Page 42 of Aperture

He stands up and walks over, kisses my temple, walks past me, and shuts the bathroom door. I am absolutely exhausted. A few minutes later when he emerges from the bathroom, I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Milo usually sleeps with me, but he is camped out in his dog bed in the corner of the room.

Theo is wearing only his black boxer briefs when he slides into bed. He looks so gorgeous, with a light smattering of brown hair across his tan chest which tapers into a tight V at his waist. His skin is smooth and gorgeous. He cuddles up behind me, big spoon style, and holds me fast to his chest.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

“Why would someone leave a picture of you and Wyatt in my house? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“It doesn’t. I wish I could answer that for you.”

“Do you remember the night of the picture?”

“Nah,” he replies. “We used to party a lot. It could have been any night.”

I nod. My head is thick and heavy as I start to fall asleep with Theo’s warm body behind me for protection and his warm breath on my neck for comfort. The last thing I remember is him softly kissing my neck and whispering “goodnight.”

◆◆◆

I take a long sip of the whiskey in front of me as I replay the evening. The warmth spreads into my chest, settling my nerves. Millie was so scared. I exhale and run my hand through my hair, playing over my conversation with Theo again.

“Theo, I need to see you outside,” I tell him. I am in no mood for his ass this afternoon. He follows me outside, chest puffed up, trying to intimidate me.

“What the fuck is going on, Wyatt?” he starts.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I retort.

“Did you seriously ask me, in front of Millie, where I was today?”

“It’s part of any investigation. Why are you being so defensive and secretive? Do you have something to hide?”

“Fuck off, Wyatt,” he scoffs. “If anyone has something to hide, it is you.”

“What would I possibly have to hide?”

“Why are you even here, huh? In Sierra Falls? Why would you come here? You always wanted to go back to San Diego. Yet, you ended up here, in my city. What are the chances?” He shrugs his shoulders in exaggeration.

“Your city? That’s a good one.”

“You know what I mean, Asshole. My sister lives here. My parents are an hour away. Do you seriously expect me to believe that you couldn’t find a job in LA or San Diego? What happened to the FBI, huh? Wasn’t that your dream? How do you go from Quantico to this shit-hole?”

“I don’t owe you any explanations about my life, Theo. What decisions I have made and why are none of your business.”

“Well, Millie is definitely my business. So back the fuck off.”

“Still the same insecure guy you were in college, I see.”

“Try me, Wyatt,” he spits, raising his voice and stepping closer to me. “Cop or not, if you try to ruin my relationship, I will not let it go this time.”

“You have a pretty skewed view of the past. I did not ruin anything in your life. You did that on your own. I will not let you hurt Millie. I will not let it go this time.”

“Stay out of my way,” he warns again.

“I’m going to do my job. That includes keeping Millie safe. I suggest you figure out how to deal with it.” I don’t give him a chance to say anything else. I turn and walk back into the house.

Leaving Millie’s home was so difficult. I hated leaving her in Theo’s hands. She should be with me. It should be me in her bed. I take another long sip of my drink.

This situation has gotten so far out of control. I no longer feel like I can command the outcome, which makes me crazy.

I am worried that Millie is in more danger than I initially thought. I cannot tell my captain; he will pull me off this case. I cannot tell Millie. At least not yet. I am in this alone, and if I’m wrong, the consequences will be catastrophic. I just need a little more time, but I’m not sure I have it anymore.