Page 108 of After the Siren
Theo watched them cross to the kitchen, feeling a bit dazed. Jake had Eva laughing almost immediately as she fished ingredients out of the fridge and dug out the whisk. He looked across at Theo, grinning, and Theo smiled back.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Theo wasn’t panicking. He was just considering all of the possibilities and choosing to focus on the ones in the box labelled ‘catastrophes’. There were several possibilities in there, and he was taking them out individually and examining them.
He’ll hate it. It’s too much.
Everyone else will hate it.
This is the worst idea imaginable and everyone was too polite to tell you.
Intellectually, he knew it wasn’t theworstidea. Xen would have told him if it had been. And if not Xen, then Paddy, because Paddy was also quite perceptive but, unlike Xen, he didn’t adjust his comments to avoid hurting people’s feelings.
But nevertheless, here Theo was, sweaty-palmed and knocking on Jake’s door, feeling like he was picking up his date for the school formal. All he needed was a wilting corsage.
It had been a big couple of weeks. The two of them had told Paddy and Xen that they were together, and endured the ensuing hail of jokes. He’d told Jenny he was bisexual, though not about Jake. She didn’t give much away, but the smile she’d given him when she’d said, ‘Thank you for telling me,’ had felt very real. He’d recruited Eva and hit send on the email he’d drafted to his parents. They’d called him the following day,and they had the best chat they’d had in quite a while. Theo suspected he had Eva’s intervention to thank for that, but he’d take it. He’d also been able to report to them that he’d earned a Distinction in Property Law, which had probably helped.
He exhaled. This was a good idea. This was going to be fine.
Jake opened the door, grinning. He’d followed Theo’s instructions and was wearing jeans and sneakers with one of his nicer hoodies. Theo was almost one hundred per cent sure that Jake was going to love this idea. He’d made sure to run everything past Jake – subtly. Checked that Jake was cool if Theo organised something for his birthday, checked that he was okay with Gabby, Dex and Drips knowing they were together, ascertained if Jake had a violent aversion to laser tag or Italian food.
‘Hey.’ Jake pulled him into a kiss as soon as he was through the door.
‘Happy birthday,’ Theo said against Jake’s mouth.
‘Thanks.’ Jake’s hands were roaming, sliding down Theo’s back to his ass, and Theo grabbed his wrists.
‘We don’t have time,’ he said.
Jake looked up at him, all mischievous blue eyes. ‘Are you sure? It is my birthday.’
‘Yes,’ Theo said firmly.
Jake sighed. ‘Fine. You gonna tell me what we’re going?’
Theo looked nervous. That wasn’t new, but Jake wasn’t sure what he was nervous about. Jake still had both his hands on the small of Theo’s back. He thought that if he was really persuasive, he might get them down the front of Theo’s pants before they had to go.
‘So what are we doing?’ he asked, crowding Theo against the wall.
Theo exhaled. He couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes. ‘I wanted to take you on a date,’ he said, speaking faster than usual. ‘And I know we can’t just go on a date in public, but I can take you on a date with some cover, so we’re going go to laser tag, and then we’re going to go to dinner, and I’ve sorted it so a few other people are coming. But they’re all people you know, so we can also be on a date.’
He looked like he actually thought there was a possibility Jake wouldn’t love this idea.
‘You’re taking me on adate?’ Jake took his hands off Theo’s back, but only so he could hook them behind Theo’s neck and pull him down for a kiss.
‘Yeah,’ Theo said, when they broke apart.
‘Are you doing this because I said I’d never been on a date?’
Theo looked a bit sheepish. ‘I want to take you on a date. And you should get to go on dates. You’d like dating.’
‘Why?’
Theo pressed a kiss to Jake’s jaw. ‘You like people.’ Another just under his ear. ‘And youloveattention.’
Jake shoved Theo away, then tugged him back in for a proper kiss. ‘Don’t be mean to me on my birthday,’ Jake told him, once he needed to breathe.
‘You like the idea?’
