Faking It

Chapter 38: The Do-Over

Theo turned out to be an excellent clean up assistant, and it was at his urging that Mom left early to pick up her girlfriends for their doorbuster sales and the boys and Dad all went to catch the late game on TV. We had the dishes done in record time, but maybe that was because Dad was usually on scrubbing duty and painstakingly meticulous with the soap.

"I really need to put some sweatpants on," I said, when I'd put away the last of the holiday-themed platters and my jeans were straining against my turkey food baby.

"Same," Theo said, patting his stomach. "I wasn't lying at dinner. Your family's cooking is amazing."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help my smile as I gestured for him to follow me. "You can turn the charm switch off now, Ellerby."

"I mean it!" he protested, scooping up our bags and following me upstairs. "If this is what Thanksgiving is to everyone else, then I get it now. I usually hate it, but this was awesome."

"Are you sure? You looked pretty comfortable in that tux of yours at the gala. Must be disappointing that our dinner wasn't even black-tie." I pushed open my bedroom door, then pointed down the hall. "Your room is the second door on the left."

Except he didn't follow my direction. Instead, he brushed past me and paused in the middle of my room. He set down our bags as his eyes roved the walls. When they lingered on my trophy shelf and my old team pictures, I suddenly felt incredibly exposed.

"Second door on the left, Ellerby," I repeated, poking him in the stomach as I scooped up my bag and set it on my desk chair. "And quit gawking. I'm embarrassed enough having you here."

He ripped his gaze from my Avengers movie posters with a lopsided smile. "Why are you embarrassed?"

"Because." I flapped a hand at my room. "This is all...really personal stuff."

"It is," Theo agreed. "And it's all exactly you."

Something that was not my turkey food baby flip-flopped in my stomach. My fingers stilled on my overnight bag's zipper and I glanced over my shoulder to where he'd leaned in towards my trophy shelf to inspect last year's championship team photo.

My two worlds had officially collided. Theo Ellerby was standing in my childhood bedroom, looking at my trophies and awkward middle school championship pictures. I'd honestly thought that if anyone from Kingsbridge was going to see my bedroom and all the mortifying history it held, it would've been Gyeong-Ja and Audra. Definitely not Theo. Part of me wanted to chase him out before he peered any closer at my past, while another part waited with bated breath for his reaction.

"I wish I had a room like this," he said finally, coming up behind me to look at the soccer-themed fishbowl terrarium I'd made in the 8th grade.

"What, a bedroom filled with all your mortifying childhood memories?" I joked. Though it wasn't really a joke at all.

"Yeah," he answered, stone cold serious. He toyed with the mini soccer net in the fishbowl. "My parents never kept stuff like this. They only kept my championship pictures, and those are probably collecting dust in the attic. The rest didn't exactly fit the interior designer's aesthetic."

My chest squeezed, banishing all my embarrassment. My heart would've broken if mom had gotten rid of any of my stuff. "That's awful."

He nodded, his mouth twisting into a rueful grin. "Yeah, well, comes with the territory." He looked around my room again. "I'm really happy you invited me. This was...really nice."

I forgot all about fishing my sweatpants out of my overnight bag when he turned towards me. Something about his gentle, honest words and the openness on his face had the breath catching in my throat, spurred by that something and my thudding heart.

"I had fun too," I said, mortified when my voice came out as a whisper. Heat crept into my cheeks, and, suddenly, he was stepping into the charged space between us. I didn't back away when he brushed a piece of my hair off my cheek. His fingers scorched a trail across my already burning skin.

"I've been wanting to ask you something for a while," he said, his thumb on my cheek.

I swallowed, then nodded, completely unable to form words.

"I want a do-over, if you'll let me." His eyes dropped to my lips as he took another step closer, and his other hand found my waist. "Because that's not what our first kiss should've been."

I stopped breathing altogether. Or at least, altogether except to whisper, "Okay."

Because there was no ignoring it now. Not when heat radiated off his body as he pulled me closer. I couldn't hide from the fact that I really, really, wanted to know what it would be like to kiss Theo Ellerby. For real this time, and not just because his brother had dared him.

This isn't real. It's fake. It's not real, I kept repeating to myself when he bent his head towards mine.

But damn if it didn't feel real when our lips met. When his hands slid up to knot in my hair and pull me closer. When my fingers dug into the soft cashmere of his sweater, over the muscles curving his shoulders.

It was nothing like all the teeth and awkwardness of our first kiss. This one was something else entirely. Something that had me leaning into him and opening my mouth for more. Something that had his tongue working a kind of magic that threatened to buckle my knees. That had me clinging to him as if I couldn't bear to let go.

And then a wet nose pressed itself to the exposed part of my back, where Theo had clenched his hand into my shirt.

We sprang apart as footsteps pounded up the stairs. Buster wagged his tail, wiggling between us.

"—going on a digestion walk," Jake said, pushing open my bedroom door. "You guys wanna join?"

Heat surged into my cheeks again as Jake's eyes raked the pair of us. I wanted to curl into a ball and die of mortification when Jake added slyly, "Unless I'm interrupting something."

"We'll be right down," I managed, whirling and diving back into my overnight bag to dig out my sweatpants. The door snicked closed and Jake and Buster's footsteps echoed back down the stairs.

"I think our timing needs some work," Theo said, rubbing the back of his neck. But when he smiled at me, it wasn't the arrogant armored one. It was the open, gentle, honest one.

"Yeah, um...I'm gonna go change." I flew past him, out the door, and into the bathroom.

Bracing myself on the sink, I touched a shaking hand to my lips and met my flushed, bright-eyed reflection.

This isn't real. It'll never work. It can't...

But the truth was written all over my face. It lurked in my chest, twisted around my stomach, and tingled up my spine, laid bare by a kiss I'd remember for the rest of my life. It wasn't some nameless something anymore. Now it was a fact. One I'd tried to ignore for way, way too long.

I'd fallen for Theo Ellerby.

**A/N: Hands down my favorite chapter, with a close second coming at the end. 😍 I hope you all enjoyed it too!! As always, if you liked it, please take a moment to vote and comment!**