Chapter 139: Penance
Daisy paced back and forth inside the hotel room, her bare feet dragging against the carpet as the minutes crawled by. She had been waiting for his return for an hour now, every tick of the clock clawing at her nerves.
Her arms folded across her chest, then dropped to her sides, restless, unsettled. She hated herself for glancing at the door every few seconds, as if her stubborn heart was betraying everything her lips had declared.
’Why isn’t he back yet...?’
Her chest tightened. The weight of her own words from earlier replayed in her head like a curse. Die. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, but the echo wouldn’t stop gnawing at her.
The silence of the room only made it worse.
She turned toward the glass wall, her reflection blurred by the almost noon light, when suddenly the door clicked open behind her.
Her head snapped around. Theo stepped inside, and for a moment the world stilled. Their eyes locked. He smiled, but it was the kind of smile that hurt to watch, it was thin and shaky, like he was forcing himself to swallow the storm inside and pretend he was fine.
"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice softer than usual. He walked toward her, each step deliberate and careful. "I finally found your vanilla milkshake..." He lifted the cup in his hand as if it were a trophy, forcing a lightness into his tone. "Want to try it?"
Daisy froze. Her throat tightened, her body unmoving, as though the simple gesture tore at everything she was trying so hard to bury.
Theo stopped a foot away from her, his smile faltering when she didn’t respond. He lowered the cup slightly, searching her face. "Daisy?"
Her lips parted, but no words came. All she could think about was the weight of her own cruelty earlier, that single word she had thrown at him like a blade. ’Die.’
And now, here he was, standing in front of her with a damn milkshake.
Theo closed the distance between them and raised the milkshake in front of her face, Daisy froze. The air felt heavy. Her hands twitched as Theo held the cup closer to her and when she wanted to say something her hand unexpectedly shoved the drink away.
The paper cup slipped from his hand, crashing onto the floor. That vanilla milkshake spilled across the polished tiles, spreading like a pale stain between them.
Her chest lurched. "I—I didn’t mean—" Her voice trembled as panic seized her. She hadn’t intended to push anyway, she was trying to say something but that damn hand of her swatting and knocked the cup to fall. Her wide eyes darted to Theo, searching for the anger she expected.
But it never came.
Theo didn’t flinch. He didn’t scold, didn’t sigh. He simply crouched down, picked up the dripping cup without a word, and tossed it into the trash bin. Then he walked calmly to the desk, grabbed a handful of tissues, and returned.
Kneeling, he began blotting the pale mess from the floor, his movements slow, careful, almost mechanical. His silence cut deeper than any anger could.
Daisy’s throat tightened. She wrapped her arms around herself, guilt gnawing at her ribs. "Theo..." she whispered, but the word hung in the air, unanswered.
Theo finished wiping the last streak of vanilla from the floor, balling the soaked tissues in his hand. He tossed them into the bin, straightened up, and dusted off his palms as though nothing had happened.
"I can... go get another one," he said softly, his voice almost cracking. "Or maybe a cake too, your favorite one... if I can find it. Just... tell me what you want, Daisy. Anything. I’ll bring it."
Her chest tightened, guilt and frustration warring inside her.
"What is it? Is it your headache? Does it hurt a lot?" He frowned at her silence, panic creeping into his tone. "Ah... I forgot, I should get you some painkillers... stupid me." He muttered under his breath, already turning toward the door. "Wait here, I’ll go get some—"
"Theo..." Daisy rushed forward, her hand catching his just as he reached for the handle. Her voice wavered, breaking the walls she’d been holding up all this time. "I’m—" she swallowed hard, her lips trembling around the words she couldn’t bring herself to finish.
Theo froze, his back still half-turned, but his hand clung desperately to hers like a lifeline. Slowly, almost careful, he looked over his shoulder and forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "What is it? Is there something you want? Or... do you want to go together? Dining there would be easier, right? We can sit, I’ll order everything you like."
