Chapter Six

Robbie

Jolted awake, I glanced over to see the clock read 3:00 a.m. Theo snored softly beneath me, and I was mildly comforted by the warmth of his chest under my head. Then, the memory of the dream encroached. “You know we’re more than friends…” Brent had accused in the dream. Had he said that to me in the hall? Where had that even come from? In the dream he had been in my lap, and we had…

Revulsion roiled through me and I swiftly slid out of bed. The odor of sauerkraut suddenly filled my senses. Eyes wide, I surveyed the room and realized the smell was an echo. Something from the dream. Tiptoeing around, I pulled on some pajama bottoms and a T-shirt and swept out of the house as quickly as I could.

I found myself nestled in a bucket seat in the halfmoon, built-in stone carved bench and leaned forward to start the gas firepit. Mr. Gomez had worked throughout the year to make this back porch welcoming with its wood-burning pizza oven and barbecue.

I’m not sure how much time passed before I felt Theo and opened my eyes to see him holding out a chilled bottle of water from the little inset fridge, which I accepted and rolled between my hands. The sun wasn’t out yet. He asked, “Want to talk about it?”

I chanced a look up at him before tearing my eyes away as all the emotions I had been trying to hold at bay came rushing through me. I was a terrible boyfriend. I hadn’t stopped Brent before he had kissed me. I hadn’t stuck up for Theo. I hadn’t done anything except wonder if the guy was my friend. What was wrong with me?

“Sugar,” Theo said after a while, “you got hit on. It wasn’t the first time. It won’t be the last.” I glanced up sharply, which made him laugh. “You don’t have any clue, do you?”

I shook my head and felt my brow furrowing.

Theo took a deep breath and sat back, kicking his feet up on a nearby ottoman. “You see, sugar, it’s like this. I’m a little possessive. I know it comes from a place of insecurity, and I don’t advertise that much. I’m also a little paranoid. That comes from a place of realism. Considering who the two of us are: your crazy family after you for your sperm; my potential enemies…well, let’s just say I’ve taken precautions. Whenever you’re not in line of sight, and sometimes when you are, I’m always looking out for you.”

Shame tickled across my shoulders and I shuddered out a sad sigh. He’d seen…

“Sugar, it’s not like that. Please.” Theo leaned forward and captured my hand between his. “I want you to know that you have your privacy. There are alerts for if you’re being attacked or are in distress. I swear, nothing more.”

I wasn’t upset because of Theo’s precautions. In fact, it was his ability to look out for me anytime, anywhere, that enabled me to be bold. To go to school, the store alone, the world without being so petrified that I would crumble. I had been getting stronger and was no longer flinching at loud noises or if someone moved by me hastily. I unconsciously glanced down at the magically enhanced watch that kept Nüwa from being able to control me, tracked me so that Theo could always find me, and most recently had been altered to provide a magical force field should I be attacked. I guess that Brent’s lips had been violent enough after all.

“It’s not that,” I admitted, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “It’s just so embarrassing.”

“You’ve been hit on more times than I think even you know about. Guys watch you all the time, sugar. Heh, girls too.” He gave a half smile.

I shook my head, studying him and trying to remember the last time anyone had hit on me. I guessed it was when some guy had offered to get me a drink when Theo was deejaying for a private party in Beverly Hills the previous month, but I had just said that I was with the DJ and the guy had left me alone.

“This was just the first time that anyone had made a move like that. Most guys are more respectful, but that’s not always going to be the case. I was actually surprised at the amount of restraint you showed,” he emphasized with his eyebrows arched.

“Restraint?” I asked miserably.

“You want to see the playback? You defended yourself and nothing more. You were really confident, didn’t need me at all.”

“But…I didn’t defend you. I didn’t say anything.” Admitting it caused the olfactory illusion of sauerkraut to wash over me, and I was afraid the small amount of the lasagna I’d eaten for dinner may be revisited. I swallowed hard.

Theo laughed. “Defend me against what, sugar? He called me a fat dude. I am a fat dude.” He patted his belly. “A little less now that I’ve been working out with you, but I have no interest in having your body type, well, unless it’s under me receiving my dick. Nothing to defend, sugar. You love me the way I am; I love you the way you are. What you and I have, that’s not even in question. And guys get threatened by that. Should I be?”

Everything he was saying was completely the truth. I loved Theo’s body. He made me feel secure when I was wrapped in his arms. The feeling of his weight on me was an aphrodisiac like no other. And I was never happier than when I had my head resting on his belly or chest.

“Honey, the real reason you’re upset is because you expected something else from him. You just didn’t realize that he had the hots for you is all.”

I nodded sadly. “Yeah.”

“Come here.” He held his arms out and I crawled into his lap, my legs resting across into the other hollowed-out seat. While a little awkward sitting in his lap like that, it also felt incredibly right. “Sugar, you can still be his friend.”

“What?” I spit out a disbelieving laugh.

Theo pulled me against him, soothingly running his hand over my back. “Yeah, I can’t believe I said that either. Listen, you enjoyed talking to him about classes, teachers, school, and studying. Until he kissed you and put me down, you thought of him as a friend. Well, friends do stupid things. If you think a friendship is worth it, you work through that.”

I rested my head on his thick shoulder and sighed, relishing his strength and wondering how in the world I had gotten so lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life. After a while, I pulled away and asked, “Theo…why don’t you have any close friends? I mean, aside from Kat and me. You seem to have a lot of people who like you, but no one who really knows you.”

I was startled by a sadness in his eyes that I had never seen before and immediately wanted to take the question back. He patted my leg and took a deep breath. “I don’t let too many people get close. I’ve always been great one-on-one, or if I’m the center of attention like when I’m deejaying. Online I’m anonymous, so it’s safe. But I was never the guy who had a huge group of friends around. I had a best friend in my teens, and we grew apart. Had another in my late teens that ended badly. And after that I just couldn’t be bothered.

“I’m not really sure what it is, but I guess I can overwhelm people? Plus, the whole mage thing. I know a half-dozen mages, but we’re all pretty solitary. We talk online about mage stuff. And what am I going to do? Get really close with normies? Nah. I have several people out there, like Bob and Chuck who you met last year at Grizzly’s, couple online gaming buddies… I know I can call on them if I need, but what good is it going to do me to have them get to know me? Knowledge is power, sugar. I don’t want anyone having that level of power over me.”

“Except me?” I wondered.

He chuckled, saying softly, “Except you.”

I realized a grin was tugging at my lips. “So…does this mean I’m your best friend?”

“Undoubtedly,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I was thinking that there must be something wrong with me. Everyone seems to have so many friends. I only have you.” I wiped at a stray tear. “I love you with everything that I am, but…is there something wrong with me?”

“Ah, Robbie.” He pulled me back to him, wrapping both arms tightly around me. “God, man, I can’t even begin to tell you how fucking awesome you are. Abi knows it. Kat knows it. I know it. Hell, even fucking Brent knows it. Everyone who meets you wants to be your friend. You’re sweet, but you’re also clueless.” He snorted. “So yeah, that’s it. You don’t notice when people are trying to get close to you, be your friend, hit on you, whatever. And I’ve noticed that you’re not super comfortable in social situations. And I love that about you. You let me do all the talking and shining and keep me grounded at the same time.”

“Am I the wind beneath your wings?”

Theo groaned, his head falling against the back of the chair as I giggled. “You so did not just throw Bette Midler at me. Again, before you were born, hon.” It was an ongoing joke because I loved all the old music.

“Take me to bed?” I asked, wanting to feel him inside me.

He smirked and nodded, standing with me and taking my hand.