Forbidden || Theo James

nine // after

word count: 1405

I woke up and saw that I was alone in Theo's bed. Standing up, I opened the curtains, letting the morning light flood the room. I heard distant noises coming from the kitchen, so I walked towards the sound and found Theo in his navy blue joggers, shirtless and fresh out of the shower. He turned to me, smiling, and hugged me, leaning in for a kiss. "Morning."

"Wait, I have bad breath," I laughed, covering my mouth before he could kiss me.

Theo rolled his eyes playfully. "Well, in that case, go to the bathroom and be quick because I really want to kiss those red lips."

I rolled my eyes back at him and headed to the bathroom, wearing only his oversized t-shirt. As I walked in, I couldn't help but inspect the space. Everything was super neat, and there was a sticky note on the mirror: 'Open the right drawer -TJ.' Curious, I opened the bottom right drawer and was happily surprised to find that he had prepared everything for me: spare clothes, a towel, shampoo, conditioner, basic skincare items, and a toothbrush. Smiling, I gathered what I needed for a shower. The water washed away the remnants of yesterday, making me feel like a brand new person. I picked up the towel and the spare clothes, which consisted of gray straight sweatpants and a gray top. I put them on, did some skincare, and brushed my teeth.

On my way to the kitchen, I picked up my phone and saw missed calls and texts from Anne.

'Rosie, call me!'

'Aaron is mad! He just crashed a vase!'

'I'm sorry!!!'

I texted her back, reassuring her that it was okay and that I would come home and talk. I then went to the kitchen and hugged Theo from behind as he was preparing breakfast.

"Creep, did you plan all of this or what?" I whispered, wrapping my arms around Theo from behind.

He turned off the stove, setting the pan aside, and turned to face me. "No, I'm just a morning person, Rosie," he replied with a smile. "I woke up early and did some shopping. I'm not a creep, I promise."

I gave him a kiss on the lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back to look at what he was making. "Mmm," I smiled, catching a whiff of something sweet. "Is this jam?"

"Well, something like that. It's my grandma's recipe, but... I highly doubt it's as good as hers," he admitted with a chuckle as he poured the homemade concoction into a serving bowl and handed it to me.

I set the bowl on the table, noticing the spread he had prepared. "Wait, did you make the scones too?"

He laughed heartily. "No, of course not. If I had, the kitchen would probably be on fire right now." He put the rest of the breakfast items on the kitchen table and turned to me with a playful grin. "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea," I said, watching him move around the kitchen with ease.

Theo busied himself with the kettle, filling it with water and setting it to boil. I took a seat at the table, looking over the breakfast spread with a smile. The homemade jam, fresh scones, and a variety of fruits made it feel like a feast. He clearly put a lot of thought into this, and it warmed my heart.

As he prepared the tea, Theo glanced over his shoulder. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I haven't really thought about it," I admitted. "I was just going to go back to the dorm and catch up with Anne. She seems pretty shaken up about what happened."

Theo turned, concern in his eyes. "What happened with Anne?"

I sighed, remembering the texts. "Aaron was really upset. He came over to talk, but things got heated, and he ended up breaking a vase. Anne was really scared."