It was finally the morning of the highly anticipated pasta day. Theo had been looking forward to it, not only because he would get to see Colette, but because he knew firsthand just how delicious her cooking was. The flood of memories from his late night visit to Colette brought back a rush from the private moment they had shared, each detail a powerful reminder of their closeness. Dammit, I thought I was supposed to be in the friend zone…Yeah right. The heat radiating from Theo's face was almost visible as he hid it behind his desk; the silence broken only by the muffled sounds of his frustrated sighs.
Theo had invited Alexandru and Catalina to come, but they both seemed to have their reservations regarding human relationships. Catalina, in particular, strongly opposed human relations. Theo avoided her after their fight, but he eventually invited her in an effort to mend their friendship.
After Theo's last class he headed over to Colette's classroom, where he could hear what sounded like Alexandru's and Rika's animated voices from the hallway. To his surprise, Alexandru had arrived early and stirred up a playful rivalry with Rika.
Theo drew a chair near Colette and leaned against its back. The previous night's tension hung between them, but he avoided making her uneasy. Despite his racing heart, he attempted to keep things as normal as possible.
"So, what's up with those two?" Theo asked Colette.
"Oh, they've been at this for at least 10 minutes now," she chuckled. "There's some manga they're both into, and they're arguing about what they think is going to happen in the next chapter. Apparently, there was a major cliffhanger between Gojo and Sukuna." Colette shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever that means."
Theo was relieved that Alexandru actually showed up and was giving human interaction a chance. Alex wasn't necessarily against humans, but he was definitely stepping outside of his comfort zone. Catalina still hadn't shown up. Theo knew it was a lost cause, but at least he tried.
Colette plated the dishes. Theo's stomach growled audibly as the pungent scent of garlic wafted through the air. Rika and Alexandru immediately ceased their quarrel and faced Theo. Instantly, Theo frowned with a blush. He knew everyone else had heard it, too.
"Pft…hahah," Alexandru howled as he teased Theo. "Hungry???"
Theo only drank half of a pouch of blood for lunch. He was trying to save as much room as possible for the meal. Plus, he had a bit of Colette's blood last night, so he wasn't that hungry during his lunch period.
Ignoring Alexandru and Theo, Colette served the garlic carbonara. The dish had a creamy parmesan sauce with extra roasted garlic, pancetta, and parsley. Theo's mouth watered as well, but he made sure not to make it obvious to avoid further teasing.
"Help yourselves, everyone," Colette said with a proud grin.
Alexandru quickly grabbed a plate and scarfed down the food. Theo shot him a jealous look, since he wanted to be the first one to try.
"Oh, wow…this is great," Alex chanted with his mouth full of food.
Theo finally took his first bite. The tastes were intense, and the garlic was especially strong, creating an explosion of flavor in his mouth. Both Alex and Theo continued to inhale their food and were already going for a second serving.
"Wow…you would think they never had a decent meal before," Rika said sarcastically.
Alexandru glanced over with his mouth full. "There's no way you could cook this good, Rika."
"Is that a challenge?" she repeated with a glare.
Theo and Colette glanced at each other as a new brawl had unfolded between Rika and Alexandru. "So what did you think, Theo?" Colette sat closer to Theo so that she could hear him over Rika and Alex's bickering.
"Yet again, you've outdone yourself. I wish I could cook this good."
Surprised, Colette asked, "Can you cook?
"Well, I can… but it's just easier to just drink synthetic blood. My mom's a pretty good cook, though. She had a human friend growing up that taught her how to make several dishes."
A giggle escaped her lips as she thoughtfully remarked, "Hmm, I guess that leaves you with no choice but to cook for me next time."
"Prepare to be majorly disappointed," he warned sarcastically.
A momentary lapse of silence occurred, during which Colette and Theo exchanged a meaningful stare, their eyes locking in a silent conversation. Instantly, they were both on edge. They didn't have any closure from the night before and the tension was becoming obvious. Rika and Alex noticed and immediately paused their quarrel. Before they could get a word out, Colette stiffly recommended that they all start cleaning up after themselves.
Amidst the attempts to cover up their tracks, Theo slipped up, causing his hand to touch Colette's. Their clumsy interactions only made it more obvious that they were hiding something. As Rika's eyes sharpened with realization, Colette banished the boys from the classroom. She insisted Theo go on without her for the day, since she still had to tend to the library. Colette knew she seemed pushy, but she wasn't ready to revisit her feelings with Theo. Alexandru went on ahead after thanking Colette for the meal.
Theo lingered around the doorway, attempting to give a proper farewell. Colette met him at the door and walked him down the hall.
"So…." Theo questioned, but was too timid to get the words out.
"So…?" Colette questioned back.
