Her Shadows, His Secrets

“I put my number in. You can call me if you ever get spooked again or if something happens and you need someone to check it out.”

I take the phone back, an inquisitive look on my face when I see the name he put. “Sirius. Your name is Theo? Sirius—like Harry Potter?” I prompt, a chuckle bubbling to the surface. Finally looking at him, I admire the sideways smirk adorning his face. “What?” I’m suddenly nervous under his gaze.

“Harry Potter? No, greens. But you’ll find out soon enough.” With that, he turns and is gone, leaving me confused and, frankly, annoyed. I need some sort of repellent to spray and ward him off with.

Doing my best, I try to leave that conversation in the past. I won’t be using his number to call anytime soon. I don’t need him, and he isn’t my knight in shining armor.

My phone dings in my pocket as I pour a scoop of dog food into the pups’ bowls. Pulling it out, I see a text.

Sirius: You don’t need to be so tense around me, greens. I’m just trying to get to know you

Rolling my eyes, I tap aggravatedly on the screen.

Me: How did you get my number?

Sirius: Easy… I got it while you were ogling me. Called myself from your phone.

My face flushes instantly, my chest heating as well. Shit. He knew I was checking him out? How humiliating.

Me: I wasn’t. I was trying to read your mind and find out just how psycho you are. Don’t text me, please. I really am tired of this whole thing.

I think as wittily on my feet as possible.

Sirius: You are wrong about my intentions. Which will be revealed soon enough, when I feel you’re ready.

Me: I’m rolling my eyes. You know that sounds like something a serial killer would say, right? Seriously, Theo. Enough.

Setting the phone down and getting a glass of water, I expect that to be the last of the conversation with him, but when my phone chimes and his name previews on the screen, I know I got ahead of myself.

Sirius: Easy, puppet. I’m not a serial killer… I don’t think.

I roll my eyes at the ending of that comment, but my stomach still runs wild with him calling me puppet. It does something I hate to admit. So, I need to shut it down, or I will crumble in a way I don’t want to.

Me: I’m not a puppet. Seriously, maybe I shouldn’t have been so jumpy over the random truck last night but more so the creepy guy in town who tends to not know when to back off. Turning my phone off now, serial killer.

Before I can even give him room to respond and I see it, I turn off my phone and go up to shower. I have Brenda coming over in a couple of hours for dinner, and I don’t want to deal with her obnoxious, exasperating brother.

The house smells delicious. I cooked a classic pasta dish and a garlic bread mix that I learned in a cooking class back in New York. The smell of butter, creamy sauce, and comfort food has my stomach gurgling. I was so busy today that I barely ate.

I scoop up some pasta and sauce on my fork and bring it to my mouth, testing the taste. It’s so divine I moan into the kitchen, the hot food gliding down my throat. I take a sip of the red wine I bought to wash it down. I’m ravenous at this point.

The doorbell rings then, and I remove the apron molded to my front and set it down on the counter, hollering as I make my way to the door, “Coming!” Two seconds later, the door opens, and the smile I am wearing disappears. Theo stands behind an annoyed-looking Brenda.

“I tried to tell him to leave, but he insisted he was coming for dinner. I’m so sorry. I told him to be respectful and on his best—” She pauses, turning her head and jabbing his rib with her elbow. “—behavior.”

Clicking my tongue, I look up at him and stare into his brown eyes. He doesn’t seem bothered by his shameless persistence. “It’s fine. Come on in.” I plaster a smile on for Brenda.

“Thank you. I’m sorry. Maybe I’ll talk about sex and masturbating and he’ll want to leave.”

“Funny, sis,” he retorts. She moves past me, and I stand aside, letting Theo in, not looking at him, and doing my best to not give him my time. He really is like a mosquito.

“Greens, you got some sauce right here.” He gestures to the side of his lip. Rolling my eyes, I lift my hand to clean it up, but he beats me to it, and I watch as if in slow motion. Swiping it from the corner of my lips, he brings his thumb to his mouth and sucks the tip. I’m too stunned that even my jaw can’t hit the floor. I stay frozen in place.