“It’s fine.” Theo’s voice was steady.
I wiped the spill, my cheeks burning. The silence that followed was heavy enough to hear.
“You’ve already had your first rehearsal, right?” I said at last, desperate for noise.
Theo frowned. “How did you know that?”
“Max told me about the group.”
He jerked his head in my direction, his gaze sharp. “You’ve talked to Max?”
“Just online. I followed him on Instagram.” And following Max meant a link to Theo. “He posted about it so I messaged him. How did it go? Was it okay?”
Theo hesitated. “We’ll get there.”
I smiled. “I’m sure you’ll sound great.”
Theo’s shoulders eased a little. “Thursday was our first time. We still sound too rough.”
“That’s kind of the charm. Rough Harmony, right? It fits.”
Theo’s mouth curved, a reluctant smile, gone as quickly as it came. “We’ll see.”
He turned back to the laptop, effectively closing the conversation, but the image of that almost-smile stayed with me, bright and impossible to forget.
I wanted to make him do it again.
Anything was better than the non-looks and the absence of any real connection.
“Theo… Itisokay, isn’t it? Me staying here? I mean, I haven’t outworn my welcome already, have I?”
Theo frowned. “I said it was, didn’t I?” Before I could say another word, he gestured toward the bathroom door. “Shower’s yours, if you want it.”
I decided retreat was better than awkward silence. “I won’t be long.” I headed for the bathroom and closed the door. I flipped on the water and then undressed.
The shower hissed into life, and steam soon filled the small space, fogging the mirror. I braced my hands on the wash basin and met my own reflection, mussed hair, flushed skin, wide eyes that gave away everything I’d tried to hide.
“Pull yourself together,” I muttered to myself.
I was here for a place to sleep, nothing else. Theo was doing me a favour. I couldn’t screw that up by reading meaning into every glance, every pause—or every act of avoidance.
Except I wasn’t imagining the way Theo looked at me sometimes, as though he wanted to speak but didn’t dare.
I exhaled, long and shaky.Maybe Iamimagining it.
But what if I wasn’t?
Theo
I sat at my desk, conscious of Cameron moving around in the bathroom. The water started, but less than five seconds later the sound died, and the door opened, followed by bare feet on the wooden floorboards.
“Did you forget something?” I said, my gaze focused on the screen.
“Yeah, my towel.”
I turned, half rising. “I think there’s?—”
I froze.