Page 124 of Grounded
I imagine Molly halfway to the staircase when she comes back in a hurry and asks, "Hey, have you seen Theo?"
"Nope, I'm sure he's around here somewhere."
"Huh, okay, see you downstairs."
When the creak of the second to last stair screeches its existence when stepped on, I finally release the trapped air in my lungs and Theo releases his suction.
"What the fuck?" I snap. "Do you want to get caught? Are you crazy?"
"Only a little crazy."
"Youlookcrazed."
"I don't recall you asking me to stop. Or forcing my head away."
"Oh shit, look what you did." I inspect my skin in the mirror and see a reddish-purple abrasion. "You're so lucky I can cover this with my bikini for the party tomorrow. Can you imagine me sporting a hickey in front of all my parent's friends?"
"I had to mark my territory."
I'm shaken by his avidity. If he thinks men will be lining up around the block to have their chance with me tomorrow, he's in for a shock. The only other man I'll know there tomorrow is Benny, and he's bringing his husband.
"I better get downstairs before she suspects anything. Can you help my dad if he needs an extra hand?" What a simple yet loaded question.
"Yeah, if he asks, I'll help him."
I see the way he snuck around my favor. My dad won't ask because he knows better. Sounds like Theo won't be offering his services on his own accord.
"Okay, well, I'll see you later." I'm quick to make sure I'm decent and covered behind my dress. The splotch is barely noticeable, but if Molly suspects anything, I'll tell her it's an allergic reaction and not the aftermath of her son's tongue.
But fuck, he seems to be good at everything he does. Which has me wondering when the most forbidden deed will take place.
AsMollydrivesusto Costco, she's the type of woman to hum along with any song on the radio. She's not full-on singing, but she has a gentle, soft voice that sounds untroubled. If only it wasn’tTeenage Dreamby Katy Perry wasn’t piercing my eardrums.
That song will haunt me until the end of my days. Her album came out well before I met Theo, but it made its return the summer we lived together. It was the anthem of our never-ending bickering.
"I'm sure Costco is going to be crazy busy," I tell her.
"I have my list. I always come prepared. I can't live without my lists."
This tiny fact seems like something I should already know about her, but I don't.
"Do you enjoy hosting these parties?" I ask.
"It's so much fun. I love celebrating America and our troops. Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. My late husband was a combat engineer for the Marines, and he devoted his life to serving our country."
I know so little about Theo's dad, and it feels like crossing a line asking about his personal life, but I'm trying to make a genuine connection with her.
"Theo was close with his dad?"
"Very close. When Don deployed, Theo wrote to him once a week. The turnaround for receiving mail back then was horrible, and oftentimes Don missed a letter or two from the location changes and missions, but they looked forward to conversing via snail mail. He has all his letters saved in a shoe box."
"I'm glad he has those memories to look back on. To reread the letters."
"I wish I did. But we had phone calls and the occasional email. They were always short and rushed correspondences because he never had a lot of time to use the computer. I don't know if Don was allowed to disclose some intel, but he told Theo all about the warfare tasks and demolition duties he completed. To a kid, it was all so fascinating. I don't think Theo realized how dangerous his job was."
"I'm so sorry for the way you lost him."
"Thank you, Amelia. It was not an easy time. As a mother and military wife, you always hoped for the best and knew there were no guarantees. My one wish is that Theo remembers his father as a strong, caring man who loved his family with every bone in his body."
