He Caught Her Eye (Caught #1)[UNEDITED]

62

RIANA GARCIA

"Are you okay?" Theo whispers to me, my hands around the teddy bear he gave me.

I look into his dark eyes, and I feel my stomach flip.

A memory from last year- when Theo recommended that we'd go to the movies.

And when Drake sat next to me.

"Heart beating so fast?" he had asked.

"No." I'd said bitterly.

He had scoffed after. "I can hear it from here, and friends don't lie."

"Is there something wrong?" Theo says, snapping a bit, which makes me shock.

"Can we go outside?" I suggest to him.

He sighs in annoyance. "The movie is about to start. Come on, Ri, I'm leaving tomorrow and my trips with my family are awful..." I don't hear what he's about to say next because I'm already heading outside the area, my heart full of guilt.

I find myself outside of the theatre, my nose sniffing in all the air I can get. Theo calls my name as his footsteps get louder each second. The time he touches my shoulder, I look at him.

"We're better off as friends," I blurt out, my voice cracking when I see the sudden sadness in the dark colors of his eyes. "I don't see how this is going to work out."

It pains me more to see his face light up with hope. "It can work out," he persuades, "I'm just going to be away for a short time... though it'll feel like a year, we can communicate daily and-"

"No, I don't mean that!" I shriek, panicking, "I mean.. I... I lied."

Confusion strikes him like a hurricane. "What do you mean you lied?"

"I never had feelings for you," I tell him, my head somewhat thundering. My heart starts to ache. "I never had actual feelings," I repeat, "you're a good person, but we're better off as best friends, you know?"

He's silent for a moment, my words still sinking into his head. "You can wait," I continue, "right? I mean, we'll both still be best friends and everything will be okay."

"You just played with me." He squeaks softly, his eyes darting to the teddy bear I'm holding.

Played? Shit. "N-no!" I abruptly shake my head, "it was... I was caught up in the moment... but come on, we can still be best friends, right?"

"How can I be best friends with someone who played with my feelings?" He lectures, his words hitting my heart like an arrow.

"Theo, come on-"

"How can I be friends with someone who never wanted me the way I thought she did?"

This can't be happening. "Come on, Theo Walker," I laugh nervously, an edge to my voice, "we're Riana and Theo... we make a cool pair..."

"Pair of best friends," he utters, "did you really think that after all this, we could go back to being friends?"

"Like nothing romantic had ever happened? Yes!" I exclaim almost joyfully, "we can.. we can go back to the way things used to be..."

He nods, "The way things were before you lied?"

Ouch. "Yeah..." I try to smile, pulling out my hand. "What do you say. Friends?"

He stares at it, dumbfounded

I think of the day we first talked.

"I'm Theo Walker, by the way. Nice to meet you, I'm sorry if I sounded like a total douchebag."