9

Theo needs to work on his poker face.

He might think he's fooling the world, but his apprehension was glaringly obvious when Monica came by and told him that douchebag had crashed the party.

I mutter a hasty, "Excuse me," as I jump up from my seat to follow them.

Dmitri calls my name, causing me to skid to a halt before I reluctantly glance back at him. He takes a second to study me before releasing a heavy sigh. "If you're not willing to give him what he wants from you, you can't stop him from seeing other people."

"No, it's not like that," I scoff, averting my gaze, because if I'm being honest with myself, it's exactly like that. "I don't trust Jesse." Also true.

"I'm with Dante on this one," Eric chimes in, and I turn back to glance at him. He shrugs as he cranes his neck, watching Theo and Monica walk away. "That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Once again, Dmitri stops me as I turn to go after them. "I know you think you need to protect him, but before you play the hero, make sure he really needs your help. Don't do it for the wrong reasons."

Instead of wasting time arguing, I opt for a quick nod and navigate through the crowded space in the direction they went. Once Theo and Monica are in my line of sight at the entrance, I stop and observe. Jesse is your stereotypical arrogant douche, glaring at the bouncers for doing their jobs until he notices Theo, and then his demeanor does an entire one-eighty.

How can Theo be so oblivious to how fake he is?

Eventually, they entwine their hands and wander around the room to mingle. I keep an eye from a distance, but all they do is chat while they walk, with Jesse capturing a few snapshots of them with prominent figures in the crowd.

"What are you up to?" Tai's voice hits me from behind, and I meet his amused gaze over my shoulder. "Have you moved from pining from afar to full-on stalking? Most people make that jump in a few weeks… months, at most. You've been in love with the guy for years now and you've finally resorted to following him in the shadows?"

"I'm not…" I scoff and roll my eyes. "This isn't stalking. This is… keeping an eye to make sure he's okay."

Tai's expression tells me he doesn't believe a word out of my mouth. "Right," he drawls. "Of course. How silly of me."

With a shake of my head, I turn back to where Theo and Jesse were standing, but there's no sign of them. "Where'd they go?" I snap, whipping around to glare at Tai, who simply shrugs. An annoyed grunt works its way from my throat as I dart away.

For five minutes, I circle the room and scan the crowd, but I don't spot either of them. My stress is through the roof as I lean on the wall, pushing my hands over my head.

My intuition is screaming at me, warning that something is seriously wrong, and I never ignore my instinct.

The longer I walk, the surer I am that I need to find him.

I duck down the hallways towards a hidden set of bathrooms, going so far as peeking into every stall. "Fuck!" I shout, heading back into the hall when a chilly breeze blows over my skin.

There's a near-invisible alcove, covered in shadows so dark they almost hide the glass doors that lead outside. A rock is wedged in the doorframe, keeping one door propped open.

The moment I cross over the threshold, the cool autumn air wraps around me, while my eyes struggle to adapt to the dim lighting. A metallic clank, the only noise in this eerily quiet courtyard, has me turning to my left. I take a step towards the sound, blinking hard to clear my vision, and when I do, a fiery rage paints everything red.

Jesse has Theo trapped against the bricks, muffling his cries with a firm hand while attempting to force his pants open. Fury combusts like lighter fluid to an open match inside my veins, my limbs quaking as I charge forward, gripping his jacket and hurling him to the ground.

The satisfying thud of his heavy body hitting the pavement is music to my fucking ears.

Ignoring his shouts, I turn to Theo, my gaze snagging on his tear-stained cheeks before moving to his wide eyes that are filled with terror.

"Dante," he chokes out as he collapses against my chest, shuddering with the heart-wrenching sobs that wrack through his body.

In the years I've known Theo, he has never seemed small.

Not once.

Despite his diminutive stature, he's always been larger than life, with a personality that fills the room and confidence in waves. There's not a single thing that's weak or breakable about him.

Until this very moment.

Right now, as he curls into my body and tears streak his pale skin, he looks frail and afraid. It is more agonizing than any other pain I have ever felt to see him like this.

And I'm no stranger to pain.

"I've got you," I whisper, wrapping my arms around him as he continues to sob, soaking my shirt. "I've always got you."

Movement in my peripherals has me spinning and tucking Theo behind me. Jesse stands, a wrath that's tinted with hysteria licking behind his eyes. "He'd be mine if it wasn't for you, " he growls, launching himself at me.

An unnatural calm spreads through my body, because this…

This is what I need.

This I can control .

Every other emotion fades away as my instinct to protect what's mine takes over. A triumphant smile digs into my cheeks as my fist meets his nose, savoring the satisfying crunch of fragile bones yielding to my knuckles.

