Theo went back to monitoring the news, and my hand stilled as I stared at his masculine presence in my verynon-masculine apartment.His broad shoulders stretched the material of his t-shirt across his back, and part of the hem had got caught in the waistband of his tracksuit pants.
Ellie caught on to what had grabbed my attention and said under her breath, “We’ll get out of your way as fast as we can without being weird about it.”
“No,” I said in a heated whisper. “I’m not hurrying anything. I want to spend time with the two of you. It’s the whole reason I invited you over.”
The part I couldn’t mention out loud was that I needed them here as a buffer. Being alone with Theo on the rooftop or in public was one thing. In my apartment with no safety net? There were no limits to how much I could embarrass myself.
“You can get to know each other better without us here,” she said, leaning her elbows on the treatment table. “He’s a nice guy. You’ll like him. And the world’s falling apart, so you might as well.”
What better reason to throw myself at someone? We’re going to die anyway, so why not have a last-minute fling while the world burned around us? I would have laughed if my nerves hadn’t taken centre stage.
“Do it, Sadie.” Willow stared up at me. “He’s super cute.”
I clamped my hand over her mouth, and she giggled against my palm.
“Not lockdown cute either,” Ellie added. “Like, actual hot.”
Oh, God. He was right here in the room with us. This wasnotthe time to be discussing him. And the idea of opening up to a man again made my stomach twist. I’d lost too much of myself last time to fall into that same trap again now.
I thought the TV might be loud enough to cover our whispers, but I couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. “I’m not looking for anything,” I said, trying to inject some confidence into my tone. “With anyone.”
My face warmed, and a panicky feeling came over me.He was nice to look at and fun to be around, but I didn’twanthim.
Not in that way. Not at all.
Ellie raised her brows. “But you should. I would if I was maybe ten years older... and he was into me... and I could be sure my dad wouldn’t kill him.”
With an awkward laugh, I lifted my hand from Willow’s mouth. I truly didn’t need this complication when we were stuck in the building and worried about our futures. I wanted simple. Easy.
Our lives could end anytime, and I wouldn’t waste whatever days or months I had left getting my heart stomped on by a man who lived next door to me.
“I’ll think about it,” I said as my pulse raced, hoping it would be enough to shut them down.
Theo still had his back to me, but I could have sworn his cheek moved as if he were smiling.
Six
sadie
Ellie’s phone vibrated with a message, and she sat up on the treatment table, headband still in place, skin fresh and glowing.
“Mum’s texting me,” she said, thumb-tapping a reply. “She wants us home, Wills.”
My eyes narrowed as I took in her oh-so-casual expression.Laura had never called the girls home when they were with me. Not once. I didn’t doubt she was sending texts, but I’d bet they were demands for updates on Theo and me. “Why?”
“She’s making lunch,” Ellie said. “It’ll be ready in five, so we need to head back.”
Suspiciously perfect timing. I’d just finished both their facials, and traces of the scented moisturiser still lingered in the air.
“What are you having today?” I asked, forcing her to commit to the role.
“She didn’t say, but she’s working her way through all the stuff in the freezer in case the electricity goes off, so probably something—”
“Frozen?” Theo asked over his shoulder. With his arm stretched along the backrest, he’d made himself disturbingly at home on my velvet couch.
“Exactly.” She ripped off the headband and stared hard at Willow.
As soon as her sister caught on to the ruse, she jumped up from the dining chair.“Sorry, Sadie. If we don’t go now, we’ll be in trouble.”
