Page 69 of Wish You Were Mine
Theo’s friend: What I meant to say is that I was curious if there was a gymnastics meet here this week because I was thinking about going. And I saw that it was away. In Michigan.
I bit back a smile, my thumb hovering over the keyboard.
So he’d wanted to come watch again?
That was…unexpected. Sweet.
Maybe even a little reckless, considering everything.
I stared at the blinking cursor in our message thread for a full ten seconds, then typed:
Me: Any reason you’re suddenly interested in the sport?
Dare I hope it might have something to do with me?
My finger hovered over thesendbutton.
Was that too much?
I could just delete it. Ask something normal. Neutral.
But…he’d started this text thread. And if he was testing the waters, maybe I could dip a toe in, too.
Just a toe, I reminded myself.
I hitSend.
The conversation dots appeared instantly.
And just like that, my heart was doing its usual traitorous thing—leaping into the air like it had just nailed a perfect routine.
Theo’s friend: It’s a fun sport to watch. Very…interesting.
I blinked, rereading that last line. Paying probably too much attention to those three dots.
He was flirting with me, right?
Hinting that he liked watching me perform…
I mean, it wasn’t as out there and obvious as what he’d said at the restaurant—when he’d mentioned that he imagined our hot tub kiss every time he saw me in class.
But…this was still something. Wasn’t it?
Trying to keep it breezy, I texted:
Me: Glad you like it. It’s my favorite sport to watch. Compete in too.
His reply came quickly.
Theo’s friend: I had a hunch it might be. Since you’re…pretty impressive at it. Definitely great to watch.
There were those three dots again.
And he thought I was impressive?
My cheeks flushed. I had to set my ramen on the end table before I accidentally spilled it all over myself. I sat up straighter, fingers tingling as I typed:
Me: Thanks. I could probably say the same about how you teach chemistry… Dragging myself to class hasn’t been nearly as hard as I thought it might be this semester…
