“Spike told me.”
Spike.Of course, she’d almost forgotten he’d taken Theo home this morning, forgot they knew each other.
Just another reason why you need to tread lightly, Callie.
“I see.”
She stared at the empty case, noting one faint sparkle in the center of the lush blue velvet where the diviner had sat.
Theo looked in the empty case, too.“You still haven’t answered me,” he said softly.
Calliope stared at the empty space, noticing that once again, Theo was looking at her with that undeniable air of hope.
“You didn’t ask me a question, Theodore,” she said carefully.“You stated a fact.”
He smirked at her.“You going to get all technical on me now, Callie?”
His soft smile was as endearing as it was attractive.Seductive, even.
Callie knew she was waffling.Prolonging the inevitable, but perhaps she liked taunting Theo.More than she wanted to admit to herself, anyway.
“If you want an answer, you have to ask a question.Or did they not cover that in your college orientation?”she rebuked.
Theo laughed.The sound was just as smooth and warm as it had been before, but this time she could enjoy it fully.
“Ouch,” he clutched his chest with his hand.“That hurts.”
She shook her head, licking her lips, and let out a giggle of her own.
“Let me take you to dinner,” he said, his voice void of the laughter.It was serious, but still carried that air of hope Calliope felt so enticed by.
“Still not a question, Theo,” she said with a sigh.
He turned to look at her, and she could not escape the heat of his gaze.She turned to face him.
“You’re right, it’s not a question,” he said solidly.“I think youwantto go, but if I ask you, you’ll tell me no.”
“Theodore...”She groaned, turning away from him once more, her stomach protesting loudly.
“And I don’t want you to say no.”He walked after her.
“Is that why you came here?”she bit.“To try and get me to go out with you?So you could have a repeat of last night and?—”
“No!”he said defensively.“I mean, last night was?—”
“A mistake,” she said, feeling her throat tighten at the words.All at once, regret flooded her as she heard the sigh escape Theo.
There was a heavy pause, a silence between them, thick with tension until he spoke.
“Then let me make it up to you,” he said.
She let out a sigh of her own, turning to look at him once more.
She could see the determination in his eyes, and it reminded her of how he’d been last night.Hopeful, wanting.Wishing.
And she’d guided him into his desire, into his fulfillment, hadn’t she?
Something inside of her ached, yearned for Theo’s determination.For it was not hersparkhe was asking for.
