Page 11 of Fake Dates and Home Plates
Closing my eyes, I try to will myself to get some sleep. Debating whether to turn some white noise on with my phone, I decide against it, just in case it wakes up Theo.
I’m not sure how much time passes before I give up. Maybe after tomorrow, I won’t see Theo again, which means I’m going to make the most out of it tonight.
Quietly, I open the bedroom door and peek down the hall. There are two other doors in this hallway, so I decide to check them both. The first has a washer and dryer, so I slowly close that door before softly knocking on the other.
Theo answers, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
I try not to drool over his chest as I ask, “Can we cuddle?”
“Why, I thought you’d never ask,” he says with a big, genuine smile.
He reaches out and pulls me close, only to squat and lift me by my thighs before throwing me onto the bed.
I giggle like a little lovestruck teenage girl as I climb under the covers. He settles in beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist until our faces are inches apart.
“Get some sleep, Henley.”
And there, in his warm and gentle embrace, I do.
Chapter Five
Henley
The faint sound of the Gilmore Girls theme song stirs me to consciousness. It’s my mother’s ringtone.
My hand reaches out to find my phone, but instead, I’m grabbing an arm. A very strong arm.
Blinking slowly, I’m face-to-face with hazel eyes and a crooked grin.
“Well, good morning to you too,” Theo says.
Oh shit.
I rush out of bed and back to the guest room, finding my phone and answering it quickly. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, Mom? That’s what you say?” she snaps, clearly frustrated. “How dare you not call me last night. I had to read it on the Shoreline Scandalous blog. That asshole!”
“Oh.” It’s the only response I’ve got. I should have thought about my mom reading the school’s gossip blog. She’s obsessed and calls almost daily to update me on the current campus drama.
“What happened, baby girl?” Her voice immediately switches to protective mom mode, and it makes me smile.
“It’s a long story, and I promise I’ll call you later to tell you all about it. But the short version is, Dakota is a cheating asshole and it’s over.”
“Kate, is she okay? Does she want me to cut his balls off?” I hear my dad ask in the background.
“She said yes to the balls and yes, she’s okay. I told you I would update you when I was off the phone, Kris,” she says back to him.
I can’t help my laugh. They both eat up the rumors and gossip, but I know they genuinely care about how I’m doing.
“You have two hours to call and tell me everything, or I’m driving down there, and I’m bringing your dad. And his hedge clippers.”
“Okay, Mom. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you,” I tell her.
“Love you most!”
I hang up and find Theo standing in the doorway of the guest room. Sadly, he’s put on a shirt.
“Coffee?” he asks.
