Page 80 of Weak Side

The nerves were eatingme up inside. The high I’d felt from kissing Theo had been slowly slipping away since the moment I saw Chad staring at us inside the Alpha Chi Omega house. He was beginning to show his face everywhere I was, and that could only mean one thing: he was starting to realize that he was the only one playing the little game he started between us.

“Fuck, it’s cold.” Theo opened the door to the dorms, and we both rushed inside. Goosebumps covered my arms, but Theo quickly draped his black suit jacket over my shoulders and picked me up like he was carrying a bride to their honeymoon.

“Theo!” I couldn’t control my laughter. “I can walk. Again, for the hundredth time.”

“I know you can.” He held on tighter. “I just like holding you.”

A gush of warmth left me as I smiled, wrapping my hands around his neck.

“And how can I not touch you in that dress? It’s almost as good as seeing you in my jersey.”

My heart grew, and I held onto the feeling as we rounded the hallway and headed to our rooms. I knew that, when we got inside, I was going to have to put some space between us and tell him what was really going on with Chad.

I wasn’t necessarily afraid to tell him. I trusted Theo with my secrets and worries, which was definitely a step in the right direction. But I was worried there wouldn’t be a good outcome, and that was something Iwasafraid of.

Theo paused at the end of the hall, and I glanced up at him when his arms grew tighter around me. “What’s wrong?” I asked, watching as his jaw turned to stone. I followed his gaze, fearful that somehow Chad had beaten us here, but I quickly moved to be placed on my feet when I saw that it wasn’t Chad, but instead, it was Tom Gardini.

“What is he doing here?” I half-whispered, peering up at Theo again. “And why do you look so angry?”

Tom leaned on his cane and pushed up from resting against our dorm door as Theo slowed our steps. “Theo,” I whispered again, jerking on his hand to give me some inclination of what was going on and why his spine was suddenly tense.

When he looked down at me, my heart skipped a beat. There was no longer anger. Instead, there was fear, and if I could have, I would have moved in front of him to take the bullet. What bullet? I wasn’t sure, but I’d block it if I could.

“Um, hi,” I said, looking back and forth between Tom and Theo. Tom surveyed our joined hands, and confusion trickled down my spine.What the hell is going on?

Tom cleared his throat after pulling his attention from Theo’s hand in mine. He didn’t seem haughty and poised like the last time I saw him. Instead, he looked… vulnerable.

Did he promise Theo something and went back on his word?

“Hi, Claire.” Tom’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the top of his cane tightly.

“Tom...” Theo warned.

“Okay,” I blurted. “What is going on?”

Theo and Tom both looked at me with fear, and I took a step back, dropping Theo’s hand in the process. My arms crossed over my chest as I waited for an explanation.

“Theo? Did something happen?” I slowly looked over at Tom and noticed the wrinkled edges to his eyes as the air grew stiffer around us. I dropped my voice slightly. “Isn’t this…the owner of the team you want to play on?”

Tom’s laugh was abrupt. “I’m sorry, but… You don’t know the name of the team I own?”

“Why would she?” Theo stepped forward, and the only thing he was missing was shining armor and a sword. He didn’t necessarily seem angry, but he was acting awfully protective over me.

“Theo?” I questioned. “What is going on?”

“So, you didn’t tell her?” Tom asked Theo, both of them ignoring me.

Theo’s shoulders fell slightly, and although he looked defeated, his words came out sharp. “I don’t want to do your dirty work. No matter the truth, and definitely not because I want to wear a Blues jersey.”

Just then, my heart began to race, and my head started to thump. Only, this time, I knew it wasn’t from the concussion. There was a definite regret slicing away at Theo’s poised features, and the trust I had found within him suddenly felt unstable.

Tom sighed. “Maybe we should sit.”

“No.”

Tom and Theo both appeared startled at my sharp answer, but Theo’s nod in my direction propelled me to look over at his former idol. “What’s going on? Did you find out that Theo and I are fake dating or something? Because I can tell you that it’s not fake anymore, and if you don’t give him a chance to be on your team because you think he is of bad character for lying or you think he’ll be distracted by puck bunnies in the NHL, then you’re going to be losing out—”

“Claire, um…” Tom stepped forward, but he stopped before taking another deep breath. It was bizarre to see someone so confident lose their footing. “There’s really no easy way to say this…” His hand gripped his cane tighter, and I braced myself for the impact. “I’m your father.”

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