HONEY MAGNOLIA

She’s on her way. I promise.’

The look Gianni’s grandmother shot in his direction as he signed to her made it obvious that the wizened old woman didn’t believe it. She was almost swallowed up by the black dress she wore, her carefully painted face and hands seeming to float in the dim light just beyond his table as she signed back at him.

”She don’t come soon, I’ll have Gianni drive us to the court house. You’re too pretty a face to be alone.’She swept closer to the table, patting his cheeks in the way his own grandmother had done when he and Frank were too young to know to run when Gramma Damasca closed in on them.

Theo reached up and patted her hand before signing back. ’I’ll tell her you said so. Five minutes, you’ll see. She’ll be here.’ He picked up his phone in explanation. Freyja had messaged him to apologise a short time ago. She probably hadn’t known he’d shown fifteen minutes early to talk to Gianni up front, or be fawned over by his friend’s grandmother.

Nonna shot him a dubious look but patted his cheek once more before she signed that she’d be watching and drifted off to another table.

Didn’t that make it all better. Pressing his lips together, Theo shifted in his seat. There was a story to arrive when Freyja did make it. And she would, he knew that in her case the text message hadn’t been the first step in a complex attempt at standing him up. If she hadn’t wanted to see him there would’ve been no way she’d have agreed to a date in the first place. Freyja wasn’t the sort to spare his ego, hell, he didn’t think she had a really mean bone in her body.

Nerves sparked in the pit of his stomach as he sat there though, resisting the urge to punch his phone on to check the time again. Theo tapped the toe of his boot against the table leg, reached out to adjust the knife to the right of his plate instead. Two seconds later and he was reaching out a second time. Another infinitesimal change, a bleeding off of nerves. Nonna Maria called herself a psychic but Gianni had laughed that off the first time the two of them had sat at the restaurant’s bar on a rainy Friday night unlike this one and the chef had introduced his family.

That was the way the place had felt from the start, like a family joint that sucked everybody in the neighbourhood in. They all ended up talking to Nonna some time during their meal, although she couldn’t hear half of what most of them said to her. She hadn’t been born deaf, Gianni had told him, but she was certainly selective of hearing now. And she was gonna be back at their table later, fawning over Freyja. That was his version of being psychic.

His fingers were hovering over the knife again as he saw the door swing open, the light from the candles inside and the street lights outside breaking like little prisms in the rain drops on the door, bathing Freyja in a glow that had him blind to the damage to her outfit until she plopped down in front of him. Theo’s grin spread slowly, his head bobbing now that the nerves had stopped fizzing and just oozed beneath his skin instead. ”That’s one hell of a hello,” he told her on a chuckle.

Theo shifted in his seat, propping his elbows on the edge of the table to lean forward. Dark brows beetled, his face already twisting faintly in concern as he went to wave her apology off. She carried on though, peeling darmp hair away from her neck as she spilled into an explanation. Theo waited until she was done, one elbow planted, his chin propped on the heel of his hand as he shook his head. ”That wasn’t a complaint,” he promised. ”It’s righteous indignation for that asshole fate.” He saw Gianni’s sister working her way towards the table and waved her over. ”Hey Chiara. Any chance you can scare me up a towel, things got a little tidal wave like when Freyja was on the way here?”

Chiara aimed a smile at him that was all her Nonna, and then she was turning dark eyes shrewdly on Freyja. She reached out and patted Freyja’s shoulder. ”Don’t worry, I’ll find something. I’ll bring you over some drinks to warm you up too.”

She slipped off between the tables before he could thank her. Theo leaned forward, peeling his jacket off to offer it across the table. The corners of his eyes crinkled for a moment before he grinned. ”How did your makeup start a fight?” he asked. He’d taken in everything, understand the frustration of all of it and the delay it had caused but that was the one thing he’d never understand as a guy. A rumble in the bathroom with a tube of lip-gloss, mascara taking the idea of a black eye too seriously?

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It was hard to convey a whirlwind in a text message but Freyja had come close. A vortex that had drawn him to her in the first place. Wringing laughter out of him, smiles drawn out in the middle of lectures when he’d seen his phone light up in his desk as he perched on the edge of it, her photo on the screen catching his eyes when they should’ve been on his class nightmares. Nobody had managed to blow up the lab while he’d been distracted but it’d maybe been a close run thing once.

