“That’s handy, cause it’s the manager we’re here to see.” He winks, and she blushes further, stammering out that she’ll go get him.
Theo leans against the bar and turns to look at me. “Well, this should be interesting.”
“Uh huh,” is all I manage to say before a tall, creepy-looking man starts walking toward us. I tilt my head in his direction, and Theo, sensing what I’m not saying, turns round.
“You guys cops?” the nasally voice shouts, before signaling to the DJ to turn the music down.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the music cuts out. My eardrums no longer feeling like they’re about to burst.
Theo chuckles at the guy, not offering his hand. “Nope, just wanted to ask a couple of questions though.”
The guy crosses his arms over his chest, his black slicked-back hair not doing anything for him. He’s at least a foot shorter than Theo, so if he thinks he’s going to intimidate anyone, he’s wrong.
“Get a warrant or get out,” the guy snarls, his eyes narrowing.
My hackles immediately rise. That’s not a normal reaction for someone with nothing to hide.
Theo shrugs, clearly unbothered. “No problem. Thanks for the… hospitality.” He takes me gently by the elbow, leading me back the way we came.
“Theo,” I whisper-yell, “what are you doing? The guy’s clearly hiding something.”
“Shhh,” he says, ushering me toward the exit. My protests die on my lips when he gives me a scathing look.
It’s only when we’re safely back in the confines of his car that he speaks. “That guy wasn’t going to talk, firefly, so we need to go around him.”
“Go around him?” I ask, my brows furrowing.
Theo turns the ignition, the car rumbling to life. He looks over at me as he says, “Yeah, we’ll go back tonight… undercover.” The maniacal grin he gives should have filled me with dread, but it just makes me smile, until a thought stops me dead in my tracks.
“I can’t tonight,” I groan, my head hitting the headrest behind me. “You’ll have to go without me.”
His jaw clenches, and his hands tighten around the steering wheel, the faux leather squeaking. “Hot date?”
The thought is so preposterous, I laugh. “No. I haven’t had one of those in years. I, uh, have other plans.”
His hands and jaw unclench, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “You haven’t dated in years?” he asks, head tilted slightly like he doesn’t believe me.
“You were the last person I dated, big guy,” I reply quietly.
His head fully swings in my direction, his eyes wide. “You haven’t dated since me?”
“Is there a parrot in this car?” I ask, glancing to the back seat. “That’s what I just said, wasn’t it?”
“Why?” he asks incredulously.
I shrug. “I had other priorities.”
Theo eases back, forehead creased and lost in his own thoughts. I try not to dwell on it as I look out of the window. Neither of us speaks as he drives, the silence growing heavier with each block. The city rushes past, glass and steel surrounding us.
“As much as I’m loving this new and improved Theo, wanna fill me in on why you're being so nice to me all of a sudden?”
He blows out a breath before saying, “Things change.”
I shift in my seat, angling my body to face him. “Do they?”
“People can change, firefly. They can become better versions of themselves if they do the work.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing? Getting better and putting in the work?”
