(A/N: highkey thirsting over this photo atm 👆🏼🤪🙈💦)

"Scarlett, do you want to come with me to meet my friends?"

I had just stepped out of the kitchen with Anne, the two of us laughing together like two young girls. Theo appeared in front of us, and I calmed myself down.

"What time is it?" I asked, glancing around for a clock.

"9 PM. They're at the only pub around here," he told me, hand running through his hair casually.

"Oh. Well, I mean..."

"They really want to meet you. We've been friends since primary school," Theo added, giving me an encouraging smile, "and I really want you to meet them."

"I guess I could come along," I returned his smile, my arm unlooping from around Anne's. She yawned and turned to give me a hug.

"Great! Let me text them..." Theo's voice faded off when he walked away, typing away on his phone.

I hugged Anne back, revelling in the absolute motherly warmness she radiated. It meant a lot to me that I had connected with her this strongly, taking into account I hadn't had such a pleasant experience with my own mother. I barely had one at all, in a way.

"You're amazing, Scarlett," she told me genuinely, her voice laced with deep emotion.

We pulled back and my brows furrowed at the tears forming in her eyes. She was smiling widely, though.

"They're happy tears, don't worry," she brushed my concern off with a laugh, "I'm just so grateful Theo's found you."

I gave her a small smile, "you're so sweet, Anne. You're going to make me cry..."

She laughed and hugged me again.

__

Theo had wanted to talk to Anne in private before we left and she retired to go to sleep. I had waited for him in his car after having changed and made sure Frosty had everything she needed.

"How long will we be there?" I asked him while attempting to apply a little bit of lipstick through the mirror while he drove.

It had been a few minutes until we reached any other inhabitation, and found ourselves at a small town.

"As long as you want. You can have a few drinks, then we'll head back," he told me, "we still need to talk."

"Talk?" The way he'd said it made me nervous.

Theo chuckled after having glanced at me, "nothing sinister. Just about our future."

I raised my brows at him, "you're not leaving me again, are you?"

"No, definitely not," he assured me and reached a hand over to place onto my thigh, "I want to talk about you possibly moving in, and so on... I also want to spend time with you. Alone."

I smirked lightly and leaned back in the passenger's seat. The small village seemed to be very full of night life, tipsy adults stopping almost dangerously by the road to take photo's of Theo's car. I knew the windows were tinted, so we weren't recognised.

"That sounds exciting," I replied suggestively, "anything special in mind?"

He shrugged, a small smirk also tugging at the sides of his lips while he concentrated on not running anyone over and reaching our destination.

"You. Me. In bed," Theo shrugged innocently, "whatever scenario has you naked, telling me you love me, and moani—"

"Theo!" I giggled and gently slapped his arm, feeling hot at his forward words, "you're feeling naughty."

"You have no idea, Tinker Bell..." he shook his head absentmindedly, "we're here."

My attention perked once his hand left my thigh and he parked at the side of the road, in front of a pub.

"Are you ready?" He turned the engine off and began unbuckling his belt, "you look beautiful."

I gave him a gentle smile, "thank you. I'm ready."

__

His friends were incredibly funny.

There was Harry, who worked at a nearby library, Johnny, who was an aspiring actor, and Annie, who was a freelance photographer.

Introductions went well, they were all very kind and welcoming to accept me into their circle of friends.

It was heartwarming to see how four people who had befriended each other at 10, were still friends. Knowing Theo the way I did, I knew these were the types of moments he needed to escape his lifestyle.

It calmed me to see someone I loved being so carefree and enjoying life the way he did right now.

They were telling me about crazy things they had been up to during their younger years and, as funny and sweet their stories were, I was completely mesmerised and taken by Theo. It made me happy to see him like this.

"How about that time you—" a very humorous Johnny was making it his mission to tell me every single embarrassing moment in Theo's life.

"That's enough," Theo cut in with a laugh, "my mum's been telling Scarlett plenty of humiliating stories..."