A major fire at the school would’ve been one hell of a reason to be late for tonight. A disaster born of distraction. Nonna would’ve said he’d cursed himself but he hadn’t been the one rushing in, wet, hair an adorable mess, sorry. Theo knew he should’ve been all sympathy, all compliments to make up for it but that would’ve meant biting his tongue hard enough to have it split.

He wasn’t an entire ass, he promised himself as he caught Chiara making her way through the restaurant. The Di Marco’s wouldn’t have practically adopted him as an another grandson, OK, maybe distant cousin, if he was. Nonna wouldn’t have let him get away with that anymore than she did Gianni. Not an ass, not at all.

Theo watched Freyja as she looked up at Chiara, his lips curving faintly as she thanked the girl too. Not shivering, but wet to the skin all the same in a place she couldn’t switch out the dress she’d worn specially for him for something warmer, dryer. In a definitely non-asshole move, Theo shrugged out of his own jacket, leaving him in the dark sweater he’d worn beneath. ”You’re welcome,” he murmured. ”I couldn’t stand watching you shiver through dinner.” If he’d offered to cook … as bad as it likely would’ve ended up, he have offered up more, but that was in Chiara’s hands for the moment.

He could see her bustling behind the bar, talking to her cousin and sending him off to the kitchen while she poured. Theo settled back in his seat, fingers curling over the arms of the chair rather than fiddling with the cutlery now, focused on Freyja’s face, perfectly framed by damp strands of hair and painted by the candlelight, as he asked about her make up. Was that like a woman’s age, you didn’t ask if you knew what was good for you? Maybe not, Freyja was setting the menu down, spreading her hands on the table as she started to explain. ”Uh huh,” he murmured, amused, like he had a clue what it was like trying to get that stuff around his eyes. He’d thankfully missed the whole goth phase that seemed to have gone around while he’d been growing up. Like he would’ve needed anymore reason for the kids on base to single him out.

Theo sucked in a breath, mock outraged as he shook his head. He was definitely better off without manscaping to that degree. He clucked his tongue, leaning forward to pretend to study her face better in the low light. A dubious sound rolled in his throat, his own chin lifting an inch to encourage Freyja to do the same. ”I’m pretty sure you got it all and looked spectacular afterwards…” She still did, he thought, even with the thin veneer of drowned rat the weather and the asshole driver had covered her with. She was stunning, had been the first time he’d seen her too, although that little titbit he’d kept to himself. You’re incredible was definitely a third or fourth date level compliment.

He made another of those low noises, propping his elbow on the arm of the chair, his chin on his knuckles as he tried to be humble about it. A laugh rolled out of him, blue eyes narrowing at her across the table. ”This took hours of effort,” he told her. ”You should see the shelf full of creams and serums in my bathroom cabinet.” Theo pouted, pressing his lips against his fingers as he watched her study the menu. ”You do that, I’m gonna ask for my jacket back,” he managed, mock serious. ”I’d say I’d maybe exchange it for the dress btu I don’t think I have the legs for it, and yellow’s definitely not my colour the way it is yours.” Leaning forward, Frank wiggled his fingers at the menu to invite Freyja to slide it forward. ”Sauce definitely isn’t your friend tonight if you want to avoid ruining that dress entirely, and I don’t want you to because I wanna see you in it again.” He trailed his fingertip down the list of specials on the right. ”These are nonna’s babies. You won’t ever go wrong with eggplant parmesan, arancini or Panzanella. Don’t let nonna talk you into the wedding soup, that’s practically a ring on your finger in her book.” He looked up at that warning, catching the grin Chiara shot him as she appeared back with two brandy glasses and a white towel folded over her arm.

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Vanity was a waste when people stopped looking at your face the moment they noticed your hands forming shapes in the air or caught a glimpse of the devices behind your ears. They didn’t see blue eyes or a big nose then, it was all about the fact that you were deaf. As devices shrunk and it was easier to hide the fact that he couldn’t hear a damn thing with electronic help it’d already gotten too late for him to start worrying about the rest of his appearance. He’d leave that to Frank and would gladly be punctual Theo, ready in an hour, including the added ten minutes he’d spent on his hair and the twenty it’d taken to change and rechange in and out of a suit, a t-shirt, the sweater and jacket he’d gone with in the end.

His face? Eh. There wasn’t much he could’ve done about that even if he had wanted to manscape.

