Sorry, this one took a bit longer to get up than I planned. Hope you enjoy :)


TRIS-4 YEARS AGO

The streets are still slightly busy as I make my way down to the bar Christina had picked for all of us to meet at. Before I could even tell her the entire story about Peter, she'd been whisking me away on shopping trips and brunches to keep my mind on anything other than him. It wasn't that I was dwelling on it or missing him; what was eating at me was the embarrassment. I'd always wondered how women – or men – could be completely oblivious they were in a relationship with someone who was completely unfaithful. It seemed so obvious from the outside. Being on the flip side was a tough pill to swallow, and even though it had been three weeks since our break up, part of me wanted to hide in my apartment without the risk of ever running into Peter or anyone I knew through him.

Christina knew I wouldn't be ready to meet someone new, but she thought that being social was a key component in healing. When I told her that I had been spending more time with Tobias she didn't seem surprised, just asked if this was finally 'the time' or if we were going to keep screwing up.

I know Christina has always thought that there is more between us. A lot of our friends have noticed the small differences in our relationship when they reflect on their own. I'm just…never really sure what I feel for Tobias. And it's hard to describe it in a way that makes sense, but I know that I love him, and that he loves me in a unique, unfaltering kind of way. I'm just not sure if that's enough to make this more.

Upon reaching the bar I pull on the heavy door, winding my way through the tables until I find my friends. They're seated at a set of high top tables, with three seats still open until I claim one.

After a round of greetings, Zeke speaks up. "We're waiting for Uriah and Tobias," he explains. "Uriah's just getting off work, so we can order whenever Tobias gets here."

I nod, suddenly glad there's an empty seat next to the one I just sat in. "Sounds good."

Christina asks me in a chirpy voice how my week was. I know she's trying to be subtle, but she's probably really asking me if I've heard from Peter, which is a definite no. I still need to go back to his apartment to collect my things and give him his key, but he must not be very concerned about either if he hasn't reached out.

"It was a good week," I say to her with a genuine smile. I don't want her, or anyone else, to worry about me because of what happened with Peter.

She's about to open her mouth when Tobias pulls out the chair next to me, greeting everyone as he sits and pulls himself up to the table.

"Hey," he says softly as he leans in to kiss my cheek. "I'm glad you came," he whispers even quieter.

Tobias was the only one who I confessed by true feelings of embarrassment to. He knew as well as I did that Peter was never the perfect fit for me, but I couldn't get over being that stupid girlfriend who's boyfriend had a side chick. Multiple times in the past few weeks I called Tobias early in the morning, before work, in tears over how blind I was with Peter. And every time I called, even though it was the early morning hours, he picked up the phone.

I return his comment with a smile as the waitress approaches, taking our orders for a few appetizers and drinks. I have to admit it feels good to be out with friends and not feel any obligations to cater to someone with me.

We only have a few drinks over the course of the evening, catching up with each other. It's been a few months since we've all gotten together, so we all have some details to share. No one mentions Peter, and I have an inkling that Tobias filled everyone in on it ahead of time so I wouldn't have to handle the questions they'd have.

I'm not sure what lights the fire inside of me when I look over at him after the waitress brings our checks. It's been two years since I've hooked up with Tobias, and suddenly the urge to be with him again is undeniable.

"Hey," I whisper in his ear as I hand my signed receipt back to the waitress. "Where are you going tonight?"

Tobias shakes his head. "Just home," he whispers back. "Unless?" His eye brows are raised and I can tell he knows where this is going.

"Come home with me." I speak softly, not wanting our friends to hear our exchange.

Tobias glances up at the people around us. "Ok," he says softly.

Our table clears at once, shrugging on our jackets and tossing cash onto the table for a tip. When we head out the door, Tobias and I wave to our friends as we head down the street to the direction of my apartment.

"Tris," he says suddenly, halting our walk and turning towards me. "I don't want to do this while you're…hurting."

"What?!" I spin to face him. I'm shocked by his admission, his mistrust in me. "Hurting?!"

"You're still moving forward, getting over what happened. It wouldn't be right of me."

I throw my arms up. "If I'm ready to do this is my decision, not yours."

"I know. And I know you can make that decision. But I just don't want to be that guy, Tris. The guy you're with to forget about him." Just like that, Tobias admits an insecurity to me I never would have thought he'd have – that he's my fall back.

"Are you serious? You think that's what you are?"

He shrugs, not using words to convey his feelings.

