Theo hummed a low, tuneless melody as he stood before the mirror in his apartment, his hair still damp from the shower. A faint, stubborn grin had plastered itself onto his face the moment he'd asked Alice out, and it refused to budge.
The two of them had spent hours earlier that evening ironing out the details. Theo would have been perfectly content driving aimlessly until they found a secluded spot to enjoy the view, but he'd quickly learned that Alice operated differently. She needed specifics—mostly, he suspected, so she could coordinate her outfit to match the ambiance.
The memory sparked a laugh. She had lightly scolded him for being too blasé about the logistics of their first date, but he caught the subtext loud and clear: she was nervous. She wanted tonight to be perfect.
He grabbed a crisp white button-down shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a fitting leather belt. He nodded at his reflection as he dressed. He wanted to look good for her. If her fussing was anything to go by, she was going to be dressed to kill.
As he fastened his belt, his mind raced through the night's itinerary.
Picking her up meant facing the Cullen clan—minus Edward, who was currently playing guardian angel to Bella over in Port Angeles. Regardless of the missing telepath, Theo felt a flutter of nerves in his gut. Not because they were vampires, but because they were the closest thing to a real family she had.
With a quick spritz of cologne and a final check in the mirror, Theo pocketed his keys and headed out.
He slid into the driver's seat of the Impala, glancing back to double-check the stash of thick blankets and pillows he'd prepared. The engine roared to life with a turn of the key, settling into a deep, throaty purr as he eased the car onto the road.
Twenty minutes of winding roads and towering evergreens later, Theo pulled up to the Cullen residence. He'd seen the house in movies, but reality hit differently. As his tires crunched over the gravel, he couldn't help but stare.
'God fuckin' damn. These bastards are loaded,' Theo thought, taking in the structure.
Large glass panels stretched across the façade, opening the house entirely to the surrounding woods. It had two visible stories, but he assumed there were sub-levels tucked away in the earth. Inside, he could spot master-class artwork and decorations, with suits of armor standing guard like casual furniture near the clear windows.
Parked around the exterior sat a collection of automotive excellence: a Mercedes, a Jeep, and a convertible Porsche that probably cost more than his entire bookstore.
'Okay, so I'm the blue-collar guy taking the CEO's daughter out. Good to know. I'm pretty sure that Porsche is a limited edition, too, just sitting there in the open.'
Pushing aside the intimidation of the Cullens' financial freedom, Theo parked his Impala at the front entrance. Clutching a bouquet of wildflowers he'd picked up earlier—simple, vibrant, and alive—he stepped up to the massive front door.
Before his knuckles could even graze the wood, he heard the faint, rapid thumping of feet scurrying on the floor above.
'Three pairs of feet,' Theo noted. 'Everyone else must be out.'
The door swung open, and Carlisle Cullen stood there, looking like he'd stepped out of a magazine shoot.
"Theo, wonderful to see you," Carlisle said, his smile warm and disarming. "I assume you're here for our Alice?"
"Carlisle—or should I say Mr. Cullen?" Theo asked with a chuckle. "I am. Am I early?"
Carlisle laughed, shaking his head and gesturing for him to enter. "Carlisle is fine; you're not a teenager from her school. She should be down in a moment. Did you want anything to drink?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
Theo followed him through the foyer, the interior design screaming 'old money' with a modern twist. They stopped near a pristine kitchen where a woman was arranging a vase of lilies. She turned, her face lighting up with a gentle, motherly glow.
"Theo, this is my wife, Esme. Esme, this is Theo, Alice's date."
Esme Cullen was beautiful, that much was obvious. With her long, flowing auburn hair framing her heart-shaped face and the perpetual smile on her lips, she looked like the very definition of a loving mother.
"Oh, Theo, it's nice to finally meet you," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Alice has been over the moon since she told us about the date. Do you have big plans for the evening?"
"Nothing too crazy," Theo replied, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease under her genuine warmth. "I found a lookout spot near the cliffs outside of Forks. I thought we'd skip the movie theater and just... talk. Spend some quality time together."
