Unpredictable

CHAPTER 6

Standing beside Theodore once she reached him, I could see that they seemed to be a perfect match. They seemed to complement each other. Where he was quite tall, Lexi was a feeble and quite minuscule figure, the top of her head most likely only reaching his shoulders and providing a perfect height for him to wrap his arms around her from behind in a warm embrace.
He was quite a looming figure for most people. Whilst he was not quite at a height where you would look at him and stereotypically ask him if he played basketball, he dominated over everyone with both his height and aura. I stood at just about 5'7 and he made me feel petite, most likely standing at least around six feet tall and over.

But there was more to the way they seemed to match then their height of course. As Lexi stood there in her predominantly dark outfit, Theodore's outfit for the night, which was a refreshingly more casual look than I had previously seen him in, complimented hers. He matched her blacks with his own in the form of his pants and shoes. The white of his plain white top did not only do her outfit justice but also his complete appearance, with the lightness of the top laying next to his tawny beige complexion perfectly. To top it all off, he adorned his outfit with a navy bomber jacket which flawlessly fit his frame with its slim structure and truly highlighted the blue in his almost grey eyes.

They would be a perfect couple, if someone was to base their opinions solely on appearances. Whether they would go further than that, further than just being something nice to look at together, only time would tell.

I am only a mere few steps from Theodore when I begin to freak out and instantly regret spending my last few moments before having to interact with him thinking about something as trivial as why him and my sister 'match'. I hadn't even had a chance to plan what I would say in my head. As he turns his gaze away from my sister once they share their greetings and a strangely platonic hug plus kiss on the cheek, I begin to feel the pressure; my mind running at miles an hour to try and think of something.

Do I shake his hand? Is that too rigid and formal? Do I even feel comfortable enough give him a hug or kiss on the cheek like I would with anyone else I was meeting up with at dinner? Would it take the level of awkwardness to another level if I gave him a timid wave as my way of greeting? Maybe if Lexi and I had already been seated inside and he had shown up then I could have gotten away with 'the wave' but I certainly couldn't do it standing a metre away from him outside the restaurant?

I didn't know what was coming over me. Sure, I definitely wasn't the most outgoing or confident person out there but I presumed I at least was sociable enough to not freak out about greetings. However, I knew deep down that this had to be a Theodore Harrington kind of thing. In this crazed brain of mine there had been no worrying over how I would greet Damon amongst the turmoil of Theodore. Why couldn't I just behave the same way with Theodore?

Not wanting to open the lid to that box of infinite disarray and unhealthy thinking, I decided that I would simply go along with whatever would come my way. I would surely figure something out in the moment.

Once I do stand in front of Theodore he goes ahead and makes the first move, thankfully saving me from the need to decide what to do or regret it later. Fortunately, he decides not to torture me with the intimacy of his touch, simply resorting to a basic hello which I'm more comfortable with at this point

"Hi Ella." he says, adding a warm smile and nod of acknowledgement to his words that brings me a slight sense of comfort. I could almost forgive any possibility of him playing with both mine and my sister's emotions when he pulls his mouth into that innocent smile which can so easily tear at someone's heartstrings.

"Hi Theodore." I reply, adding a casual and small smile back to try and put my part in on trying to limit the discomfort of the situation. I make sure to continue to call him by his full name. If everyone else, including my sister, appeared to be calling him by that name why shouldn't I? I had no idea why he went by his full name with them rather than the nickname Theo but it was clear that it was an intentional move so who was I to question it or be any different from everyone else.

It's obvious, at least to me, that he seems to react in some way to my intentional use of the name Theodore- the warmth of his smile seemed to leave his eyes and those magnificent stormy eyes seemed to shift to an almost doe-like state of innocence and disorientation.

"So Damon isn't here yet?" I ask, attempting to break this fragile tension that was binding us together and portray a greater interest in Damon, someone who deserved my attention. I was also truly curious as to whether Damon was already here or whether Theodore knew of his whereabouts. Damon definitely possessed a persona which made you want to get to know him.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure." he replies rather awkwardly, a shift from what seemed to be a consistent sense of confidence in his speech.

It is at that moment, as I try to digest this response of his through his behaviour, that I begin to question his relationship with Damon. I didn't actually know much about either of them individually, let alone them together. I was told they were friends and co-workers yet I seemed to sense I minor touch of hostility or discomfort between the two in the few interactions I had seen.

While I was aware that this was very common amongst people who had to work together and that people did go through phases of attitudes regarding others, I just kept thinking back to when I had first been confronted with the reality of my mystery man being Theodore and I picked up a not-so-discreet sense of bitterness from Damon's tone. It also seemed strange to me that so-called friend's would not simply come together to tonight's outing though that could simply be attributed to schedules and convenience.

My intrigue regarding the relationship between the two males is only strengthened once Lexi decides to chime in that she had in fact heard from Damon and that he would only be a 'few minutes late'. So, my sister had apparently spoken to this person who she had surely only known for a few short moments but his supposed friend had not?

This was sure to be an interesting night.

As we begin to discuss whether we should make our way in or wait for Damon, Lexi suddenly cuts in and says "wait a second. That's Damon" as a figure begins to jog up to us from across the road, making sure to look from side to side as he does so. Once the cars have seemed to stop he continues to jog his way across the road until he finally reaches us where we stand in front of the rustic wooden doors of the restaurant. 

Once he stands beside us and I am able to get a good look at him I am left in awe at just how perfectly these males seem to dress. I crave the obvious warmth Damon would be revelling in as he stands there clad in a cosy black coat with a maroon sweater underneath and black chinos on. His hair is styled over perfectly with the gelled slickness a stark difference from the almost messy tousles of Theodore's hair.

"Sorry I'm late." Damon apologies as he greets me with a kiss on the cheek and hug before moving on to greet my sister in the same way and Theodore with a far more rigid handshake, with me making a mental note of the handshake in my investigation of their relationship. I notice that I strangely enjoy the sense of comfort and familiarity Damon seems to bring to a situation.

"No, don't worry. You really weren't," I assure him once he has concluded his greetings and find him standing next to me, forming a circle between the four of us outside the restaurant which seems to be calling out for me by now. "We only got here a few minutes ago. It's fine."

"Well in that case, should me make our way in?" he asks everyone, with us all eagerly nodding in response, clearly longing for the warmth and food that awaits inside.

As we finally make our way through the doors into the restaurant and then follow the staff member to our reserved table, I am surprised with the contact of Damon's hand resting in the middle of my back as he leads me us through the restaurant. Surprisingly, I'm not too perturbed by his gesture but I think someone else is as steely-grey eyes flash to the sudden movement; a theme of perplexing gazes so quickly overwhelming this night with so much more to come.

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