Then, He Met You (Theodore Twombly x Reader)
Prompt: Theodore and Reader have been dating for a few months. He’s still insecure and worried about your relationship. Jealous!Theodore.
The scene in front of him was all too familiar to Theodore. Despite his brain telling him he was being irrational, he can feel the sliver of jealousy running through his veins like poison.
You laugh—God, he loves your laugh—and you blush, and you run your fingers through your hair. His eyes stay on you, hoping they can catch yours between the crowd, but they never do.
Anger wasn’t something that Theodore felt often. Happiness—sometimes. Sorrowful, regretful, apathetic, lost—often. But anger? Only a few times in his life had he ever let himself feel angry.
For a brief period, his mind wanders to Samantha. There were times when he questioned whether he would ever move on from her. He used to be tied down by the weight of his heart and felt nothing could ever set him free again.
Then, he met you.
You crashed into his life—quite literally—with your dazzling smile and alluring personality when you collided with him outside his workplace, Beautiful Handwritten Letters.
“I am so, so sorry!” You exclaim, already shoving your sweatshirt sleeve up against his button-up shirt to wipe off the coffee you just ‘threw’ at him.
Theodore just stares at you, not knowing what to say to the beautiful stranger who’s currently rubbing his chest. He lets out a small, nervous chuckle while reaching up to adjust his glasses.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’re headed somewhere important,” You say, eyeing his tucked-in shirt and slacks.
“Just work. I have work,” Theodore gestures to the office building, and you follow his hand with your eyes until you’re peering at the tall establishment. “I just write letters.”
You turn back to him. “Letters?”
“Uh, yes,” He chuckles. “I write them for people who want to express something to someone, but they’re not exactly Shakespeare.”
“So, people pay you to write love notes and such? Doesn’t someone else writing it kind of, like, defeat the purpose?”
“I don’t think so. People are the ones feeling the emotions in the letters. All I’m doing is helping them write it out.”
You nod, a hint of a smile playing on your lips.
“Oh! Hey, what about your shirt?” You ask, suddenly remembering the events that led to this conversation.
He waves you off before moving to walk towards the office building.
“I don’t even like this shirt that much. I should probably be the one apologizing to you. Your coffee probably costs more than my shirt.”
“Maybe you can write me a letter to apologize.”
Theodore pauses outside the entranceway of his workplace to look at you with a curious gaze. A thoughtful smile makes its way onto his face before he says, “Maybe I can.”
Thinking about that experience usually brings a smile to his face. Still, as he stares at you across the room, he feels a new kind of feeling wash over him— jealousy.
Theodore agreed to come to this work party with you. So, he couldn’t understand why he was not at your side being introduced to the man that currently held your attention. All he could see was your hand softly touching the guy’s arm as you continued laughing at whatever the jerk was telling you.
On the other side of the room, you stand with—what was his name again?—trying to look for a reason to move on to other conversations without being rude. You’ve been talking to your coworker for a while, and your mouth is starting to feel numb from the number of times you’ve forced a laugh.
Normally, you would have left by now. But the man in front of you had the power to either promote you in your career or let you go. So, you’ve become accustomed to acting a little extra careful around him. This is precisely why you agree to leave the party to go grab a coffee with him. You pray this is the promotion talk you’ve been waiting for.
“I hate to leave, but I better get back to my boyfriend. He’s around here somewhere. After I talk to him, I’ll meet you out front, and we can go grab that drink,” You say, glancing around the room for Theodore. When you spot him, you wave to your coworker and quickly make your way over to him.
“Theo!”
He looks at you over the wine glass raised to his lips, barely acknowledging your existence. This makes you frown. Since when does Theodore not want to talk to you? Granted, it’s only been a few months since you started dating, but there hasn’t been a moment of it where he hasn’t wanted to talk.
“Is everything okay?”
He lets out a small ‘mmhm’ before continuing to drink from his glass.
“Okay… I don’t believe you. But I’ll let you tell me on your own time. So, I’ve got good news, baby.”
At this, Theodore perks up a little. He knows how important these parties are for socializing, and he hopes just as bad as you do—if not more—that you’ll be able to progress in your career.
“I think I’m going to get that job that we talked about! Think about it, Theo. By this time tomorrow, I could be making twice as much as I do now. Not only that, but this is another huge step towards my dream career.”
“That’s- that’s so great,” He smiles genuinely at you before engulfing you in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you Y/N.”
“I don’t have the job yet, so don’t be too proud.”
“Don’t be silly. I know you’re going to get it.”
“Well, wish me luck tonight then,” You smile.
“Tonight?”
“Yep! I’m about to go grab coffee with that guy-“ You point over to your coworker, who you’re pretty sure is named Josh. “And we’re going to talk about the promotion. Hopefully.”
Theodore’s eyes land on the man from before, who he recognizes to be the same man that made his blood run cold just a few minutes prior.
“Are you sure you want to get coffee with him? You don’t seem sure that he’s going to promote you,” He reasons.
“Yeah,” You breathe out. “But I think, even if he doesn’t give it to me tonight, this could still help my chances later on.”
“Do you want me to come with you? Just in case he tries anything,” Theodore asks, and you chuckle slightly.
“No, no. He’s harmless. We’ll be fine.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I could still join you guys if you want.”
“Thanks, babe, but really, it’s okay.”
He nods, somewhat dejectedly. “I guess I’ll just walk home. Will I see you tonight?”
“Not sure. It might be pretty late when we leave, so I might just go back to my place. I’ll text you and let you know.”
It wasn’t until later that night when Theodore checked the time on his phone—1:34 AM—that he realized you weren’t going to text him after all.
