Laura Caldwell - Question of Trust

I climbed over LaBree and Brad, careful not to flash anyone. For a moment, I regretted my dress and high-heeled boots. But when I saw Sam’s eyes drag up and down my body, revealing what I knew to be pure lust, I was grateful.

I took a step toward Sam and we embraced—a kind of brisk, pat-pat hug that was more like something you’d share with a cousin.

Theo stood from the booth, too, and I felt his presence next to me. I gestured between the two men. “Theo, this is Sam. Sam, Theo.” I almost giggled inappropriately, the moment was so weird.

Theo knew who Sam was and said, “Oh, hey, man. Great to meet you.”

He stepped forward and shook Sam’s hand, pumping it congenially, if a little forcefully.

Sam had heard about Theo this past summer when I was in Italy and Theo had come over to visit me. He knew I’d been dating someone, but I’d never used Theo’s name when we’d briefly discussed it. In fact, Sam had seemed uninterested, as if he preferred to not know the details. But now the details were right in front of him.

Sam’s eyes squinted for a moment, as if trying to figure out or remember who Theo was. Recognition broke across his face and he seemed to take in all of Theo then, all his gorgeousness. He shot me a look that I actually couldn’t read, then turned back to Theo. “Hi. Nice to meet you, too.”

“So what’re you doing here?” I asked.

“R.T. is the sound guy for some band that’s playing in the back room. Some party.” He said nothing further, asked nothing of me, and so we stared uncomfortably, my mind scrambling for conversation and finding none.

“What about you guys?” Sam said finally, the phrase you guys ringing like a self-conscious bell.

“We’re just hanging with my dad,” Theo said.

Brad disentangled from LaBree and slid out of the booth so Theo could introduce them. Sam reached out to shake hands when Erin/Karen barreled through from the dance floor with Kent in tow. She clamored into the booth, apparently not caring whether she flashed anyone her underwear (which matched her dress—what little there was of it). Kent dove in after her, grabbing her ass on his way. Karen/Erin giggled and reached for a bottle. Sam seemed to be waiting for an explanation of their presence as I tried to force my face into an expression less appalled and embarrassed.

“Brad Jameson,” Theo’s dad said, his voice loud in order to be heard over the music, offering Sam his hand.

Sam responded by shaking Brad’s hand, smiling gamely. “Nice to meet you. So you guys—”

But Sam was cut off by LaBree, who scooted between them, then reached up and planted a wet kiss on Brad’s neck, her hand sliding down his back. She whispered something into his ear and walked off toward the dance floor.

Brad stared appreciatively at LaBree’s body.

“Very nice to meet you,” he said to Sam earnestly. But then his gaze drifted. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said without looking at any of us, then headed off after LaBree.

Suddenly, I found myself alone between Sam and Theo again. I looked from one to the other. Strange, strange, strange. I liked both of them so much. They were two of my favorite people in the world. I felt like saying to Theo, Isn’t he great? Isn’t he cool? To Sam, I wanted to say, Okay, how hot is this guy? And isn’t he so sweet and smart?

I knew that wasn’t the way to go, however, and so, uncharacteristically, I once again found myself mute. A long awkward moment ticked by.

Theo was the one who finally spoke. He gestured at the table. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, I’m cool. Thanks.” Sam looked at me. “I should find R.T.”

“Right. Yeah.”

Theo looked between the two of us, giving me an expression I couldn’t read, then excused himself and left.

Sam and I just smiled at each other. “So how’s …” I stopped. I couldn’t say it. How’s Alyssa?

But Sam, apparently, could still read me. “I’m not sure.”

“You’re not …?” I glanced down at his left hand. No ring.

“Alyssa and I broke up. After we …” He pointed between himself and me.

After we almost got back together this past summer .

I felt bad at how happy I was that he wasn’t with Alyssa anymore—perfect, tiny, blonde Alyssa, his high school sweetheart, who seemed to love Sam even more than I had.

Sam glanced behind him. “I should see if R.T. needs any help.”

“Sure. I’ll come back there later and say hi.”

But when I did, there was no sign of Sam.

When Theo and I got home from the club, Theo turned on his Xbox to play Madden NFL Football. He played against people around the country and won a lot. Still, it was almost one in the morning.

“You’re playing now? “ I asked him.

“Yeah, I just need to blow off a little steam.” Theo scrolled through the Xbox menu, trying to find an opponent at his level.

I sat in my favorite yellow-and-white chair, yet it failed to comfort me as it often did. “Did you have fun with your dad?”

After Sam had left, I’d spent an hour trying to listen to LaBree and Brad, who were talking about the patent LaBree was working on and that Brad was helping her with—some kind of invention to hold bra straps in random places. The product actually sounded rather smart, but I couldn’t focus. Kept replaying over and over my run-in with Sam. Then Theo and his dad began having what looked like a serious discussion, and soon after that he had been ready to leave.

“ Fun probably isn’t the word for it,” Theo said now.

“Right,” I said. Then, “What is the word for it?”

He didn’t reply, just clicked a button to enter a game.

I put my head against the back of the chair for a minute. Then I lifted it again. “Hey, have you ever given anyone the code for the door?” I asked him. “Talking to Vaughn yesterday made me think about it.”

“I haven’t given it to anyone.” Theo mashed a few buttons. “If you think about it, anyone from the street could watch and see us using the code, then use it to get in when we’re not around.”

“But why not steal something if you’re going to all that trouble?”

Theo stayed silent, his jawline set.

“What about people you’re with when you come in the front door?” I asked.

“Like who?”

“Well, didn’t you meet Eric here before that show at the Congress the other night?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Did you come here from work together?”

Theo nodded, tucked a lank of light brown hair behind his ear.

“So he could have seen you entering the code downstairs.”

“What about people who’ve been here with you?” Theo said leaning toward the TV.

“Spence was with me a few months ago. Other than that …” I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “My mom was with me once, too, but she already has the code.”

“What about Sam?” There was a little something bristly in Theo’s tone.

“What about him?”

“Does he have the code?”

“No, I’m sure I changed it since we broke up. But wait … There was that time that we hung out.” I shook my head. “But no, that wasn’t here.”

“What do you mean, you hung out?”

My stomach clenched, as if I had something to hide. And I guess I did. “Last summer. We met up. He’d gotten engaged …”

“And he said he’d get back together with you if you wanted.”

“Yeah.”

He focused on his game.

“What?” I said to his back. “What’s wrong?”

He kept playing for a moment or two, then paused the Xbox. He turned around from his seat on the ottoman, and now we faced each other. “There’s something between you guys,” he said.