Page 127 of Stop and Seek
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“Angry,” he said instead, fingers finding their way between Noah’s like his body had a mind of its own. “I don’t take candy from strangers.”
Oh, that made more sense in his head. Maybe.
“That’s what happened?” Noah asked. “Huh. Could’ve fooled me.I thoughtwe were playing the quiet game.”
Theo’s head lolled back. The lights above them turned liquid, twisting his vision into thick bubble-glass. Everything wastoo much. Too warm. Too loud. Too bright. And Noah—fucking Noah—was the worst part.
He started giggling. Couldn’t help it. That stupid smirk on Noah’s face—it made Theo want to eat him alive. Teeth and instinct.
“Every damn time,” Theo gasped. “Everyfuckingtime. God, leave it alone! Shut the fuck up every now and again!”
His laugh didn’t sound human. It sounded like it belonged in a tunnel, bouncing down stairwells and haunting ghosts. Noah was grinning now too, biting down on his bottom lip.
Bastard.
Alyssa looked like she was trying to read subtitles in a language that didn’t exist. Her smile cracked a little. “I’m lost, but you know, I don’t think I’m going to ask,” she said, voice caught somewhere between amusement and resignation. “I think that’s the best course of action for your girl.”
Theo leaned into Noah’s side, chin tipping toward his shoulder, still smiling in a way that made his cheeks hurt.
Alyssa was talking, and Theo only remembered to listen when he realized he was watching her mouth move. “I was going to hang with some friends. Are you two—”
“Yes, busy. Very busy,” Theo cut in, bobbing his head—it might've fallen off otherwise. “Noah’s going to take me home. That cool? And if—if you find him dead tomorrow, I wasn’t here. I might kill him on the way back. Okay?”
There should have been context for that. It sounded absolutely fucking unhinged out loud. That wasn’t what he meant, not entirely, but the floor was warping when he looked at it. He could feel his heart in his tongue.
“Uh.” Alyssa glanced at Noah, eyebrows raised so high they disappeared under her bangs. Noah shrugged. “Alrighty. Sounds good. Get him homesafe, Noah.”
The drive was dragging. Noah kept his hand on Theo’s thigh like it was the only thing anchoring either of them to reality. Theo felttoowarm, twitchy, curled up like he wanted to disappear into Noah’s side.
My poor baby.
If he hadn’t been busy teaching Keith a lesson, he wouldn’t have missed Theo’s texts. Maybe Theo wouldn’t have takenwhateverdrug he got from Alyssa. Jesus, he looked wrecked in a way that made Noah’s heart twist. Eyes glassy. Sweat on his neck. Pressing closer, whispering nonsense that made Noah want to kiss him until the world stopped spinning.
At one point back at the club, Theo had looked at him like he’d seen a ghost. Like he didn’t believe Noah was real. And Noah wasn’t sure what fucked with him more: seeing that, watching someone grind on Theo, or hearing Theo tell him nothing wasnormal.
Normal was fucking overrated. Boring people were normal.
“You okay?” Noah asked as he turned down the music.
Theo blinked out at the highway, then up at Noah. “I missed you.”
Noah’s brain short-circuited. He grinned like an idiot before he could stop himself.Fuck.His hand flexed on Theo’s thigh like it had a mind of its own.
“Me too.”
Theo's face buried into him. “I’m so hot… but yeah. I’m good.” He wrapped himself around Noah’s arm and Noah’s whole chest went gooey.There wasn’t even a word for what Theo did to him.
“I’ll throw you in the shower the second we get to your place.”
“I don’twanta shower,” Theo grumbled, soft and whiny. “We had a deal.”
What deal?
Noah kept glancing at him between stop signs. The damp red hair, pupils giant under his glasses. Theo didn’tlooklike someone who just climbed all over him, demanding sex, but… that was probably thedeal.
“I don’t know whatdon’t be nicemeans to you,” Noah said after a minute. “But I’m not good at the violent sorta shit—not to the people I care about.”
