Page 71 of The Problem with Falling
I narrowed my eyes. “Is it?”
He smiled wider. “It fucking is. I’m proud of you.”
I didn’t know why, but those words made a swarm of butterflies flutter in my stomach.
I’m proud of you.
Why did that almost make me want to cry?
I grinned ear to ear. “We are so going to be eating good!”
Theo laughed as he unhooked the fish. “Well, we don’t eat bass. We’re gonna toss this guy back. But first, you need your celebratory photograph. Here, let me place it in your hands.”
He brought the fish to me, and I held my hands out to grab it. The moment I did, I instantly dropped it from the slimy feeling of the touch. The fish fell to the floor of the boat and started flopping around like a wild beast, making me flop around like a wild beast. I jumped up and down before landing on the chair cushion, shouting like wild. “Floppy fish! Floppy fish!” I screamed, pointing as if the fish were on a mission to attack me when, in reality, I was the one who dropped said fish.
“What are you doing?” Theo laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It’s so slimy!”
“Well, it’s a fish, Willow. Of course it’s slimy,” he said, picking it up. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. Here, let me take a selfie with you as I hold it.”
I climbed off the seat and took a picture with Theo and Mr. Slimeball before Theo tossed the fish back into the water.
Theo wiped his hands on the side of his pants before nudging me in the arm. “You just caught a five-pound bass.”
I smirked and shoved him back. “I just caught a five-pound bass.”
“Hell yeah, you did,” he replied, shoving me back.
“Hell yeah, I did,” I echoed his words with a shove.
Another shove from Theo. “Little fisherwoman.”
“Like a Little Debbie snack cake, but just not as sweet,” I joked, shoving him again.
“You’re just as sweet,” he softly said. Only this time, instead of shoving me, his hand caught my arm, and he held it gently. His eyes fell to our touch, and mine did the same. The warmth of his fingers shot throughout my body. Up my spine, down my spine.
“I’m sofuckingproud of you, Willow,” Theo expressed, his voice deep and controlled. He said it again—the thing that caused me a massive number of butterflies. This time, he added the wordfucking, which gave it an extra bit of flair. I didn’t remove my arm from his hold. Instead, I used it to pull him a little closer, still staring down at his touch.
“How proud?” I whispered.
He inched me closer. “So fucking proud,” he replied.
As I tilted my head up, I met his stare. He hovered over me, but I felt the safest I’d felt in a long time. “Yeah?” I asked, moving in closer, so close that if I wanted to, I could rest my hands against his chest.
He pulled me closer and tilted my head up even more with his free hand. “Yeah.” He paused for a moment as his stare moved to my lips.
I bit my bottom one softly. “Theo… I know we’re friends. I’m glad we’re friends, but I just think as friends we should be completely honest with one another. Don’t you think?”
His voice dropped lower, almost as if he growled slightly. “I do.”
“So I think it’s only fair to say I’m having some more-than-friendly thoughts right now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “That is so.”
He pulled me closer, as close as I could get without living in his skin. My hands fell against his chest. His rock-hard chest. “And what exactly are you thinking?”