"That sounds lovely," Esme beamed.
His ears twitched, picking up the sound of footsteps on the stairs behind him. Before he could say anything else, Theo turned, his eyes widening to an alarming degree at the girl standing there.
Alice was a vision. She wore tight, form-fitting blue jeans that hugged her curves, paired with a cream blouse and a stylish jacket. Her high boots added a bit of height, but it was her face that captivated him—her golden eyes were shining, and her pixie-cut hair framed her features perfectly.
'I—what kind of response can I even give?' Theo thought, his brain short-circuiting.
"Wow," he said aloud.
Alice giggled shyly at his words, and with a light twirl, she showed off her outfit completely. "That was the perfect response!" she said, walking up to him and gently taking his hand.
A light cough from Carlisle brought Theo back to reality.
"Well, you both paint a lovely picture. Have a nice evening, and take care of yourselves. And Theo?" Carlisle added, a playful warning in his tone. "Make sure she's back by midnight, please."
After handing the flowers to Esme to be put in a vase and saying their farewells, Theo led Alice to the car. He opened the heavy passenger door for her, waited for her to slide in, and then quickly rounded the vehicle.
'She looks happy. That's good,' Theo thought as he started the car.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Of course! Let's go!"
The drive took nearly forty-five minutes, but the time melted away in easy conversation. Eventually, they arrived at the location Theo had scouted—a recommendation from Angela that turned out to be pure gold.
It was a secluded cliffside overlooking the ocean, where the treeline broke just enough to offer a panoramic view of the waves crashing against the rocks below.
Exiting the car, Theo grabbed the blankets and pillows from the backseat. Within minutes, he had set up a cozy nest on a flat patch of grass, protected from the wind by the bulk of the Impala.
"So," he said, settling down and opening his arm for her. Alice didn't hesitate; she slid under the spare blanket and nestled into his side, fitting against him like a puzzle piece. "Thoughts so far? It's nothing flashy, but I think the location is nice."
"It's beautiful, Theo," she said, eyes twinkling at the setting horizon. "The perfect place for a first date. Thank you for finding it."
"Well, we should probably thank Angela, honestly. She somehow knew every single location for a date within fifty miles, even if she is single."
"Well, she's going to the prom with Eric, so that might change soon," Alice noted.
"Eric? Oh God, that means he's going to visit the store more. Any chance we can break them up?" Theo muttered jokingly.
Laughing at his words, Alice eased into his body more, sighing lightly as she relaxed.
"So, what do we talk about?" she asked, tracing patterns on his hand with her cool fingers. "I've never been on a date before, so I don't really know what's normal."
"Well, probably about ourselves? Here, I'll start first; might make it easier," Theo said, tightening his arm around her. "I was honestly thinking about selling the store and never coming to Forks. I was coming to the end of the taxi ride and felt so overwhelmed with the situation I found myself in."
"Why did you decide to go through with it?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Coming to a new town, leaving everything I knew in the past... it was like I decided to become a new person. I had no one back home, and somehow I felt like the world was telling me that Forks was the best decision."
"Was it?" Alice asked, looking up at him. "I mean, was it a good decision, now that you've been here for a while?"
Theo thought about it for a moment, the duo sitting in comfortable silence as the ocean roared below.
"It was, now that I really think about it. I've brought back my grandmother's business, made lots of new friends, have a place to call my own, and somehow caught the attention of you. If that wasn't a good decision, I don't know what is."
Alice raised her head, and Theo looked down at her. There was a moment of pure affection held between their eyes, as if the world had stopped spinning. The sound of the ocean faded into the background as they enjoyed each other's company.
"How about you, Alice?" Theo asked softly. "You've told me about your family, your school life, but I want to know more about what makes you tick."
Breaking eye contact, Alice looked off to the waves as she gathered her thoughts.
"I spent a lot of my earlier years alone, Theo," she said clearly, emotion thick in her voice. "I didn't know who I was in this world. No family to speak of, no friends, nothing but my name. I was scared of everything, even my own shadow."
