Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
As my hand closed around the small plastic case of razors, I reached over with my other hand to lock the bathroom door that led into Lincoln’s room.
Fuck Lincoln.
Fuck that stupid hair tie.
“Fuck it all,” I muttered as I slid one of the razors from its protective casing. The cool metal brought a small measure of relief, but knowing there was more to come was the thing that finally allowed one tear to escape and slide down my cheek.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LINCOLN
“Theo?” I called softly as I knocked on his bedroom door for the second time. It wasn’t overly late—just past ten p.m.—but I supposed it was entirely possible he’d gone to bed already. I’d seen Cam and Ford in the living room when I’d gotten home but beyond a quick greeting, I hadn’t wanted to interrupt what had appeared to be an intimate conversation. As I’d walked past Lenny and Walter’s door, I’d heard the TV going and the two men arguing about how many Doritos Walter was feeding Puddles. Since they were clearly settled for the night, I’d hurried to the third floor with this weird hope that I’d see Theo’s door open so I would have an excuse to pop my head in and say hi.
To say that afternoon’s events had fucked with my head was an understatement. While I hadn’t exactly told Theo my life story, I’d shown him parts of myself that I never had with anyone else. The mere fact that I’d grabbed his wrist when he’d tried to leave while I’d been at my most vulnerable was proof enough that the young man had some kind of hold on me that no other person had, past or present.
I’d been disappointed when I’d reached the top step and seen that Theo’s door was closed, but when I’d gone into my own room and discovered the piece of cake sitting on my nightstand, I’d been elated. Since Ford and Cam knew I typically avoided sweets, the cake could have only come from one person. So I’d grabbed the plate and fork and hurried to Theo’s bedroom door.
My heart was beating erratically in my chest as I tried to make sense of what the simple gesture of leaving the cake on my nightstand had meant. I felt like a little kid squirming in his chair as he waited for the ringing of the bell that signified school was over and that an entire summer of freedom was waiting.
I debated knocking a third time but something in my gut had me reaching for the doorknob instead. I was surprised to find it unlocked. There was no light coming from beneath the door, but I ignored all the mental warnings telling me to leave it alone and go back to my room and twisted the knob fully then pushed the door open.
Though I hadn’t seen any light coming from the room, one of the lamps on the nightstand was turned on. It was a dimmable bulb so while I could see, I still had to let my eyes adjust. The first thing I noticed was that the bed was empty.
Sort of.
Theo’s bag was sitting on the bed. It looked like it had the first night when I’d retrieved it from his room while he’d been resting in my bed. The only difference was that it was zipped closed like it was ready to go. Its owner just needed to grab the handles and be off.
Despite the bag’s presence, I still had a sinking feeling as I searched the room for Theo. I finally found him sitting on the window seat that overlooked the yard. He had his knees pulled up against his body and his head was tipped so his temple was resting against the glass. He didn’t look at me or acknowledge me in any way as I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me. I was about to say his name in case he actually wasn’t aware of me but before I could, my eyes shifted to something sitting on the bedspread just a few inches from the packed bag.
A hair tie.
My hair tie.
The one I’d given him that very afternoon.
The one he’d accepted and left on as we’d walked back to the house together.
I had no idea what had happened between then and now, but from the clear placement of that elastic band, I knew it was bad.
I felt like I was in one of those escape room games where my only clues were a piece of cake, an unwanted hair tie and little else.
But as confused as I was, there was another emotion that nearly had full control of my entire body.
Fear.
I didn’t say anything as I walked around Theo’s bed and set the cake on the nightstand before sitting down on the bed itself. I was facing Theo but he made no move to turn in my direction so I could see his expression. In fact, he hadn’t moved even one iota.