Page 60 of Cruel King
He slides his arm from around my waist up around my shoulders and pulls me to him. “I’ll keep you warm.”
It’s a sweet gesture so typical of the person he’s always been with me. I can always count on Theo to take care of me, no matter what I need.
“You’re so nice, Theo. Thank you.”
I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head. He really is the best person in the world. That Celeste woman doesn’t know what she lost.
“You don’t have to thank me, Ava.”
A man and a woman approach us, and I instantly recognize them as Carrie Mondale and Jake Roberts, two of the most popular people from high school. The memory of her never really talking to me flashes through my mind, so I’m surprised when they smile and stop to chat with us.
“Theo King!” Jake says as he sticks out his hand to shake his. “How the hell have you been?”
“Great! Just living the dream,” Theo says with a chuckle. “How about you?”
“Same. You remember Carrie, right?”
Before Theo can say a word, she flashes him a huge, toothy grin and says, “I knew you two would end up together. You guys were always joined at the hip. How have you been, Ava?”
Since she never cared enough for me to be interested in my well-being before, I assume she’s simply being polite and answer, “I’m good. Thanks.”
Then I realize what she meant and look at Theo, expecting him to correct her about us being together. But he doesn’t. Instead, he pulls me close to him like we’re actually a couple.
“Some things are just meant to be. What about you guys?” he asks them.
Carrie holds up her left hand to show off her engagement ring. “Getting married in two months. I can’t believe it!”
I notice Jake doesn’t look as enthusiastic as she does about their impending marriage, but he was always more low-key about everything. They’re complete opposites, but maybe that’s why they fell in love.
“Congratulations! Good luck to both of you.”
Jake nods like he’s used to hearing those words, and Carrie squeezes his arm before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks! Same to you guys. It was great seeing you!”
They walk away, leaving Theo and me alone again. He turns to look at me and smiles. “Did you get the feeling he’s not as happy about getting married as she is? I thought he was going to crawl out of his skin when she flashed that engagement ring of hers. Maybe he’s uncomfortable because it’s so tiny.”
I jab his side with my elbow and shake my head in fake disapproval. “You’re so bad.”
“Just call them like I see them. He comes from nearly as much money as my family. I think he could have sprung for a decent sized rock.”
Looking back at them as they walk away, I see they aren’t holding hands anymore. “They seem happy enough.”
“Jesus, that’s an indictment of a relationship if I’ve ever heard one.”
I turn back to face him and shrug. “Just calling it like I see it.”
“At least she wasn’t a bitch to you like she used to be.”
We start walking again as I laugh at his comment. “Well, I guess that’s nice. That was high school, though. People change. I can respect that.”
He shakes his head and smiles at me. “You don’t.”
I have no idea if that’s a good thing. He seems to think it is, but I’m not sure.
In a woodsy part of the path, he stops and gently moves me in front of him. For a moment, I wonder if he’s okay, but then I realize what he’s doing.
All the time we’ve spent together in our lives, Theo and I have never been anything but friends. Best friends who watched out for one another and took care of each other, but nothing more.
When I look up into his dark eyes, I see something in them that says that’s about to change. After all the sadness with his father’s illness and all the cruelty from Matthias, I can’t help but welcome this sweet change from Theo.