I smiled, feeling a little giddy. “Thanks. I, um… I don’t have a lot of friends. Pretty much just Theo, actually.”
She put my phone on the coffee table. “Now you have one more.”
Theo winked at me again and my stomach fluttered.
“You two get back to your breakfast,” Luke said. “Let me know when we’re dealing with the rest.”
“Will do,” Theo said. “Thanks, man.”
Melanie got up, and after saying goodbye, they left.
“Thank you for that.” I hadn’t eaten any of my sandwich yet, so I picked it up and took a bite.
“No problem.”
I swallowed. “What else were you going to say before they got here? That you found me a place to live? Where?”
A slow grin crossed his face. “Here.”
I blinked at him, wondering if I’d heard him correctly. “What?”
“You should move in here. I have plenty of space.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. What do you say? Wanna be roomies?”
I giggled and accidentally snorted a little. “Yes, I would love to be roomies.”
He held out his fist and I bumped it. He was right, he had solved my biggest problems. Just like that, I had clothes to wear and a place to live.
Roommates with my best friend? It was perfect.
CHAPTER 12
Penelope
The stressthat had been building for weeks—if not months or years—began to unravel as I got settled at Theo’s place. We went grocery shopping, I meal prepped lunches, and he cleared out the rest of his things from the spare bedroom so I could get comfortable.
On Tuesday, we made a quick trip to Sean’s house so I could get my car and some of my things—mostly clothes, toiletries, and my art supplies. Fortunately, I had my keys, so I was able to get in. And even more fortunately, Sean wasn’t there.
I’d have to face him sooner or later. But I needed some space first. Theo stood guard outside while I gathered what I needed. There was more that was mine, including some of the furniture, but I’d deal with it later. We grabbed takeout on the way home, and after dinner, I set about organizing my things.
The bedroom wasn’t large, but it seemed enormous. Not because of its proportions or the small furniture—because it felt like freedom. There I was, standing in a space that was my own. I’d done it. Sure, it was because of Theo. But that didn’t diminish my relief.
Maybe everything really was going to be okay.
“Hey, Pensicle?” Theo poked his head through the door.
“Hi. You can come in. I’m just putting away my clothes.”
He stepped into the room. “I was thinking… Do you want my room? I can move my stuff in here. I don’t need a lot of space, and my room’s bigger.”
“No,” I said, emphatic. “I’m not kicking you out of your bedroom. This one is perfect.”
“Okay, but I do want you take over the third bedroom, too.”
“There’s a third? How did I not know that?”
