OFF LIMIT

Chapter 7

Isabella

“You’re welcome.”

I should have looked away.

I should have handed him his phone, made some stupid comment about his new internet existence, and moved on.

Instead, I found myself staring.

Theo was still standing by the kitchen counter, his phone loose in one hand. He was dressed in nothing more than a pair of dark pajama pants and a plain T-shirt, his hair slightly messy from sleep.

And somehow, he still looked unfairly good.

Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't dressed for work.

There was no perfectly tailored suit. No watch. No polished shoes. No carefully combed hair.

Just Theo.

Casual.

Relaxed.

Older than I remembered, but somehow more attractive because of it.

There were faint silver strands at his temples now, and a little more definition around his jaw than I remembered from five years ago. His shoulders looked broader without the structure of a suit around them. The sleeves of his T-shirt stretched slightly over his arms, and there was something almost annoyingly effortless about the way he carried himself.

He didn't seem to know how good he looked.

Or maybe men like Theo simply stopped caring about it at some point.

My eyes travelled back to his face.

Strong features. Dark eyes. That faint crease between his brows that appeared whenever he was thinking.

I remembered those eyes from when I was younger.

The same eyes that had watched over me at family dinners.

The same eyes that had looked down at me when I'd scraped my knee as a child.

The same eyes that had softened whenever I called him after my father died.

And somehow, after all these years, those were the eyes I was still hopelessly in love with.

I swallowed.

Maybe I was staring too long.

“Isabella?”

I blinked.

Theo was looking directly at me.

“What?”

“You disappeared for a second.”

My cheeks warmed.

“I was thinking.”

“That looked more like daydreaming.”

“I wasn't daydreaming.”

He raised an eyebrow.

I looked down at my tea.

“I was thinking about Instagram.”

“Of course you were.”

I looked back at him.

“You should post something.”

“No.”

“You have a profile now.”

“That doesn't mean I need to use it.”

“Yes, it does.”

“No, it doesn't.”

I laughed.

“People will think you're a fake account.”

“I don't care what people think.”

“You need at least one post.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Because I don't want people knowing what I'm doing.”

I stared at him.

“You're so dramatic.”

“I prefer private.”

“You could literally post a picture of your coffee.”

“No.”

“Your car?”

“No.”

“Your lunch?”

He gave me a look.

“Izzy.”

I grinned.

“What?”

“I am not posting pictures of my lunch.”

“Fine. Your breakfast.”

“No.”

“Your house?”

“Definitely not.”

I laughed.

He shook his head.

And then, unexpectedly, he started laughing.

Not the small amused smile he'd given me earlier.

He actually laughed.

I stared at him.

“What?”

He shook his head, still laughing.

“Izzy…”

My smile faded slightly.

“What?”

“You don't know what you were trying to do last night.”

My stomach dropped.

“What was I trying to do?”

He looked at me, clearly fighting another laugh.

“After you showered—”

I frowned.

“After I showered?”

“Yes.”

“What did I do?”

“You were trying to come outside.”

“Okay…”

“You were determined.”

I stared at him.

“And?”

His shoulders shook with another laugh.

“You were trying to walk out of the bathroom naked.”

My mouth fell open.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“No, I did not.”

“You absolutely did.”

“Theo.”

“Izzy, you were standing there arguing with me that you were perfectly comfortable walking around naked.”

I covered my face.

“Oh my God.”

He laughed harder.

“I was trying to convince you to put on the pajamas.”

I groaned into my hands.

“I need to disappear.”

“You were going to give me a heart attack.”

I peeked through my fingers.

He was still laughing.

Then he shook his head and added, completely teasing,

“I would've had to scrub my eyes with industrial-strength bleach.”

He laughed again.

I tried to laugh with him.

I really did.

But something inside me cracked.

Because he hadn't said it with embarrassment.

Or nervousness.

Or the slightest hint that the thought of seeing me like that had affected him.

He'd said it exactly the way a father would joke about his daughter doing something embarrassing.

Because that was what I was to him.

A kid.

His little Izzy.

The girl who had grown up in his house, eaten at his table, followed him around when she was younger, and cried into his shoulder when my father died.

Not a woman.

Not someone he could ever look at and want.

Just Izzy.

My heart clenched painfully.

I looked down before he could see it.

Of course.

What had I expected?

That one morning, after years apart, he'd suddenly look at me differently?