I laughed gently and leaned against his side, "I thought they were adorable. Who licks someone's ear, and—"

"No, not you too!" Theo groaned playfully, laughter surrounded us. I sent him a grin, my arm hooked around his as we sat side by side at a nice booth with a selection of nuts and drinks.

"Why is everyone turning against me?" He then shook his head with a very amused smile.

"Stop being such a drama queen," Annie shot him a teasing look before her captivating green eyes focused on me, "how was meeting his family?"

"Exciting and nerve wracking," I spoke, "Anne is amazing, and so are Thomas and Ellie."

"How old is Ellie now, anyway?" Annie then wondered, bringing her drink to her lips and taking a sip.

"Four. She's obsessed with Scarlett..."

"Really?" I turned to him with a doubtful smile.

He turned his face toward mine, extremely close all of a sudden, "Thomas told me she had wanted you to sleep with her."

A small laugh left my lips, "that's so cute."

"She is adorable. I remember one time when we came over to visit while they were also there, and she spent two hours telling me things I'd never known about cars," Harry shook his head with a chuckle, "how does someone her age know so much about cars?"

The evening continued very nicely. We had a few more drinks on top of the ones we'd already had, and laughed to the most stupid of things.

As expected, even as we were situated at a secluded booth at a dim pub, more than a few people had recognised Theo and come up to him to ask for autographs or selfies.

It was a little past midnight when Theo and I decided it was time to leave.

"This was so lovely, Theo," I sighed in content once he was driving us back to Anne's.

He smiled and nodded in agreement, "do you know what makes me beyond words happy?"

"What does?" I reached over to take his hand in mine while he drove down the dark road towards the beautiful beach house, leaving the lively night life of the small and cozy village.

"That you get along so well with my family and friends," he told me, eyes focused toward where he was driving, "you're impossible not to like. Very few people have that quality, Scarlett. I can't ever tell you just how happy I am that I've gotten to get to know you and love you."

"Theo..." his words made my whole body direct towards him, feeling so amazing just by his sweet words, "I don't know what to say, that was so sweet..."

The drinks I had had only made me feel fuzzier and warmer thanks to his compliments. Theo had only had a glass of orange juice, since the pub apparently had the best and he couldn't drink as he was driving.

He chuckled quietly and gave my hand a squeeze, "I'm sorry for the shit I've put you through, I was just scared. I never thought I'd feel this way about someone."

"Stop, you'll make me cry," I sniffled, feeling such adoration for this man.

Theo glanced over at me with a laugh, "alright, calm down. You're awfully sensitive tonight..."

I shrugged with a growing smile, "I've just missed being okay with you. And you bringing me to meet your family and friends... letting me further into your life... it's been very important to me."

"I'm glad," he told me, "I have a surprise for you when we get to our room, by the way."

"What surprise?" My brows furrowed, "Theo, please don't tell me it's something expensi—"

"Shh, you'll ruin the surprise aspect of it," he grinned mischievously with a hint of smugness, "we have a five minutes before we get back, tell me something no one knows about you."

__

"Is it really true?" He was holding back his laughter as we entered the house after I'd finished telling him something none knew about me.

I shushed him since everyone was asleep, and slipped my heels off, "yes. Why are you so surprised?"

"I just hadn't thought you'd be one to—"

He was nearing me with his dark gaze turning dangerously intense, my core clenching at the dirty plans they were portraying.

We were just in the dark entrance hall though, and I wanted to get up to our room before anything.

"I used to regret it a lot, now I just find it funny," I told him with a small smile, "let's go upsta—"

He was too close for me to even think straight. I had been about to take his hand in mine and start dragging him behind me towards our room, but he had cupped my jaw and leaned in to press his intoxicating lips to mine.

Powerless, I melted against him and was soon kissing back. With my heels in one hand, I looped my arms around his neck while his hands slid down my body to pull me closer by my hips.