Theo's heart thumped painfully at the emotion in her voice. Sure, he knew her backstory from the books, but she wasn't a character on a page anymore. She was real, sitting there in his arms, giving him an understanding of her life before she met the Cullens. She didn't mention her vampirism, but the loneliness was palpable.
"First I met Jasper, and he became my brother. Two orphans alone in the world, trying their best to survive. We spent a couple of years just trying to keep to ourselves, making ourselves as small as possible. But that eventually changed. We found Carlisle and the Cullens. They took us in without any ulterior motives, gave us a family, a roof over our heads, a purpose in life."
It was heartbreaking. Theo could understand her to a certain degree—being killed and waking up in a different reality, memories that were his but not his. Being lost, not knowing what to do next but roll with the punches.
He shifted, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her from beside him onto his lap.
"So you got everything you were missing in life eventually, huh?" he asked, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Yeah, pretty much," she said, a genuine smile blossoming on her face. Theo was slightly startled by how expressive she was with her feelings. "Though, I was always jealous of Rose and Emmett. The two of them were so in love, just like Esme and Carlisle."
"At least you weren't alone in that sense, right? Jasper and Edward are also single."
"Not really," she said, shaking her head. "Jasper doesn't really want relationships. He's happy being in the family, but someone broke his heart a long time ago, and he's still healing from it."
'Maria,' Theo thought grimly. He remembered Jasper's origin story—turned by a warlord in the South to command her newborn army. Jasper had loved Maria, but she saw only a tool for destruction. It was a tragic beginning.
"Edward has always been more focused on himself; no one ever truly caught his attention. Well..." She snickered. "That was until Bella came to town. Now he's like a lost puppy most of the day."
Theo snorted at the image of Edward moping around after Bella.
"So why didn't you start dating?" he questioned.
"A combination of things," Alice said idly, adjusting herself in Theo's lap. He couldn't help but notice she was comfortably seated right against him, and it was making him acutely aware of how nice her body felt. He wasn't sure if she realized what she was doing, but the slight smirk on her face suggested she knew exactly what she was doing.
'Fuckin' minx.'
"Mainly that no one caught my attention. Sure, there are some really sweet guys at school, but they're all pretty immature. I know I'm pretty, but that's all they see. They're intimidated by my family and a bit distant because of how odd I act."
"Odd? Since when?"
Stifling a laugh, Alice batted her eyelashes at him playfully.
"See, you don't see me as odd. I'm aware that I'm overly cheerful, and I say weird things sometimes. My fashion sense can be... intense. But you don't bat an eyelid at anything. You see me... for me."
She paused, leaning toward his face. Her amber eyes were illuminated with sheer adoration, her head tilting slightly as her lips parted. Watching her lean in, Theo couldn't resist. He met her halfway.
Their lips brushed against one another softly, a tentative question asked in the silence of the night. Then, the distance closed completely.
It started gently, her lips cool and impossibly soft against his warmth. But then something snapped, and the kiss deepened with sudden ferocity. Soft, luscious lips molded against his; he felt her hands slide up his chest to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer.
Theo held her tighter, his hands roaming over her back as she lightly nipped at his bottom lip, drawing a soft groan from his throat. He was in heaven. The sensation of her mouth on his was driving him wild—the delicate yet firm pressure, the soft sounds escaping her throat. It was perfect.
They stayed locked in that embrace for minutes that felt like hours, until finally, Alice pulled back. Her eyes were blown wide, the pupils dilated so much they were almost midnight black. Her chest heaved—not for air, but from the intensity of the moment.
Theo could see the hunger in her eyes, and he wasn't sure if it was for his body or his blood.
"Alice," he asked gently, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Are you okay?"
He watched as she shuddered, visibly reining in her baser instincts. It was incredible to see the petite girl fight her nature; the sheer willpower she showed was a testament to how much she cared for him.
"Theo, I... I need to tell you something. Before you decide to be with me," she said, her body slowly relaxing, the gold returning to her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure I've already decided to be with you, Alice. Especially after a kiss like that. You really know how to make a man feel special."
