The First to Fall ⚢

𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 • 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧

Within a few more minutes, we start growing a little more comfortable. He leans into his bed, lying down casually as he pats the spot next to him. I slide in next to him, not bothering to put any space between us. It does seem to shake him up just a bit but he doesn't pull away. Instead he shifts to sit up just the slightest, but I stay on my back, trying not to lose yet another game.

We play a couple more rounds until Theo finally gets a notification on his phone that the sushi is here, then he gets up to grab it, insisting I stay here.

"Are you sure?" I ask, my tone coming out soft and concerned.

"Oh, yeah," he smiles. "It'll just be a minute, I'll be back before the next game even loads."

I chuckle at that, moving to sit up on his bed. There hasn't been much romance between us yet but I'm certain there will be a moment to seize once we get to eating and talking. I mean, I hope there is, at least. The main reason I'm here is to try to forget about Juli and that's not going to happen if clothes stay on tonight.

Theo makes it back in even less time than he originally suggested, holding a plastic white bag with a big red logo on it. His smile is wide and bright, I've noticed, in comparison to his shy grin when I first met him. It hasn't been long at all but I can already feel myself starting to feel more comfortable around him. Especially when he makes it so easy to feel, well, at ease when he's near.

"You hungry?" he asks joyfully, taking a seat next to me and opening up the bag.

I nod, peering over the bag to peek at its contents. "Starving. What did we order again?"

"Well, Miss Greenwood," he starts with an old-timey British accent, seeming to emulate a butler or server of some sort. He hardly gets another word out before I snort at him. "I seem to recall you requested what they call a spicy tuna roll."

"Oh, is that so?" I joke along with him, barely able to control my laughter.

"Yes, indeed," he continues, his unshakable grin showing through his attempt at a serious expression. "And as for me, I've gone with a classic—the spicy California crunch roll."

"A man of class, I see."

"Did you expect anything less?" he asks, leaning in ever so slightly. I almost take the chance to lean in and kiss him but it still feels too early. I get the feeling Theo might be the kind to take things a little slower.

We both start to dig in to our respective sushi rolls, offering to let the other have a taste of what we ordered. The air between us is calm and smooth with no sign of tension or resentment or jealousy, despite what I've been used to with Cara, and it is rejuvenating.

"So why'd you come all the way to Barington if you're from Vermont?" Theo asks me suddenly, catching me so off guard that I struggle to swallow my mouthful of rice and tuna. When did I even tell him I was from Vermont?

He seems to see my confusion because he quickly blurts, "Ambrose told me that you and Cara are both from Vermont! I'm just curious because that's... literally across the country."

Yet still not far enough. "Yeah, um, I'm not sure," I lie. "I guess I just wanted new adventures away from home."

"Hm," he hums, narrowing his eyes at me as he assesses me like a quiz. "I get that. I think that's what I told myself I wanted when I applied to other out-of-state schools, but the more I think about it, I realize the biggest thing I was looking forward to in terms of college was being away from my dad."

It shocks me when he drops that thought into the conversation, like a cat dropping a dead mouse in front of your feet. I think he somehow knows there's more to my story than I'm letting on, so he's opening up to me to show me that I can trust him, but I don't think I want things to get that serious if I plan on hooking up with him tonight. I can't just cry about my mom and then take my shirt off, after all. Maybe if it were a little more socially acceptable.