Page 37 of Perfect Matcha
Chapter Fourteen
The restof the night was torture. Theo was short of breath, and his mind was a numbing block of anger every time Camden laughed when someone else spoke, each time he touched another person.
Mondays weren’t supposed to go this way. That was why Theo was so mad. It was the only reason that made sense.
He was used to having Camden all to himself on Mondays, and Theo resented the change in routine.
To compensate for his roiling emotions, Theo focused his attention and energy on Hawke, who was charming, kind, and hot. It was going well between them, Theo thought. Or would have been, if he’d been able to stop eyeballing Camden.
Because it was a work night, people started to wrap up and leave, one by one, around eight. Camden cajoled and flirted his way through every goodbye, handing out cheek kisses like candy, until the only people left were Hawke, Camden, and Theo.
“I’m turning into a pumpkin, so it’s time for me to go,” Camden said.
He ruffled Theo’s hair, a move that usually delighted Theo, but today filled him with angry resentment. Why would Camden kiss everyone goodbye but him? Give everyone hugs and his come-hither smile except Theo?
“Hey, thanks for planning this. It was great,” Hawke said, standing and shaking Camden’s hand. Camden didn’t kiss Hawke’s cheek either. Hawke turned to Theo. “You ready to head out too, or do you want to stay and chat a bit longer?”
Camden took a step backwards like he was going to back out of the conversation once and for all. That made Theo angry too.
Maybe he was just an awful, angry person this evening.
“I should go home,” Theo said. At that, Camden shot Theo a very pointed look, as if to say that Theo was blowing it.
Theo didn’t care if he was blowing it.
This didn’t feel good. Didn’t feel fun.
Hawke smiled. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Camden suddenly seemed overly preoccupied with his cellphone, which pissed Theo off too. Theo had no excuse not to walk out into the sleet next to Hawke.
Hawke smelled amazing, and he shared his umbrella with Theo. On a normal day, he’d blow Theo’s socks off.
They said goodbye at Theo’s Prius, and Hawke kissed him very tentatively on the cheek. “I can’t wait until Friday.”
“Neither can I.”
Theo waited in his car for a few minutes after Hawke walked away. He saw Camden waltz out of Sara B’s. He was on the phone, and a smile flashed across his handsome face as he spoke. He jogged to his truck, got in, then pulled out of the parking lot.
Theo slammed a hand down on the steering wheel. He should have been happy. His plan with Camden had worked. Hawke had asked Theo out. Theo didn’t feel so out of his element in regard to the sex-toy situation. He was pretty confident he could hold his own at least.
He didn’t know what feelings were coursing through him, but happiness wasn’t one of them.
Maybe he needed caffeine. Or to eat a meal more substantial than Sriracha fries.
Or maybe he needed to fight, to focus his angry energy into something productive.
He left the parking lot. He wished he could say that he ended up at Camden’s apartment complex because his hands and feet had evolved to have a mind of their own. That they’d taken him there of their own volition. But that wasn’t true.
At the stop sign where he could’ve gone left to his apartment or right to Camden’s, he’d turned right.
His anger and discontent led him straight up to Camden’s door. Camden hated his apartment, hated living there surrounded by rowdy college students. Theo could count on one hand the number of times he’d been to Camden’s place. He knocked loudly three times.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
It took Camden a full minute to open the door. When he did, he was still on the phone and looked feral and furious.
“Cass, I gotta go. Theo’s at the door,” Camden said into the cell, staring at Theo and letting him get wind-whipped and wet from the sleet. Cassie must have responded because Camden closed his eyes for a long second before hanging up abruptly.
