Page 60 of Friends with Benefits

She places her hands on his shoulders to dismount,but before she can jeté away to restart the song once more, Theo reaches for her wrist. Her eyes meet his, wordless. It’s so quiet, the only sound the syncopated thrashing of their hearts, and maybe what Theo’s about to say will change everything. But… maybe it won’t. It’s not like they’re not already a hyphenate—at home, at school, at dance.Evie-and-Theo.It’s not like they don’t already spend pretty much all their free time together. It’s not like they don’t already love each other.

Theo swallows.

I like you so much.

He’s going to say it, because hehasto say it, because not saying it physicallyhurts.

“Ev? I—”

A knock on the door separates them and sends him backward, the admission caught in his throat.

“Kiddos?” Mo’s head pops in. “Time to wrap it up. Theo, your parents are waiting inside.”

Theo frowns.Parents? Plural?Mo disappears before he can ask for clarification because Jacob has never accompanied Lori to pick him up from a dance rehearsal at the bungalow. It’s Tuesday. Jacob should be at the office, or touring properties, or doing whatever he does tobe a provider. Theo must’ve misheard. He chugs water, then stuffs the bottle in his duffel bag, unsure if he’s frustrated or grateful for Mo’s interruption. Evelyn switches out the CD in the stereo and they cool down toFearless, stretching out their fatigued muscles before exiting the studio shed.

“I felt it that last time,” Evelyn says.

“Hmm?”

“Love,” she admits with a casual shrug. “It’s easy. Pretending.”

“Pretending,” Theo echoes like an idiot as she walks ahead of him.

He sees Jacob’s black BMW in the driveway. He didn’t mishear. His dad is here. At the bungalow. Why is he here? On a Tuesday? At all? Theo follows Evelyn through the patio slider that connects to the kitchen, tapping his fingers against his thigh. Inside, his parents are sitting on the living room couch. Their mouths are moving, but he’s unable to make out the words. A teakettle whistles on the stove. Pep pours boiling water into three mugs. Biscotti is arranged on a serving platter. What is happening? Evelyn seems just as mystified. Her eyes shift back and forth from the biscotti to the tea, then up to Pep.

“Grandma?”

Pep doesn’t make eye contact, just drops a spoon in each mug. “Hey, Sweets! Bring out the biscotti?”

Evelyn frowns.

Doesn’t move.

Theo picks up the tray. “I got it.”

It all blurs in slow motion, everything that happens next. Peppermint tea. Jacob’s stoic expression. A tray of stale biscotti. Lori’s nose scrunches as she pats the empty couch cushion next to her and says, “There’s something you need to know, both of you, and it’ll be so much easier to just say it once.”

Theo’s pulse spikes. Her nose scrunch. Theo makes the same face when he’s trying not to cry.Bubbe died. Or Zeyde. Or we’re moving to the west side. Or Naomi is taking Evelyn away.

Or.

Or.

Or…

He doesn’t see it coming, the three words that change everything.

“I have cancer.”

“What?”

Lori and Jacob are speaking words at Theo but it’s too much medical jargon.Colorectal cancer. Stage three.His brain can’t process the news, but his body feels every word.Chemo.His palms start sweating.Bowel resection.His chest tightens.Treatment starts tomorrow.He can’t breathe.My prognosis. Theo doesn’t remember standing up or leaving the room in the middle of his mom sharing hercancer prognosisor retreating to the studio shed. He just remembers the panic clawing at his throat. Choking him, as Jacob enters the studio shed. Remembers pressing the heels of his hands to his swollen lids to avoid eye contact with his dad.

Remembers Jacob’s admission. “I’m terrified, too.”

“Dad—”

“Whatever you’re feeling? Feel it here, thenleave it here.” Jacob squats down so he’s eye level, then places an awkward hand on Theo’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this as a family, but you have to be strong. Her prognosis is good. So we’re going to be positive. Okay?”

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