Page 47 of Afterglow
I try to calm myself down with deep breaths as we are in a coffee shop surrounded by other people.
“Theodore Knight on his knees?” She says, phrasing it as a question. “I’d love to see that one day,”
Oh, Princess. You have no clue what you just started.
Chapter 21
Jazmine Allen
Theo, I can buy my own groceries.”
He ignores me, continuing to push the trolley down the aisle. I sigh. Honestly, Theo is practically babysitting me at the moment. I get it, forgetting to shop is a big deal. But I’m fine.
Theo stops in the meat section. He looks around, as if he has lost me. I can confidently say Theo was a puppy in his past life because he never stops following me.
“Princess,” Theo points to the different types of meat as I find my spot next to him. “Which one?”
“Arghh! Did you not listen before? I don’t need this much food for one. And two, you don’t have to buy it for me.”
He already brought me breakfast. I don’t need anything else from him. The more Theo gives in these little moments away from the chaos of university, the further down the rabbit hole I fall. I want to cave and let him take care of me so I can relax for once in my life. Maybe even sleep through the night.
Theo cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrows. “Jazmine, you need food in your house. If you ever don’t want to cook, I’ll come and do it for you.”
What is going on right now? No one, let alone a guy, has ever offered to cook for me. Theo doesn’t even ask for anything in return.
“Princess, I know you’re independent and love to be in control. But it’s okay to let someone help you.”
My eyelids flutter shut, leaving me with a moment to ponder Theodore's statement. I have always taken care of myself. I had too. If I'm not hyper-independent, who am I?
Not only that, but no one has continuously offered me help despite all my pushback and rejections. My chest rises slowly and I sigh in defeat.
“Fine,”
“So,” Theo starts. “Which one?” He holds up chicken breast and steak.
“Steak, obviously.”
Theo’s face lights up, a grin falling on his lips. “A woman after my heart,”
I suppress an eye roll but my skin tingles at the comment. It doesn't seem to matter how much I push Theodore away, he also comes back and never complains about the solid wall that encompasses my heart.
I said to myself I would rather be alone than hurt by someone else, but every little action from Theodore has me questioning that stance.
We walk through every aisle. At first, I thought I was the child and Theo was dragging me here. But I’m slowly realising it is the opposite. Theodore is distracted by everything. I’ve had to put items back on the shelf much to his disappointment. Honestly, you would think he is feeding an army. Thankfully, Theo listens. At the counter, he refuses to entertain the idea of me either paying.
“Not happening, Princess.”
I convinced Theo to let me carry two bags, otherwise we would be here forever. We finish packing his car and I move towards the front of the car.
Theo tells me to stay when an elderly woman walks past with their groceries in hand, leaving me confused until he walks over to the woman. I watch, completely dumbfounded by the scene that is occurring. Theo smiles at her, packing her bags into the car.
The elderly woman is gushing over him. Are you kidding me? Can Theo do anything wrong? I swear every woman on the earth falls in love with one glance at him. Something twitches in my stomach at the thought of Theo being this generous for another woman.
The jealousy simmering in my blood heats up. Why the fuck do I have to feel this way? Theodore isn’t even mine.
Once Theo is finished, the lady waves at me. “He’s a keeper, honey.” She says with a wink.
A smile splashes across my face, as Theo moves in front of me. “How is it that every woman falls in love with you?”