Before I knew it, Theo had directed my back to press against a nearby wall with his front pinning me against it. The kiss was gradually growing more and more passionate, I think both of us attempting to put our feelings into words through it.

"You're so bloody sexy," he murmured against my lips, his low voice causing my core to clench with impossible need for him, "I can't think straight when you laugh, or when your eyes do that thing..."

I giggled almost inaudibly, heart rate fast due to how incredibly arousing he was to me. The way his voice grew deeper when he was turned on and the way his eyes became more intense and dark, both had me a hot mess. His rough hands being so gentle when feeling my body and sides had my back arching.

"My eyes don't do anything," I replied quietly, a sigh leaving my lips when his moved down to my jaw and then slowly down to my neck with openmouthed hot kisses.

"They do, love. You have no idea, do you?" He chuckled to himself, his voice vibrating against my sensitive skin before he pulled back a little to find my eyes, "the things you make me feel..."

I felt his hand slipping underneath my top and making its way towards my breast along my side. It slipped underneath my bra and grasped my breast firmly, with his lips now brushing against mine.

"You're fucking irresistible, Scarlett—"

"Why are you fucking touching her titty?" A gentle and shy voice from behind Theo made us both freeze.

In the moonlight, he glanced back and we both found Ellie standing by the stairs, clutching her teddybear in her arms.

Theo cleared his throat and discreetly removed his hands from me. With a quick kiss to the side of my lips, he turned around to make his way toward the young girl.

"Was he being mean to you?" Instead of paying any attention to Theo who had squatted down by her for the two to be on eye-level, she tiptoed over to me.

I was still trying to calm myself down by the wall, feeling embarrassed she had caught us like that.

"No, he wasn't," I shook my head down at her, "where- where did you learn such a bad word, Ellie?"

We were all keeping our voices down.

"Theo just said it," she turned to innocently point over at Theo who had stood up and begun making his way back towards us.

I narrowed my eyes at him and he shrugged.

"You shouldn't curse. It's very bad," I sighed and directed my gaze down at the sweet girl standing in her pyjamas by my feet.

"Why? He does it too..." she frowned and looked back over at Theo.

"He's being bad when he curses, right?" I raised my brows at him, wanting him to explain himself to her.

"Yeah...yes," he cleared his throat and looked down at her as well, "cussing isn't good at all. I stopped getting money from the tooth fairy when I began saying rude words."

She seemed horrified at what Theo had said. I held back a smile, now assured no more curses would come from her for years.

"Why are you awake, Ellie? It's very late," I directed her attention back, changing the subject.

"I had a bad dream, I wanted to come sleep with you," she told me quietly, and my heart melted, "you weren't in your room so I came here to get a glass of warm milk."

I looked over at Theo who ran a hand through his hair, "El, I'll fix you up with a glass of warm milk. Then I'll come tuck you in, alright? Scarlett and I will be sleeping alone tonight."

She frowned softly, and a part of me wanted to let her sleep with us. Just the thought of this adorable child sleeping between us seemed so sweet.

"We can have an only-girls sleepover another time, honey," I assured her, and she gave me a soft smile, "how does that sound?"

"Okay."

Then, she began padding her way towards the dim kitchen. Before Theo followed her, he stepped up to me.

"We'll continue where we left off," his lips brushed against the side of my ear and an involuntary, yet pleasurable, shiver ran down my spine.

"Okay," I basically squeaked out, and I felt him smile before he kissed me briefly.

I watched as he went to tend to Ellie's needs, before I made my way upstairs, making sure to be as quiet as I could, not to wake Thomas or Anne.

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This chapter isn't proof read or edited, ignore any mistakes or holes....

I'm not a cat person, nor do I have a cat, so I've completely forgotten that a cat needs a litter box and things like that, so let's just pretend that Frosty had a litter box xddd

Hope you enjoy this chapter!xx