Can I come and go as I please? I mean, I would imagine so. I'm a grown woman, and I don't have a curfew. But why do I feel like tiptoeing around the house?
Oh yeah, because Theo could be lurking around the corner at any given moment.
Now that it's dark, I change into my two-piece and head downstairs.
Theo must be secluded in his dark dungeon of a room, and I can drink my bottle of wine—yes, the whole bottle—in peace.
I have my essentials: a towel, the wine, and a big plastic cup. Opening the sliding glass door, I step out into the darkness and close it quietly.
It's only 8 p.m., and I should have actual food instead of fermented grapes, but when you're at rock bottom, wine is always the answer.
Walking over to the corner of the large backyard, I stop abruptly and yelp in surprise.
Because there, sitting in the hot water I turned on for myself, is a half-naked Theo.
"What areyoudoing in there?" I ask in a hushed tone.
"It's a Jacuzzi. Aren't people supposed to enjoy it?"
"Yes, but I turned it on for myself. Did you think it magically warmed up?"
"Honestly, Amelia, I didn't think about it. The idea of a Jacuzzi sounded nice right after my workout."
"I hope you showered off first," I grumble under my breath, approaching slowly.
I'm suddenly aware of my bikini line, which has been neglected for the past week. Shit. Maybe it's dark enough that he can't see.
I weigh my options and conclude this moment was bound to happen sooner or later. I wish I had more clothes on, but I'll make do.
Setting the bottle of wine and cup on the stone edge of the spa, I move carefully to the edge of the water, feeling painfully self-conscious.
I'm a size ten and acutely aware I'm not supermodel skinny, thanks to the media highlighting what makes you a contender for prime womanhood: a thigh gap, a flat stomach, and long, smooth legs, free of cellulite and stretch marks.
When I was younger, I was that lucky bitch who left their junior year with minimal assets and returned that September with an enviable rack on display. In hindsight, this didn't help my case with Theo, but it was the only quality I possessed.
I generally accept my curves and love them, but Theo's flawless, perfect physique, with zero body fat, would make any woman question her adequacy.
So instead of inching in slowly, as I always do with such high temperatures, I practically cannonball my ass onto the step, submerging my lower half into the water so Theo doesn't get a glimpse at my imperfections.
I'm not prepared to sit in uncomfortable silence, so I pour some wine into my cup and offer it to Theo, the metaphorical olive branch.
"I planned on finishing this bottle by myself, but a drinking problem is not high on my priority list, so would you like some?"
"Sure." He reaches out, and despite sitting in 100 degrees of heat, I shiver when his fingers touch mine.
They're fingers, Amelia. Just fingers.
He takes a big sip. "I still have cooties, though."
When he hands the cup back to me, I make sure to avoid his touch this time around. "Ha, ha. I'm sure that's not the only disease you've caught since I last saw you."
This gets him to smile, and he wipes at the smirk forming on his lips.
Note to self: try not to be funny in his presence because seeing his face brighten like that makes me feel like I've been brought back to life. Butterflies swarm deep in my stomach as I realize I'm able to elicit a reaction from him with a simple joke. And fuck him for having the nicest smile I've ever seen.
"I've been cleared fromalldiseases, thank you very much. I had to get tested before I came back to the States," he tells me.
"Who did you pay off to get that clearance?"
