Andy saw red. “How does Theo know?”
“Cool it.” Brad stood up and waved him off. “Leonidas told him earlier today when they took bagels to Ronan down at the lake.”
“They what?”
He must be having a stroke because the words coming out of Brad’s mouth didn’t make any sense. Leonidas had mentioned that he’d run into Theo, not that they’d gallivanted around town bringing breakfast to people.
Andy sat for a beat, letting the anger wash over him, then it morphed into jealousy and rage, then a desperately tired kind of defeat. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands.
“Theo ran into Leonidas in front of Greyson’s place. He recognized him from the night before when he’d brought up room service, so he offered him a ride when he found out they were going to the same place,” Brad explained. “And I know all of this because Theo texted me to tell me how nice your boyfriend was.”
“I’m in over my head,” he grumbled.
Brad walked over to him and patted the top of his head like he was an animal in a petting zoo. Andy swatted him away, but he didn’t stop.
“What kinds of things did you do for Todd?” Brad asked gently.
“Nothing like I want to do for Leonidas.” Andy straightened up, finally getting Brad’s hand away from him.
“Well, that’s a start.”
“You really should talk to Theo. He’s taken me on some really lovely dates.” Brad reached for the doorknob and gave it a twist. “And he’s probably waiting for me since we have one right now.”
Andy followed Brad out of the office and found Theo sitting in one of the leather chairs beside the fireplace, his legs stretched out and propped up on the edge of the stone ledge that surrounded it. When Theo saw Brad, he stood up and smiled, but didn’t come closer.
“You’re late,” Theo said as they approached, reaching for Brad’s hand and pulling him in. They kissed, barely open mouthed, but the way Theo melted under Brad’s mouth and hands was enough to leave Andy flushed and embarrassed. He forced his eyes away, not looking up again until Brad cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” Theo apologized, leaning into Brad’s side.
A thought poked at the edges of Andy’s brain and he choked it back down. Theo had been out here waiting for Brad for however long Andy had been in the office with him, and then they’d come out together and found Theo nearly across the room. It made sense, logically, that Theo would be sitting there, but it was a direct contradiction to the version of Theo that existed in Andy’s brain. The version where Andy would have pushed the door open and Theo would have tumbled in, his ear having been pressed against the wood so he could listen in.
“Andy needs a good date idea,” Brad said, pressing a kiss against Theo’s temple. “I told him you could help.”
Theo smiled a little awkwardly, his lips pulling at a lopsided angle across his face and he shrugged, but the motion was tense and jerky.
“Yeah, I mean.” Theo looked directly at him. “If he wants my help.”
Andy did need help, which he hated to admit, and also that Theo, who had lived in town his whole life, might also be the right person to give him that advice.
Brad leaned in and whispered something into Theo’s ear, and Theo’s eyes narrowed, his mouth pulling into a small frown. Brad kept talking, and Theo’s expression eventually softened, then turned into a tiny smile. He nodded, and Brad kissed his ear, then looked back at Andy.
“Do you want to come back to Theo’s?” Brad asked him. “We were just going to eat in. Nothing fancy. Just Ramen.”
“Uhm, okay. Yeah, sure. Thank you.” Andy smiled, and found it felt sincere. “Can I bring anything?”
“It’s literally just Ramen,” Theo said. “It doesn’t need a wine pairing or anything.”
“I know. I just.” Andy bit the inside of his lip and stared down at the floor.
Theo made anoomphingsound, and Brad said, “He’s being a smart ass. You don’t need to bring anything. Come on. You can catch a ride.”
Andy followed Brad and Theo out to Theo’s car, then he piled into the back seat and unrolled the window to get some air. Brad and Theo chatted about their day from the front seat. Andy tangled his fingers together in his lap and picked at the corner of one of his cuticles. The conversation from the front seat sounded so easy, so normal, and Andy tried to picture himself and Leonidas like that, driving to have dinner together.
Would they be in Cherry Creek? Of course that’s where he pictured them, but he knew that probably couldn’t have been further from the truth. Even if he did get to know Leonidas, even if things developed between them and the tightness in his chest loosened into a manageable kind of pressure, Leonidas was too big for a town so small.
He didn’t know what a future for them would look like, if it even looked like anything at all.
The drive into town wasn’t far, and Theo parked in front of Hopewell Manor. They all got out of the car, and Andy followed Brad and Theo into the building. The first floor was a hair salon, owned by Jayden Williams. Theo waved at him, then took the stairs two at a time until he reached his apartment.
