“Has he brought other people here?” I asked slowly.
“Not really, no. But we don’t get our hopes up about him. You may as well know so you can find another single man.”
“Are there any others in town?”
She sighed. “No. We’ve run dry. Sorry, kid.”
My anxiety over whether or not Tammy might touch me had faded, and now, I felt like I could push ever so slightly.
“What would you guys do if hedidchange things up and dated someone?”
“I mean, we’d be happy, but it’s been a decade. He’s probably gay and thinks we’d be bothered by that. We wouldn’t, for the record. We might be a little backwoods here, but we don’t judge.” She said it and then paused. “About those kinds of things.”
“Good to know, and thank you for the warning. I’ll keep it in mind.”
She gave me a smile and walked away.
I beelined for Theo. “I was so right. You’ve scared these people off.”
“Oh. Seriously?”
“Tammy thinks I’m barking up the wrong tree. She just warned me.”
He chuckled. “I had no idea people took me that seriously.”
“You look scary.”
“Not to you, though, right?”
“Never to me. I know your secret.” I reached out and tapped his nose, something I’d wanted to do to someone for years. “You’re a giant teddy bear.”
Theo and I wound up spending most of the day together. We stopped by the library, where I thoroughly embarrassed him by handing him my smut scenes, then we walked around the town. I listened while he told me about how it used to be before the STM grant came and cleaned things up.
It was the afternoon when we neared my apartment. I didn’t want Theo to leave. And judging by the way he slowed down, he didn’t either.
“Do you wanna come inside and watch a movie?” I asked as we rounded the corner to my place.
“I want to, but I have a feeling I won’t want to leave.”
I hummed and tapped my chin. “Tell me, what would your commute be like from my place?”
“You know what you’re doing.” He stepped closer.
“I’m just convincing you. It’s not my fault you fold like a cheap table.”
“A cheap table? Rude.”
“You look like an expensive one.”
“Stop objectifying me and open your door.”
I laughed and jogged up the stairs, eager to get inside. I asked what movie he wanted to watch because I couldn’t have cared less about what I put on. My skin buzzed with all of the possibilities lying in front of me.
We sat next to each other, and I was thrilled at the way my leg touched his without me even flinching. And I was determined to move closer.
I made my move slowly, making sure I didn’t go too fast for me.
But I wanted him, and I knew it.
