Katrina shifts anxiously and wrinkles her brow in a furious manner. For a minute, she seems like a completely different person—levelheaded and calm.
"Wait a minute. Theo's hurt?"
Oh, so she does care about someone other than herself. My mind tosses the joke around before I remember the circumstances. An image of Theo sitting slack in his chair flashes across the back of my mind.
"Yeah, come on. I'll take you to him," I say, then reach around for the glasses before I take off down the hall.
“Ugh. . . be there in a sec.” Katrina calls after me.
The short walk back to the office passes in silence.
“Here. Drink these,” I say and thrust one of the glasses at Theo. "It’ll help you sober up."
"There is only one thing that could make me feel better, babe.” He smiles, flashing me a dimpled smile. "And it's not water."
I roll my eyes and set them down beside him anyway. "Yeah, well, it's the only thing you're getting from me so you might want to drink up.”
"Damn!" Wes bursts out laughing. "Ah, man. I never thought I’d see the day, Theo Wescott can’t land a girl.”
"Shut the fuck up, Wes." Theo smirks, but it lacks the usual passion behind it.
Katrina enters shortly after, and sprints to Theo's side. Her hands move to encircle his neck as she plops down on his lap. The force of the action makes Theo lurch forward in response.
Yeah, that’s not going to help with his pain! I silently scream at her. I stand awkwardly at his side, like an intruder, as I watch Katrina fawn all over him.
"I'm fine.” Theo pats her back. He lifts his eyes from her shoulder and immediately finds me.
Our eyes fix for a few seconds as Katrina hugs his neck. Eventually, the moment passes when she pulls back. Hers snap down to the red stains covering his side. Theo presses a towel just under his rib and holds it there.
"Shit, baby, you bled all over my dress."
Katrina covers her mouth and looks away. Her blue eyes latch on to a spot on the ceiling, as she moves to the far wall. Her blonde, pencil-perfect hair is wound in a tight braid.
I cringe inwardly when I hear her call Theo baby, remembering that he had just used the same word on me.
Stop thinking about it!
Focus on something else.
I roll my eyes and walk over to where Wes and Becks are standing; I notice Luca is keeping to himself by the door.
"Um, so what did the doctor say?" I manage, surprised that I was able to sound a lot calmer than I felt. On the inside, I’m in full panic mode.
"He's on his way," Becks is the first to answer me.
I turn away from the group and look out the glass panel that lines the one side of the door. I can see the solid build of Eddie's right arm and leg, and I focus on it. My mind is a million miles away.
Theo slowly paces back to his desk, and Katrina sits along the now empty chaise, sighs, and sucks in a rather large breath.
"This is insane. We should be taking you to the hospital!" I yell to no one in particular.
I turn around when I hear Luca laugh and stare at him incredulously. He presses his lips into a hard line, as if he’s biting back what he really wants to say. Instead, he says, "Theo can't go to the hospital. Don’t you get it, Brielle? He’d be implicating himself."
Implicating himself?
What does Luca think Theo did to them?
Murder them?
I turn back to Theo, who’s swirling his chair around from side to side. No . . . Theo wouldn’t . . . wait. Did he?
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think, Brielle?”
“Luca, that’s enough!” Wes steps in between us. His broad shoulders roll back as he squares them with Luca’s.
“Whatever. She asked.”
Half an hour later, the doctor finally arrives and is escorted back into the office. As he crosses the room, the large space slowly feels smaller by the second. He casts a solemn expression when he sees Theo.
Well, he definitely doesn't like to sugarcoat things.
I cut my eyes to Becks after we both notice how young he is. By the sound of his voice over the phone, I was expecting a short, elderly man with a briefcase and salty hair. This guy was far from that. I take a step toward Theo when I see him wince as the doctor removes his shirt. The wet material drops to the floor, revealing two large, jagged wounds.
"Oh my God," I gasp when I see the two wounds start bleeding heavily. The minimal protection his shirt provided was now stripped away.
