#caroline001

when derek sent him the instagram post, theo had assumed he'd meant to send it to his sister or something and hit the wrong contact, but it turned out his co-worker just was really into other people's business and had recognized caroline from theo's instagram feed. he'd never gone back and deleted their photos from when they'd been together. that just seemed...kind of petty. she was important to him. and when they were good, it had been good. so why delete it?

as it turned out, seeing caroline's smiling face peering back at him from an official broadway show's handle didn't piss him off. it did make theo's stomach do flips, but that wasn't an unpleasant feeling. he wasn't sure when he'd felt that last.

theo had debated over it for days, but ever since he'd seen that post, something in the back of his head was itching to check it out. he couldn't afford tickets (who could?) but he'd had a gig nearby and it just so happened to get done around the same time the show would be over. what would it hurt if he just swung by?

craning his neck to see, theo squinted. there was some guy out there now, hamming it up to the fans, and since he had no interest in that, theo took half a step back. his bed was calling. and then-

caroline.

part of him wanted to bolt for the nearest subway station. but a bigger part of him, the part that had told him to run away to new york instead of any other city, wanted to stay right here and wanted her to notice him. so theo lifted a hand in an awkward wave.

when jake had told her about his class' family christmas party, she'd obviously cleared her own schedule to be there. when he'd looked up at her the other night while they were working on a charlie brown christmas puzzle with holiday music filtering through the speakers and asked, in his tiniest voice, whether she thought auntie caroline might want to come, too, so he wouldn't be the only one with only a single person there, she'd felt like she'd gotten hit by a truck. she'd thought about just calling up his dad. he'd probably drop everything to get out to new york, too, but jake had specifically asked about caroline so...she figurred she'd ask. and call her (ex) husband later to remind him about their holiday schedule.

jake was busy telling the poor milkshake maker about all of the toppings he wanted on his shake when the bell atop the door jingled. jo was already nursing a plain strawberry shake at one of the tables. "hey. get whatever you want. it's on me." jake immediately abandoned his milkshake making quest to launch himself at caroline, making jo wince slightly. "then we have something to ask you. jake, honey, let her breathe." he loosened his hold slightly and jo smiled fondly. she wanted the best for him and if he wanted caroline at his school holiday party, she'd do her best to make that happen...even if she had to bribe her with milkshakes.