His words tumbled out too quickly, too eager, as though he was terrified she might let go if he stopped talking. The forced brightness in his voice cracked at the edges, betraying the raw plea underneath.
Daisy’s throat tightened, her grip on his hand trembling. The smile on his face hurt more than any of his anger ever did, it was the kind of smile someone wore when they were already broken but still trying to hold on.
"I—I didn’t mean what I said earlier..." She finally let out the words that had been stuck on her throat. "So, you don’t have to do this..."
Theo stilled, her words sinking into him with the weight of salvation and torment all at once. Slowly, the smile on his face faltered, replaced by something softer, more fragile.
"You... you didn’t mean it?" His voice cracked, almost childlike in its vulnerability, as if he was afraid to believe her, afraid she’d take it back.
Daisy bit her lip, looking away, her hand still caught in his. "No. But that doesn’t change anything between us, Theo. It doesn’t erase what you did... or how much it still hurts."
For a long moment, silence wrapped around them. Then Theo lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a trembling kiss against her knuckles, his breath hot and uneven. "Even if it hurts... I’ll take it. I’ll take all of it, as long as it means I still get to stand here with you."
Her chest ached violently at his words, tears threatening to spill again. She yanked her hand back before he could see her falter, hugging herself tightly.
=====
The little café buzzed with quiet chatter, the clinking of spoons and cups filling the air. Their table, however, stood out like an overstuffed banquet, cakes, pastries, parfaits, tarts, and milkshakes crowded every inch of space.
Daisy’s eyes widened. "You... ordered the entire menu?"
Theo scratched the back of his neck, sheepish but stubborn. "I didn’t know what you’d want... so I got everything. This way you don’t have to choose."
She blinked at the ridiculous spread before her, lips twitching despite herself. Slowly, she reached out, sliding one plate toward him. "I don’t like this one." She pointed at the glossy dark chocolate cake.
Theo tilted his head. "Why? It’s a classic."
"Too bitter." Daisy nudged another plate away, this time a cinnamon roll drizzled with icing. "And this one too. Too sweet and spicy."
Theo gave a small huff of laughter, leaning back in his chair as he watched her rearrange the battlefield of desserts. "So basically, you’ll just keep pushing plates until I’m the one stuck eating them all?"
"No," Daisy said simply, nudging another plate aside with her fingertip. "You just don’t know me, I guess. I don’t like chocolate. Or anything with cinnamon."
Theo blinked, surprise flickering across his face. "Ah... I’m sorry. I only knew that you loved everything about vanilla, but... I guess I didn’t connect the dots. Usually, people who love vanilla don’t really go for chocolate."
"Hm. Well, it’s not your fault." Daisy sighed, pulling the vanilla milkshake closer to her. "That’s how shaky our few months of a relationship is..." She took a long sip, the sweetness grounding her more than she expected.
Theo watched her, his jaw tightening. "Shaky doesn’t mean hopeless."
Her eyes lifted, meeting his, and for a moment she froze because he looked at her as if he’d already decided not to let go, no matter how unsteady the ground between them was.
Daisy quickly set the glass down, breaking the moment with a small laugh. "Hopeless is when you order half the dessert shop for one person." She nudged another plate toward him. "Eat. At least make your disaster worthwhile."
Theo huffed but pulled the plate closer anyway. "You know that I don’t eat sweet—"
His words stopped when his eyes met her glare. He exhaled in defeat, picking up his fork. "Okay, fine. I’ll eat the ones you didn’t like..." He stabbed into the dark chocolate cake with exaggerated misery, muttering, "This is punishment, isn’t it?"
Daisy’s lips twitched. "Think of it as... penance."
Theo took a reluctant bite, grimacing at the bitterness. "Penance tastes terrible." He forced down another mouthful anyway, eyes flicking up to hers. "But... if this makes you stay a little longer with me, I’ll eat the whole table."
The playful edge in his tone made Daisy feel her chest lightened for the first time. She looked away, pushing her straw around in the milkshake as she tried to hold the smile which was trying to betray her.