Theo narrowed his eyes further, peering through his lashes at her, his lips curved regardless. As Freyja made to get up, his brows rose but the rest of him stayed put. He knew she wasn’t going anywhere, even if he had been telling the truth and at some point he was gonna have to clear half a drug store out of his bathroom to make room for the possibly homicidal make-up. ”So the age defying BB cream was a deal breaker huh?” He clucked his tongue, shaking his head. ”I should’ve taken a leaf out of Frank’s book and carried on shaving with a cut throat razor. It’s more manly.” God only knew what his brother had actually done in the field. That was still he didn’t wanna consider on a date.

Happy thoughts, the sort of poetic words, well, poetic jokes, that had Freyja’s cheeks going pink and her laugh trailing off into that smile he could feel in his chest. Theo dropped his gaze to where she was biting on her lip, his own teeth mirroring her action as he looked up and found himself letting out a sad sigh. Oh he’d sacrifice the jacket willingly, hell, he would’ve bronzed it if she’d given it back, but the legs? He wasn’t taking that. Sniffing, he extended his out the side of the table, pooched his lips out in thought as he studied his and then tilted his head like he could see hers under the starched white tablecloth. ”You’re only saying that because you haven’t seen them yet. They’re world class legs. Frank, now he got the bad legs in the family, all bowed, hairy.” Theo shook his head, pretending to shudder for a moment like they weren’t identical down to the last cell. Almost.

Two ways. Just two ways that they differed. His hearing and who they were attracted to. Frank would’ve taken one look at Freyja in that dress and commented on the colour maybe, but he wouldn’t have felt that little jolt as she’d rushed in the door with it hanging soggy around her world class legs. He wouldn’t have used it to practically ask for a second date the way he just had done.

He considered it as he leaned over to gesture for the menu. Not Di Marco’s again, although one look at him looking at her and nonna might’ve been ordering him to make this a weekly thing. His place maybe, although the food wouldn’t be as good. Theo had his eyes on the menu, was reeling off what nonna had pushed on him that first time. Chiara’s heels had been clacking closer, echolocation amongst the quiet buzz of sound around them in the restaurant but as Freyja half rose out of her seat It all faded into static. She laid one on him. He’d wanted to do it since the first time he’d made her laugh, wanted to cut off the sound and turn it into a satisfied little squawk like the one that squeaked in his own throat. His face glowed as she drew back, a bashfulness burning in his own face as he stared at her.

Theo wetted his lower lip with his tongue, tasting a trace of her lipstick before he grinned. She’d gone prim now, smiling at Chiara like she hadn’t just kissed him in the middle of the restaurant, taking the towel and drying her neck. He could practically hear Chiara figuring out how she was going to whisper this to Gianni and nonna the minute she got away from the table, her eyes were undoubtedly burning holes in his forehead but his were on Freyja as she ordered, adorably butchering the pronunciation of arancini. Blue eyes flicked up to Chiara, caught her knowing smirk. Theo cleared his throat, straightening up slightly. ”I think I’ll take the wedding soup, thanks.” Chiara laughed as she walked away. Theo picked up his glass, extending it towards Freyja’s, encouraging her to clink her own against it. To a date that could only carry on going up from here.

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It’d come out before he’d been able to take it back. Wedding soup.

From the corner of his eye he watched Chiara walk away. She was smirking and he knew it. Undoubtedly by the time he and Freyja paid the cheque the entire family would be crowded at the kitchen door or behind the bar, watching him, watching her. It was a family here indeed.

In the end if they had gathered he wouldn’t have known it. Like it had when Freyja had first walked in the rest of the restaurant had melted away, slowly shrinking down until all he was aware of was her. He hadn’t wanted to seem like he was trying too hard but the more he had Freyja smiling the more Theo tried to make it happen. Anything to make up for the start to the night she’d had – rain and exploding eye-gunk – what rain and eye gunk.

They drank their way through the meal, him trying to keep up with her, Chiara making sure glasses weren’t empty, at least he’d assumed she was the one who kept stopping past the table, slipping things down in front of them, not taking an ounce of offence when he’d barely acknowledged her existence. Theo knew he’d pay a little for that later but it’d been so easy to lose himself in Freyja, in her stories, her comments on her professors drawing laughter from him. He’d been telling her about Professor Straub’s little indiscretion with the photocopier at the department’s Christmas party when a box of tiramisu and the check had arrived at the table. There wasn’t any question of who was paying it. Like she had done earlier, he rose out of his seat slightly, snagging it from in front of her when she offered, clucking his tongue in censure. ”First date is definitely on me. I might have to make it lobster and caviar next time though.” He winked at her as Chiara ran the bill through on his card.

