Me
I’m okay. How are you?
I hit send before I can talk myself out of it. Surely I can ask about him since he did me. Before I can even set my phone down, he’s read the message and is typing.
Theo
20%
My heart thuds, lurching in my chest. Fuck.
Me
I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?
Theo
Can I call you?
I blink at my screen in shock for a minute, then text back.
Me
Yes.
My phone rings, and I swipe to answer before it’s even done with the first one. “Hello?”
There’s a beat and then a softly spoken “Hi.”
I have to bite my lip hard to keep from blurting out apologies for everything that happened that drove Theo away. Instead, I clear my throat. “I’m sorry you’re having a hard time.”
“It happens.”
His voice sounds half monotone, and it makes my stomach clench. “Is there something wrong? Is that why you wanted to call?”
It sounds like he snorts, but I can’t be sure. “Does something have to be wrong?”
I shake my head. “No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure. I wasn’t sure you’d even want to talk to me.”Goddammit.
This time, he does laugh—a short, humorless one. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to talk to me after how I acted.”
My nose scrunches in confusion. “Howyouacted?”
Theo’s silent for so long that I’m worried he’s hung up, but then he sighs. “I don’t have the energy for this right now. Can you…” A pause, then another drawn-out sigh. “Will you tell me about the animals?”
Swallowing hard against the tightness in my throat, I adjust on my bed, getting more comfortable. “I got Molls out today. I’ve been riding Lucky,” I say, settling in to just talk. I know how much that seemed to help him last time he was low. “She had fun, and when I got back, I brushed her good and got her a treat.”
Theo hums. “What kind of treat? I was looking online the other day, and it said you can give horses sugar cubes. Does she get those?”
“Sometimes.” I can’t believe he was looking online for information about horses. “It’s a rare treat, though.”
“What did she have today, then?”
“Alfalfa cubes.” I let out a soft chuckle. “She’s greedy. Took them both out of my hand in one swoop.”
“She’s not greedy. She’s a good girl.”
I sigh. “Yeah, she really is. Anyway, like I said, I’ve been riding Lucky a lot the last couple of weeks.” I leave out the part about how the biggest reason is that seeing Molls just brings me back to the day he left. And I hate that. I hate that Molls has been reduced to that in my mind. But getting her out today was healing in a way. “She had a blast. We were flying. The wind was whipping, and it was so soothing.”
