Strings Attached

Chapter Four

I had been saving money as well. I never spent much of my allowance, and I did have enough to pay for a third. That way I would not feel as bad, and Theodore and Mom would both be happy.

"Are you sure, Tina?" Mom asked, raising both of her eyebrows.

"I am," I said, smiling.

"Well, I guess that settles it," she said. "Let's go!"

Mom left the kitchen, and Brianna followed her. Theodore and I stayed behind, and he smiled at me thankfully.

"Thank you," he mouthed before leaving the kitchen.

"You're welcome," I whispered, smiling.

***

As we looked for a table, Theodore and I argued about who got the chair next to the window.

"I want to sit next to the window," I said. "I always sit next to it."

"Well, breaking your routine one day is not going to harm you. I, on the other hand, have never sat next to the window," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

He grinned. "It's true." The same sad look that Theodore's eyes constantly held appeared on his face. "Actually, I've never even been to a restaurant before."

At first, I thought he was not being serious, but as I noticed that sadness in his eyes, I understood that he was saying the truth. Theodore would not lie about something like that, would he? He would gain nothing by lying to me.

"Really?" I asked, curious.

"Really." Theodore sighed. "My mother... she didn't like for us to go out much."

"How about your dad?" I asked.

I probably had not asked a very wise question. Theodore's eyes instantly filled with pain, and he stared at me with both sadness and helplessness. Maybe his dad had not been very nice to him or something of that nature because this was definitely a very touchy subject for him.

"He was not around," he simply said.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I know what that feels like... not to have your dad around."

I did not know why I felt the urge to tell him that. I hated talking about my dad, so why did I not even hesitate to mention him to Theodore? Why had I so openly admitted that I wanted my dad to be around, when most of the time I told people that I did not care? I did not want to appear vulnerable, especially to Theodore.

"I mean... not that I care, but I know it must be hard." I tried to cover it, but I sucked at it. Fortunately, Theodore did not say anything about it. He simply pointed at the table my mom and Brianna were sitting at and smiled.

"They got the seats next to the window," he pointed out.

"Yeah," I said, relieved for the change of topic.

"Maybe next time," he said, grinning. But under that grin of his, I knew Theodore was more hurt than he led people to believe he was.

***

"I'd like a piece of lasagna," I told the waiter as he took our orders.

"I want a small pepperoni pizza, please," said Theodore.

The waiter left, and I simply stared at Theodore with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asked.

"Pizza, really?" I asked, shaking my head.