That he'd somehow see the woman I'd become?

That he'd forget every version of me he'd ever known?

That was ridiculous.

Theo had watched me grow up.

He had known me when I had scraped knees and missing teeth.

He'd been there when I was seventeen and convinced my world was ending over some stupid teenage problem.

He'd seen me at nineteen, broken by my father's death.

To him, I would always be the little girl he'd promised to look after.

And I hated myself for wishing I could be anything else.

“Izzy?”

I looked up.

The laughter had disappeared from his face.

He was watching me carefully now.

“Hey.”

I forced a smile.

“What?”

His expression softened.

“I was only joking.”

“I know.”

“I didn't mean to embarrass you.”

“You didn't.”

“I did.”

I shrugged.

“It’s fine.”

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he said gently, “I won't make fun of you anymore.”

I smiled again.

It probably looked convincing.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

I stood.

“I think I'm going to get some fresh air.”

“You're still not feeling well?”

“I just need to clear my head.”

He watched me for another second before nodding.

“Okay.”

I left the kitchen before he could ask anything else.

The moment I stepped outside, I breathed deeply.

The morning air was cool against my skin.

I walked through the garden until I reached the small swing tucked beneath the tree at the far end.

I'd spent countless afternoons there when I was younger.

Sienna and I made this our secret place when we were little. it was a little corner far away from the real huge swing and (outside chairs and tables) of the garden.

Back then, everything had been simple.

I sat down and let the swing move gently beneath me.

My fingers curled around the ropes.

I closed my eyes.

Why did I have to love him?

Why couldn't my heart have chosen someone my own age?

Someone uncomplicated.

Someone who could look at me and see a woman.

Someone who could love me back.

Instead, I'd spent years carrying around a love that had nowhere to go.

A one-sided love.

A love I couldn't confess.

A love I couldn't act on.

A love that would probably never become anything more than this ache in my chest.

I opened my eyes and stared at the garden.

Maybe this was what I deserved for loving someone I was never supposed to love.

Theo would never see me the way I saw him.

And the worst part was that I couldn't even blame him.

How could I expect him to?

To him, I was Izzy.

Always had been.

Always would be.

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the figure standing behind the kitchen window.

Didn't notice the way Theo had stopped what he was doing.

Didn't notice his eyes following me from inside the house.

“IZZY!”

I barely had time to turn before Sienna threw her arms around me.

I laughed, hugging her back.

“Careful.”

“Are you alive?”

“Unfortunately.”

She pulled away and inspected my face.

“You look better.”

“I feel better.”

“Good.”

She dropped beside me on the swing.

Then she grinned.

“So…”

I already knew where this was going.

“No.”

“You don't even know what I'm going to say.”

“Yes, I do.”

She laughed.

“You were a disaster.”

“I know.”

“You cried.”

“I know.”

“You threw up on me.”

“I know.”

“Twice.”

“I know.”

“And then you tried to convince me that the floor was moving.”

I stared at her.

“It was.”

“The floor was not moving.”

“It felt like it.”

She burst out laughing.

I couldn't help it.

Soon I was laughing too.

For a few minutes, everything felt normal again.

Like it had when we were younger.

Just me and Sienna.

My best friend.

My sister in everything except blood.

And suddenly, I understood why I'd cried so hard last night.

Why I'd been terrified of losing her.

Because i am in a way hiding the truth from her. that her real parent died and theo was her uncle.

in a way i feel like i am betraying her but theo did not want anyone to know.

I looked at her and smiled.

“I really don't want to lose you.”

Her expression softened.

“You're not going to lose me, idiot.”

I smiled.

“Good.”

“And maybe next time you feel emotional, don't drink an entire bottle of wine.”

“That's probably a good idea.”

“Definitely.”

“I'll be more careful.”

She nodded approvingly.

“Please do.”

We sat together for a while, talking about nothing and everything.

isabella then asked her where she was last night. she said she went to marcus. she was sick it was food poisoning.

“I took him to the hospital last night. he is fine now

“You're going to have to tell your father.”

Her face fell.

“I know.”

“Sienna…”

“I know.”

I smiled sympathetically.

“He's already asking who this mysterious friend is.”

She groaned.

“He asked you?”

“yes.”

“That man has interrogation techniques.”

I laughed.

“He's your father.”

“Exactly.”

She lowered her voice dramatically.

