Love is Never Blind

Chapter Fourteen

Theo wakes up the next morning to find that Naomi isn't asleep next to him. The boxers and tank top he gave her are discarded on the bed and he hears the faint noise of the shower running.

He forces himself out of the bed and rampages through his closet, hoping to find another pair of clothes that might fit her. Fortunately, he finds a pair of black jeans and a full sleeved grey shirt which he confidently thinks will fit her properly.

"Naomi," he says making his way towards the bathroom door only to find Naomi shivering in nothing but a towel. He tosses her the clothing which she tries her best to catch, only to have it fall on the floor with the towel. 

He stares with his mouth hanging open, surveying every aspect of her naked body. She drops onto the floor, scrambling and trying to cover herself with the towel. She clears her throat after wrapping her body with it, hoping that he's not staring.

She's wrong.

He knows it's perverted.

But he can't stop gawking.

"Right," he says looking away. "Sorry about that," he says trying to casually walk towards the living room. "I-I'll make us some breakfast."

She nods, her back faced towards him. He sprints over to the kitchen and splashes his face with water, hoping it'll wash away the image of a naked Naomi Andrews that's been imprinted into his brain.

Damn.

She's so freaking sexy.

"Stop it," he says to himself. "Calm down. Just make some breakfast and pretend you didn't see anything."

Yeah.

He's suppose to pretend he didn't see Naomi naked and dripping with water droplets rolling down her fucking sexy body.

Good luck with that.

He tries steering his head clear of those not-so-innocent thoughts, proceeding to make what he hopes is a decent breakfast: pancakes with fruit and maple syrup. 

"Whatcha making?" Naomi says in a sing-song voice. She doesn't seem the least bit fazed by what he's seen earlier. "It smells so good!"

"Pancakes," he croaks out with hesitance. "With fruit and maple syrup." His eyes hover over her now clothed body. Luckily, the jeans weren't too tight like he guessed and fall right above her mid calf. The long sleeved shirt fits her well too, falling just above the low rise jeans. It wasn't covering enough to stop him from getting a glimpse of her naturally tan waist. "Are you...okay with what happened earlier?"

"The part where you saw me naked?" she deadpans with a blush covering her face. "I can't say I'm okay with what happened, but it's not that you liked what you saw, right? You said it yourself, you like women with sexier bodies."

Oh, Hanji.

If only she knew.

"Yeah," he says focusing his attention towards the pancakes. "Do you want to pick your stuff up after breakfast?"

She hums deeply in thought. "How about this," she suggests, "you go to work and I go to the academy. Cassandra and I have stuff to do anyway. After you're done with the coffee shop stuff, come visit us. I'll teach you the second part of our routine and we can pick my stuff up before coming home."

She pouts, her face twisting into an expression he can't quite decipher. "What?" he asks.

"Home," she says running her fingers through her damp hair. "I haven't used that word in a long time. I guess that's what this is now." He smiles, something he's been doing a lot since Naomi's come back into his life. 

"Here," he says after decorating the plate of pancakes with a random combination of berries and a heavy pool of maple syrup. "Try it and tell me what you think."

Naomi rolls her eyes. "You know Theodore, I've had pancakes before in my life. It's not really a new thing to me."

"I know," Theo says backing off. "But see here, you've never had any of my pancakes. You'll forget about everything else after trying these, or at least that's what my friend said after trying them." She laughs at his statement and takes a forkful of pancakes into her mouth, throwing her head back and moaning at the flavor bursting in her mouth. "What do you think?"

"This is the freaking best food I've ever had in my life," she says with her mouth still stuffed with pancakes. "I don't think I've knew what the word 'delicious' mean't before I met you."

He chuckles. "Thanks," he says looking over at his analog clock. "Listen, I have to go to the cafe now. Do you want a ride to the academy?"

She shakes her head. "Nope," she continues, "I'm fine. I called Cassie this morning and she should be here in a while to pick me up." He walks away from the kitchen, only to be stopped by Naomi. "Hey Theodore," she says before setting her plate down onto the nearest surface. He turns around, curious at what she has to say. "Thank you."

Before he has the chance to react, he feels her lips on his. For the first time in who knows how long, he doesn't know how to react to a woman kissing him. He moans before stopping, realizing that it'll all end as soon as his lust for her is over. "We need to stop," he says pulling away from her.

"O-oh," she says disappointedly. "I'm sorry. Is this not what you wanted?"

"No Naomi," he says turning around. "I don't want to do this right now. I don't want to live with the guilt of using another woman to satisfy my libido. You're sweet and kind and amazing, which is exactly why I can't do this to you. You deserve a man who can love you, not lust after you."

He turns around, only to be met with the look of utter disappointment written all over her face. "I'm sorry," she says with a nervous laugh. She backs away from him, knocking a pile of papers over on accident. She scrambles to the ground trying to pick them all up. "I'm an idiot, don't mind me," she says with a tear rolling down her cheek. He has a feeling that she's not just talking about the pile of papers she clumsily knocked over.

"No I'm sorry," he says walking out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I don't see you as anything more than a friend."

He's lying.

He's being a bitch.

He knows he's in love with her.

So why won't he just admit it?

The last thing he sees before leaving the apartment is the sight of Naomi Andrews wiping away the tears pooling up inside her eyes.