Theo thoroughly inspected her facial expression, hoping to understand what she was truly thinking. Despite her typical strong-willed nature, she was timid and unsure. Her eyes darted away from his as she played with a strand of her hair. It was obvious that she still wasn't ready to talk about their heated moment. Despite his curiosity, he was internally short circuiting from how cute she was.
"W-what'd you think of the floating ability…pretty cool, huh?" Theo continued with a wide grin. He was prepared to drop the idea of their intimate moment. After all, he wasn't sure it would amount to anything.
"Oh…heh…right…" Colette reluctantly responded.
As they approached the stairwell, Theo prepared himself to depart. He didn't want to make things more painfully awkward. "Well…thanks again for the meal. It's always good…"
Theo continued down the stairs but before he could make it very far, Colette darted after him. She stoped him in his tracks by lightly grabbing onto his shirt. Surprised, Theo turned back to face her.
"Um…show me again sometime…your new ability, I mean…" Colette requested in an innocent tone.
"S-sure…See you around." Theo, filled with uncertainty, quickly left the scene, contemplating whether his feelings were too transparent for the person he had feelings for to notice.
By the time Theo made it outside he was on cloud nine. Waiting for him there was Alex, who was impatiently waiting for his friend to exit the library. Alexandru inspected Theo without uttering a word, preparing to unload a barrage of jokes aimed at the obvious love affair. Before giving Alexandru the chance, Theo sprinted as quickly as he could towards the park. He knew he was faster and figured he could lose him within the trees.
Since their meeting at age two, Alex and Theo had developed such a close bond that they were essentially inseparable; they were always together. Alexandru belonged to a neutral coven that didn't care to take part in the politics of vampires and humans. After a long time of being surrounded by society's obvious divisions, it felt incredibly refreshing to experience something different.
Although Alexandru was only 3 months older than Theo, he had a tendency to behave as if he was his older brother. The weight of that responsibility, however, inevitably brought with it the predictable teasing that Theo, by this point, had become quite accustomed to enduring. As young boys, they came up with a game where they chased each other when they didn't want to face other. Theo was typically caught by Alexandru.
Exhilarated, Alex took off after Theo. It had been years since Theo had taken an interest in anything, including this game. The path was already getting dark, but Theo was in tune with his surroundings. Despite his speed, he could hear Alexandru closing in on him.
"You're going to have to do better than that!" Theo shouted, challenging his opponent.
Noticing Alexandru, Theo dodged and veered off. Deviating from the main path meant entering the depth of the woods. The boys disappeared into the thick of the tall trees, where the golden rays of the sunset left hazy beams. Though Theo remained on foot, Alexandru took his chase to the trees. The game quickly transformed from a simple game to a strategic hunt.
Theo noticed a creek that he could use to separate them. Though he hadn't told Alex that he had a new ability, there was no reason to hide it. With a leap, Theo thrust himself into the air and started gliding over the creek. Amused, Alexandru sent himself soaring off of the tree, grabbing Theo by the shoulders plunging them both into the water. Annoyed, Theo splashed Alex with some of the freezing water.
Alexandru was cracking up, before he asked, "I guess I win again…But I noticed you tried something new today… What was that all about?"
Theo remained annoyed that Alex had dared to send them both into the creek, and pouted silently. Alex held out his hand, assisting Theo up out of the water. Sloshing around in their wet clothes, they headed back towards the main path.
"Well, this sucks," Theo started chuckling.
"So…what's the story with that Rika girl?" Alexandru asked curiously.
"Careful Alex…you might imprint if you get ahead of yourself." Theo muttered.
Wide eyed, Alex continued, "D-did you imprint?! With who…"
Theo glanced at him and nodded. Bewildered by this sudden realization, Alexandru considered what imprinting implied.
"So…it must have been Colette, right? Has she shared some of her blood with you…Is that how you did that floating thing!? Alex was so excited he could barely contain himself.
Theo paused and let out an enormous sigh. His breath filled the cold air as he admitted the truth. He nodded his head again but instantly realized his insecurities over this admission. He wrinkled his forehead and his cheeks turned rosy as he blushed.
"Damn Theo, you are just too cool," Alex joked as he chuckled and patted Theo on the back. You could hear how damp his clothing was with each pat. "I had a feeling a girl caught your attention, but I never imagined you'd fall for a human."
Theo wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved or worried about the admission. He had some guilt for not mentioning it sooner, but If he was going to admit it to anyone, it would be Alexandru. Despite his usual worry, relief washed over him as Alex showed his acceptance.
"So Theo, tell me…how can I do that too?!" Alexandru begged.
Theo looked over and responded, "I'll tell you when you finally let me win."
He wrung out his drenched shirt and flicked the water drops towards Alexandru before running away again.
"Oh c'mon dammit!" Alex yelled frustratedly as the chase ensued.