Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love - Kim Fielding Page 0,70
the sense they made.
It was too cold to go for a walk, and he was too exhausted to hit the gym.
In the end he simply doused the lights and climbed into a bed that, although smaller than the one at the hotel, felt vast and far too empty. He fetched the bear from the love seat and tucked it under the covers next to him. Ridiculous damn thing for a man his age, but it helped him settle.
* * *
The insistent buzz of Teddy’s phone woke him up, and it took a few moments for his eyes to unblur enough to read the string of texts.
You up?
Guess not. You’re probably still on West Coast time.
I didn’t sleep very well. Bed was too empty.
Well, text when you get up.
If you want.
You don’t have to.
But I hope you do.
He sat up completely and began to tap with his thumbs, but stopped halfway through a witty, airy reply. That wasn’t right. He was already feeling bad enough about the abrupt way he’d parted from Romeo at Midway. After deleting the whole thing, he tried to compose something charming and romantic instead. But his efforts fell flat, and the teddy bear gazed at him with disappointment.
“Fine,” he said to the bear. Teddy called Romeo instead.
“Don’t be. I like hearing from you. But hearing your voice is even better.” Teddy shifted around a bit, propping himself on pillows and arranging the blankets just so. “How’s everything at the Blue house?”
“We’re doing all right. Mama made us waffles for breakfast. The kids loved the stuff we bought them at the Space Needle.” Despite the positive words, Romeo’s voice didn’t sound happy, carrying about as much emotion as if he were reciting a grocery list.
“How are you, Romeo?”
“I’m okay.”
Teddy wanted so badly to see him, and not through the soulless lenses of FaceTime. Dammit, he wanted to touch him. To smell him. To press his lips to Romeo’s chapped ones. “It’s all going to work out somehow.” He wasn’t at all sure of that, but maybe if he said it often enough, he’d convince them both.
“Yeah, I guess so. Hey, I told Mama and Portia all about you.” Romeo’s tone definitely picked up at that.
Teddy, on the other hand, felt his heart race. “Oh?” he squeaked.
“They’re dying to meet you. Mama’s already planning the menu for Sunday dinner.”
“What exactly did you tell them about me?”
“That you’re incredibly handsome and sexy, and you’re great in bed, and—”
“Romeo!”
Even over the phone, the laughter warmed Teddy. It took Romeo a moment to calm himself enough to speak. “I told them you’re amazing. Funny. Creative. That you take genuine joy in helping other people express their inner selves.”
Well, now Teddy was thankful Romeo wasn’t there, because that meant he couldn’t see Teddy’s eyes get a little misty. “You think that about me?”
“I know that about you, Teddy Spenser.”
“Well, that’s funny. Because when I’m with you—Well, you’re sort of almost too perfect. It should scare me away. But when I’m with you, I feel like I can be my best self.”
They were both silent after that, not because they had nothing to say, but rather because they’d just said important things that needed time to settle in. Teddy felt raw, but in a good way. A little like after a wonderful day at the beach, when you come home tired, overheated, and somewhat sunburned.
Eventually, though, Romeo cleared his throat. “You have plans for today?”
“No.” Teddy almost invited him over, but stopped himself. “I think—I miss you. But I think we should spend today apart. We’ve got the whole Joyce thing hanging over our heads, and everything’s happened so fast. Maybe we need...” He struggled to find the words.
“A little space to get our heads clear,” Romeo offered.
“Yeah. Is that okay?”
“It’s a good idea. I might send you a couple of texts, though.”
Teddy smiled. “I might too.”
* * *
He ended up spending the day in decadent repose. His apartment needed a little tidying, but that took about ten minutes—one of the advantages of living in a shoebox. After that, he drank tea while reading design magazines online. Then he took several Buzzfeed quizzes in which he discovered his horcrux, scored beautifully on naming Pixar characters for every letter of the alphabet, and failed abysmally at identifying countries by their outline. At least he recognized Italy.
After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwich and canned tomato soup, he took a nap for possibly