“And he doesn't need to know about Marcus yet.”

“You're twenty-five.”

“I know.”

“You're an adult.”

“I know.”

“You've been dating him for months.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you still scared?”

She gave me a look.

“Because my father is Theo Kingsley.”

I laughed.

“That is not an answer.”

“It absolutely is.”

She grabbed her bag.

“He'll scare Marcus away.”

“He won't.”

“He will.”

“Sienna.”

“You've seen him. The man asks men questions like he's conducting a background check for national security.”

I laughed again.

“That's because he cares.”

“He cares too much.”

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door.

We both froze.

Then Theo's voice came from the other side.

“I heard Sienna come in.”

Sienna looked at me.

I looked at her.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh no.”

The door opened after another knock, and Theo stepped inside.

His gaze moved between us.

“Everything alright?”

“Perfect,” Sienna said immediately.

Too immediately.

Theo narrowed his eyes.

“Which friend were you helping?”

There it was.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Sienna glanced at me before answering.

“Eliza.”

Theo's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Eliza?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened to her?”

“She needed some help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Dad.”

His expression remained suspicious.

“I'm just asking.”

“She'll be fine. she had food poisoning”

He looked at Sienna for a moment.

Then his eyes shifted toward me.

I immediately looked away.

“Isabella.”

My stomach tightened.

“Yeah?”

“You know Eliza?”

I nearly choked.

Sienna stared at me.

Theo waited.

I forced a smile.

“Um…”

I looked at Sienna.

Then back at Theo.

“yes.”

It came out too quickly.

Theo's eyebrow lifted.

Sienna suddenly coughed into her hand.

I knew I was making this worse.

Theo looked between the two of us.

Something about his expression told me he wasn't convinced.

But after a moment, he simply sighed.

“Fine.”

Sienna visibly relaxed.

He left after that.

Later that afternoon, Sienna and I ended up sprawled across my bed, doing absolutely nothing.

Which, honestly, was exactly what I needed.

The curtains were half-drawn, letting soft afternoon light spill across the room. Sienna was lying on her stomach beside me, scrolling mindlessly through her phone while I stared at the ceiling.

We talked about everything.

Work.

Family.

Marcus.

Old memories.

People we used to know.

And, eventually, somehow, the conversation found its way to s*x.

Sienna turned her head toward me, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across her face.

“So…”

I already knew that tone.

“What?”

She propped herself up on one elbow.

“When are you finally going to do it?”

I frowned.

“Do what?”

She stared at me.

“Isabella.”

“What?”

“Lose your virginity.”

I nearly choked.

“Sienna!”

“What?” she laughed. “I'm asking a perfectly reasonable question.”

“No, you're not.”

“Yes, I am.”

She nudged my shoulder.

“You're twenty-five. You're beautiful. You're single. And somehow you've never slept with anyone.”

I looked away.

She studied me for a moment.

“Who is going to be the lucky man?”

I laughed awkwardly.

“I don't know.”

“You don't have anyone in mind?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

I shook my head.

She narrowed her eyes.

“Liar.”

I laughed again.

“There isn't anyone.”

But the second the words left my mouth, my mind betrayed me.

Theo.

His face appeared instantly.

His dark eyes.

His voice.

The way he said my name.

The way he looked after me when I was falling apart.

The way he'd held me together after my father died.

The way he'd always made me feel safe.

I swallowed.

There had never been anyone else I wanted.

I'd gone on dates. I'd met men. I'd had opportunities.

But none of them had ever made me want to cross that line.

Because somewhere deep down, I'd always been comparing them to someone I had no business comparing them to.

Someone I should never have wanted in the first place.

Theo was practically family.

God.

He was like a father to me.

Thinking about him this way was wrong.

Sinful.

Something I should have buried years ago.

And yet my heart had never listened.

Sienna was still watching me.

“So?”

I looked at her.

“So what?”

“When are you going to let someone in?”

I smiled faintly.

“Maybe soon.”

Her eyebrows shot up.

“Maybe?”

I shrugged, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips.

“Maybe soon.”

She grinned.

“Finally.”

I laughed and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at her.

She squealed and threw it straight back.

Soon, we were both laughing, the conversation forgotten for the moment.

But when I finally settled back against my pillows, my smile faded.

Because I knew exactly who my mind would return to the moment I was alone.

Theo.

It always did.