Page 124 of Theoretically Straight

“That’s the true Hauntie spirit,” Hudson interjects with a grin. “As long as you were being safe about it!”

I nod. “Oh, yes, of course. My friends knew where I was, and I was sure not to touch or disturb anything.”

“Excellent! But I understand you weren’t completely alone venturing into the basement that night?”

I smile as a flash of copper curls flickers through my memory. “Yep. Unbeknownst to me, someone else caught a glimpse of me, so they came down to investigate. Scared the crap out of me, too.”

“So, who was this stranger?”

“His name is Caleb,” I answer, unable to stop smiling. “We sort of knew each other from school, but not that well. While we were down there, we realized we were both into Triple H, so he continued with me further into the basement, and he was with me when I found the chalkboard. He’s even in the video for a few seconds, but you can barely see him because he was waiting for me out in the hallway.”

“That’s great! I always love hearing about Haunties finding each other like that. Friendships forged in spooky places. I love it! Do you guys still hang out?”

“All the time, actually,” I start, glancing over to where Caleb, Mom, and the rest of my friends are watching. “As a matter of fact, he’s–” Caleb and I lock eyes, and my heart swells. “Caleb is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for almost two months now.”

Caleb’s eyes go wide, and his hands move to cover his mouth. Freddy and Wren grab Caleb’s shoulders, shaking him excitedly. Elise gasps so loud that I’ll be surprised if the microphones don’t pick it up. Harrison and Oliver exchange a look, but they’re smiling at me.

I make a conscious effort not to look at Mom. Just in case.

“Whoa! I did not see that coming at all!” Hudson exclaims, looking genuinely delighted. “Congratulations! Well, there you have it, folks! Let it never be said that you can’t find love in a haunted basement!”

I laugh. It’s not a fake laugh for the camera, either—it’s real, uninhibited, wholehearted laughter bursting out of me, and it feels incredible. It’s euphoric. Cathartic. Ridiculous.

It’s all so silly, so absurd. But that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?

I found love in a haunted basement.

And I’ll never be the same again.

* * *

The rest of the interview is a bit of a blur. The realization that I outed myself publicly to my hero, his entire crew, and every single person in the world who watches Triple H hits me in waves, and by the time the cameras stop filming and iPad Guy is ushering me off the set, nothing feels real anymore. My ears are ringing, and I feel like I’m in one of those dreams where my legs can’t keep up, and I’m somehow moving in slow motion while everything else around me continues as normal.

This is, of course, until my favorite pair of freckled arms are wrapping around my waist, lifting and spinning me several inches off the ground. Warmth fills my chest as I instinctually wind my own arms around his neck. I cling to him tightly, breathing in his familiar, sweet, and comforting scent.

Caleb.

“You were amazing!” Caleb says excitedly, his breath hot next to my ear, sending shivers down my spine that have nothing to do with the dropping temperatures. “As soon as Hudson started talking, literally every bit of anxiety drained from your face. For a second, I thought maybe you’d been body-snatched or something!”

I try to laugh at his joke or maybe make a self-deprecating quip about my anxiety, but I’m too full of relief that I was able to appear composed on camera to come up with anything clever. “Ha, thank you,” I exhale as I squeeze Caleb back.

“Theo, you fucking nailed it!” Oliver shouts, wrapping his long arms around both Caleb and me and slapping me on the back. “I never doubted you for a second!”

“That’s a lie,” Elise interjects. “He was literally planning out which crew members he would need to beat up to get to you if you passed out.”

“Wow, Elise, way to be cool,” Oliver grumbles.

“Anytime!” Elise snaps back cheerfully. “But seriously, Theo, we’re so proud of you!” She joins in on the group hug, and Harrison joins directly behind her.

“Was it everything you thought it would be?” Harrison asks eagerly, gripping my shoulder firmly.

“Everything and more,” I reply reverently.

“And seriously, can we talk about how much hotter Hudson is in person than on camera?” Freddy chimes in, appearing with Wren behind Caleb. “Like, oh my god?”

“Oh, one hundred percent,” I reply, and everyone voices agreement, even Harrison. As Harrison has said before, no one is that straight.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re all a little envious of you now,” Wren adds, also placing a gloved hand on top of the friend huddle. “But none of us could have done it better than you, Theo. You did good.”

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