The city lights glowed through the bedroom curtains, and it saddened him to know you were out there with someone other than him. Theodore sighed to himself; for just a brief moment, he wishes Samantha was here to talk to. Despite their grim and abrupt ending, he missed just how simple life was with her. She certainly wouldn’t be out with some guy talking about a job promotion.
He shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. He owed you the basic respect of not comparing you to his past partners; he has never done it before, and he does not want to start now.
He clicked your name on his phone and sent you a couple of texts ranging from, “If you need me, you can call me,” to “just checking in.”
When Theodore woke from his restless sleep in the morning, he checked his phone only to see that you never responded to his messages. He didn’t want to come off as obsessive, but he was your boyfriend, and he’s allowed to be worried about you.
After getting ready in his usual attire, he races outside to start his walk to your apartment. By the time he exited the elevator to your floor, his hands were sweating. He knocked on your door before wiping his palms against the front of his slacks.
“Hey Theo,” Your eyebrows crease in confusion, but you shoot him a smile nonetheless. “Did we have a breakfast date planned?”
“No, no. I just wanted to check in, see how your night went last night,” He reaches up to adjust his glasses nervously.
“Oh. It went okay. We didn’t really talk about career stuff, but I did let him know that it would be something I’m interested in. So, maybe he’ll remember that,” You shrug. “Also, I got your texts. I was going to call, but I haven’t really been up all that long. We stayed out pretty late, so I had to sleep in a little extra this morning.”
“Sounds like you both had a lot to talk about.”
“Yeah. He just knows so much about my line of work, and you know how much I love what I do,” A hint of red tints your cheeks as you chuckle. “We actually had to come back here because I talked up until the coffee shop closed.”
Theodore wanted to laugh at that. He wanted to laugh because he knows first hand how much you can talk when it’s something you’re passionate about. But he doesn’t laugh. All he could hear was, ‘we had to come back here.’
“Here? You mean, your apartment, here? Why, uh, why did he do that?”
“It was only to finish up the conversation. He didn’t stay long,” You brush it off, grabbing Theodore lightly by his collar. “Also, how come I haven’t gotten a good morning kiss?”
He looks slightly torn before ultimately leaning into your touch and pressing your lips together. The kiss is slow and sensual, and he almost, almost, pushes you back into your apartment so he can give you a real good morning. He only decides against it when a thought pops into his head. What if that guy showed you a real good night?
With that thought infecting his brain, he didn’t even notice when you stopped kissing him.
“What is going on with you? You’ve been acting kind of weird since last night.”
“Yeah, I…sorry,” He scratches the back of his head before moving that same hand through his brown locks. “It’s nothing. I guess I’m just tired.”
You raise an eyebrow, not believing him for a second. “You’re my boyfriend, Theo. Don’t you think I can tell when you’re lying to me? C’mon, tell me what’s really going on.”
“I miss Samantha.”
“You—what?” You gaze at him, not really knowing how to respond. Of course, you knew all about Samantha. Just thinking about her, and what she put Theodore through, made your hands shake with anger. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“She was… easier.” You scoff, not believing your ears. You manage to keep your voice steady as you drag him into your apartment and shut the door.
“Again, what is that supposed to mean?”
“I never had to worry about her—not like this. In hindsight, I should have been worried. She was seeing more than six hundred people, and yet, the possibility of you seeing one somehow hurts worse.”
“Seeing…who? What are you talking about, baby?” You ask, genuinely confused. Your heart breaks into a million pieces once you see tears well up in Theodore’s beautiful eyes.
“The guy from your work. He was here last night.”
“So? Christ, Theodore. That doesn’t mean I slept with him. Who do you think I am?”
“You didn’t text me back. You told me you would let me know, and you didn’t. The only reason I heard from you at all was because I came by today.”
“I told you I slept in!” You raised your voice.
He matched yours, gesturing wildly. “Because you were out late!”
You groan. “We cannot keep having this same fight. A few weeks ago, you were worried about that bartender and me talking. Except you didn’t even give me a chance to explain to you that he was gay, and currently asking my advice about his relationship with a male. And this week, what? You’re worried that I’m sleeping with my fellow employees?”
He stays silent, looking everywhere but your eyes.
“Theodore, if this is how it’s going to be…we’re not going to make it very far in this relationship. You can’t be scared of me. I’m not Catherine, and I’m not Samantha.”
“You’re better.” He whispers, finally locking eyes with you. “You’re so fucking better, Y/N. I remember telling Samantha that I had experienced all the emotions I was ever going to feel—everything from then on out would be lesser versions of what I’d already felt. But that was so wrong. I have never felt such happiness, such jealousy, such overwhelming love for anyone else. And I am terrified of losing it. Of losing you.”
He pauses as you both wipe the tears that have fallen from your eyes. He gently takes your hands, continuing,
“I’ve never been anyone’s first priority.”
That hits you like a freight train, and you move to embrace him with all the strength left in your body. If there’s anything you want—no, need—in life, it is for Theodore Twombly to know how head over heels in love with him you are. Sure, it’s only been a few months. But you know he won’t mind hearing it this soon. In fact, you know it will probably be the only words that can truly comfort his heartbroken soul.
You tug on his hands that are still latched onto yours, and pull him down into a soft kiss.
“I love you,” You mumble against his lips.
“I love you too,” He gently runs his hands through your hair, before lifting your chin so that you’re eye to eye. “I’m sorry for saying that I miss Samantha. I’m lucky to have you, and that was out of line.”
“It was, but I understand,“ You sigh contently, before smiling at your boyfriend. “I’m sorry for staying out late last night and worrying you. I promise I’ll text next time for sure.”
Theodore nods, deciding it’s probably not the best time to overanalyze the ‘next time’ comment. Instead, he simply smiles at you and leans down to kiss you again. Yeah, he thinks to himself, he’s pretty lucky indeed.
A/N: Request fanfics if you want. Anything Joaquin related.
