How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Forty-eight

- the tea -

As Theo and I walk into my hut after dinner, he asks with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "So...?"

"So what?" I ask, making my way to my bed to kick off my boots, hoping he'll drop whatever he's about to say.

"So... what's all this about you and Newt almost kissing that Ollie tells me?" he smirks, and my heart skips. Shit. I play it cool, pretending I don't know what he's talking about. "What do you mean?" I ask, trying to sound innocent.

"Come on, you can't fool me," he says, leaning against my desk. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other at dinner."

"It was nothing," I dismiss quickly, hoping this will be the end of it.

"Nothing?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "You were practically eye-fucking each other."

"Theo!" I scold him, but I can feel my cheeks flush. "I'm just saying," he shrugs, "You guys have chemistry."

"We do not!" I say a bit too defensively, though I can't really deny the chemistry between Newt and me.

"Whatever you say," Theo smirks knowingly, and that's when I realize something.

"Wait, did Ollie tell anyone else other than you?" I ask, suddenly worried.

"Nope, just me."

"Thank god..." I breathe a sigh of relief and flop back onto the bed. Theo chuckles at my reaction, and I groan into the pillow, dreading the potential teasing that's coming.

"I don't want anyone else to know," I mumble.

"Why not?" Theo asks, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Because, if the others find out, they're just going to tease us. And I don't even know if he was actually going to kiss me or not," I say, rolling my eyes in frustration.

"Well, have you asked him?" Theo presses, and I sit up to look at him.

"No, of course not. I can't just go up to him and be like, 'Hey, were you going to kiss me this morning? Or was it just something I thought?'" I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of the idea.

"Why not?" Theo says, his tone light. "It's not like he's going to bite your head off."

"I know, it's just... awkward," I admit, feeling my cheeks heat up all over again.

"But you like him, right?" Theo asks, a serious look on his face.

"Yeah, I do. But I don't want to make things weird between us," I say, exasperated.

"GOD... why does it have to be this hard!" I groan, flopping back onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow.

"Because you make it hard," Theo teases. I grab a pillow and throw it at him, but he catches it effortlessly.

"Shut up," I say with a laugh, but then he gets serious again.

"But seriously," he says, "You won't know unless you ask him. And if you don't, you'll always wonder what could have been."

I let out a long sigh and nod, knowing he's right. "Fine, I'll talk to him," I finally say, though the thought still feels terrifying.

"Good," Theo says with a smile. "But I am going to need some time to do so," I add, laying back on the bed.

"Whatever you need, I'm here for you," Theo says, offering me a reassuring smile.

I smile back, grateful for his support. "Thank you, Theo," I say sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," he says. "Now what?" he asks, glancing at me curiously.

"What do you mean? I just poured my heart out to you," I chuckle.

"I mean, now it just feels weird to come up with a new subject," he laughs.

"I've got plenty to talk about," I say, trailing off as I try to come up with something. Theo just watches me struggle, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"I sure do hope you've got something planned to say to Newt," he says, smirking. "Otherwise, it's really going to be awkward if you're just standing there like 'uhm... uh...'" He imitates me in a high-pitched voice, and I burst into laughter.

"Gee, thanks for the pep talk, Theo," I tease, feeling much lighter after his impression.

"Anytime, my friend," he grins. "Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"We just ate," I laugh as he gets up from my bed and offers me a hand.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry. I'm a growing boy after all," he jokes. I take his hand and let him pull me up.

"Plus, I want to hear all about your plan to talk to Newt," he adds as we head out of my hut.

I roll my eyes playfully, but I'm secretly glad I have Theo in my corner, helping me navigate the tangled mess of emotions that is my relationship with Newt.