You All Over Me [BxB]

Twenty-Six

It was a typical Friday night, and Theodore found himself in solitude as Austin had gone home for yet another weekend.

He'd contemplated driving home as well, but his plans hinged on completing the remaining memos on his to-do list. Long story short, he couldn't make it happen—the workload was mind-boggling.

Theodore stretched his arms and massaged his neck, hoping to alleviate the tension in his lower back, his eyes flicking to the clock. It was 10 p.m. He needed a break. He left his desk and headed to the fridge for a glass of water.

His phone beeped—a text from Jacob: How are you?

He stifled a small grin as he poured himself a drink.

They'd been texting back-and-forth, purposefully skirting around the subject of what happened that night.

It reminded Theodore of how his family dealt with their issues—by not dealing with them. Leaving them undiscussed, as if that would magically solve the problem.

It was better to keep the peace. To fool themselves that the machine was functioning, even though the bolts were coming loose and one strike could wreck everything.

Theodore inhaled. He should call.

He was typing a response when another text slid into his inbox: Can I call you?

Eyes wide, he deleted whatever he had on the drawing board and replied: Yeah.

With bated breath, Theodore settled onto his bed, knees trembling, eyes on the screen.

Seconds later, his phone rang, and never did he think his ringtone could sound so beautiful.

"Um, hey."

"Hey," Jacob said, and his voice sent a pang of longing through Theodore. "Sorry. Are you busy?"

"No, I... I was thinking about calling you."

"You were?"

"Yeah..."

He cringed as the memory of Jacob calling the whole thing unfair pierced him. He'd been late.

Again.

"Sorry you had to call me first."

A pause.

"Will you be home this weekend?"

"I'm not sure," Theodore answered, glancing at the files sitting on his desk. "But I'm still in Makati. Why?"

"I'll be there tomorrow. Until Sunday."

Theodore's eyes gleamed, the corners of his lips inevitably turning up. He was going to be just a five-minute walk away from him.

"Theo? You there?"

"Hm? Ah, yes. I am... here. I'll be here. I have tons of things to do..."

"So you can't go out?"

He shot another look at the paperwork, mentally calculating his backlog, then peeked at the clock. If he stayed up all night, he should be able to finish everything.

"I... I should be able to spare some time. I have to relax at some point."

Jacob's tone perked up. "I'll swing by then. If that's cool."

"Yes, of course," he replied a bit too eagerly. "I mean, what's the point of asking now..."

Jacob's chuckle on the line launched another wave of butterflies tumbling in his belly. Summoning his courage, he added, "Actually, I'll go to you."