"Mother fucker !" he screeches, hands flying over his face as blood gushes down his lips and chin. "You broke my fucking nose, you asshole!"

He charges again, and his longer reach allows him to connect a glancing blow to my cheek, but it's barely more than a graze. "Oh, you want to play, tough guy?" I taunt with a bitter laugh as I push all my strength into a powerful right hook, aiming for his chin. The impact of the punch sends him staggering backwards, his balance disrupted, and another shove to his chest makes him hit the ground for the second time.

"Stay the fuck down," I growl as I drop my foot onto his throat, pushing just hard enough for his breath to rattle. I bend over so every detail on my face is clear, not wanting him to miss a word. "Touch him again and I will fucking end you."

The door flings open, and heavy steps rush in our direction. Not removing my weight from his neck, I twist to find Tai charging in with the same bouncers that had detained Jesse when he arrived.

Tai's eyes dart to Theo behind me, and I can see the heartbreak that registers in them as he notices Theo's disheveled state. He takes a cautious step towards him, gentle as he speaks. "Are you okay? What did he…"

Theo backs against the wall, hiding his face in his hands as his head thrashes back and forth. "No, go away. Don't touch me! Don't… don't look at me," he wails, voice breaking. Agony clenches my throat, making each swallow a struggle.

"Make sure they get him out of here," I say as Tai turns his eyes back to me, hesitant. "I swear to you, I've got him." His normal composure is gone as he nods, backing up to let the bouncers step forward and take control of Jesse, who's spitting angry nonsense at me. "Take him out the back. Don't drag him through the crowd."

"And Tai?" Tears sparkle in his eyes as he looks at me once more. "Get Theo's bag from the bus. Leave it at the door." After they're gone and it's silent again, I turn to Theo, who is still hiding in his hands.

"Why don't you sit?" I ask, forcing my voice to be calm despite the overwhelming emotion that burns through my body. He shakes his head against his palms and my heart breaks a little further. "I'll stay with you. You're safe."

Careful not to move too fast, I walk over to the bench and drop onto the cool wooden slats. "Theo, you're in shock. Come and sit down, okay? Please? There's plenty of room for you to keep your distance. I won't touch you."

Another loud sob escapes his throat as he rushes towards me, launching himself into my lap with such force that it slams me against the wall. His head hits my shoulder as he curls into me.

"He didn't… I couldn't…" The unbearable way his voice breaks makes me glad that Jesse is gone. If I could lay eyes on him right now, he'd be nothing more than a chalk outline, and I'd happily be living out the rest of my life in prison. "Don't let go of me, Dante," he gets out through the hiccups and sobs that punctuate his words.

My arms wrap around him, hugging him to me, and the weight of my hands instantly relaxes him. We don't speak for a long time, and I let him cry until his breath steadies and his tears stop falling. My fingers trace gentle patterns across his back until he calms.

"Tai brought your bag if you want to fix your makeup and stay here. Unless you'd rather go home, and then I'll make sure you get there safely. Whatever you want. Where you go, I go." My voice is raspy, shredded by the sharp edges of my pent-up anger.

He nods against me and sits up, his red-rimmed eyes meeting mine and breaking my heart all over again. "I don't want to ruin the party."

I offer him a small smile as I push his hair back. "You could never ruin anything. You'll just make some sort of new fashion statement, and next thing we know, celebrities will be running around with streaky mascara." His laugh is nothing more than a quick exhale.

For what seems like forever, we simply stare at each other before he leans forward, eyes tracing the curve of my lips and leaving no doubt about his intentions.

And fuck, how I want him, crave him… but it's not the time to be selfish.

I rest my hand on his chest. "Theo…"

"Please," he whispers, begging me with those blue eyes as they flicker back up to mine. "It doesn't have to mean anything, and tomorrow we can pretend it never happened. I'll never mention it again. Just take the taste of him off my lips. Please."

His hands land on my cheeks and even in this state… even tear-stained and shaken, goddamned desperate, he's the most breathtaking sight I've ever seen. "I just want to forget him, Dante," he whispers, inching closer. "Help me forget. Erase the memory and replace it with one that will make me smile."

My hand loosens from his chest, wrapping around to cup his neck instead. "It will always mean something with you, Theo," I whisper back. "Always." He closes the distance between us and presses his lips to mine.

The taste of his tears blends with the remnants of the champaign he was sipping earlier as I kiss him. My entire body lights up as our lips slide together, completing me in a way I never thought possible.

At every step, I follow his lead. It's slow and controlled, cautious lips moving against each other as my fingers rake through the hair on his nape.