Without a thought, I cross the room and gently grasp Theo's good arm. I can feel the tears pricking at the back of my eyes, but I will them away. "Doctor, is he, um . . . is he going to be okay?" I know he’ll be the one to give me an honest answer.
“Call me William.” His words drip confidence.
The doctor—William—is very handsome, with his chiseled features, dark brown eyes, and charcoal-colored hair. He squats down and leans close to Theo's side. The expression on his face is disinterested and unnervingly calm. I guess that's a good sign. . .?
"It’s not too serious. Just a scratch compared to others I’ve seen. But he’ll need sutures." William breaks from his examination to glare up at me, and I swallow hard, feeling my cheeks flush. I thought doctors were only this attractive on television shows and in movies. "The better question is are you okay? You look pale."
I nod, when I hear Theo scoff beside me.
He pulls his hand from mine and drapes it over the back of the chair. "Hate to say I told you so, but . . ." his voice trails off as he groans. The muscle beneath the wound that’s closest to his rib cage flexes. "Just stitch it up like last time. And hurry."
I look to William, waiting for him to tell Theo that he’s insane. But he simply nods and begins pulling equipment from the medium-sized leather bag he brought with him.
“Whatever you say. I guess this means you aren’t going to want the local either?”
“Eh, I’m numb enough. What do you think the alcohol was for?”
“I’m not going to answer that.” William twists around, holding a scissor-like instrument in his hand; the tip of one is clamped down on a giant, hook-shaped needle.
"Wait. Hold on. What’s happening here?" I nearly choke at the idea.
"Oh, would you calm down." Katrina snarls her upper lip, crossing her legs in front of her on the chaise. "The guy fights all the time. You heard the doctor—it’s nothing."
“Nothing?” I glare at her.
What is she?
Blind?
“You might be a bitch, Katrina, but you’re not ignorant.”
"Ooookay," Wes chooses this moment to interject. "Maybe we should all take five."
"Whatever," Katrina sneers, rising from her seat and makes her way to the door. "I'm going to the ladies' room. I'll be back in a minute."
Soon after, everyone leaves the room but me, and as William works to suture the wounds, I can’t help but notice how calm Theo is. He’s perfectly still the entire time. And other than a few sharp breaths, it’s like he doesn’t even notice the one-inch needle threading through his skin.
"Almost done." William pulls back, and he peels open the last suture pack.
I can’t resist the urge to comfort Theo, and before I know what I’m doing, I reach out and touch his arm. My thumb soothes the pain, which I know he has to feel, as I brush it back and forth over the soft skin of his torso. I see a bit of scripture tattooed vertically up the length of his left side, and I run my fingers along it. It’s in another language, but as I say the words in my mind, they sounds beautiful.
"Oh good. You’re almost done." Wes returns to the room and sighs, letting out a small laugh. He grabs his phone out of his front pocket and brings the screen to life. "Hector, yes. Bring the car around in twenty. Thanks."
He turns back to the door when Katrina appears. She looks like a woman on a mission, as she glides into the room and settles back down on the chaise.
"Katri
na, are you coming?" Wes asks, then cuts his eyes to me. He shrugs, adding, "Someone needs to play nurse tonight, and I don't fit the outfit."
I bite back the ache that his words bring when he automatically assumes it should be Katrina.
Katrina is the obvious pick, my inner mind reminds me. It’s not an actual nurse Theo needs, but a distraction. I can read between the lines.
William ties off the last suture and laughs under his breath as if hearing my thoughts and shakes his head.
"You got something to say, William, say it." Theo groans, pulling his shirt back on.
"Oh, nothing."
"I could beat it out of you." Theo rolls his eyes in annoyance. “Or do you not think me capable?”
“No, I believe you.” William’s tone is serious and weighted as he and Theo lock eyes.
I can feel my pulse begin to race. My mind is reeling, when I look up and find Theo’s face is as pale as a ghost. I squeeze his hand gently, and I’m happy when he returns the gesture.
