Jessie lifted her body from Theo's as the knocking on the door continued. Theo walked towards the door with a curious Jessie behind him.
"Do you have any idea who it might be?", Jessie asked.
"I- don't know", Theo replied. He had a slight idea of who it could be but he didn't want to say it out loud.
"Oh", Jessie replied and stayed quiet till they reached the door. Theo opened it to a beautiful red headed woman. As soon as Theo opened the door, the woman squealed and launched herself into his arms in front of a perplexed Jessie.
"Theo!! I missed you soo much!!", she exclaimed, still hugging him. Her eyes wandered and she spotted Jessie. She narrowed her eyes a little, wrapped her arm tightly around Theo's waist before letting him go.
"And who might this be? Hm, Theo you didn't tell me you had a... sister?", the woman said with a smile on her face.
Jessie held the urge to roll her eyes. Sister? Seriously?
"Gracie, this is Jessie. She's staying with me for a while. And Jessie meet Gracie, my long time friend", Theo said.
That stung, Jessie thought, but put a smile on her face and stretched her hand towards Gracie.
"Nice to meet you," Jessie said with a fake smile on her face.
"The pleasure's mine", Gracie replied, shaking Jessie's hand vigorously.
"Theo, next time you go MIA on me, I'm beating your sorry ass", Gracie said, looping her arm around Theo's.
They walked towards the living room, making Jessie feel awkward and out of place. She trailed behind them slowly and when she reached the living room, picked up her book and went to her room. She had no desire to be a third wheel.
She sat on the bed and tried to concentrate on her book but not a thing was interesting any more. She didn't know what was happening to her but all she wanted to do was go to the living room and kick Gracie out.
Jessie knew she was not supposed to be feeling that way. She had no claim over Theo. He was just someone who was helping her get back on her feet. And they had kissed once or twice, period. She had to stop catching feelings.
A few moments later, there was a knock on her door.
"Come in," was all she said, sitting up quickly.
The place was silent for a moment and Jessie looked up to make sure there was actually someone at the door.
Theo was standing there, leaning against said door looking at her intently.
Jessie blushed but did not lower her gaze. Instead, she tilted her head to the side slowly in askance.
It was Theo's time to blush. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You got really quiet as soon as Gracie arrived"
"I'm okay," Jessie answered. "I just wanted to be alone for a while. You get that, don't you?", she asked sarcastically.
Theo was left a little bit confused. They had been fine just a few moments ago so he did not understand why she was being sarcastic. He narrowed his eyes at her then left, making sure to close the door gently behind him.
Jessie let out a sigh of partial disappointment, partial relief when she heard the door get closed. They were sending each other mixed signals.
The we kiss here and there and we act like a cute couple but we don't actually know what we are weren't working for her anymore. She was developing feelings for Theo, and if she went by how he had behaved with her in front of Gracie, then the feelings we're definitely not reciprocated.
The last thing she wanted was to end up with another broken heart in the space of three months. Jessie sighed and lay face down on the bed, screaming silently into her pillow.
Why did life have to be this complicated.
†††
Theo laughed at whatever Gracie had just said. She was an awesome person, one of the few people who had not judged him even after he was known globally as The Beast. She had been willing to listen and had accepted his own side of the story.
"So what's the deal with that girl?", Jessie asked curiously. The question had been at the back of her mind since she had seen the girl and now was the perfect time to ask it.
"Jessie?", Theo asked though he knew what girl Gracie was talking of.
"Yeah. I mean, it's the first time I've seen you talking to someone other than us", Gracie answered, placing her fingers with the nails cut short on Theo's arms.
Theo knew who the us she was talking about were. They were her family and they had befriended him at a period when he needed friends the most.
"She's in a bad place right now. I'm just helping her", Theo answered defensively. "Why are you so curious about her anyways?"
"Chill, baby. I was just asking. Because she looks at you like I'm looking at that piece of apple pie. With hunger", Gracie answered, laying an emphasis on the word hunger.
"We've kissed", Theo admitted after a short while.
Gracie swallowed the bile that accumulated in her throat at that confession. She had known Theo for about six years and never had she gotten that close to his lips. Except one time. And he was drunk.
"How many times?", she asked.
"Two times. I have never felt anything close to what I felt when I kissed her, Gracie. What does that say?", Theo confessed, wiping his face with his left hand.
Gracie frowned then said, "That just means she's an amazing kisser. Don't read too much into it"
"Youre- you're right. That's probably it", Theo agreed mindlessly, his eyes still straight ahead, lost in thought.
Gracie on the other hand was fuming silently. Why the hell did Theo have to find this girl and what was so special about her that he was enamoured with. She had never in the life been the scornful and jealous type but it hurt to see someone she was madly in love with say someone else was special, but she was determined not to let it get that far.
All three members of the house sighed, all lost in thought, thinking about each other.
***
"The Beast? Of all people that bitch could cheat with, she chose The fucking Beast!!", Patrick exclaimed slamming his hand on the table in front of him.
His anger had taken control of him as usual and he did not care if he was scaring the people present in the room.
Harriet was looking at him with apprehensive eyes, a bit used to his temper fits but Pattie was at the door, planning to flee if Patrick showed any significant violence.
"So she's not afraid, huh?", He asked rhetorically, "flaunting her lover in my goddamn face. Knowing if I strolled out of my fucking flat, I'll see her right away!"
"She's going to pay for humiliating me like this. I swear she's going to pay", he said, letting out a sinister laugh that made Pattie and Harriet to look at each other in fright, both wondering if it was not too late to back out of his macabre plans...