Just Like the Movies

Chapter Ten

Our shopping excursion ended without any more incidents... if Rowan's interrogation of why Theo entered the dressing room with me and Theo's subtle shake of the head that told me he didn't want her knowing was excluded.

Good thing I had lots of practice with coming up with lies on the spot.

I didn't understand why he didn't want his bodyguard to know, but like always, it wasn't my business, and I didn't ask.

Rowan had ended up finding a good pair of heels to match my dress and even guessed the right size. I had them with me now, the dress hanging up in the closet, ready to be taken to be dry cleaned, and the shoes in a box alongside it. We'd all left the mall tuckered out for our own reasons and parted ways quickly.

I'd been looking forward to sleeping in since it was finally the weekend, but Theo told me he'd be picking me up by ten. He wanted to do a test run with my disguise, and it was the only time his friend was available. I begrudgingly woke up to shower and get ready, opting out of putting on any makeup since I assumed I'd be getting it later, anyway.

Theo offered to drive me and I'd agreed, only because his friend's studio was downtown Burbank, and I really didn't feel like dealing with traffic or parking. I threw on my favorite hoodie and a pair of jeans, slipping on a pair of Vans as I hurried out the door, finding a black Jaguar with tinted windows idling in the street. The window rolled down as I hung back a moment, trying to decide if it was Theo or not.

When his face appeared, butterflies did as well.

No, I scolded myself. I couldn't be swayed just because he was handsome.

As I started walking toward the car, he got out of the driver's side, coming around to open the passenger door for me. I stared at him, my hands clenching together in the front pocket of my hoodie. "...I could have got that," I said.

He gestured for me to get in. "Tomorrow make sure just to get in without any comments. I'll also open your door for you when you get out."

"Oh," I responded, awkwardly sitting down in the car. "Got it."

Theo shut the door after me and the scent of his cologne enveloped me, this time mixed with the smell of leather. Of course, his car would smell like him. I hated that I liked it so much. Was that weird? I distracted myself by checking out the interior of his car. It was impeccably clean with black trim, black leather seats, a surprisingly small display screen, and a bottle of hand sanitizer in the phone tray. My own car looked a little more lived in and I worried that my shoes were dirty, because even the floor mats were spotless.

It oddly suited Theo. He always seemed pristine himself.

Once in the driver's seat, Theo twisted around to reach into the backseat.

"Where's Rowan today?" I asked.

He returned with a small orange back in his hand, which he promptly handed to me. "She's busy. Here."

"What is this?" I asked, now recognizing the bag as one from Ulta.

"A gift," he murmured, putting the car into drive, and I swear he looked a little embarrassed. Just the slightest flush on his neck.

I opened the bag and pulled out a blue, iridescent box, recognizing it as cologne a moment later. The words Versace Eros were imprinted on the side of it. The cologne he wore. "You got this for me?" I asked, turning to face him again, holding the box tightly in my hands.

"For helping me out. It's not much, but I figured you'd like it."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling too hard. I'd never received a physical gift from someone before. Levi and I had bought each other in-game content before, but it wasn't quite the same thing. "Thank you."