Page 30 of Peach Tree Family

"Sorry. I guess you're with someone."

Theo was about to deny it, but the guy was already walking away. Turning around, Theo saw why. Seth was right behind him and he was looking grim.

"What's your problem?" Theo snapped at him.

"What do you mean?" Seth seemed honestly confused.

"Were you just glaring at that guy?"

"I don't know. I didn't mean to, but he gave me a funny look. Like he was laughing at me," Seth said.

"Laughing at you?"

"Like, 'Look at this dumb loser,'" Seth said with a shrug.

"So you were warning him? Trying to scare the smirk off his face?"

"No. I didn't mean to. I don't pick fights," Seth said.

Theo sighed. He was mad that Seth chased away that guy, but if he was that quick to run maybe he wasn't worth much anyway.

"OK. But I don't think he was laughing at you," Theo told him.

"I am wearing my grandpa's old jacket. I thought we might have furniture to carry, and I didn't want to mess up my other one," Seth said and looked down at himself critically.

"You look fine," Theo told him and tried not to put any emphasis on the last word. Seriously, Seth could wear a garbage bag and look hot.

That kind of thinking got Theo to pick up a cheap, full-length mirror. "I want to make sure I look decent for work," he told Seth.

"You don't need an excuse."

"It's not an excuse." It's not like he wanted to make sure he looked good for Seth. "I'm not vain. I just want to look professional."

After the thrift store, it was a discount store where they got the cheapest sheets and pillows money could buy and some more stuff for the house, like kitchen stuff and light bulbs. Then Theo spotted a stack of t-shirts.

"The weather is going to get warm. You'll need these," he told Seth, but the reason he was staring at them was because he was picturing a tight t-shirt stretched over Seth's chest then peeled right off him. Damn it.

"If you think I should get some, I guess I should," Seth said, and then Theo couldn't help picking out two different blue ones that highlighted his eyes.

"Get these," Theo said like he didn't care if he did or not.

They had skipped lunch, but before they did any food shopping, Theo wanted them to eat so they walked around looking for a place. Ace had a few snacks already, but his eyes went wide when he spotted a pizza place.

"Pizza. Pizza," Ace was whispering.

"It's on me," Seth said. Seeing how Theo looked at him, he reminded him, "You put me in charge of food.

"I don't remember it that way."

"You can't be the boss of everybody, Theo," Ace told him.

"You said I could chip in for food. Pizza is food. We did some good shopping and worked up an appetite," Seth said and Ace agreed with a nod.

"You two need to stop teaming up against me," Theo told them.

As they sat down to eat the pizza, which was decent enough, Theo thought that they had a good day and how nice it was to hang out with Seth. But that kiss still pissed him off, made him think things could go somewhere with Seth when they couldn't.

"Thanks for the pizza," Theo told him afterward.

"Thanks for letting me come along," Seth said and he looked down shyly.

"You were a big help. You have a good eye for what we need."

"We just need some more food for me to cook up for you guys." Seth smiled like he was really looking forward to it, and Theo had to remind himself that all they had was a temporary arrangement. Seth's sunny smile and the warm look in his eyes meant nothing no matter how long they gazed at each other like idiots.

---