“Oh, really?” He leaned closer and his forehead creased with concern. “Is he the one whose class you took?”
“Yeah.” I was surprised he remembered. “I loved his work, and I learned so much from his class.”
“He passed away? Man, that sucks. Do you know what happened?”
“No. There was an article in the paper, but it didn’t say.”
Theo hesitated for a moment, his eyes full of concern. Finally, he reached over and put a hand over mine. “Pen, I’m sorry.”
The warmth of his hand made my head fuzzy, and the tingles spread from my stomach all the way to my fingers and toes. “Thanks.”
Pressing his lips together, he nodded and squeezed my hand before letting go.
I glanced away and swallowed hard. The mix of butterflies, flushed cheeks, and the sensation of his hand on mine were all getting a little overwhelming.
Which was so weird. It was just Theo.
He cleared his throat. Not a regular throat-clear. It was a signal. When my eyes lifted to meet his, he flicked his gaze to the table next to us, then raised his eyebrows. I cast a quick glance at the table. Everyone had gotten up and gone, but one of our coworkers, Sharon, had left her phone.
No one else would have seen his subtle nod, nor the one I gave him in reply.
My eyes flicked around the room, but Sharon wasn’t there. Trying to look as innocent as possible, I deftly reached over and took the phone. Theo immediately scooted his chair next to mine. “Is it unlocked?”
“Yep.”
He picked it up and tapped to open the camera, then held it low, at the most unflattering angle possible. We leaned in so we were both in the frame and pressed our chins down. Theo took several of the ugliest pictures of us imaginable, looking right up our nostrils.
I stifled a giggle behind my hand as we looked at our handiwork. “Those are awful.”
“Yeah, so bad.” A few swipes and taps later, he’d changed Sharon’s background to the terrible photo of us.
He handed the phone back to me, and I slid it onto the table.
“That’s going to scare the poo out of her when she opens her phone,” I said.
“She should know better than to walk away without it.”
“True, she really did bring this on herself.” I checked the clock on the wall. “I should get to my classroom.”
“Yeah, same.” He stood and picked up his travel mug. “The chaos will soon begin.”
I got up. “Indeed.”
“Good job, by the way.”
“Good job with what?”
He grinned. “Not coming to school with paint on your face.”
Rolling my eyes, I smacked his arm. He just kept grinning.
And that was when I realized Theo Haven had dimples under his stubble.
How had I never noticed them before?
The rush of butterflies in my stomach threatened to make me start babbling. I got so awkward when I was nervous.
But why was Theo making me nervous? What was wrong with me?
