CHAPTER 34
Lex
We returned to Theo’s house as the sun was setting, a little after six. The hot dog stands weren’t open, so we agreed to make something back at his place. He led me to the kitchen, where he pulled out a stool from the island. He told me to sit, then proceeded to shuffle around his fridge and pantry.
There was something incredibly sexy about watching Theo work his way around the kitchen. He ignited the flame on the stove and filled a pot with water from the swivel faucet above him.
“Can I help?”
“You can open this.” He set a bottle of red wine in front of me along with an electric corkscrew.
I stared at it as he walked away, and a fluttering erupted in my belly. I didn’t know why. My normal reaction would have been to refuse to open it or to push it away. I searched for that dark feeling that usually crept through my blood at the thought of drinking with my peers. It never came. And I realized then, in a heart-stopping moment, that it was because I trusted Theo the same way I trusted Shane.
I reached for the electric opener and turned it over in my hands, then examined it as I tried to figure out how it worked. It seemed pretty simple: just cover the top of the bottle and push the button to drill the screw into the cork. Easy.
Theo turned to me once I had the screw spinning but with no luck. It attached to the top but was only digging a hole into the cork. A laugh bursting from his throat, he said, “Babe. You have to cut it.” He took the opener from me and unlatched a horseshoe-looking device from the top, then he used it to hook around the top of the bottle and cut the foil.
Heat crawled up my neck.
“Have you ever used one of these things?” he asked as he reinserted the screw onto the top of the bottle and held the button. I watched as he pulled it away a few seconds later and removed the cork with another push of the button.
“I’ve never had wine before, so no.”
The way he looked at me then, his eyes running over my face as though he wanted to memorize it, only made me hotter. He grabbed two wineglasses from the cabinet then set them down near the bottle. “Do you want something else? I have pretty much everything you could think of.”
“Of course you do.”
His eyes lifted, amused.
“Wine is fine. Just … maybe one glass.”
By the time Theo was finished cooking dinner, I’d poured myself a second glass. My head felt light, and giggles erupted from me when Theo leaned in to kiss my cheek. He’d taken the stool beside me after dishing our meals and placing them in front of us. It was a seafood Alfredo that smelled and looked amazing.
“You’re cute when you’re drunk.”
I opened my mouth in mock astonishment. “How can I be drunk? This is only”—I looked at the inch of red liquid remaining—“not even two glasses.”
“You overpoured. So it’s more like four. And you’re small.”
I swiveled in my stool and placed my hands on the sides of my hips. “I’m not that small.”
He grinned and shook his head. “You’re perfect. But no more wine for you.” He moved the bottle away, and I pouted.
After a few bites of seafood, I dropped my fork and looked at him. “This is fucking amazing.”
He looked at me, his eyes darkening. “Did you just cuss?”
“Yes.” I didn’t see what the big deal was. “Doesn’t everybody?”
He shook his head. “Not you. At least I’ve never heard you. It sounded … dirty.”
I laughed. “That’s what Shane says too. He tells me not to. I think he wants to believe I’m this innocent little thing forever.”
“Aren’t you? Innocent?”
How did Theo always manage to make me blush? “Maybe. But I cuss when the mood strikes, just like everyone. Anyway.” I exaggerated the word to change topics. I’d had a point when I acknowledged his cooking. “Where did you learn to cook? When have you had the time?”
He set his fork down and turned to me, his knees on either side of mine. “The foster care system kind of forces you to grow up faster than most, I guess. My foster parents, who eventually adopted me, were never home, and there were two other kids, younger than me. I was responsible for making sure their lunches were packed, that they made it to school on time, and that they had food on the table every night.
“When I bought this house a few years ago, I promised myself I would use it and not just let it sit here, like some celebrities I’ve come across. I never wanted someone to cook or clean for me. To me, that stuff is just a part of life.”
“But—” I couldn’t stop thinking about little Theo raising two younger kids while he was trying to be a kid himself. “If you were taking care of the kids, when did you find the time to dance?”
“I did what every other thug did.” He grinned. “Skipped school. But instead of crawling the streets, I hung out at the rec center. Took dance classes there and eventually got noticed by the man who basically saved my life.”
“Who is that?”
“Rashni, the owner of Gravity.”
My heart stopped. “You mentioned him before. Didn’t he—?” I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I’d heard a lot about Rashni. There were photos of him and groups of dancers all over the halls of the center, along with a plaque honoring his life. He died when he was thirty-four. I’d always wondered how. I knew that his wife owned Gravity now, but she was never there.
“He always walked to and from the rec center when he taught. Never wanted to be seen as different by the community that had practically raised him. He’d built Gravity from nothing when he was a boy. The way it blossomed over the years was all due to his hustle. Hustle he wouldn’t have had if he hadn’t faced some of the worst times growing up. He wanted a better life for himself and others. He wanted a positive outlet to feed his creativity. Just like the zoo housed a place for creativity, that’s what Gravity became for others. To this day, I believe Gravity’s success is due to the origin of it all. Due to Rashni’s passion giving a home to others who needed that type of release. He beat the odds, and he wanted others to beat them too. That’s why he took me under his wing. He saw something in me, and he offered me a place at Gravity to make something of myself.”
“Sounds like he was an amazing man.” I swallowed. “What happened to him?”
“Wrong place, wrong time. Some thugs were crawling the streets, looking for money. One man pulled a gun in a convenience store, and he happened to be buying smokes. His fucking worst habit he refused to break. He tried to talk to the robbers, but when that didn’t work, he jumped the man with the gun and got shot in the chest.”
I placed a hand on his knee and squeezed. “I’m so sorry, Theo. He would be so proud of you.”
Theo’s jaw tightened, then he nodded. “I hope so. Rashni’s wife, Ananya, runs Gravity now, but she can hardly bring herself to come in.” He rubbed his chest and shook his head. “Shit, that got heavy. You should think twice about asking me questions. I come from a dark place that’s not always fun to go back to.”
“Your past doesn’t scare me.”
He gripped my eyes with his. “Maybe it should.”