Before December

Chapter 19: That's Theo Leaving

Lydia POV:

I woke the next morning still irritated about everything that had happened with Theo, but I pushed it aside as I got out of bed and hopped in the shower. Feeling fresh, I changed and went to get some breakfast. Celeste and Theo were in the kitchen talking in low voices. I eyed them curiously as I walked in, but before I got close enough to hear what they were talking about, they parted. Theo walked straight past me as though I didn’t exist. Fine by me. It wasn’t like I planned on giving him the time of day either.

"Breakfast, dear?"

"Uh, yes, thanks, Celeste."

Pouring myself a cup of hot coffee, I sat down at the island and chatted with Celeste, trying to get to know her a little. She placed breakfast in front of me and I dug in as she began cleaning up. The front door slammed shut, making me jump.

"That's Theo leaving," Celsete said as if it was normal.

Mrs Henderson swept into the kitchen talking so quickly that I only caught pieces of what she was saying. Something about a business trip. Something about being away for a week.

“Honey! We really need to get a move on!” she called up the stairs to Mr Henderson.

I sat in the middle of the chaos eating my breakfast while bags appeared, doors opened and closed, and Mrs Henderson called instructions through the house.

“Bye, Celeste. Bye, Lydia, darling!” Mrs Henderson called as she hurried out after Mr Henderson. The house felt very silent all of a sudden. In fact, it was quiet all day. No music blaring from Theo's room. No annoying comments or arguments, and James hadn't come out of his room. Today was the first day I felt properly alone since I arrived. By late evening, the silence was starting to feel strange, but I decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

By the next day, the quiet of Theo not being around had stopped feeling peaceful and started feeling noticeable. James stirred from his bedroom around lunchtime and asked if I wanted to watch a movie in their movie theatre. Or, as James insisted on calling it, the cinema room. How did I not know about this? He led me to the basement, which was so well hidden I never would have guessed there was a door there. Relaxing in the recliner armchair with a bowl of popcorn made me forget about everything for a while. Just before darkness fell, James went to his room to play some computer games with his friends online, so I had a quiet evening outside. A late-night swim in the pool, completely undisturbed, was exactly what I needed. At least, it was until my thoughts wandered back to Theo. I hadn’t seen or heard him in two days. I knew things between us had ended badly, so maybe he was giving me space. Maybe he’d stayed at a friend’s house or gone to a party. Maybe he’d met some girl.

Whatever. He could do what he wanted.

I still found myself listening for the front door when I went upstairs that night. By the time I finally got into bed, he still hadn’t come home. I told myself it didn’t matter. Apparently my brain disagreed, because it took me far too long to fall asleep.

By lunchtime on the third day, I was beginning to really worry. The last time I’d seen him, his face had been bruised and swollen. What if it wasn’t just his face? What if he was lying in a ditch somewhere dying from internal bleeding? No. Ridiculous. James wasn't worried. Celeste wasn't worried. Theo had probably spent the last three days doing exactly what Theo did best—whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without considering whether anyone else might wonder where he'd gone.

I was in the kitchen with Celeste, stealing pieces of fruit from the bowl while she prepared something that smelled far too good for lunch, when James wandered in.

"Have you heard from Theo?"

He glanced at me. "No."

"At all?"

"Nope."

I frowned.

James noticed. "Lyd, he's fine."

"You don't know that."

"He does this."

"For three days?"

James hesitated. “He’s done it before.”

I stared at him. "And nobody worries?"

James grabbed an apple from the bowl and took a bite. "I'm not saying Mum loves it. But Theo disappears when he wants space. He'll show up."

"You sound very confident."

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because it's Theo."

"You're really not worried?"

"I'm not worried."

Grace was already sitting outside the coffee shop when I arrived later that afternoon. She had two iced coffees on the table. I stopped beside her. "Tell me one of those is mine."

She slid one across. "I remembered your order."

"You're officially my favorite person."

"That was easy."

I dropped into the chair opposite her and took a long drink. Much better. For the first ten minutes, we talked about everything except Theo. Grace told me Sean had somehow managed to lose his wallet twice in the same week. I told her James had become weirdly competitive over swimming. She laughed. Then she started telling me about a shop she thought I'd like when I realized I hadn't heard half of what she'd said. My thoughts had wandered again.

Grace stopped. "You're somewhere else."

I blinked. "Sorry."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Theo hasn't been home in three days."

Grace took another sip of her coffee. No reaction. No surprise. Nothing.

I narrowed my eyes. "You don't seem very concerned."

"I'm not."

That caught my attention. "Why not?"

"Because he's fine."

I stared at her. "How do you know?"

Grace hesitated. Only slightly. "He's at Sean's."

Relief hit me so quickly it was almost embarrassing. Then anger replaced it. "He's what?"

"At Sean's."

"For three days?"

"Yeah."

I sat back. "You have got to be kidding me."

