15. Theo
Theo rushed through the settlement on his new apartment. Apart from needing to get away from Evelyn, he wanted somewhere Sarah could come whenever she felt crowded by her brother and his friends. Theo didn’t love that his girlfriend was practically living with two other men not related to her. And in such a small space too. But he supposed it was better than her being on her own. If her stalker showed up, she’d have a little protection.
And now, a week after he’d made the offer on the apartment, he could move in. It had state-of-the-art security, and Theo knew he could take down an average guy in a fight if they breached that security. As a model, he needed to spend at least an hour in the gym every single day, so his strength was good. He refused to consider that a stalker would break in with a knife or a gun, but he’d do his best to protect Sarah, even in that scenario.
Most of his stuff had been in storage while he was in Europe, so he’d called a delivery company to bring everything over and unpack it all for him. He could have done it himself, but he wanted to settle in as quickly as humanly possible.
Standing in the covered outdoor area, he looked out at the river. There were a few low-lying trees below, and the river flowed just beyond them. He could see the other waterfront houses on the other side.
Ah. This felt like home. Brisbane had a distinctive energy he’d never been able to find anywhere else. He’d spent time in dozens of cities, including most in Australia, and a ton in Asia and Europe, but Brisbane was one of the most relaxed. He liked pretty things, yet he preferred his home city to be low-key and unassuming. But Brisbane was actually quite pretty too.
He couldn’t wait to have Sarah over. Maybe he should have a housewarming party, and then they could kick everyone out early to create some new memories alone together.
They’d both been busy over the past week; Sarah with the salon, and him with the move, but he hoped they’d get more time together soon.
His phone beeped.
Alexis:
Hey! Are you settled in yet? Would you be free for a camping trip on Monday?
Theo:
The movers are just finishing up now. But why Monday?
Alexis:
Sarah has to work weekends. And it just so happens that both Levi and I are quiet right now.
Theo:
My schedule is pretty flexible. I didn’t want to schedule too much until after I moved, so I should be fine until mid-next week. But is Sarah onboard with this? Does she like camping?
He figured he couldn’t fully reveal they’d already spoken about her distaste of anything less than four stars.
Alexis:
Not exactly. And we were thinking O’Reilly’s, but the lodge is booked out. However, there are two glamping tents available.
Theo:
I’m not sure Sarah would be comfortable with that unless you’re sharing one of the tents with her.
He wondered if by saying that, it would make it more difficult for Sarah to find a way to share with him, but it would sound weird if he didn’t mention it.
Alexis:
Then that’s what we’ll do. I think it will be good for her (and us) to get out of the city.
Theo:
Well, you talk to her and sort it. Keep me posted if you need me to do anything.
Alexis:
Will do. Yay! I can’t wait for us to all hang out properly. That trip to Byron got derailed by the weather, so this will be our first official getaway.
Theo wanted to say he was looking forward to it, but he didn’t want to give the impression he was excited about seeing Sarah. She’d be annoyed if she knew he hadn’t been keeping up their ruse.
He wondered if they could reveal the truth on the trip.
Theo:
It’ll be fun.
He hoped that was an acceptable reply.
Levi stoppedby Theo’s place to pick him up on Monday morning. As Theo peered through the car window, he noted that Alexis was already in the front seat, and Sarah was in the back.
‘This feels like déjà vu,’ he joked, sliding in next to her.
‘Well, this time, keep your feet to your side,’ she said.
He checked her expression, and it seemed to say, ‘just go along with it’. He internally sighed. It looked like they were really doing this, although he didn’t know why they had to resort to open hostility. Couldn’t vague indifference be enough?
‘I can’t help it if I’m tall,’ he protested dramatically.
‘Well, you don’t have to spread out so much. Be mindful of your fellow passengers.’
Alexis glanced back. ‘What is going on with you two? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had sex, but it didn’t go according to plan. Either Theo couldn’t perform, or Sarah drank too much and fell asleep.’
‘Hey!’ Theo and Sarah yelled at the same time.
Alexis laughed. ‘Have I hit a nerve?’
Theo pouted. ‘I have never been in a position where I haven’t been able to perform, thank you very much.’
‘And I’ve never fallen asleep!’ Sarah said, her cheeks turning red.
‘I’m just saying, it’s very weird. Two good-looking people who would normally try to get along for their best friends’ sakes are acting suspiciously. I’m going to figure out what’s really going on before the end of the weekend, even if it kills me.’
‘There’s nothing to figure out,’ Sarah said adamantly.
Theo poked her playfully in the ribs, and she shot him a warning look.
Levi sighed. ‘The drive is about two hours, so can we all just behave, please? Honestly, it’s like carting around a bunch of pre-schoolers.’
‘Sorry, baby,’ Alexis said, patting Levi’s shoulder.
Theo pretended to gag, and Sarah giggled. It was good to see her happy. He worried that pretending to hide their relationship, and the emergence of her stalker, meant they wouldn’t be able to properly let loose.
He looked down and noticed Sarah’s hand resting in the middle seat. He casually let his hand drop too and reached out a pinkie, barely touching hers.
Her eyes shot to his and then to the front to see if Alexis or Levi had noticed—but they were talking to each other, oblivious to the goings on in the back seat.
Sarah wrapped her pinkie around his, and his heart fluttered. Forget pre-schooler. He felt like a goddamn teenager on his first date with his parents in the front seat.
Not that a scenario anywhere near that had ever played out. His father had been long gone by the time he was a teenager, and Evelyn was not the sort of person to ferry her son around town. She’d had a private driver for a long time, but Theo could only use his services when there wasn’t any available public transport. Evelyn was a funny combination of luxury and old-school values. Theo thought it was because she’d had no money as a child, and in Korea, she’d never learned to drive, so public transport was the only way for her to get around.
He watched the scenery go past and decided he wouldn’t think about how complicated anything was for the rest of the trip. He’d go along with whatever Sarah asked, but the rest of the time, he’d enjoy the break for what it was.
Spending time with three of the people he cared about most.