shoot them back. The liquor burns going down my throat, but it’s just what I need to get the Lifetime movie tagline out of my brain.
Don’t be stupid, Marcela.
But what would be more stupid? Pining over a taken man for the rest of my life, or getting over said taken man by hooking up with his brother?
“What’s your plan now?” I ask Theo, if only to stop myself from digging an even deeper hole than the one I’m already in.
“I have enough in savings to get an apartment in town until I can find a job,” he says. “Plus, a couple interviews lined up this week. Turns out, a lot of high schools like the idea of a former NFL player coaching their football team.” The side of his mouth turns up in a wry grin. “It’s not exactly the career I had in mind, but something’s gotta pay the bills.”
“What happened, by the way?” I ask. “Why’d you retire?”
He lets out a groan. “It’s my stupid knee again.”
“The one that cost you getting signed the first time?” His eyes widen, mouth falling open slightly. Judging by his stricken expression, this was a bad question to ask. Before he can reply, I attempt to walk it back. “You don’t have to answer that. I didn’t mean to be so invasive. If you’re not comfortable…”
“No, it’s not that,” he says. “It’s just that it was such a long time ago. I didn’t think you’d remember.”
Of course I remember. The smell of tequila calls it all back—the shouting, the shattered glass, the crying himself to sleep. But he was so hammered, maybe he hardly remembers that night himself. It’s on the tip of my tongue to remind him, but I can’t find any good way to do so.
When he finally speaks up, I no longer have to.
“Tequila always had a habit of bringing out my bad side.” He shakes his head. “Football was everything to me. Still is, in some ways. I got good grades in high school just so I could play, went to college to get drafted to the NFL. It wasn’t just that I loved it, but that I wasn’t good at anything else. There was nothing else I felt that passionately about.”
“A job doesn’t have to be a career, Theo. There are plenty of other things you can do.” His eyes train on me. “But maybe I’m not the best person to look to. My whole career basically revolves around books.”
“Librarian, right?” So maybe he was paying attention to someone other than Alice at brunch.
“Yup. Although, my job isn’t without its bad days. Sometimes I just wanna shake the parents who complain about the quote-unquote inappropriate material in the YA books their kids are reading. Like there’s anything inappropriate about a transgender lead or mildly sexual themes. They’re teenagers. If a bit of light petting offends them so much, they would’ve keeled over to learn what I was reading when I was a teenager.”
“Oh, yeah?” The corner of Theo’s mouth lifts suggestively. “Do tell.”
There’s no way I’m talking to Theo of all people about my sexual awakening through romance novels.
“Shut up.” I slap lightly at his arm. “We got off topic. Please, continue.”
When we return to the topic at hand, his grin falls a bit. “I don’t know,” Theo starts. “It all felt more… urgent, back then. Like if I never got drafted, it was all for nothing. All that work, all the long nights spent practicing, all the sacrifices I made to get there. I’d never make something of myself otherwise.”
“That’s why you were in so much pain.” His smile drops all the way suddenly. I hate that I’m the reason. “I didn’t know you at all back then, so I… didn’t really know what to think, I guess. It makes sense now.” I’m almost surprised by how honest he’s being with me. Before this weekend, we were strangers. Now he’s opening up like we’re old friends. Or… like we’re becoming friends.
Are Theo and I friends?
“I’m sorry, again,” he says, his eyes going soft. “You shouldn’t have had to see me like that. There’s not a lot about that night I remember, and I’m counting my blessings for that.” He lets out a nervous laugh.
I can hardly remember why I was there in the first place. Did Ben ask me over, or was I already there when Theo arrived? I’ll ask Ben one of these days, whenever I see him next. Even though I definitely shouldn’t see him soon.
“It’s all in the past.” I take a sip from my drink. “By the way, how’d you get my number?”
“I asked Ben first, but he refused and told me to stay away from you.” There’s an odd look in his eyes. My heart stutters in my chest, but I keep a neutral expression. Ben must hate that we’re out together right now, if he was unwilling to give his brother my number. The thought shouldn’t thrill me, but in an odd way I want him to disapprove. It’s the closest I can ever get to making him jealous.
Bad idea all around, Marcela.
“So I asked Alice instead.”
“He really said that?” I ask, though I’m not entirely surprised. Ben’s always been protective of me, especially whenever a new guy comes into my life. And given Theo’s reputation, I can understand why Ben would be worried if he actually thinks we’re hooking up.
I’m about to ask Theo if he corrected his brother (secretly, I hope he didn’t) when the door chimes, and a group of familiar women enter the bar. Alice, Christine, and the rest of their crew. I spot Angela behind a blond girl in their group, eyes scanning the bar like she’s looking for someone.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Krystal as she smiles to herself and walks out from behind the bar to head toward them. Probably to say hi to Angela, I think. She likes giving Angela grief about the time she drunkenly stroked her cheek and gushed over her “beautiful face.” Angela still counts it as the most mortifying thing she’s ever done while under the influence.
But all of Alice’s friends going out on a Monday night, at the same bar as Theo and me? This has the unsettling feeling of a bad omen. A sneaking suspicion grows in the back of my mind.
