FIONA POV
It was late, and I probably should have started heading home. My father would be furious if he saw even a single speck of dust in the main church. I sigh- this is what I get for having a father who is a very active member of the church.
My town is quite small where everybody knows everybody's business. A creak of one of the chairs being pulled out interrupts my thoughts.
"Hello?" I whispered. My voice sounded like that of a little girl, No one answered, but I saw it—a tiny, glowing orange dot in the very back row.
"Dad? Is that you?" I knew it wasn't. My father would rather cut off his own hand than bring a "cancer stick" into the House of God.
"You missed a spot, Fiona, right there next to the flower pot" the man says stepping out of the dark corner full into the light, I saw his face. I dropped my cleaning rag. It hit the floor with a soft thud, but in the quiet church, it sounded much louder.
"Theo?" I whispered I almost couldn't believe it. After all these years.
"In the flesh" he chuckles taking another puff of his cigarette. "Wanna try?" He asks and I shook my head.
"Ah still a goody two-shoes I see"
"Matthew?" I said his name like a silent prayer, I didn't believe he was back, he swore he would never come back.
He took a slow, deliberate drag of his cigarette, his eyes locked on mine. He didn't look away. He didn't look ashamed. He looked like he owned the place.
He winced, a small smirk playing on his lips. He stepped closer, the heavy soles of his boots clunking against the wood. "Theo. We talked about this before I left Fiona. Matthew is the guy who stays in the choir and marries a girl whom his father chooses. Theo is the guy who gets the hell out of this town."
"You're back," I said, my voice still stuck in my throat. I couldn't stop looking at him. He was so big.
"My mother is sick," he said, his tone turning flat and cold. "She thinks she's dying. Said her only wish was to see her 'baby boy' come home and find a nice, God-fearing girl to settle down with." He let out a dark, dry laugh, blowing a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. "Can you imagine? Me? Settling down in this graveyard of a town?"
"You shouldn't be smoking in here," I whispered, though even tho my heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. I was too busy noticing the way his eyes tracked the movement of my lips. "If my father sees you..."
"I don't give two shits if your father sees me, what's he going to? Preach to me? " Theo mocks.
"Don't talk about my father that way". I huffed.
"Or what?" Theo asks tossing the cigarette away.
His hand reaches out to brush away stray hair from my neck. "Still wearing high collars I see, hiding yourself…" he trails off but I interrupt him.
"Its modest" I argue clutching the hem of my dress.
"It's a waste," he countered. He leaned in, his face so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. "You're a woman now, Fiona. Not a Sunday school doll. Don't you ever get tired of pretending?"
"I'm not pretending, this is me- how my father brought me up" I argue.
"I don't think so Fiona, if you really are the good girl you claim you are why are you still here? Talking to a man at midnight? A man who could do things to you?"
"Things to me?" I gasped "You wouldn't hurt me will you " .
"Not in the way you're thinking" he laughs.
"What type of things?" I whisper.
"Bad things Fiona, bad things- now I suggest you run along before your father comes looking for you
"Fiona? Is that you still out there?" my father's voice boomed. If he found me here, at midnight with a cigarette-smoking "delinquent" like Theo, my life was over. Not just grounded—over.
"Oh God my father is going to kill me" I looked at Theo, panicking. He didn't look scared at all. He just stood there with that annoying, smirk looking at me like this was all a game, he wasn't fazed one tiny bit.
"Hide me," he whispered.
"What?! No, you have to leave!" I hissed back, my hands shaking.
"Nowhere to go, Fiona. Unless you want me to walk out there and give your old man a heart attack."
The footsteps were getting closer, I'm done for.
Without thinking, I grabbed Theo's leather sleeve and pulled him toward the small supply closet.
As soon as I shut the door we were met with total darkness. The space was so small that I was forced flat against the back wall, and Theo had no choice but to press his entire body against mine just to fit.
Theo's hands found my waist steadying me, "You're shaking" he whispered- his lips near my ear. His breath was warm and he smelled like cinnamon.
Outside, the closet door handle rattled.
I stopped breathing. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying as I had never prayed before. Please, God, don't let him open this door. I'll be good. I'll never sneak out again. Just don't let him find us.
"She must have left already" I heard my father say, the church doors slammed shut and I let out a sigh of relief.
I peek a bit and come out of the supply closet.
"Aren't you like nineteen?" Theo whispers
"Yes and?"
"You're acting like a little girl, you're allowed to have some fun once in a while" he shrugged.
"I do have fun"
"Like what? Cleaning the church and cooking?" Theo snorted. "He's just preparing you to be someone's little housewife "
"I know" I whispered looking down.
"I'm leaving now, you should probably get going it's not safe for you to be out this late" Theo says walking away.