She snorted, but the joke didn't seem to relieve the tension in her frame. She scrambled off his lap and paced a few feet away, putting distance between them.
"There are things you need to know about me, and my family. Things that could change how you see the world around you from now on," she said, looking up at the rising moon.
"Tell me, Alice. I'm sure it's not going to change much."
"You say that now, but what if you look at me like a monster after you know the truth? What if you are scared of me? Or better yet, what if you leave me? I can't... I can't go through th—"
Her words were cut off as Theo wrapped his arms around her from behind. He didn't speak immediately, just held her securely, letting his warmth seep into her cold form.
"Alice, just tell me. I promise I'll listen to everything you say."
She turned in his arms, looking up at the nineteen-year-old who towered over her small frame. If the situation weren't so serious, the height difference would have been comical.
"I'm not seventeen, Theo. I haven't been seventeen in a very, very long time."
"That's fine. You got held back a couple of years in school; nothing to be ashamed of."
"Exactly—Wait, no, not that! Shush for a second, I'm already having an existential crisis here."
That did it. He saw the small smile tugging at her lips, and he knew the stupid joke had cracked the veneer of her anxiety.
"Theo, I've been seventeen since 1920. The day I awoke, no longer human." She took a breath she didn't need. "I died in 1920, but my death was the start of my life. Whatever happened in my past led to me becoming something not human. I woke up as a vampire. I've been stuck in a state of permanent youth ever since."
She waited for Theo to loosen his grip. To step back, repulsed by the words she had just spoken. Even if her visions of the future promised happiness, she knew that the present was always in flux.
Instead of letting go, his arms tightened around her. His warm breath tickled her neck as he exhaled slowly.
"So?"
One simple word that completely shattered the tension.
Alice blinked, leaning back to look at him with incredulity. "Sorry, did you just say 'so'? Like everything I just said was a passing comment about the weather?"
"Yeah. So? Pretty neat that you're a vampire. Hey, can you turn into bats or shadows? Do all that cool stuff I saw in the comic books?"
Theo stepped back, grinning at the absolute bewilderment on Alice's face. He already knew, obviously, but he realized he didn't need to make a big deal about it. Acting like she was a monster would only hurt her. So, he stayed true to who he was.
"Are you kidding me?!" Alice shouted, finally snapping out of her daze. "I tell you that I'm a vampire, and your first question isn't if I was going to kill you, but if I could turn into bats?! Were you dropped on your head as a child, Theo?"
That did it. Theo broke down in laughter, clutching his stomach at the look she was giving him.
"You're laughing now!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air in mock exasperation. "No seriously, are you on drugs? I'm not joking! There is a whole world out there filled with vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings!"
Finally calming himself down, Theo decided he needed to offer an olive branch.
"Alice, what if I were to say that you're not the only... different person here?"
He'd thought about this when he decided to ask her on a date. He wouldn't mention the System or his past life, but revealing his physical oddities would level the playing field. In a world where fantasy was reality, explaining that he was 'more than human' would be easier.
"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head. "What are you talking about?"
"Exactly as I said. What if you weren't the only one here who had secrets? Here, watch."
Moving away from her, Theo walked towards the Impala, Alice following slowly behind. Standing next to the rear bumper, Theo took one last look at her before sighing and reaching forward. He gripped the underside of the car's frame.
With a casual grunt, he lifted.
Alice watched, eyes widening to the size of saucers, as the entire back end of the heavy steel muscle car rose into the air. Theo held it there, suspension groaning, tires spinning freely a foot off the ground. He wasn't even straining.
"Theo?" he heard Alice mutter. He looked over to see her shock. "How are you doing that? No, you're human. I can hear your heartbeat, the blood pumping in your veins. How?!"
Gently placing the car back down, the chassis settling with a heavy thud, he dusted off his hands and gave her a sheepish smile.
"I guess I'm just built different?"
**********
I'm going to be honest and say this is the first time I've attempted to write this type of scene, it took longer than I expected, and an additional 1k words, but I think I'm happy with it!
Let me know your thoughts! How did you like the interaction and date?