“Incoming.” Theo’s head turns when I gesture toward the entrance. Alice spots us and waves, that same knowing glint in her eyes. We wave back, watching as she sinks into a plush, upholstered lounge chair big enough to seat Christine and Angela on either side of her. I study Theo’s face, but he barely reacts. He sits up a little straighter, a wall closing over his easy expression.
“Hey.” I almost reach out for his hand but hesitate at the last second. “Are you okay?”
“Sure,” he says, but his voice is toneless. His silence is making me antsy, but I’m not sure what I can say to comfort him. My phone lights up with a notification, and since Theo’s attention is directed glumly at draining his drink, I check it.
A slew of messages from Angela confirms my suspicions.
I’m so sorry
Christine convinced everyone to come and spy on your date with Theo. I couldn’t convince Alice to stop them.
Btw is this a real date??? If so, I need DETAILS, girl!
I thank her for letting me know and assure her that this is far beyond the realm of a date. She texts back three sobbing emojis, and I roll my eyes before sending her a digital one. I’m about to remind her, in great detail, why dating Theo would be a monumentally bad idea when a warm presence beside me makes me turn my head. Theo is glancing down at the screen from over my shoulder.
I lock my phone and turn it over, cheeks reddening.
“Isn’t it rude to check your phone during a date?” Theo asks, smirking as my face heats further. I count my blessings he can’t see how red my cheeks are in the dim, artificial red lighting. His tone takes on a teasing quality that makes me want to cover my face with both hands. I barely manage to resist as it is.
“Come on, Marcela. Give me a fair chance. We’re supposed to be getting to know each other, here.” He knocks the tip of his shoe with mine and smirks. Is he teasing me?
“According to everyone at the engagement party, we already got to know each other plenty.” Oh god. Did those words actually come out of my mouth? Theo coughs, eyes shifting away from mine in embarrassment. Is he being sheepish, or does the thought of us together disgust him? Just as a bucket of shame washes over me, his face turns back to me.
His eyes are shining beneath the red light’s glow, mouth spread in a ridiculously large grin. I’m pretty sure it’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen on him. He lets out a deep, rumbling laugh, straight from his diaphragm. The tension in my shoulders from accidentally letting slip such a risqué remark dissipates, and I find myself laughing with him.
“This is so much worse than brunch,” he says, still laughing. “They actually came here to spy on us, didn’t they?”
“Yeah. That’s all your fault, by the way.” He has the audacity to crease his brows in confusion. I roll my eyes, not buying it. “Christine wants you. It’s all she can talk about whenever you’re in town.”
“Oh.”
There’s something like disappointment in his slumped shoulders, in the way the corners of his mouth turn down suddenly. I recognize the expression for what it is. It was only a few minutes ago that I was reveling in Ben’s possible jealousy that I was going out with his brother. I’ve inadvertently burst Theo’s bubble that Alice was jealous of us, and that that’s the reason she summoned her troops to the bar to do her recon.
“She’d make a good rebound, you know. Christine.”
He looks back at me, eyes cloudy. “Right,” he says, distracted. “Maybe. If she can get over that I chose you first.”
And just like that, the flash of vulnerability is replaced with something sharper. His mouth pulls up in a flirtatious grin, eyes scanning me up and down with the subtlety of a beacon. My heart thumps, and I’m sure my cheeks redden all over again as his eyes slowly trail down my body.
He’s Ben’s brother.
Ben’s older, sexier, NFL player brother. Up until we met up today, I’d been comfortable around him knowing there was no chance he’d want me, and because he’s eons out of my league, his attractiveness was a blip on my radar. Maybe it’s the atmosphere making me see him this way. Or maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me now, one brow arched, full mouth curved up on one side in the hint of a grin, blue eyes glittering. Is my attraction to him… reciprocated?
Before I dare find out, I turn my head away from him to catch my breath. The longer I’m around him, the faster common sense seems to leak out of my brain. Only, in my attempt to regain some of it back, I end up meeting three pairs of eyes from Alice’s table. They all dart away as soon as we make eye contact, and I turn back to Theo with a knowing look. He’s far too amused for my liking.
“You didn’t correct anyone after brunch, did you?”
“No,” he says, eyes glancing away from mine in an apologetic look I don’t believe for a second. Maybe I’m not the only one who wants to piss his brother off. “I thought it’d work in my favor if everyone just assumed. Sorry.”
I don’t say anything. It might work in my favor, too.
A hand on my shoulder makes me flinch, and when I turn around Alice is standing in front of me. She maneuvers between Theo and me, not bothering to face him as she says, “Theo, could you give me a minute with Marcela?”
He looks down at his feet with a mumbled “Sure” before seating himself three spots down from us. I glance across the bar at him before returning my attention to Alice, gulping down the sudden fear.
“Alice, hey.” She takes Theo’s vacant spot. “What’s up?”
She meets my eyes for so long, I start to squirm. The silence between us grows, awkward and uncomfortable. Nothing in her expression gives her away, but my heart is pounding fast. Dread builds in the pit of my stomach, and I’m seconds away from shouting “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” before she finally says something.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”