"Good morning." Melissa said entering the kitchen.

I was seating in the breakfast bar finishing my toast. A had been thinking about my encounter with Toby from a couple hours ago. "Morning." I said back to her. "Can we talk now?" I asked hoping to get some answers on the Wren situation.

She sighed as she grabbed a cup and then started to pour herself some coffee. "What would you like to know?" She asked calmly.

"Oh I don't know" I said sarcastically. "How about, when did you start to talking to him ago ain?!" I said raising my voice. I was actually pretty mad that she hadn't told me about him."We talk a lot and you never even mentioned him".

"I was nervous. It wasn't even serious until a couple weeks ago."

"You could have told me then" I whispered not looking at her. "What were you nervous about?" I asked after a beat.

"That it wouldn't work out. There was a really good part of me that though it wouldn't work out. Again." She was sitting next to me now. "But it's been going really well. And I want you to be on board on this. Because this... this is really important to me" she said honestly and looking into my eyes. She looked nervous and vulnerable. She usually didn't let anyone see that part of her.

"You know I got your back." I took her hand on mine trying to reassure her. "I just didn't like the fact that you lied to me."

"I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." She was truly sorry, I could tell.

"I just don't want us to go back to the secrets" my stomach turned to the thought of things going back to how they were before.

"We wont." She said softly. Then going back to her usual self she said. " if you excuse me now, I'm gonna tell Wren that the coast is clear. He's been hiding from dad in the room all day." We both laugh and roll our eyes.

As she walked out of the kitchen I took the napkin withe Toby's number out of my pocket. I sighed and then dialed the number. After four rings he picked up.

"Hello" I heard Toby's voice on the other line.

"Hey, it's Spencer..."

We had decided to meet up for lunch in this small restaurant he recommended. I got out of my car and started to make my way to the restaurant. I immediately saw him, he was sitting in one of the tables outside.

He lifted his eyes from the menu in his hands and saw me as I walked towards the table. He stood up as I got closer. "Hi." We stood there for a moment and then hugged awkwardly.

"I'm really glad you called. Take a seat." He waited for me to sit and the he did the same.

A waiter came and handed me a menu. For a moment we just stared at our menus. I realized it was the perfect opportunity to really look at him. I realized that I missed a few things at the coffee shop, he had changed; he had a short beard, he wasn't as bulkier, his hair was shorter and combed to the side, the biggest changed though was the sense of maturity around him and his eyes weren't full of joy the way the used to. He slowly lifted his eyes so I lowered mine, after a few seconds I realized he was taking me in, the same way I've been doing before. "You haven't change much" he said after a couple minutes. It sounded I he was saying more to himself than to me.

"Yeah well, it's a miracle I haven't gain too much weight, too much junk food and little exercise" I said in a joking matter with a smile, he laughed a little. "You've change a little"

"More than meets the eye" he said in a somber way, suddenly his demeanor changed. There was something heavy on it and and his eyes showed pain. He sighed "Things... haven't been the same since you left. I... I've change. Not in a good way." I figured he was blaming myself and our break up. I felt guilty and slightly sick, it must had show because he widened his eyes and quickly added "it's not your fault. I... I'm not blaming you." I breathed out relieved that whatever happened wasn't my fault. But curiosity my started to grow.

"When you say things are different now...what do you mean?" I asked cautiously. He looked down and sighed heavily. "When we broke up, I took it pretty hard but, and don't take this the wrong way, after a few months I went back to normal, or to my new normal at least. Thins were going good. For the first time in for ever I was finally free, not the pain of my mother's illness taking a toll on me nor the pain of her suicide nor wondering if she had actually committed suicide, not Jenna, or Allison's blackmail, not A." He was slightly out of breath. Hi finally looked up "I've never been better or felt more relived or happier than at that moment. And then, about six months ago..." He stopped for a few seconds but it felt like several minutes. I was preparing myself for the worst. "I had an accident on the job"

My eyes widened. I scanned him up and down looking for signs of injury. "Are you okay?!"

"I am now. But I was in pretty bad shape then. They gave prescribed oxycodone" there were tears pooling in his eyes and his hands were slightly trembling over the table. I grabbed one of them and gave it a squeeze. "I got hooked on them, on the oxycodone" that was something i wasn't expecting, I felt like someone had punched me repeatedly, I felt sick. Addiction is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy, let alone on Toby, sweet, caring Toby.

"I'm really sorry" I whispered truthfully. He gave me tight-lipped smiled, I could see the pain in his eyes.

"I started using other drugs too. Coke and pot specially, they were the easiest to steal from evidence. Anyways, I feel better now. I got clean and I'm going to meetings"

"That's good" I said relieved.

"What I really wanted to tell you, is how sorry I am. For the way I handled the situation when you relapsed on pills and for the pot incident, and the way I handled our relationship in general. I didn't understand it then, but I do now and I feel horrible about it."

"It's alright" truth is that it did hurt as hell at the moment but I wasn't about to say that to the broken boy in front of me.

"It's not only that. I'm really sorry for lying to you and asking you to lie to your friends. And then asking you not to tell me everything and get mad when you didn't. I blamed our brake up on you for moving away but truth is I was the one who put the distance between us. I was a hypocrite and selfish. I was always asking you to put myself first. That wasn't fair. Especially on the circumstances. I'm the one who broke us up and blamed you for it"

I was speechless. The thing is that I always blamed myself for the way things ended between us. But on the back of my mind I've always felt that it was him who damaged our relationship. He was always adding more stress on my life, like I didn't had enough looking for A. He always pressured me to open up, to tell him the truth, especially after being kidnapped by Charles, but he never liked what I had to say. All that he was saying is truth. Not that I didn't have a part on how things turned out, but he played a part too.

I had a lump in my throat and tears were threatening to come out. "Thanks, for saying that. I really appreciate it. And I'm glad that you are better, addiction is as painful as it gets"

We spend the end of our lunch catching up on the small things on our lives. At the end we paid the bill and he insisted on walk me to my car. As we were getting closer he started talking.

"Thank you for doing this. I really need it to make amends with you" he had a grateful smile playing on his lips. I smiled back to him.

"No problem. Thank you for letting me have closure" he nodded. We reached the car and I unlocked it. We stared at each other for a moment, then he reached out to hug me, we hugged and we stood in each other arms for a while. "Stay strong, Toby. Every day is a battle, every day counts" I whispered in his ear.

"You too, Spencer. I hope you live a happy life" he whispered back. After a few seconds we let go of the other and he opened the door of my car for me, I got in and we said our goodbyes before he walked away. I closed the door and just sat there for a moment.

That was one of the most emotional moments on my life. I felt bad for his addiction, but he was strong, he always have been, "he always had to" I thought sadly. But there was a much bigger part of me that felt relieved, like all the weigh I've been carrying for so long disappeared. I checked my phone, I had a text

"Holidays with the family can be tough. Stay strong and call me if you need anything"

-Christopher.

I smiled at the text. And for the firs time in a long time,I felt hopeful. Maybe this talk with Toby was all I needed to move on. Maybe.

As I drove away I realized Toby's eyes weren't the only place I've seen the look Wren was giving Melissa the other day. There was someone else that had looked at me with such adoration. The eyes of the boy that had texted me. Worried for my well being and offering his help, as he usually does. Perhaps, maybe was all I need it right now.

Probably not what Spoby fans were hoping for but this is not the last time Toby affects Spencer. Review and tell me how you feel and any suggestions you have.