Tucking his wallet back in his pocket, Theo pushed to his feet and let out a quiet oops as Freyja wavered. The drinks had gone down easy after that first brandy to warm Freyja up. The alcohol was a buzz under his own skin, a warmth and faint numbness in his face as he chuckled and let her tug him outside. She was far smaller than he was, the alcohol had to be singing in her veins. Theo looked over his shoulder as they left, held the tiramisu box in thanks as he caught sight of nonna at the kitchen door with Gianni just as he’d thought.

Using their joined hands Theo tugged Freyja in a little as she thanked him. He shook his head slowly, his grin curling his lips. He honestly should’ve been the one thanking her. A few bucks was nothing in comparison to incredible company. People who made the world melt away instead of making you want to desperately escape from the little bubble they were creating were rare. Theo lifted the hand holding the box of tiramisu and caught his fingers in the open front of his jacket to draw Freyja in, the backs of his knuckles brushed skin now warm and dry. ”Thank you for an incredible night,” he murmured. ”I’d ask how the arancini was but I’m gonna be really surprised if you can even remember your own name right now.” His grin brightened as he dropped his head. Hazel eyes narrowed faintly, crinkling at the corners as he studied her face. ”I’m gonna have to have a few words with Chiara about getting my date tipsy.” Tipsy enough to be coy as Freyja had dipped her chin and given him that smile. Theo leaned down, brushing his lips against the smile gently before he deepened the kiss. Thank you was gonna be top of the list of those words, second only to the text that was gonna go out to his date first thing next morning to tell her he’d had an amazing night.

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Saki had been involved in his first ever kiss. Maybe it felt just a little right that brandy was involved this time, maybe had been involved when Freyja had risen out of her seat back in the restaurant to kiss him, now. Lucia Schultz had been more truly legless than Freyja, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping him upright while she’d practically eaten his face and he’d stood there like a damn statue. He’d learned a thing or two since then, or at least had gotten himself better taste in women.

Freyja didn’t stumble, she didn’t tear the hair out of the back of his head trying to anchor herself to him. She melted … no … wait, maybe that was him as he tasted the brandy and cheek on her lips. He definitely felt the nerves under the skin of his fingers tingling as he rubbed them gently back and forth over that tiny little patch of exposed skin, tracing the line of the neck of her dress until she was pushing into him. Theo chuckled breathlessly, lifting his head an inch as he braced himself.

He pressed together his lips, traced his tongue along the inside of his lower one, still tasting her. Warm, spiced, just a little hint of the brandy left. He didn’t want to but he kept the space between them, at least until he managed to fumble the box of tiramisu under his arm. ”Maybe it’s a good thing that I’ll answer to anything,” he teased. ”Screaming alone is good with me, maybe calling me a God would work a little too.” It’d inflate his ego to Frank sized proportions, if he allowed himself to slip under the faintly boozy surface too.

God, it hadn’t been his intention but all self-control was crumbling like the cake he had wedged under his arm as Freyja’s teeth nipped at his lower lip, gave it a tug that he felt shoot down into the pit of his stomach and lower lightning bolt fast. What he had sworn they weren’t going to do tonight? It was getting hazier by the minute. Theo curled his fingers harder into the lapel of his jacket, unsure if he was holding her up or himself for a moment.

Dark brows rose, the haze in his eyes and in his head swimming around for a moment. Car. Was it his? He’d driven here. It was within walking distance of his apartment but between the rain and his determination to get there early had meant driving. Theo twisted, trying to get a look at it. ”Yep. She’s mine,” he admitted. It made making out against it a little less awkward, although it didn’t come with any sort of cloaking device to hide the two of them from whoever happened to walk past or stroll out of the restaurant.

Theo took hurried steps backwards as Freyja used her grip on his shirt to push him backwards. The door rushed up, stopping him dead as Freyja continued to push in, her body pressed to his, stretching up as he fumbled to try and get the tiramisu out of his grasp and on top of it to end up with two free hands. He was almost there, his breathing rasping in his throat as Freyja wrapped her lips around his ear lobe and then bit down again.

