Page 59 of Fake Dates and Home Plates
Now it’s my turn to blush, and I can feel the heat traveling all over my skin. I’m glad he thought so. I know Theo doesn’t mean it in aI just got laidkind of way, but I want him to know I feel the same.
“It’s never been like that with anyone, Theo. The way you made me feel, how you didn’t hesitate to give me what I asked for, what I needed...it was more than incredible. Mind-blowing feels appropriate.”
He smiles, his lips reaching as high as they can on his face. “Not too bad for a virgin, then?”
I laugh when he winks. “It’ll do,” I tell him with a shrug.
“What are your plans for the day?” he asks as he settles in beside me in bed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
I reach over his lap to grab our coffees, enjoying the way we’re starting our day. “Nothing much. Dinner with my parents, who have requested your attendance as well,” I say between sips.
Snuggling into his side, I slide my legs over his lap, wanting to touch him as much as possible.
“I’d make a joke about how fast things seem to be moving, but I did purposefully seek them out to introduce myself,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m up for dinner, though. Do you want to hang out here for a little while and I can take you home to get ready?”
“Sounds good to me.”
We spend our morning lounging around. He reads his latest book while I watch reality television.We order tacos for lunch, getting them delivered to his house to eat on the couch. His bathroom has a giant tub, and he insists I use it to relax. I insist he joins me. He washes my hair again, and I want to demand he take over the task indefinitely. It all feels so routine, and I find myself wanting to do this every weekend.
When he drives us back to my apartment, we walk in to see a worn-down vanity in the middle of the living room.
Lily is sitting on the couch with her sketchpad as she stares at it intently, as if she can bend it to her will with her glare.
She turns around as we walk in, waving hello. “Don’t mind me. I saw this on the curb and knew it could be special. I’m still figuring out how I’m going to make that happen, though.”
I explain to Theo, “Lily repurposes furniture. Sometimes, it gets added to our apartment, and sometimes she sells it online. She’s an interior design major.”
While Lily might still run for fun in the future, and we’ve talked about potential marathons we could do together while I keep training, she’s planning to launch her own small business after graduation.
I’m proud of Theo for not bringing up the Bash thing, even though we’re all very aware of the awkward moment at the meet yesterday. He must have had his own conversation with his friend afterwards. If it was anything like the one I had with Lily, very little information was shared.
Lily may have mentioned the asshole she met freshman year before, but I have a feeling she left out some details to hide how much it really hurt. Instead, she made it a funny anecdote for a drinking game or a night out.
She’ll tell me when she’s ready. Or maybe she’ll never speak of it again.
Throwing her sketch pad on top of the vanity, she groans. “I have a meeting with my group for our final project in an hour. I’ll probably be gone for a while. Are you going to your parents’ house tonight?”
I nod. “Yeah. Theo’s coming with me. Do you want to join us?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I mind letting Theo be our third wheel, but I’m drowning in school assignments for my other classes, and of course, I get the classmates who want one person to do all the work for this one.”
“Alright, text me if you change your mind. You know they’d love to see you.”
Lily nods then heads into her room. Grabbing Theo’s hand, I lead him into mine.
His eyes immediately focus on the contraband he dropped off a few weeks ago. The bat is in the corner of my room, leaning against the wall. I’ve taken some of Lily’s supplies and painted it black, though it looks uneven on the aluminum. I’ve put pink tape around the grip area too.
Even if someone tried searching for it, it’ll never look the same. Sure, they could strip the paint, but it would be alot of trouble for someone to go through to prove it’s stolen equipment.
“You okay?” I ask, seeing the odd way he’s looking over at that spot.
His mouth curls up. “It was funny when I took it, but now I kind of hate that something of his is sharing space with you.”
Oh.
I think about how I’d feel if Theo kept something from another girl in his room. The thought has me biting my lip in confusion. “To be fair, it’s my bat now. I was thinking of dipping it in some glitter and making it shiny. Then, I can use it if anyone ever tries to break in,” I tell him with a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood.
Theo’s head tilts back on a groan. “I hate the idea of you needing to use it for that reason even more.”
