Page 3 of Stop and Seek
Rachel raised her eyebrows.
“Are you wearing that?” she asked, her eyes sweeping over his crumpled clothes. Her smile did that thing it always did—twisted to the side like she was half a breath away from dragging him to the mall for a makeover montage.
“Yes,” Theo said flatly.
“Uh, can youtryand look decent? Alyssa is bringing someone for you and—”
Not this again.
“The last time she set me up with someone, he was a creep,” Theo snapped, sitting up straighter.
“I vetted this one.” She held her phone up as ifthatwould convince him. “You want to see a picture?”
“No.”
That should’ve been the end of it, but Rachel followed him into the bathroom. She leaned against the tile wall with all the casualness of someone who’d never been taught personal space.
Privacy wasn’t a thing. Not with Rachel.
Even if shehada damn good reason to hover—Theo still hated it.
At least she was busy scrolling and he could piss in peace.
“He’s cute,” she mumbled. “I guess. He has that like, nerdy-chic thing you got going on, Teddy.”
Rachel turned the screen toward him.
Theo glanced. Immediately regretted it.
The guy was… fine. Fake black hair so flat it looked spray-painted. Green contacts, maybe. Massive glasses that saidlook at me, I’m such a soft boy. They probably shared an optometrist.
Not his type.
“Don’t tell me.” Theo shut off the faucet and dried his hands on the already-damp towel. “His whole room is LED lit and he’s got pride flags everywhere. He’s also a ‘streamer,’ isn’t he? Spends every waking-fucking-second on an online game.”
Rachel bit her lip, trying not to smile. Failed. “No… maybe. Alright,maybe.”
“He looks like he’s twelve.”
“He’s twenty-five, you jerk!”
“Uh-huh.” Theo scoffed and leaned against the sink. “Yeah. I’ll pass.”
“Come on, give him a chance.For me?”
“Fuck off, Rachel,” he said, but it came out half-hearted. Like most of his arguments with her
And she knew it. Her grin widened, all dimples and straight white teeth.
Because no matter how much he hated all of this, healwayscaved.
The Rat’s Nest was packed.
Bodies pressed together in a mess of sweat and cheap cologne, the flashing neon lights throwing jagged shadows across the scuffed-up floor. Bass—cranked way too loud—rattled Theo’s ribs, a pulsing reminder that he should’ve just stayedhome.
Theo winced as Rachel tugged him through the crowd, her fingers vice-gripped around his wrist like she thought he’d bolt. And honestly? He might’ve, if she hadn’t moved so fast. She was humming like this was his wedding and he was about to meet his groom.
They found Alyssa in seconds. And next to her, his date.
