Page 48 of Winging It with You

“Did not,” he chimes in, nuzzling against me, but I watch as he flashes a grin for the camera.

“Mm-hmm, sure,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Anyway, we are both exhausted and starving so we are going to go find some amazing local cuisine before we succumb to jet lag. Hope you tune in!”

Short, sweet, and zero need for anyone to feel uncomfortable.

I stop recording, and the last thing the camera captures is Theo’s smiling face looking up at me. He’s still got his head buried in the crook of my neck, and neither of us moves for what feels like an eternity. Theo’s holding me like it’s nothing, and I can feel the strength of his upper body beneath my arms.

“You can put me down now,” I say, my voice just a whisper.I feel him nod his head in agreement, but he doesn’t move an inch.

He’s lingering.

I’m acutely aware of his firm grip around my waist, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say his hand most definitely flexed on my ass. I feel my skin flush.

Slowly, he lowers my body down his, and while I know I probably shouldn’t have, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t just allow my hands to trail themselves over his chest and stomach.

“Thanks,” I manage as my feet hit the leaf-covered ground, and I fear my throat may begin constricting. Theo nods in acknowledgment, shoving his hands in his pockets. A slight flash of red makes an appearance across his cheeks. For someone who has literally jabber-jawed my ear off since the moment we met, he’s sure settled into the role of man of few words today. “Are you…” I start, reaching out for him but suddenly unsure if I should or if saying anything is a bad idea. “Is everything okay?”

But Theo leans into my touch and every uncertain thought melts away in an instant. “I’m alright,” he says quietly, a slight rasp to his voice. I search his eyes for anything that indicates the contrary, and I think he must see the concern I’m feeling. “I promise, Ash,” he says, adding a slow-spreading smile to really seal the deal.

We walk in silence back to our original spot where Jo and Arthur are waiting, curiosity painted on each of their faces.

“Here,” I say, handing Jo’s phone back to her. “Will this work?” They replay the video.

“Oh, yeah,” she says, a smug smile spreading across her face. “That’ll work, alright.”

“Good. Anything else?” I want to wrap this up so we can get some food and escape into our room. They shake their heads simultaneously.

“Can we help with any of this?” Theo asks, a hint of frustrated embarrassment woven in his words.

“No, you boys go on and get some rest,” Arthur says, already folding down the tripod and placing it in its carrier. There’s something fatherly in the way he addresses us, and under normal circumstances, from anyone else, that would rub me entirely the wrong way. But I suspect that’s just who Arthur is. A stoic and kind man who shows he cares by handling the little things.

I turn to head back to the hotel, room key in hand, and Theo falls in step next to me. Taking in his sharp profile, I would never assume he’d be someone who needs protecting in any capacity, but perhaps there’s far more to the boisterous and overzealous man I’ve tricked into being my boyfriend than meets the eye.

The elevator seems to be stuck when we cross the lobby, so we silently agree to take the stairs. We’re only on the fourth floor, anyway. Theo pauses once we are alone in the stairwell and quietly takes my hand to prevent me from climbing any farther.

“She’s never used the wordboyfriendbefore,” he says out of nowhere. “Neither of us have. So, seeing it written like that, online of all places, just…threw me off for a moment.” His mother’s post seemed supportive enough, though.

Happy and excited, even.

I turn to face him, fully ready to dive headfirst into family trauma and questions about his coming-out experience and a poorly timed jab about his mommy issues, but something inTheo’s expression stops me. His brow is furrowed, like he’s weighing his next move, and it hits me all at once that he may not know he can talk to me.

If that’s even something he wants.

“You know I’m here, right?” I say nervously, deciding now is as good a time as any to let the man I’m supposed to be dating know I’m someone he can count on. He’s beenthatperson for me far too many times to count already, and the last thing I’d want is for him to feel like he is alone in whatever it is he’s so clearly thinking. “For you.”

“I know,” he says, but the expression on his face says otherwise.

“Seriously, Theo,” I say, taking an intentional step forward, realizing now that it matters whether he trusts me. “Whatever it is…you can talk to me.” I place what I hope is a reassuring hand on his forearm, and when I do, Theo’s expression softens.

“I appreciate it,” he says quietly, putting a hand on top of mine. The warmth from his touch makes it difficult to swallow. “It’s just…This whole thing with my family feels like it should be incredibly black-and-white, you know? And instead, it just feels…”

“Complicated?” I offer, and my interruption elicits a welcome smile from this serious version of Theo.

“Yes, guapo,complicated,” he repeats, but I’m too fixated on how his lips move when he calls me handsome to pay attention. “I guess I just don’t know how we got here.”

He runs his thumb in circles over the back of my hand—intentionally or absentmindedly, I’m not sure. Either way, it’s a welcome distraction. “And byhereyou mean…” I prod, hoping to get on the same page as him.

“I don’t know,” he says, that furrowed brow returning.“Distant? Just not as close as we used to be. It’s like from one second to the next, we all started walking on eggshells around one another.”

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