“It’s just that, and no offense—he turns then, throwing Katrina a pitying look—"your friend’s asking the wrong girl for the job."
Wes furrows his brow as a sense of understanding washes over him.
"But that's just my opinion."
I look down to Theo’s hand and release it. The sudden heaviness I feel as everyone’s eyes turn on me, makes my head spin.
"What do you say, B?" Wes jerks the bottle of pills from William’s hand and turns toward me. "You up for the task?"
I turn back to Theo.
"It's your choice." He smiles sheepishly and stands up from the chair. I cut my eyes over to where Katrina’s sitting, but she seems to have disappeared.
"Uh, I guess," I finally say and bite at my bottom lip. "I'll just need to stop by my place and grab a few—"
"Don't worry about that, beautiful." Wes smiles. His devilish grin causes an uneasy feeling to form in the pit of my stomach. "I'm sure there are plenty of clothes left there for you to choose from."
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Right. I bet there is.
"That is, unless you two choose to do a whole different kind of healing." Wes winks, nudging my arm. "One that involves very little clothing at all."
chapter twenty
BRIELLE
Theo's truck pulls into the back lot the moment we walk outside.
"You know I expect a full recap of everything that happens, right?" Becks laughs, wrapping her arms around my side, pulling me into a hug.
"Is Wes staying over again tonight?" I fix the strap of her sequin dress. The image of her staying alone in our apartment is somehow unsettling—not that I’m worried that Becks, of all people, couldn't defend herself. It just seems lonely.
She pouts her bottom lip, pulling me closer. "No, but I'll be okay. Just make sure you don't do anything I wouldn't do, all right?"
Luca walks up behind us. "Really, Becks?"
I turn toward him and suck in a deep breath.
"What? You do know who she's going home with?" Becks half laughs. "I know that's what I would do if I were her."
"Becks," I warn, shaking my head, silently begging for her to stop. I know she’s teasing, but I can see the tension building in Luca's shoulders. He isn’t going to see it like that, and I don't need a full-fledged meltdown on top of everything else.
"Well, thankfully, Brielle isn't you," he snaps all of a sudden. "She doesn't fuck everything that breathes.
"What the hell? My brain freezes. I can feel the shift around us as every eye turns to gawk at us.
"And she sure as hell isn't going to start with Theo!"
I see Wes move to head toward us, but Theo pulls him back. “Leave it,” he says.
“What? You wouldn’t be pissed at that?”
“He’s not mad at Becks.”
I feel something in my chest constrict when I hear Theo’s response. I almost think drunk Theo is somehow more levelheaded than normal Theo at the moment. But then I remember that now is not the time to be thinking about him.
"Okay. Whoa—" I tilt my head at Luca—are you okay? Where the hell did that come from?"
When he doesn't answer, I cut my eyes at Becks and give her a look, signaling for her to give us a minute. I wait until she's over by the truck before I choose to press him further.
"Luca, what the hell was that? Becks is only tea—"
"Yeah, everything is always such a joke to her." He tosses his eyes and runs a hand over his face. “You know, I am just so sick of all of this.” He pauses, taking a step back. “This is all just an act to get you alone, Brielle. He wants you. I told you this would happen.”
I take in a breath and reach out to touch his arm. "Okay, Luca, you need to calm down. You’re not making any sense. You can’t honestly think Theo would let himself to get stabbed just to be alone with me?"
"No, Brielle, this is such bullshit."
"What is?"
"Everything. The stuff with Theo . . . us . . . tonight."
"Fine. So then, let’s talk. Luca, you’re my best—"
"Don't. Just stop."
"Luca we've been friends forever." I swallow the lump in my throat. I can’t wait anymore—he deserves to know how I feel. He needs to hear the truth. "But I can't force myself to feel something that isn't there."
Luca tosses his head back and laughs hard.
"You've never even given us a chance, Brielle." He shakes his head. His hand reaches out to grasps my elbows as he pulls me closer. "I mean, we share an amazing kiss and then he shows up, and now you're rushing off to be with this asshole. I don't understand."
