Page 41 of What the Doctor Ordered
“Yes,” I said, growing a little emotional as I talked about it. “He has been very kind to me since we met.”
Theo’s eyes softened. “I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “You seem like a kind person. I might have to do something about it if I learned he wasn’t treating you well.” He winked at me, and his eyes were light.
There was something comforting about this guy. I could see why he and Simon were friends. Simon was much more intense than Theo but that didn’t make him less kind. My face flushed as I thought about Simon. I tried not to get discouraged thinking about him. I fell for him so suddenly, but I also fell hard. It felt like I had a longer way to fall.
I hesitated before taking a sip of my coffee, allowing the warmth to soothe some of my nerves. It gave me just enough courage to ask the question. “So, what exactly did Simon say about me?”
I was aware that I was making my heart very vulnerable by asking but I had to know.
Theo set his coffee mug down. “It isn’t so much what he has said about you that made me realize how good you are for him,” he said, surprising me.
I looked down shyly, but I was pleased by his statement. “Sometimes I feel like I’m good for him,” I admitted. “But there are other times I’m very uncertain about that.”
“You are definitely good for him,” Theo said with certainty. “I’ve known Simon since college. We studied medicine together so trust me when I say that he has become kind of a cynical bastard over the last several years. This is the first time since our college days that I have witnessed him genuinely happy.”
I could feel my eyes widen. “That has to be an exaggeration,” I breathed.
Theo shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “I think that when his father’s health declined a few years ago, his happiness went right along with it. His father was sick for a long time, and it affected Simon even more than I would have expected. He became a shell of his former self, burying himself in his work and refusing to engage in any kind of fun.”
“That’s so sad,” I replied with genuine emotion. “I know he loved and admired his father very much. The loss of him must have been devastating.”
I had known that Simon’s father passed away of course but I didn’t realize how deeply he was still hurting from the event. It sounded like his pain started well before his father’s death too.
“It was tough watching him deal with it,” Theo said with a nod but then his eyes lit up. “That’s why I was excited when he met you and things developed. I knew something significant had changed for him because I was seeing some of his old self come back.”
I waved my hands in front of my face. “It might seem like a good thing but it’s a bit more complicated than that,” I hastened to explain. “You probably heard about the business arrangement we made.”
“Yes,” Theo said. “I did, but I don’t think that really matters now.”
I looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Simon wouldn’t be this cheered up by your initial arrangement alone,” he pointed out. “That’s why I’m certain that he really cares about you, more than he has cared about anyone else.”
I wanted to believe Theo, more than I had wanted to believe anything else in my life, but it was undoubtedly difficult, especially after the awkward date Simon and I just had. I looked down at the table, feeling dejected.
“Hey, please don’t look like that,” Theo said, and I heard the unmistakable sound of a chair creaking as it slid across the wooden floor. “Kiley?”
I looked up and was surprised to find that Theo had slid his chair so that he was sitting right next to me. He looked around beforebending his head toward mine so that only I could hear what he had to say.
“I know that Simon can be difficult, especially as you play the part of his fake fiancée, but believe me when I say that he is happier now and it’s because of you.”
He kept his voice low, his head right by mine. I could almost feel the heat coming off his skin at this proximity. There was clearly no attraction here though. He looked more concerned that someone could overhear us more than anything else. I appreciated his subtlety. It would be bad if anyone learned that Simon and I weren’t actually engaged.
“What the hell is going on here?”
The familiar voice was dark and full of rage.
Theo pulled away first and looked up in horror to meet the eyes of his absolutely livid best friend. Raising my eyes to him, I found Simon angrier than I had ever seen him. His normally light-colored eyes were dark and hooded, his mouth turned down on the sides in a menacing frown. His fists were clenched at his sides, and they were practically trembling.
It took me far too many seconds to understand why he was so angry until I recalled just what position Theo and I had just been in and how it must have looked to any passerby. I felt my face flame. Theo’s mouth had basically been touching my ear, our heads ducked close together.
I jumped up from the table, putting my hands out toward Simon, only vaguely aware that everyone in the coffee shop was staring at us.
“Simon, this isn’t what it looks like!”
Simon had been glowering at his friend but now his thinly slitted eyes were on me. I almost shrank away from the withering look, but I held my ground. I couldn’t fold up. I needed to show my confidence now more than ever. I needed him to understand.
Simon studied me for a long moment, and I saw a rush of emotions cross his face. All I could see at first was anger, but it quickly morphed to one of hurt and betrayal that had my chest constricting painfully.
