16. Sarah
‘So, Alexis, have you met Bodie?’ Theo asked as they unpacked the car.
‘Bodie?’
‘Gabe’s friend, Bodie,’ Theo said.
Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. What was he up to?
‘Oh, right, that Bodie. Yeah, I’ve met him, why?’
‘Did you know he’s currently living with Sarah? Along with another guy called Casey?’
Alexis widened her eyes and looked at Sarah. ‘Bodie and Casey are crashing at your place? As well as Gabe?’
‘They’ve stayed a couple of nights. It’s no big deal.’
‘Bodie has been giving her lifts to work,’ Theo said.
Sarah wanted to punch Theo. What the hell was he doing right now?
‘I don’t see how that is any of your business,’ Sarah said, speaking to both of them. ‘Bodie works around the corner, and we leave at the same time. It’s convenient.’
‘Convenient,’ Theo muttered under his breath with a sour look on his face.
‘Yes, convenient. We can’t all afford to have multiple cars and buy multi-million-dollar apartments at the drop of a hat.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Theo said, looking hurt.
‘Seriously, what is up with you two?’ Alexis asked.
‘Nothing!’ they both yelled at the same time.
‘If you are all done?’ Levi said, looking sternly at each of them.
‘We’re done,’ Alexis said, slipping her arm through Levi’s.
‘Here are your keys. They give you access to the amenities block?—’
‘Wait. Amenities block?’ Sarah asked, horrified. ‘As in, we have to share a bathroom with other people?’
‘We’re sharing it with each other,’ Alexis said.
‘So… there is a bathroom for each tent, right?’
‘Um, no.’
‘So, when you say we’re sharing…’
‘The four of us are sharing,’ Alexis said, looking at Levi and then at Theo. ‘You guys don’t have a problem with that, do you?’
‘Hang on, hang on,’ Sarah said, holding her hands up to stop anyone else from speaking. ‘You told me we would be glamping. As in glamorous camping. You do know what that is, right?’
‘Okay, so it’s not exactly glamping per se.’
‘I’m sorry, what?’
‘Well, it’s more just camping but… better.’
‘Is there at least somewhere for me to plug in my straightener?’
Alexis rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t be such a cliché, Sar.’
‘I’m a hairdresser, Lexi. This is what I do.’
‘They have power points, but nobody is going to be looking at your hair,’ Alexis said.
‘I don’t do it for other people. I do it because it makes me feel good.’
‘Ladies, please,’ Levi said, standing between them. ‘We’re here now, so let’s try to make the most of it. The two of you are going to be sharing a tent, so you might want to kiss and make up.’
‘No,’ Sarah said.
‘No… what?’ Levi asked, looking at Theo helplessly.
‘I’m not sharing a tent with her,’ Sarah said. ‘She tricked me.’
‘Come on Sar,’ Alexis pleaded. ‘I’m sorry. I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you the truth. But I promise you’ll love it once you settle in. Look how beautiful it is here. And I bought fairy lights and stuff to make smores. I know you’ve always wanted to try them.’
Sarah grunted but took in the view. It was beautiful, she had to grudgingly admit. And making smores sounded like fun. The fairy lights would look pretty… but she still didn’t want to share a tent with Alexis, and not because they were fighting. Sarah wanted some alone time with Theo, but she wasn’t sure how she was going to do that without telegraphing to Alexis and Levi that they had a thing.
‘Fine, but I still don’t want to share a tent with you,’ Sarah said.
‘And I’m not really keen on sharing with Grumpy McGrumpy-pants either,’ Theo said.
‘Hey,’ Levi protested.
Sarah looked at her bestie. ‘Tell the truth, Lexi. You don’t really want to share with me either.’
Alexis smiled at Levi with hearts in her eyes. It was adorable and sickening at the same time.
‘True,’ she said with a sigh. ‘But I thought it would be awkward for the two of you to share.’
Theo threw his arm around Sarah’s shoulders. ‘Us? We’re besties. Besides, we’ve already done the sharing thing. Byron, remember?’
‘Are you sure?’ Alexis asked Sarah.
‘It’s fine,’ Sarah said, shrugging Theo’s arm off her shoulders. ‘I’ll just make him sleep on the floor.’