From the corner of my eye, I can see Theo watching me. His expression is tense as his eyes zero in on Luca’s hold on me. His steely gaze threatens to murder Luca on the spot. I know that if I don't find a way to resolve this fast, something bad is going to happen.
"It's not like that," I finally answer Luca, but even I know it's a lie.
For some reason, whatever it is, Theo and I share something that I can't explain. Even though we may never be together, it doesn't change the fact that a part of me will always love him. But I can't break Luca's heart by telling him that. Selfishly, I still need him in my life. . . just not in the way he wants to be.
Wait.
Did I just say love?
"Theo and I, we . . . we have a history; I can't explain it. He makes me—" I begin to say, but Luca cuts me off, waving his hands in defeat.
"What you two are is dangerous." He shakes his head, his right foot scuffing back along the pavement as he steps away from me. "I don't care how long it takes, or what I have to do, but I will prove it to you."
He's staring off somewhere in the distance, when I catch a figure moving to my left. Katrina. The sight of her hits me like a ton of bricks, as I realize I hadn't thought about how my leaving with Theo—or how any of this—might make her feel.
"Just go, Brielle." Luca’s voice snaps me back to the moment at hand. “It’s obvious you want to. You didn’t even try to put up a fight.”
"Luca, I . . . I don’t know what to say."
He doesn't answer, merely shrugs his shoulders, and walks away. I stare after him for a minute before I turn around and head toward the truck. I'm standing next to Becks, when I see Katrina and Theo arguing on the other side.
"What the hell is in the air tonight that's making everyone go crazy?"
"Beats me." Becks laughs, tilting her head to the side. "But it's awkward as fuck."
I smile at her and open the back door to the truck. I offer her a small wave before I climb in and shut the door behind me. Inside the cabin, I can hear every word Katrina and Theo are saying. I cross my right leg over the other and try to tune them out, but it isn't working.
"I don't know, Theo, but my daddy isn't going to be happy when he hears about this," Katrina snaps.
Her daddy?
What the hell is she?
Five?
I roll my eyes and suck in a deep breath. Would it be rude if I a
sked the driver to turn up the radio?
No. No. I better not.
"Your daddy isn't my concern," Theo says in a mocking tone, and I feel my eyes widen in disbelief. "I told you from the beginning that this was all just for fun."
"You're such an asshole, Theo. Why are you acting like this?"
"Acting like what?"
"I don't know; you've just changed. Ever since she's shown up, you've started acting like a—"
"Like a what, Katrina?" Theo takes a step toward her. His tone is shaky and on edge. I cut my eyes to the side and notice he’s leaning heavily on the door. "Go ahead, tell me. What am I acting like?"
"Like a jealous dick."
I feel my lips part when I see she looks just as defeated as she sounds.
"You're insane." Theo shakes his head at her, pushing off the door, and turns toward the parking lot. "I don't—"
"Yeah, I know. The great Theo Wescott doesn't date." She rolls her eyes. "So then, why is she going home with you and not me?"
"What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t pick."
"You fucking told her it was up to her!" Katrina yells, obviously having reached her limit for the night. "You can lie to yourself, but you've got a shitty poker face."
Katrina rocks back on her heel and gathers herself. Her eyes, cutting toward the passenger side door until she catches me watching. Crap. I look away, feeling my cheeks flush as I try to ignore the sound of my heart beating throughout the cabin. That’s what I get for being nosey.
"Look, I'm sorry," Theo answers her, drawing her attention away from me. "But I’d better go."
She narrows her eyes then, her expression darkening as she turns, and saunters away from him. Her right hand rises behind her as she flips him off, and disappears into the night.
Well, at least she kept her class.
I smile and shake my head.
As we’re making our way to Theo’s home, I’m surprised by how long we’ve been in the car, when the driver suddenly turns off onto a long cobblestone driveway and heads further east. I look around, trying to see any signs of a house, but there’s only darkness.
With You: With you, I am who I want to be. Page 15