Page 110 of Friends with Benefits

Work.

Dance.

Theo.

She’s finishing a cloth pass for a video game project when Sadie gets word from the studio that Evie’s mix ofSave the Last Dance: The Musicalhas been approved. “The studio will verify your credit, so you can submit your application.”

Evie throws her arms around her mentor, then promptly bursts into tears because that’s what one does on the precipice of everything one has been working toward becoming a reality. Then, she goes home, to Theo, the first person she wants to tell. He’s always the first person she wants to share good news, bad news, any news with.

Because she loves him.

She’s always loved him.

Really, it’s an exhausting amount of work tonotlove him.When haven’t we needed each other like this?He whisperedthose words in the middle of the night and her brain wanted to push back, deny, refute, but her bones knew that he was right. Is right. And maybe some of Imogen’s bravery did seep into her marrow, because for the first time, Evie wonders how it would feel—who she would be, could be—if she trusted it.

Him.

Herself.

Evie enters their apartment and drops the stack of mail on the island next to his keys. She hears him at the end of the hall and follows the sound of his voice to find him sitting at his desk with noise-canceling headphones on.

“And the benefits package?” he asks his computer screen, oblivious to her presence in the doorframe. “Could HR forward that along, too?”Benefits? Is Theo leaving Foothill?She’s confused but not overly concerned. His benefits are great, but soon she’ll have union benefits that are also great. “Cool. Great. Yeah, I’ll discuss it with my wife and get back to you shortly. Thank yousomuch.”

Theo removes his headphones and lets them hang around his neck, entirely unaware that she’s leaning against his doorframe, heart exploding in her chest.

My wife.

My wife.

My wife.

Evie Bloom never wanted to be a wife.

But.

“What will you be discussing with your wife?”

“Shit.” Theo jumps at the timbre of her voice, then spins around in his chair, scratching the back of his neck. Evie watches his Adam’s apple bob before he asks, “How much did you hear?”

“Are you leaving Foothill?”

He bites his lower lip. “Maybe.”

“Wow.” Evie enters his room and sits on the end of his bed, pressing her palms into the mattress. “Tell me more.”

“It’s a job in curriculum development. Elementary literacy curriculum, specifically. I’d be working on projects like diversifying reading lists, developing more inclusive curriculums for neurodivergent students, leading focus groups.” His mouth quirks, that hint of enthusiasm easing the tension in his shoulders. “I love teaching, Ido. But I think I could really make a difference in this role? And after six months, they would subsidize my master’s. So.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“Yeah.”

Theo leaving teaching is so much to process, but it sounds incredible. Also, who would turn down free grad school in this economy?

“Theodore!” She pulls him in close, her entire body initially vibrating with joy for this man who she loves. Why didn’t he tell her? Did he not want to jinx it, to admit how much he wanted it? Evie can understand that. “There’s nothing to discuss. Seriously! I—”

“It’s in New York, Ev.”

“What?”

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