Page 37 of Darn Knit All
He ignored me, reaching for another cookie.
I tipped the bag and two small packages fell out—one a gorgeous box, the other a small, hand-wrapped circle.
I opened the lid of the box, my breath catching. Inside nestled between silky pieces of fabric sat a small gold ring. On the ring sat the kanji for person, ?.
“I read abouthito wo nomu,” Theo explained, leaning over to touch the ring. “Though I’m sure I butchered that pronunciation. I thought I’d get the symbol made into a ring so when you’re nervous you can look it and hopefully feel calmer.”
An old Japanese tradition, the idea was that when nervous in front of an audience, you wrotehito,?,three times on the palm of your hand with one finger and then swallowed it, which would help you feel calmer.
“Shit, is that inappropriate?” Theo shifted in his seat. “I thought because you can’t always spare a hand when you’re busy, but you can always glance at it and think about—fuck. Sorry.”
A lump formed in my throat at his thoughtfulness.
I shook my head, slipping the ring on my middle finger. “It’s lovely, Theo. It’s a beautiful, meaningful gift.”
He relaxed, a small grin pulling at lips. “I’m glad it fits. Now open the last one, this is my favorite.”
I cleared my throat. “That doesn’t bode well.” I tugged off the paper and pulled the small wrist pincushion free. A photo of his laughing face took up the entirety of the surface cushion.
“Theo!”
He chuckled. “Now when I annoy you, you can prick me instead of yelling at me.”
I slipped it on my wrist, laughing. “You’re ridiculous.”
“But you like me anyway.”
“I’ve been brainwashed,” I agreed, lifting my cup of tea. “Thank you for the gifts.”
“Anytime.” He shifted, his grin lingering. “Now, let’s talk about what happens when we get to the studio.”
I nodded, my heart rate kicking up as my amusement faded. “If we’re going to….” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word.
“Stretch the truth?” Theo asked, tilting his head to one side.
“Sure, let’s go with that.” I swirled my cup absently, taking comfort in the familiar warmth of the ceramic in my hands. “We should ensure we’re clear on our origin story.”
“Not to mention boundaries.”
“Boundaries?”
Theo nodded. “You know, touching, kissing, that kind of thing.”
I blinked rapidly. “You think they’ll want us to kiss?” My gaze flicked to his lips, then darted away, a small flush creeping up my neck.
I couldn’t deny I’d imagined kissing Theo once or twice. Okay, maybe a few more times than that. But it didn’t mean anything. It was a natural reaction to having known someone so long. You wondered things about them. Like if they kissed hard or soft. If they enjoyed tongue or lip-nibbling teases.
You know, the normal stuff one wondered about their friends.
“Babe….” He seemed to be fighting a grin. “This is a couples competition. Of course, they’re going to want us to kiss.”
I blanched, feeling the blood drain from my face. “But… but….” I swallowed rapidly. “But we’re not—that is—I mean?—”
Kissing Theo? Thinking about it felt completely different to considering the actual act. I mean, what if I liked it? What if it changed things between us? What if?—
Theo butt shuffled around the table until he was seated beside me. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he squeezed tight.
“Don’t overthink this. Breathe.”
