"Exactly," she breathed at last. Tessa had been having so much fun at Yale, far away from the Upper East Side. Being back now was just getting more and more complicated. She didn't know how to merge the person she was now with the person she used to be. And she definitely didn't know how to deal with all of this... When he stepped forward, she looked back up at him, her mouth falling open a little. "Right-," she laughed, shaking her head. Fucking hell. "You do that and I'll be like, way over there, actively resisting you. Not that I need to! Because, as mentioned, I think you're an ignor...-," she was too drunk to say that again- "...um, shallow and pretty, or whatever. So, have a good night."
"Good luck with that," Theo grinned with obvious glee for this little game, and in his eyes was an unrivalled confidence that he would win it. Maybe not right now, but he'd proven time and again his ability to worm his way into someone's mind. It could be fought, sure - people put up a good fight - but he'd find a quiet corner in their conscience, and there he would be loud, and shallow, and pretty. This success he attributed to employing the complete opposite tactic in which he let his opponent freely roam his thoughts and emotions. It confused them. He wore everything on the surface and hid nothing, and he would let Tessa walk away with all the cards to do as she pleased, "I'll be here, remember."





















