“No, we don't have to go there honestly, I?—"
“I never cheated on you. Tamika was never my girlfriend. She's my best friend. I just wanted you to know that,” he says, his eyes heavy and it looks like he hasn't slept in days.
“Thank you for telling me,” is all I can say because what else is there for me to say? I'm over it? That I don’t care as much as I thought I did? That I've moved on? None of that sounds right.
A knock on the wall startles me, and I look up to see West standing there, looking like he's not sure if he should walk in or jump into the ocean.
“Can I come in?” I say nothing, giving Theo the opportunity to decide. For some reason, there's a small, tiny, minute little instinct in me to watch out for him. I'm not sure where the fuck it comes from, but it's there somewhere.
“Yeah,” Theo says quietly. West steps into the room like he's not entirely sure if he's allowed to be here. He stops by the same window, staring out at the ocean the same way that Theo did moments earlier. Like he needs something sure and steady to look at so he doesn't say or do something wrong. Wow, this is weird. Silence stretches between us, heavy and borderline uncomfortable, filled with things they're not sure how to say. Theo exhales, then pushes himself to his feet, holding out a hand to me. Confused, I take it, then I glance over at West, who looks…crushed.Wait? Does he think Theo and I are back together? Is that what he thinks is happening here? No way in hell.
My stomach twists with every step, but West isn't looking at me anymore. His gaze is locked somewhere at his feet, as if he's afraid that if he lifts his eyes, he'll see something he'll never recover from.
“Good to see you’re well,” West says, and I don't miss the raw emotion in his tone. He's worried. About his son, yeah. But also about us.
“Dad,” Theo says. “I don't even know how to say this so I'm just going to come out with it.” I study West. He looks defeated, and I can't let him feel like he's alone in this. I reach out and grip his arm, forcing as much love and adoration into my expression as possible, because he's got it all wrong where he and I are concerned.
I'm all in, baby. I'm not going anywhere.
He noticeably relaxes, and my chest tightens, my heart racing a mile a minute.
“I'm sorry. For everything,” Theo says. “For messing up all the fuckin’ time.” West freezes, his brows knitting together in confusion. “But I don't want to mess this up for you.” Theo drops my hand and looks out the window. West glances down at me as if to ask what the hell is happening, then back to Theo, whose arms are crossed as he gazes out at the endless view of the ocean.
“Son. There's so much I have to tell you?—”
“I already know,” Theo says, his voice quiet and seemingly unbothered. “I've known for a long time.”
The look West has is nothing short of horrified. The color drains from his face and his jaw slackens.
“You know?” West whispers.
“Come on, Dad. Give me a little credit. You're not exactly subtle.” West drags a hand down his face.
“I never wanted you to find out like this.”
“I didn't. I found out a long time ago. But if you're talking about Jovi, this is brand new information.” Theo turns, hisexpression softening when he notices his dad’s inner turmoil. “I won't lie, I was a little pissed that you had been lying to me. But honestly, I don't care who you're with, Dad.” He lets out a sigh. “I just want you both, I mean, all four of you to be…happy.” I study Theo. My eyes search for some sort of hint that this isn't genuine, because where the hell did the Theo I once knew go?
“I was terrified you'd look at me differently.”
I study Theo, waiting for the catch. The punchline. The deflection that always seemed to let him dodge hard conversations in the past without any consequences, but it never comes. Instead, he pulls his phone from his pocket, his thumb swiping across the screen, and both West and I watch as he battles and tries to dodge some sort of invisible war we aren’t aware of. I’ve never seen him like this. Not this restless, certainly not this exposed. Granted, I wasn’t the most present person in his life, but maybe I’ve missed something?
“Theo?” I say gently, breaking the silence and interrupting whatever seems to be weighing him down. “There’s no reception here.” Slowly, he lifts his head and meets our eyes.
“Right,” he mutters. He just learned that his ex is with his father, and while he might not know the details, it's still a lot to digest. Guilt crashes into me despite myself. Because… there’s nothing about West, Beau and Haze that I regret. If I were him, I’d be losing my damn mind. Instead, he’s standing here, trying to hold it together. Or at least, I think he is. I’m the worst at reading people.
“I didn’t come here just because of the hurricane,” Theo says, and a strange, confusing silence wraps around us.
“What’s going on, bud?” West asks softly, and my heart aches at the worry threaded through his voice. Theo doesn’t answer right away. He just stares back out the window, his shoulders drawn inward like he’s bracing for impact or something. I’venever seen him nervous before. West takes a step closer, careful. Like he’s approaching something fragile.
“Son, if you’re in some sort of trouble, you can talk to me. I’m always here for you, you know that.”
“No. It’s nothing like that,” Theo says, his voice shaky as he exhales, and part of me thinks that maybe I shouldn’t be here. This seems a little personal. I go to walk away, and Theo reaches out to gently stop me. I don’t miss the way West’s eyes land on the contact. Theo must notice because he immediately drops his hold from my arm, his hand falling back to his side.
“Stay, Jov,” Theo says quietly, though it’s not demanding. “I need you to hear this.” West’s brows draw together, a thousand emotions flickering across his face in a span of a single heartbeat. Confusion. Concern. He looks like a man standing on the edge of a cliff, desperate to reach his son, but terrified that one wrong step will send Theo retreating even farther into himself. It’s obvious that there are so many things he wants to say, but he swallows them all down because he’s afraid of pushing him away.
When Beau and Haze told me about West and Theo’s strange relationship, they said that Theo has a tendency of running. I didn’t understand what that meant, not really. But now, watching him battle some sort of inner war, I get it. He’s been running from something. From himself? And I think that maybe he’s about to face all of that head on.
I shift my weight from one foot to the other, unsure of where I belong in all of this. Part of me wants to disappear and give them the space that they deserve, but another part of me knows that Theo wouldn’t have asked me to stay if he didn’t need me here. My fingers curl into the fabric of my dress as I steady myself, waiting patiently for Theo to let go of whatever is holding him captive.
