With Every Breath I Take

Chapter Twelve: Right Way

I sat on my bedroom floor in front of my closet mirror, applying mascara. I was brushing the wand over my lashes with my mouth wide open —because that was the right way to apply mascara— when the doorbell rang. I got distracted and poked my eye with the wand.

"Fuck," I groaned, as I tried to save myself from losing my eyesight.

With my vision still blurry, I walked to my apartment door and opened it, but there was no one waiting outside. I looked around and didn't see anyone leaving. That was odd! I was about to close my door when I noticed an envelope taped to it. Well, it looked like Theo dropped off something for me. Shaking my head, I grabbed the envelope and went back inside.

Once I was seated on my couch, I opened the letter and read it.

My Dearest Thalia,

My one and only. I can't describe how much I miss you. I read a French phrase the other day: 'Tu me manques.' Have you heard of it, princess? It's how they say 'I miss you,' but it means 'you are missing from me.' That's how I feel, Thalia. You are missing from me, baby. I'm not complete without you.

I've tried my hand at poetry again. I'm sorry if you think it's corny, sweetheart. But for you, I'm starry-eyed and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Your eyes hold my future.
Your scent is the sweetest perfume.
Your hand I'll hold and venture.
Your touch makes my love bloom.
Your words will be my motivation.
But, your heart is my salvation.

Okay, now, you can laugh. I miss your laugh, sweetheart. I miss your hugs and kisses. I miss holding you as we talked about our day. I live for the moments I can get a glimpse of you. I hope you have a wonderful day, baby.

Yours Always,
Theo

I bit my lip, trying not to react, as I walked back into the bedroom and dropped the letter inside my nightstand with the five other letters. Theo had been sending them every single day for the past week. Then, I continued to get ready for my uncle's birthday party.

A few hours later, the party was in full swing. My dad and Uncle Leo were arranging the barbecue meat on skewers. Aunt Dianne was prepping some salads with my sister-in-law, Maggie. Nina and Athena were playing with the little ones while my nephews kicked around a soccer ball with Teeny. And I sat on the grass with my legs crossed, avoiding the men. Well, trying to avoid Theo who was somewhere with the rest of the men.

As Alexandros' music played through the speakers, I decided to close my eyes and enjoy the sounds and relax. But, I was quickly distracted when I felt a presence next to me. I looked over and saw Theo sitting cross-legged by my side, meditating.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to rein in my attitude. "There are people here. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Nope," he replied with a smirk.

"Whatever, enjoy your random meditation."

"Okay, just tell me when we're done. I'm still new at this and have no clue what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes and didn't bother to respond.

A few minutes later, I was doing my best at ignoring Theo and staying relaxed, but I was interrupted by snickering. Once again, I opened my eyes and saw my dad and brothers standing in front of us. My dad had his arms crossed as he scowled at Theo. Michail and Andreas were chuckling as Andreas held up his phone, recording us.

"What is going on?" I asked, angrily.

They continued to laugh and ignored me. I turned to warn Theo but —before I could say anything— a soccer ball came flying toward his head and hit him on the side of his face. Theo held his cheek, scrunching up his eyes. My brothers howled with so much laughter that everyone in the backyard turned their attention to us.

"I can't believe I caught all that on camera," Andreas managed to wheeze through his laughter.

"Oh my God, we have to post it," Michail added. Then, he turned to face Athena and Nina. "Hey Athena," he yelled. "How many followers do you have again?"

Athena furrowed her brows as she approached us. "A little over 500K, why?" she asked, looking around at all of us.

"Athena, you have to post this video I took of Theo. Let's see how badly we can embarrass him," Andreas explained, narrowing his eyes at Theo.

"Absolutely not, stop being so immature," I chastised and stood up to reach for the phone, but Theo stopped me.

"Thalia, it's okay," he mumbled. "Let them post it, sweetheart."

"Why is that, Theo?" my dad interjected. "Are you not too embarrassed by it?"

"No, I'm not," Theo replied as he stood and faced Athena. "Go ahead and post it, but make sure to tag my mom. She'll love it."

I held up my hand and turned to Theo. "Hold on, doesn't your mom have more than fifteen million followers?"

"Yeah sweetheart," he said, reaching for my hand. "It's alright. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove I'm not ashamed. I'm not sure if this is the right way, but I'll put myself out there for you."

I pulled my hand away and stepped back. "Whatever! Athena, go ahead and post it," I called out as I walked away.

My dad followed behind me. "I didn't even have to use my pocket knife," he mumbled.

Shaking my head, I joined the kids. After all, they were way more mature than the adults.