You All Over Me [BxB]

Fifteen

He winces. "Stella..."

She laughs again. "Kidding aside, Jacob seems sincere. What did he say to you when you rejected him?"

Stella adjusts her side of the see-saw, allowing Theodore to descend. They both now stand on their feet, with small rocks poking at their shoes.

Theodore drums his fingers on his thighs. "He said he's going to stick around... And he did ask me if he makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Does he?"

He sighs, "Not really..."

"Is there a chance? Are you not wavering at all?"

"I don't know, Stella. I don't know what I feel about him. All I want is to graduate from law school."

"Alright, alright. I won't press further. But at least think about it! You can manage dating and school at the same time. Theo, saying no right away might have been a bit harsh..."

Theodore scratches his temples and stares up at the sky.

"Alright, alright. It's too late for me to take it back... But I'll think about it."

******

The days pass by in a blur, and to Theodore's surprise, Jacob performs even better in their majors than he had anticipated. Though Theodore occasionally catches him doodling during class, Jacob seems more engaged and puts in extra effort into his studies. He consistently meets case digest deadlines, with Stella providing some minor tweaks for consistency.

All Jacob had needed, it seems, was a push—a jolt to his motivation. Theodore can't help but reflect on how it shouldn't have taken such a public embarrassment to drive this change. Being humiliated in front of a crowd is never a pleasant experience, and what if it had had the opposite effect on him? Nobody should have to endure humiliation to grow.

Theodore gets up from his study desk and looks out the window, his mouth pressing into a straight line. Why is he thinking of him at such a random time?

He shakes his head and glances at the calendar.

Today is a Saturday, but he decides to stay at his unit, as midterms are fast approaching, and he'd rather dedicate his time to studying than being stuck in traffic.

After stretching his arms, he realizes he has finished reading provisions for Persons and Family Relations. It's time to sweep the floor and vacuum his carpet.

At 2 PM, just after he puts the vacuum away, Theodore's phone rings. He raises an eyebrow when he sees the caller ID.

"Hello, Jacob?"

"Hey."

"What is it? Why did you call?"

"Just checking in. How's it going?"

"Uh, okay... " Theodore nibbles his bottom lip. "I was just cleaning my room."

"You seem to have a real passion for cleaning, huh?"

Theodore scoffs, "Yes. And apparently, you don't."

Jacob laughs, his deep and somewhat sensuous voice resonating across the line. "To be fair, I didn't anticipate bringing someone home that night. I usually like to ensure everything is in order."

Theodore swallows, his pulse racing. "So, um, w-why did you really call?"

Jacob clears his throat, adopting a cool demeanor. "Can I come over?"

"What? Why?"

"You said I could come if I needed help."

Theodore's eyes dart to the full-body mirror beside his wardrobe, and he winces at his disheveled appearance, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Do you really need help?" he stammers, discreetly sniffing his shirt, realizing he needs a quick shower.