INDIE SEPTEMBER #3
“Okay,” he shrugs easily. “If we’re out, and you tell me that you want to leave, then we’ll leave.”
I smile, but then his eyes darken once more. “If someone ever calls you a bitch, I will handle it.”
Honestly, I’m a little aback by his threat delivered in that same, rumbling but sweet voice of Teddy’s. But not displeased. Not at all.
“You would, wouldn’t you?”
“You’re my girl,” he says firmly. “No one will ever disrespect you.”
I swallow, my chest tight and my stomach flipping over itself at the hard edge to his voice.
“Okay.”
A grin starts to spread across his lips. “Okay?”
“Okay, Teddy,” I laugh. “I would love to be your girlfriend.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“Teddy!” I laugh, poking his side.
He just leans down to kiss me, sweetly, softly, and it feels like punctuation. Then it builds and builds, more and more heated, and my hand trails down his chest, but he catches it and kisses it instead.
When I look at him puzzled, he sighs.
“I want to have sex with you,” his eyes drag down my body, lingering on my bare breasts and the drenched light blue panties. “So. Damn. Bad…”
I giggle at the feral look on his face. Like a hungry bear.
“But I want to make it special,” Teddy says, tearing his eyes away from my body to meet mine. “Not because it wouldn’t be now, but because I want to take you out on a proper date. I want to woo you, Indie.”
My heart swoops at that, the care in his words. Even though I’m eager to jump his bones, I think I like the idea of taking our time, savoring each other before the final act.
“Did you just say woo?”
“Yes, I did,” Teddy says, unashamed. “Because you, my honey, deserve to be wooed.”
Christ, he’s adorable. I’m in deep shit.
“Okay,” I laugh. “Then woo me, Teddy. When—”
There’s a buzzing sound coming from the direction of Teddy’s jeans—his phone in his back pocket.
Teddy groans and reaches down, using his long Albatross wingspan to grab it.
“It’s my mom,” he tells me.
When I glance at the clock on my bedside table, I see that it’s nine-thirty. I frantically gesture at him to take it because something could be wrong.
Usually, people only call this late because of an emergency.
He smiles and leans over to kiss me before placing the phone to his ear. Before he can even open his mouth to say hello, I hear a loud, female voice come through.
“Theodore James!” she says, her tone exasperated. “You didn’t answer my text message.”
“Yeah, mom, sorry,” he says, looking at me and winking. “I’m on a date.”
Silence.
It stretches long.
Way too long.
Teddy even pulls the phone back to check that it wasn’t disconnected.
“Mom?”
“...a date?” she says, her voice sounding strange. Stressed, like it’s being pushed through clenched teeth. “With whom?”
“Her name’s Indie,” Teddy sighs, his arm tightening around me. “She was Nana’s doctor.”
“...is that even allowed?”
“Yeah,” Teddy says, breezily. “She’s not her doctor anymore.”
“Hm...” she hums, and the tone of it sounds off. “Well, I know how you boys need to have some fun—”
“Mom, it’s very serious,” Teddy says immediately, smiling at me.
“Theodore,” she gasps. “I’ve never even met this girl yet!”
“And you will, soon.”
My stomach drops.
Oh, right. I was so excited to jump into the deep end without actually considering what it entails to be in a relationship. Meeting the family, new faces, new names, new routines to learn.
Teddy feels my body tense against his and he brushes his hand soothingly up and down my back.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me—”
“Mom, I’m being very rude right now to the girl I love—”
She squawks.
“What?!”
“—right now, so I’m going to let you go.”
She huffs before her voice comes through the line, sounding cheery.
“Bring her to dinner this Sunday. Your sisters are coming home. I guess I need to meet this... Bindi.”
“Indie, mom,” Teddy says, rolling his eyes. “Indie.”
“Right, right, Indie. Bring... her. We’ll have more than enough food.”
“I’ll ask her if she can come—”
“I miss you, Theodore,” she says, her voice wobbly, tone changing in the blink of an eye. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I came home for dinner three weeks ago, Mom.”
“Too long without my baby boy,” she singsongs.
I barely suppress my cringe.
Teddy doesn’t notice, and rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, I love you too, Mom,” he sighs. “I gotta go.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart!”
Teddy hits the end and tosses his phone across the bed.
He looks at me and smiles, “Sorry about that. I’m just her only boy, and I’m the baby, so you know...”
I don’t.
Not really.
But I kind of do, I guess since I just got a front row seat of what he means.
While I didn’t grow up in a normal family dynamic, it’s something you’re taught to identify as a doctor.
Certain signs to look for.
Certain behaviors.
And while the conversation could be completely normal between a mother and her son, it was the tone of her voice.
Which sounds crazy, but there was something... off to it.
“Your mom sounds...”
Many adjectives come to mind, but the one I settle on is, “...nice.”
His grin widens.
“I’m so excited for you to meet her.”