Page 54 of Henhouse
“It’s not a very big risk,” she mumbled, almost like she wasn’t sure she wanted him to hear. “But thanks for making eggplant mean something.”
“It wasn’t me, it was fate,” Theo countered and Effie laughed.
They settled into a comfortable quiet and Theo found himself wanting to freeze time. Effie gauged the darkness at his window. “It’s late,” she said.
Damn.“I hoped you wouldn’t notice.” It had recently felt like any amount of time with Effie wasn’t enough. She’d been there since long before he’d made them dinner, but he still wanted more. More conversation. More flirting. More ofher.
Effie traced her finger over Theo’s chest and the sparks thatradiated from her touch had him hugging her closer. He dropped his lips to hers. “You could stay,” he suggested.
Schilling no longer occupied his couch, despite Theo’s insistence that he didn’t have to trade his place in Theo’s apartment for an air mattress in a room that likely still smelled of paint fumes. But Schilling’s spirits had lifted after making some big decisions and he wanted to move forward.
But it meant that Theo’s home was his again, and he and Effie could canoodle carefree. Not that he had anyspecificintentions for the rest of the night, but he did desperately want her to stay. He already imagined her waking up beside him and it did wondrous things to his heart.
“I could,” Effie murmured like perhaps the thought hadn’t actually occurred to her. “Do you really want me to?”
Theo pulled back and let the shock of her inquiry color his features. “Do I want you to?” He scoffed then sighed dramatically before tumbling her over onto her back, nuzzling into her neck with a flurry of playful kisses as she squealed with laughter. Theo pressed himself onto his forearms that rested on either side of Effie’s head. The weight of his chest pressed into hers and he could feel her every breath. Theo brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I really want you to stay,” he said, his voice serious, if not trembling with his desire.
Effie gripped him at the nape of his neck. The electricity that her closeness ignited would never grow tiresome. “Okay, I’ll stay.” She pulled him into one of her taunting, deep kisses. He could drown in them and die happy. She pulled away, pushing her hand to his chest. “Give me a minute?”
Apprehension was a blow to the gut.Why did she need a minute? Did he push too far? Was the eggplant too much?He rolledover so he no longer smothered Effie. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and hurried toward the door. She eyed his phone that sat charging on the dresser across the room. “Can I borrow that?”
“I’m still amazed you don’t have a cell phone.”
“I have one, I just don’t see the point in using it unless I’m traveling.”
Effie shrugged like it was totally sound logic. He gave her the okay and she scooped the phone up, puzzling when it didn’t open for her face.
“114477,” Theo offered. Her face was a mix of surprise and joy, like he’d given her the code to a treasure trove. She rested her hand on the brass knob but hesitated. Spun around by what looked like nerves, she added, “Stay here.” And then she slipped out the door, shutting it behind her.
Theo didn’t know what to expect when she returned, but he already missed her warmth beside him. He looked to the other side of the bed.Her side.And it was his own nerves that he had to corral or else he’d do something stupid like suggest she just go home after all.
Effie scurried to the entry where she’d hung her bag upon arriving that afternoon. Theo hadn’t commented on it—she quite frequently carried a tote with a book, a craft project, and the necessities like her wallet and keys. For the past couple of weeks, she’d packed a fewother things. Just in case.
She carried the bag to the bathroom on the other side of the apartment, beyond the dark wood cabinets of the kitchen. The penny tiles, not original but an homage to the age of the building, were a balm onher nerves, cooling her from her feet up. She hadn’t realized she was on fire. She lifted an arm and sniffed, hoping her anxiety hadn’t turned to malodorous sweats. For now, she was safe, but she was keenly aware that their closeness in his bed, the intimate conversation, and the unmentioned possibilities of the evening had triggered her anxiety in a big way. With Theo’s phone unlocked, she set to dialing one of six numbers she knew by heart.
The screen lit up and Effie laughed at the contact name already associated with the number.Schilling’s Baby Mama.
“Hello?”Right, the number wasn’t one Hope knew.
“It’s me,” Effie whispered and immediately felt silly for doing so. “I’m at Theo’s.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m staying over . . . I think. I wanted someone to know I wouldn’t be home. And, well . . . Hope, I’m nervous.”
“Are you planning on having sex with him?”
“No!”
“Then don’t be nervous.”
“Gee, that’s helpful,” Effie deadpanned. Her hand reached for a phantom cord. Effie missed the coiled cord of their house phone. Every flirty call had the added benefit of a fidget fixation.What did you do with your hands when you weren’t anxiously twirling a phone cord?An abysmal circumstance of being Gen Z.
“Effie? Where’d you go?”
“I hate cell phones.”
“Okay . . .”