Jesus! He practically saw stars, a hoarse groan melting out of his throat as she started kissing down his neck. If she hadn’t pushed him back into the car they both would’ve been on the floor, the poster kids for public indecency. As it was …

”Oh my lord! Hello!” The shudder of pleasure rolled down Theo’s spine even as he started. The heels of his boots skidded on the curb, the tiramisu almost tumbling free as he dropped an inch. His eyes were rolling back in his head, laughter rasping in his throat as he tried to shift. ”Killing me on the first date? I thought you’d at least wait til the third,” he laughed. Letting go of her for a moment he grabbed the box, shoved it awkwardly into the pocket of his coat. ”I should get you home.” There was a trace of regret in his voice.

He didn’t move, couldn’t without embarrassing himself for the moment. He trailed his hand down to cover hers, drawing them back up linked to settle against his chest. ”God, you’re beautiful and tempting and I’m gonna spend the whole night in a cold shower.” Theo lowered his head, his lips skimming the shell of her ear as his voice rumbled out. ”You need help getting in the car?” Ice cold water. An hour of it and still he was going to be aching everywhere she’d touched for the entire rest of the night. Chivalry wasn’t dead but he was going to be.

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If he’d drunk a little more, if he wasn’t on the street outside of Di Marco’s, if he hadn’t covered up that yellow sundress and all that perfect porcelain skin with his jacket. If he wasn’t a good guy who had just a little too much self-control for his own good right now.

If, if, if. If any of those things hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have been falling off of the curb, easing away from Freyja’s touch instead of towards it. He’d have gripped her hand squeezed, drawn her closer and just given in. He was though and God he was going to regret it later. Theo felt lightheaded as he scrabbled to get the dessert out from between the two of them before he either crushed it or dropped it, his breath burned in his lungs, matching the burn everywhere she was touching. His own laughter huffed out as she laughed, the brush of her lips at the corner of his mouth stealing the sound away again. His eyelids fluttered, the self-control slipping bit by bit as his body reacted to her.

It was a good thing the box was out of his hand moments later, tucked in the jacket she still wore. His pulse raced in his throat as he slowly let his hand trailed down to hers, stopping her with a gentle touch that he wished was the exact opposite. ”You’re gonna get me in trouble,” he warned warmly, dropping his head to skim his lips over the line of her jaw, over the pink marks left by his beard. Theo pecked a kiss on those pouting lips. ”Or I’m gonna drop dead.” There was still a chance of that, struck down by a lightning bolt for making himself wait with the best thing he’d had in his life in a long time. He’d regret it when he was shivering hard for more than one reason in an hour or so.

He regretted it now. He was pretty damn sure his heart was about to thunder out from under his ribs as he held Freyja’s hand against his chest and whispered his regret against her ear. ”You’ve got no idea how tempting you are,” he breathed. Maybe his grip on his libido was a little tighter now but no less difficult to hold on to. Drawing in a little breath at her hummed denial, Theo nodded slightly, pressed a kiss to the side of her head. The moment was needed for things to subside. If nonna and Chiara were looking out the window he was pretty damn sure one of them would faint if Freyja was to step away now.

She sucked in a breath, the sound of it doing the absolute opposite of making things to subside. Then she apologised and didn’t that make him feel like an asshole. His brow furrowing Theo shook his head. He slid his other hand down to the small of her back, pulling her in against him so she could tell her absolutely didn’t regret a moment of what had just happened. ”I think I can do that,” he promised. Keeping his hands on her, he eased himself off of the car, glad to realise his legs were steady. He twirled the two of them, feeling Freyja’s dress billow out against his legs. ”Let me get that for you m’lady,” he drawled in a bad English accent. Theo reached past her, fumbling for the door handle, grazing her ass in the process. ”I wouldn’t want you mad at me.” There was a hint of an apologetic little kid in his expression as he slowly laced his fingers with hers and guided her backwards.

One last kiss and he eased her down in her seat. Bending, he traced his hand down the length of her calf, lifting her legs in for her before he pressed a kiss to her knee and stood. He closed the door gently, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder as he hurried around the front of the car. He’d never been so damn glad for the dim lighting on the street, there were plenty of people in Mystic Falls who would’ve been scandalised about him walking around with the evidence of what he was feeling right now in plain sight. His jacket would’ve helped but he wasn’t asking for that back. Climbing in on the driver’s side, he belted up and glanced over at Freyja. ”I’m pretty sure where you live but you wanna give me directions?” It had been a part of those late night games of message rallies, or one of those phone calls that’d left his apartment ringing the sound of her voice and his own laughter. Where each other lived, who had the most embarrassing poster on their bedroom wall, most read book on their shelves.