Grace smiled carefully. "I'm guessing you didn't know."

"No, Grace. I didn't know."

"Right."

"I've spent the last day wondering if he's lying in a ditch somewhere dying from internal bleeding."

She nearly laughed.

"This isn't funny!"

"I'm not laughing at you."

"You are."

"Only a little."

I stared at her.

"He's fine, Lydia."

"Clearly."

I picked up my coffee again. "He's just an asshole."

"Also true."

"Three days."

"I know."

“Not one message to anyone at home.”

"Sounds like Theo."

"James doesn't even know where he is!"

Grace didn't answer. I stopped. "Wait."

Her expression gave her away. "James doesn't know, does he?"

"Not exactly."

"Why does everyone keep secrets in this country?"

Grace laughed.

"I'm serious."

"I know."

"So why is Theo at Sean's?"

Her smile faded slightly. "That's... complicated."

I stared at her. "No."

"No what?"

"No more complicated."

"Lydia—"

"If you say 'it's complicated' and then refuse to explain, I might actually scream."

Grace looked around us before lowering her voice. "Theo fights."

I frowned. "I know."

"No." She shook her head. "Not random fights."

I waited. Grace leaned closer. "There are organized fights."

"What kind of organized fights?"

"The kind you're not really supposed to know about unless someone brings you in."

I stared at her. For a second, I thought she was joking. Then I realized she wasn't.

"You mean like some underground fighting thing?"

"Pretty much."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

I slowly lowered my drink. "And Theo does this?"

"Yeah."

"Regularly?"

"Enough."

My stomach tightened. Suddenly his bruised face made a lot more sense.

"That's what happened the other day." Grace didn't answer directly. She didn't need to. "Oh my God."

"Lydia—"

"He left me at the gallery to go fight someone?"

Her silence told me everything. I stared at the table. That explained why he hadn't wanted to tell me. Why he'd come back injured. Why he'd been so defensive in the car.

"What the hell is wrong with him?"

Grace gave a tiny shrug. "Where do you want me to start?"

"This isn't funny."

"I know."

I looked at her. "You've known about this?"

"Yeah."

"How long has he been doing this?"

Grace sighed. "About two years."

"And his own brother doesn't know?"

"He knows Theo gets into trouble. He doesn't know everything."

I shook my head. "And Sean?"

"Sean knows."

“Sean knows?”

“Yeah. He’s involved.”

“Of course he is.”

“He keeps an eye on Theo when he fights.”

"You've been?"

Grace smiled. "A few times."

"You enjoy watching people beat each other up?"

"It's not like that."

"It sounds exactly like that."

"The atmosphere is intense."

I stared at her. “You’re all completely insane.”

"Probably."

I took another sip of coffee, although my stomach was starting to feel too unsettled for it.

"So why has Theo been at Sean's for three days?"

Grace’s smile disappeared. “He’s preparing for tomorrow.”

I went still. "Tomorrow?"

"There's another fight."

"Theo's fighting?"

She nodded. Something cold settled in my stomach. "Who?"

Grace paused. "Someone called Mason."

"Is he good?"

"Very."

I didn't like the way she said it. "Better than Theo?"

Grace hesitated. "He's more experienced."

"That's not what I asked."

"I don't know, Lydia."

"Grace."

She sighed. "It's going to be a difficult fight."

That was enough. Suddenly the relief I'd felt knowing Theo was safe at Sean's vanished.

"What happens if Theo loses?"

Grace frowned. "Then he loses."

"You know what I mean."

"It's a fight. People get hurt."

My stomach twisted. I thought about Theo already bruised. Already hurt. And apparently planning to do it again.

“Can I come tomorrow?”

Grace stared at me. “Absolutely not.”

“Grace.”

“No. You have no idea what you’re asking.”

“I just want to know he’s okay.”

She studied me for a long moment. “You’re worried about him.”

“I’m angry with him.”

“That wasn’t what I said.”

I looked down at my coffee. “I spent three days wondering whether he was hurt somewhere.”

Grace sighed. “You have no idea what those places are like.”

“Neither did you the first time.”

“That doesn’t mean I want to take you.”

“Please.” I looked down at my coffee. “I’ve spent three days not knowing where he is. I just need to see for myself.”

Grace watched me. "And then what?"

"I leave once I know he's okay."

“Theo is going to lose his mind if he sees you.”

“Good.”

Another long pause.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I looked up.

“That is not a yes.”

“It sounded suspiciously like one.”

“Lydia.”

“Fine.”

She shook her head. "I'll message you tomorrow."

I nodded.

My chest still felt tight. Three days ago, James had warned me not to expect too much from Theo. I had every intention of doing exactly that. Apparently, keeping my guard up now involved voluntarily turning up somewhere I had absolutely no business being just to make sure he was okay. Perfectly reasonable. Absolutely nothing concerning about that at all.