Page 51 of Titan

She said she wanted to be my friend, but did she want more than that?

Did I?

I wasn’t good at this shit. At reading other people and whether they liked me or not. I’d never had to before. Not like this, anyway. I didn’t have a frame of reference to go on. The foreignness of it made my skin itch. It wasn’t as if I could ask anyone else about it, either. The thought of what Edric would say if I told him… well, it didn’t bear thinking about in all honesty.

You’re on your own here.

Before I could dwell on it further, Theia looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.

“Is your friend also involved in the mafia?”

“Edric? He’s my second-in-command. I needed someone loyal to me. I don’t trust anyone except for him and my family… and now you.”

Her smile made my heart do that racing thing again.

“I trust you too… and I really mean that. There are things I’ve never told anyone before, but a part of me wants to tell you.”

“What things?”

Her eyes turned sad.

“Things about my past. That’s not a conversation for today, though. I need a little more time.”

The fact she even wanted to confide in me was humbling. I didn’t want to read too much into it. Then again, maybe I should. Theia meant something to me. More than something. I couldn’t get her out of my head.

“I understand.”

She sipped her coffee and placed it down.

“Tell me more about Edric.”

“Are you sure you want to know about him?”

“Of course, I’d like to know who my competition for your best friend is.”

She grinned to let me know she was joking.

There’s no competition, Theia. I care about you in a completely different way from him.

“Well, okay, if you insist.”

I spent the rest of the time we were at the café telling her about the idiotic shit Edric had got up to when we were younger. Like the time he broke his wrist trying to impress a girl while drunk. He’d climbed up a tree and fell out of it. He wasn’t known for being sensible when we were teenagers.

As much as I wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon with Theia, I had to get back to my headquarters, so we left after we finished our coffee and cakes. I walked her home as she didn’t live far. She smiled at me when we reached the front door.

“Are you still going to visit me at the club?” she asked as she dug in her handbag for her keys.

“Yes, if you’re okay with that.”

“Of course, but maybe we can also do this again too.”

I stepped closer to her. My hand came up without me thinking about it. I brushed a hair out of her face before dusting my fingers over her cheek. She swallowed, her blue-grey eyes intent on mine.

“Let me know when you’d like to.”

“Gil—”

The front door opened, and Remi stepped out. Her eyebrow shot up when she saw us. I stepped back from Theia, dropping my hand and flexing it as I did it. The loss of contact made me feel odd.

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