Secrets Look Different in the Light

Chapter 42

Theo's POV

My Dad's not much of a cook. Most of the meals he knows how to make he learned in college, and since they get the job done, he hasn't branched out from those. So on Saturday afternoons when mom is off to her Gardening club, he relies on his skills for lunch. Today he's gone with a classic: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. Cut diagonally. No crusts. Golden, crisp, still warm.

We sit across from each other at the small table by the window, the one that still has a water ring stain from my sixth-grade science project. It's quiet, just the occasional clink of silverware and the low hum of the radio he always keeps on the oldies station. 

I take a bite I don't really want, then swirl the soup in the bowl.

"You're not eating," he says. Not judgmental — just noticing.

"Not really hungry," I murmur.

He nods. Doesn't press. Just takes a sip of iced tea and waits, like he's giving the silence room to do the work.

"I've... been seeing someone," I cave, eyes on my plate. "Avery. Not for long, bout a month. Not many people knew."

He glances up. No surprise, no shock. Just a soft lift of his brow. "She's a nice girl." 

I nod. "We had a fight last night."

I don't say more. I don't need to. He wouldn't ask for details even if he wanted them.

After a beat, he sets his glass down and leans back in his chair. "You know, your mom and I broke up for three months when we were your age."

That gets my attention. I look up.

"Really?"

He nods. "She thought I wasn't serious about her. And I thought... well, I thought I didn't need to explain how I felt. Thought just showing up was enough."

He chuckles softly, eyes distant like he's watching some old film only he can see. "Communicating is the hardest part of a relationship at  your age."

"I don't know if she wants me," I admit. "Not really. I think maybe she's still hung up on someone else." I say, giving him a bit more context to things with Avery.

"Sometimes people don't know what they want," he says, voice steady. "Doesn't mean you're not worth wanting." 

He stands, taking his plate to the sink and giving it a rinse before returning. "You can't wait around for to figure that out. Your job isn't to convince her."

"Can I ask you something?" I say.

He tilts his head.

"When you and mom broke up... did you ever think that was it? That you wouldn't get back together?"

He's quiet for a second. Then, "Yeah. Thought it for a while, actually. I went to a couple of her choir concerts. Sat in the back, didn't talk to her. Just... watched her sing." He smiles faintly. "Showing up got her to talk to me again, and that time— I made sure I had plenty of words to tell her just how I was feeling."

I nod slowly, not sure if I feel any clearer about things. 

"You'll figure it out. You always do," he says. Then heads down the hall to grab the laundry.

And just like that, I'm alone at the table, the sandwich untouched since my first bite, and my suit still hanging in my closet.

Jackie's POV

I found the package on my porch this morning. I'd been fielding texts all morning from Dylan figuring out if we were meeting at his place or if he was picking me up, if my dress was really okay, and whether his tie makes him look "like a youth pastor."