Page 118 of Friends with Benefits

“Hey.”

“Are you okay?”

Evelyn shrugs. “Honestly, it’s been an up-and-down week. Pain-wise.”

Same.

Theo pushes that thought away because it’s different, their pain. Itisdifferent. Obviously. She scoots over, makes space for him, and he folds because it’s an olive branch, because she’s in pain, so his pain can wait. Theo strips his street clothes and climbs into her bed. Wraps his arms around her andsighswhen she snuggles into him and rests her head on his heart and it hurts. She hurts. He removes his glasses and presses the heels of his hands to his eyes, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Always, he let Evelyn set the boundaries, let hertake a beat, let her push him away. Never pushed back because it was easierto leave it be, to bury his feelings, to safeguard his heart. Because isn’t to love to lose?

But this hurts, too.

This hurts, too.

“I’m sorry,” Evelyn says, pressing her thumb against his cheek. “For my reaction. I didn’t see it coming. I’m not sure why. You sort of belong in New York, Theodore? I’m happy for you. Ipromise.”

Theo turns his head so their foreheads touch. “Do you want to be with me?”

“I don’t want to be married.”

“That’s not the question.”

“I can’t move to New York.”

“Also not the question.”

Her brow furrows. “Have you been drinking?”

“Not really?” Theo frowns. “I had, like, two drinks at Micah and Pranav’s. Then took an Uber home because we need to—”

“No.” Evelyn pushes him,literallypushes him away. “I don’t want to do this right now.”

“I do.”

The weight of those words settles between them.

I.

Do.

“I’m not drunk,” Theo continues. His voice is so solid, sosure. “We need to talk about us. Iwantto talk about us. I’m donenottalking about—”

“Theodore. There is nous.”

“Ev—”

“I got the paperwork started.”

“I saw. But—”

“It’s a straightforward process, considering we don’t haveany assets. It won’t be finalized until midsummer at the earliest, which isn’t super convenient but—”

“Stop.”

Theo doesn’t raise his voice. Never yells. But the way her eyes widen at thesnapin that single syllable? He may as well have screamed. “Justlisten,” he says, softer. Begs. “I never said I’m taking the job. I meant it when I said that you are part of the equation. We don’t have to be married for that to be true.”

“Why?”

“You’re seriously asking me that?”

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