‘Oh, there are other beds,’ Alexis said.
‘Bunk beds,’ Levi said with an evil grin at Theo.
‘I’m sure Sarah will absolutely adore sleeping on the top bunk,’ Theo said with a wink.
‘No way. You’re in the bunk beds, buddy.’
Theo pouted. ‘But I’m taller than you. I will practically have to fold myself into a pretzel to fit.’
‘Then sleep on the floor,’ Sarah said, holding her hand out to Levi. ‘Key, please.’
Sarah sighedas she looked around the tent. There wasn’t much to it, and it was a far cry from the glamping she’d imagined. But she was away from her life for a couple of days, and she doubted her stalker could find her here. She could let her guard down, even if it was only for two days.
‘Are you sure you’re okay with this?’ Theo asked, putting her suitcase down and examining the space. ‘I can see if the lodge had a cancellation or?—’
She turned to him and put her hands on her hips. ‘Tell me you didn’t expect something more,’ she said.
‘Well…’
Sarah laughed. ‘I knew it! You’re as disappointed as I am.’
Theo pulled her into his chest and kissed her soundly on the lips, making her brain fog.
‘I could never be disappointed sharing a bed with you for two days, even if it is in a tent.’
‘You do have a knack for saying the exact thing that I need to hear at the exact right time.’ She lifted her hand to cup his cheek. It was hard to believe that this beautiful man wanted to be with her.
‘That’s not the only thing I have a knack for,’ he said as he swept her up into his arms and strode across the room to dump her on the bed.
‘Hey,’ she protested, but it was only half-hearted.
He crawled onto the bed beside her and kissed her again.
‘As much as I am enjoying this, I think we need to wait––’
He cut her words off with another kiss. ‘I have waited far too long to be with you like this again. I am not going to waste a second of it.’
‘Alexis and Levi?—’
‘Alexis and Levi are probably doing exactly the same thing we’re doing.’
As if to punctuate his words, Sarah’s phone beeped. She picked it up and read the text message before turning it around to show Theo.
Alexis:
Levi and I are going to have a nap. See you in a couple of hours.
Theo laughed. ‘Told you.’
‘So what do you want to do? Have a nap too?’
‘Is that an ‘adult’ nap? Or do you mean an actual nap? But before you answer, let me warn you I am definitely voting for the former.’
Sarah smiled at him. ‘I like the way you think.’ She stretched up to kiss him, letting the stress of the last few weeks fade away. Between having Gabe and his never-ending parade of man-children tromp through her house, the stalker, her mother’s wacky predictions—that kept coming true—and trying to keep Theo at arm’s length, it was all getting too much. She could at least lay a couple of those burdens down for a little while.
‘So, I was thinking,’ Theo said, breaking the kiss and picking up a strand of hair to twirl around his fingers.
‘That sounds serious.’
‘It’s just… I feel bad about lying to Levi and Alexis.’
Sarah opened her mouth to object, but he kept talking before she could say anything.
‘I understand you want to keep our relationship on the down-low. I get it. I don’t understand why you want to keep it from your best friend, but I’m willing to go along with it for now.’
‘Okay, so what’s the problem?’
‘I don’t want to pretend we don’t like each other. I know I’m a great actor and could do an academy award-winning performance but… I don’t want to. I don’t want to manufacture arguments like we did earlier. Can’t we just be… friends?’
Sarah searched his eyes and saw the sincerity there. ‘In all honesty, I feel the same. It felt weird arguing with you earlier, and I didn’t know if you were serious or not. Does Bodie taking me to work really upset you?’
Theo exhaled roughly. ‘I don’t love the fact he’s taking you to work, but I prefer it to you taking public transport. At least if he’s with you, you have some protection. Best-case scenario would be you letting me take you to and from work, but I know that would raise too many eyebrows.’ He paused and then looked at her uncertainly. ‘Do you have a problem with me having money?’
‘Of course not. I just said that because I honestly couldn’t think of anything else to say about you.’
Theo grinned. ‘Because I’m perfect?’
Sarah pushed him onto his back and straddled him, resting her hands either side of his head. ‘You’re damn right you are.’
She lowered her lips to his and kissed him. ‘End of discussion. Now on to more fun things… like adult naps.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’