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For just a moment he thought she’d pull away, see his lack of response as a rejection but she’d smiled at his assurances, let him spin her around and into the car after he’d breathed the truth against her skin. She was killing him, it’d taken every ounce of self-control he had not to give in right then and there. Later Theo knew he was gonna be kicking himself for it, running through this date moment by moment and cursing himself for those decisions where he’d gone one way and not the other. Pulled back instead of pulling forward. Opening the rear door of the car instead of the front and leaving the steam on the windows to hide his complete lack of restraint when it came to Freyja.

Theo’s grin broadened as he played Parker for a moment, heat rising into his cheeks as he used the chance to cop a feel. His hand settled against her back, his thumb tracing the line of her spine as she kissed him. ”Good because you honestly don’t want to see me cry on a first date. Embarrassing and messy, especially when the guyliner starts melting.” He snatched another kiss, bent to help her into the car. His hands on her bare legs, his hazel eyes flicking up to her face as she spread her knees a little, kicking the hem of that yellow dress up her thighs. A little more heat rushed through him as he glanced back down and touched his lips to one of those bare knees before he tucked her into the car.

Lightheaded didn’t cover it as he trotted around the car. Unsteady in the legs, boiling hot under the collar, even without the jacket that Freyja had tucked around her. He got in, buckled up, felt awareness prickle down his right side as Freyja leaned in towards him as he asked where she lived. The laugh that rolled out of him was a little bashful as she took his question and turned it around on him. ”Only on the weekends,” he promised. ”I have too much marking to do during the week to pull my Batman act.” He pursed his lips, letting out a low whistle before he laughed. She. Was. Not. Stopping. At this rate he’d be dead before he pulled up in front of her building. ”Next weekend, I promise. I’ll even dress up for it.” Laughing, he ducked his head slightly as he started up the car and pulled out onto the street. She had her fingers over her mouth, embarrassed, although he wasn’t, not a bit as he shook his head slightly at her, his grin practically ear to ear by now.

He did as she asked, stopping at the lights for just a moment for the red to go through before he turned where Freyja indicated. His brows rose, his gaze dropping her as she started to pat herself down. ”How did you…” he asked, his eyes flaring wide as he saw her pat at her chest like what she was looking for might’ve been in there. When he saw the phone emerge from his jacket pocket his mouth hung open. ”Hang on … you thought you had your phone in there?” His gaze cut from the road to her chest for a moment, the idea boggling his brain as Freyja started talking to Siri to try and get directions up. Theo swallowed, shaking his head as he drove in the vague direction he thought he had right.

God she just had to open her mouth and Freyja had him laughing. It was a rumbling chuckle as she swore at her phone. He tapped his fingers against the wheel, making sure not to look at her again in case she ended up running the two of them off the road. She brought the GPS up on her phone instead, forcing him to look back as he saw the glimmer of the screen. ”It’s a good thing one of us knows where we’re going then. My dad always made sure both of us could find our way just about anywhere. Without a map or a flashlight either.” Their dad had known he wasn’t going to have it so easy, and Frank, Frank seemed to thrive on all that survival shit long before he’d enlisted.

Theo kept one eye on the road, one on the phone the entire way, switching between the two and catching those little glances from Freyja that had him grinning on and off, the heat staying in his cheeks above the dark cover of beard. He let out a shuddery little breath as she reached out to thread her fingers through his hair again, that flirty little whisper like a feather trailing down side of his neck, sending a shudder right down … He reached out, settled his hand on her knee and squeezed lightly. ”I think nonna would probably forgive us for that. Trust me, it’s still gonna taste amazing when you roll out of bed in the morning.” While him and his sainthood headed for coffee and a good hour of regret that it was going to be his own bed he was waking up in.

Probably.

Pulling up in the parking lot of her building he planned on walking her up to the door but seeing her press her forehead to the window and stare up at the building, her breath fogging the glass for a moment, obscuring the reflection of her he was watching. His resolve slipped an inch, mental hands grabbing at it hard enough that he was giving himself theoretical rope burn. Theo licked his lips, twisting in his seat to grin at her. ”Do you want me to come up?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly. Yeah. She definitely did. He unbuckled his seat belt as she leaned in, her elbow on the centre console, her innocent … mischievous little face right there. ”I think we better make sure you’re not alone then. Who knows what trouble you’re gonna get yourself in.” Drunk as she was, it could’ve been anything. Leaning in to kiss the mischief from her lips he started humming Love in an Elevator deep in his throat. She wasn’t gonna be the only one in trouble.

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