How can a simple kiss be an awakening?

How does the world shift under our feet with just the brush of his mouth?

His body turns to face me, chest to chest, and his knees slide to either side of my hips as he fights to get closer. With his arm securely around my neck, he pulls himself nearer, the other hand tracing up to my cheek while fingers explore every contour and crevice of my face.

The way our bodies align is effortless, like they were meant to be together. A sense of rightness washes over me at the weight of him in my lap, the pressure of his lips.

And so, for a minute, I allow myself to get lost in the beauty of it all.

We never take it further than the soft kisses and gentle touches, until he pulls away and leans his forehead against mine. "Thank you," he whispers, hand still on my cheek.

"You don't have to thank me for that."

"No?" His lips find mine again and I drink it in, knowing the moment has to end.

"Never," I whisper.

"Well, never mind then," he says, and I huff a laugh, grateful for the light-hearted teasing. With one last soft kiss, he sits back on my thighs, appearing as though he's composed himself. "How did you know I needed you?"

I swallow hard and shake my head. "I just… didn't trust him. Something about the way he showed up uninvited didn't sit right."

His distracted gaze fixates on the darkness surrounding us as he nods, and I'm rendered momentarily speechless by the way the faint light bounces off the soft planes of his face. He's beautiful in a way I've never experienced before... in a way I know I'll never experience again.

Still looking away, his voice is faint. "If I had told him no at the door…"

"Hey," I nudge him and force his eyes back to mine. "This wasn't your fault."

"He always made me a little uncomfortable… I should never have—"

" Not your fault . Please tell me you understand that."

Theo takes a deep breath and nods again as he nestles into my chest. I glance at my watch and see that there's still an hour and a half left of the party. "Do you want to clean up and head out there, or would you prefer me to take you home?"

"We can stay."

"I didn't ask what we can do, " I scold, and the sass comes out to play as he rolls his eyes. "I asked what you want to do. Forget about me."

"Blasphemy," he mutters, pulling himself up and popping a quick kiss on my cheek. "If you promise to stay with me, I'd love to hang out until the party is done."

"I'll be stuck on you like superglue," I tease, moving to shift him off my lap, but he clings to me like… well, like superglue. "Theo, I have to grab your stuff so you can get ready."

"You just said we'd be glued together." It's as though I'm the ridiculous one, but the snark is music to my ears if it means he's feeling better.

"I was making an analogy!"

"Well, I took you at your word, and now I expect to be carted around… just like you promised."

"Seriously?" I cock an eyebrow at him as he clings tighter.

"Are you a liar?"

I stare at him, flabbergasted. "No?"

"Then it's settled. Carry me in a manner befitting the princess I am."

"Yes, your majesty," I mutter as I stand and walk to the door with Theo adhered to my front. One of my arms wraps around his back for support as I bend and grab the bag that Tai left where I had requested.

Theo swats my ass, and I gape at him. "You weren't moving fast enough," he says with a shrug.

"You're not a princess, you're a terrorist."

He ignores me.

"Now, my faithful steed, to the bathroom!" He points towards the restrooms across the hall, and I glance both directions as I step inside the building. Despite his joking, he won't want to be seen in this condition. The hall is empty except for a single body leaning on the wall in a purple jacket.

Tai's eyes are troubled as they land on us, but Theo reaches towards him with grabby hands. He runs over and Theo wraps him in a hug, still perched on me like his personal chariot. Guilt covers Tai's face as his eyes meet mine. "I should've listened to you when you said something felt off."

"You can't blame yourself for this," I assure him.

"But if I hadn't stopped you… fuck, I was giving you a hard time instead of helping."

Theo shakes his head. "The only one to blame is the asshole that did it."

"Did he…" Tai swallows so forcefully his throat clicks. "Did he…"

"No," Theo insists, leaning into my chest again. "No, Dante got there in time. I'm fine… I promise."

Tai nods and takes a step back. "Theo's going to get cleaned up, and then we'll rejoin you guys. Was there any disruption?"

He shakes his head. "They took Jesse out of the rear exit, but I don't know what happened after that."

"Okay," I say, planting another kiss on Theo's forehead. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get your party face on and go pilfer more of that overpriced champaign. Maybe find a few rock stars we can convince to take a picture with you. How's that sound?"

He places a dramatic hand over his chest. "Expensive champaign and men in tight leather pants? You know the way to my heart, Dante. Carry on, noble steed."

I shake my head, feeling a kernel of relief at his playfulness. Bound and determined to keep him cheerful, I gallop across the hall, making an absolute fool of myself if it means hearing that laugh for just one second longer.