Page 24 of Winging It with You

“I brought you something,” I say after I’ve sat down beside him, handing over the pint of ice cream I snagged from the production fridge when no one was looking.

Theo takes it from me, turning the container over in his hands. “They sure do move fast,” he says, tapping the label with his thumb.Bianca and Jackson’s Peanut Butter and Jellyin all caps is written in Sharpie across a piece of painter’s tape on the side of the pint. “Think it’s any good?” he asks, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

“Let’s find out.” I pass him one of the spoons I brought with me as he pops open the container and sets the lid down on the cool paver between us. The ice cream has melted slightly from my walk here in the summer heat, making it easier for him to scoop out a heaping spoonful before passing the pint back over to me.

The rich vanilla ice cream is complemented by the sweet and tart flavors of the blackberry jelly and, much like anything in life, the creamy peanut butter just makes it all the better.

“I hate to admit this,” he says, reaching for the pint again and taking another big spoonful. “But despite Bianca andJackson being absolutely bitter human beings, they taste pretty damn good.”

He’s not wrong.

“Seriously—I could eat this all day,” I say, almost forgetting why I brought it in the first place. I sneak a glance at Theo, observing the smile still plastered across his face as he’s between bites. It reminds me that he just may be the happiest, most carefree human I’ve ever encountered.

Which ultimately makes me feel worse.

I exhale, smelling the sweetness of the jelly on my own breath. “I owe you an apology,” I say, my voice retreating like the colors of the sun. I can feel the heat radiating off his body the moment his head turns my way, but I don’t want to look at him.

Not yet.

“You really don’t.” There’s no emotion, good or bad, to his voice.

“No, but I do—” I catch him eyeing the pint of ice cream still in my hands. I pass it to him, which makes him smile once more. “I do, Theo,” I repeat as he sets the container down next to its lid, but not before taking another bite. “Today was—”

“A mess?” he says, finishing my sentence with a slight smile.

“A mess and unnecessary and I can only say how sorry I am for the way that I acted.”

He leans back on his hands again. “I don’t take that kind of stuff personally,” he says after a long moment, releasing the clutch his silence had on my heart.

“Still, I was wrong for how I treated you and I’m very,verysorry.” My apology lingers between us, leaving me worried both that it’s not enough and that my outburst earlier has definitelyscared Theo off. I wouldn’t blame him—I’m usually much better about keeping everything bottled up.

“Most couples argue during tense moments, right?” he asks, picking up the pint again and taking another bite. He angles it in my direction, and I take it, our fingers grazing this time. “Most couples bicker and say things they don’t mean in moments of anger.”

He’s normalizing my reaction, which saddens me and makes me feel slightly better at the same time. “Of course, but…”

“They can move on from weird moments of conflict, especially when one or both parties apologize.”

I swallow the ice cream that’s now partially lodged in my throat. “Right…but we aren’tmost couples.”

“Here, we are,” he says matter-of-factly. “Here, we are just like everyone else: a couple who has good days and bad days and everything in between.”

Theo sets his spoon down on the paver beside him and wipes his hands on his joggers. “But I appreciate the apology…and the ice cream,” he says, nudging me with his shoulder. “The challenges are only going to get harder from here and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can stomach a Bianca and Jackson victory lap.”

Ugh.Just the thought of them winning another challenge makes my stomach knot. “I know.”

“But we’ll be okay. You and I are just figuring each other out,” he says, and I want to believe him. But I’m frozen at the possibility that I’m damaged beyond repair. That it’s only a matter of time before Theo realizes the colossal mistake he’s made, leaving me here to face this all alone. “As partners…and as a couple.”

8

Theo

Old Stagecoach Inn—Room 204

Waterbury, Vermont

“I’m going to hop in the shower, if you don’t mind.”

I peel off my clothes, which are now awkwardly stiff and emitting a smell resembling a sour bar rag from the dried spilled milk, and turn the water on as hot as it can go, stepping into the shower’s spray before the water has a chance to warm up.

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