Page 57 of Last Letters to Ara
“It’s just a lawyer who’s been calling me.”
“About your dad?”
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you answer?” Theo’s tone is so full of gentle concern, the question doesn’t grate my nerves like it normally would but softens me.
“It just makes everything feel a bit...final.” I glance up and find sad understanding in Theo’s eyes, giving me the courage to share the rest. “I don’t want his money or his things… I wanthim. And I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to go through his things and decide what to deem as garbage.”
“That makes sense.” Theo takes my nacho-crusted hand in his.
I grimace, noticing my fingers are covered in cheese and sour cream which will surely rub off on him, momentarily stopping me from descending into the depths of grief which I remain just millimeters away from at any given time.
Theo doesn’t mind when I eat my food like a cave person, but this is another level. Rather than recoiling, he lifts my hand up and slips the tip of my index finger into his mouth. His lips are velvety soft, his warm tongue grazing my finger, up and down.
My body ignites. Every cell from my face to my toes becomes a painfully aware, burning inferno. Theo sees it in my eyes, as he guides my entire finger into his mouth, sucking until every minutia of cheese and sour cream is gone, leaving me absolutely fucking... something. He releases my finger, resting my hand back on the table as if it was nothing of consequence.
Theo brushes his jaw with his impossibly clean hands as a smirk takes over. “Sorry, I noticed you had something on your finger.”
Toeing the line of friendship? More like an Olympic long jump right fuckingoverthe line.
Trying and failing to collect myself, I refuse to excuse myself from the table like I want to, the way Ineedto. Theo raises his hand to call over the waiter, still smirking. “I think we’re ready for the check.”
I’m ready for much more than the check.
When I almost say the words out loud, I declare that I need space.
“I need to use the restroom to… ummm, to wash my hands.”
Theo’s laugh follows me all the way to the bathroom door.
• • •
Between the ice-cold water that I spent five minutes splashing on my face, and the brisk night air, things have cooled down enough that I can act like a normal individual on a walk.
Theo breaks the silence first. “There’s still more to the surprise.”
“Really?”
“Part two is just a few doors down.” Theo nudges me with his arm. It’s usually innocent, minus the finger situation at the table, but he always finds ways to keep physical contact.
Eagerly looking around to see if I can spot the next part of the surprise, I smile when I find a giant cartoon cow, holding up a sign which reads “Homemade Ice Cream.” It’s the perfect way to end the night.
Unwilling to wait another minute, I grab his arm and drag him inside. We decide to go with waffle cones since the weather is cool for once, and we’ll have a standing chance to finish our ice cream before it drips down the sides. Theo surprised me by being a strawberry guy, and I very predictably went with chocolate.
Once we’re back on Main Street walking in the direction of where we parked, I’m so wrapped up in this perfect night and the feel of my arm wrapped around Theo’s, that I almost don’t notice the familiar figure approaching.
No matter how much I’d like to, I’ll never be able to forget that spiked hair and arrogant posture. Ice shoots through my veins as recognition strikes, the blood draining from my face.
I want to melt into the fucking concrete right now.
“Ara? What’s wrong?’ Theo asks, noticing the shift in my demeanor.
“It’s Blake.”
“The dickhead who said eating was unattractive?”
“The very one.” I’m trying not to cry. “Oh God, I don’t want to see him. Maybe I can just–”