"Tobias, this isn't the first time we've done this, and you've never had a problem with other circumstances," I say, referring back to the times that Tobias and I had hooked up regardless of who we were seeing or where we were at in our lives.

I cross my arms, staring at him defiantly.

"I don't have a problem with anything. Don't ever think that I have a problem with being with you." His voice is sharp, clear.

"Then what? Tobias, do you realize we've been doing this for seven years?! Seven years of this…stuff…and suddenly now you're insecure. Doesn't that length of time tell you something?!"

"And every time we have to stop, it's hard as fuck!" he suddenly exclaims. "I've thought about getting into bed with you countless times over the past few weeks! But when I finally do, I want you to be thinking about me, and only me. Not someone else who broke your heart!"

"Then kiss me!" Despite being in the middle of the sidewalk on a somewhat busy street, I raise my voice and keep going. "Let me prove that you are the only damn person I want to be with right now!"

Tobias's eyes snap up to meet mine. He stares at me, his hands twitching as if they're trying to reach for me, but his brain is holding them back. I wait, watching him debate this internally. After what feels like eternity he's closing the gap between us, pressing his lips to mine and pulling my hips towards him.

I don't hesitate to reciprocate and run my hands up his neck to cradle the back of his head. The kiss is immediately heated and passionate, and when I pull away I'm still unsatisfied. "Do you still want to say no? Do you still doubt me?"

Tobias scratches his jaw. "Uh…no. I definitely have no doubts in what you want."

I move my hips a little to confirm what I feel against my abdomen is, in fact, a subtle erection, and Tobias almost blushes when I do. "And what you want?"

"Jesus, Tris. There's never been any doubt about wanting you."

"So….?" I trail off, letting him make the call.

"Let's go home," he says as he slings an arm around my shoulders and guides me in the correct direction down the sidewalk.

The walk goes quickly, and we're barely in my apartment when Tobias reaches for me, pulling me toward him in a deep, lust filled kiss. His hands explore while his mouth caresses mine, and I'm slightly surprised at myself when I reach for his pants, rubbing him through his pants before working on his belt.

When his pants are down he kicks them off, leaving them in the entry way as he makes his way towards the couch. He sits before pulling me on top of him. There's one thing I don't like doing when I'm with a man, and that's being on top. The feeling of being in charge and exposed is difficult for me accept. But with Tobias, it's always been different. His eyes roam my body in a completely appreciative way that no one else ever has, and the words he murmurs are the most endearing I've ever heard.

"My God," he mumbles into my neck where he's kissing me.

"What?" I ask, worried he's feeling regret.

He runs his hands down, over my ass. "You're sexy," he breathes against me.

For the first time in a very long time, I believe that I am. He makes me confident when everyone else makes me feel self-conscious.

I roll my hips against him causing him to moan deeply. His hands slip under my shirt and creep upwards towards my breasts, caressing them from outside of my bra.

"Too many clothes," he mumbles as he urges my shirt up and over my head, pressing his mouth onto my chest when it's gone.

I'm not sure how long we spend like that, kissing and touching and not at all in a rush to move any further. When my body is fully electrified because I'm sure his hands have covered every inch accessible, I roll off of him, standing and nodding my head towards my bedroom.

He follows me when I begin to walk, and I unzip my pants and start to urge them down. Catching on, Tobias reaches for me, pulling them the rest of the way down and holding onto my hips as I step out of them.

"That's my job," he whispers from behind me.

Tobias slides into bed before me. Once I'm lying down next to him, he pulls me flush against him. Slowly, his hand slips down to reach inside my underwear. Words cannot describe the way I feel about Tobias touching me, mainly because he's always touched me in a way that no one else has…or can. The feelings he brings out in me, the ecstasy his fingers bring has never been duplicated by anyone else.

I let out a moan when his fingers slide between my legs. His soft, purposeful strokes are ones I could never manage to mimic myself. When they slip inside of me I gasp, and his lips graze every part of my body within reach.

My hand tries to reach out to grasp him, but he swats it away. "I can wait," he says, turning his lips back to me. "I'd rather feel you…around my hand."

The amount of attention Tobias devotes to me during sexual activities has always been more than anyone else. He's always very much preferred to spend his time on me before I give anything in return.

I run a hand through his hair, tugging lightly when his fingers turn up to hit that spot inside of me that he finds without trouble. "God," I breathe out.

"You're so close," he whispers, knowing it before I do. When my orgasm rips through me I dig my nails into his scalp and let out a string of words that I'm sure is just an incoherent babble.

Tobias doesn't remove his fingers, letting me ride it out and then, when I've finally come down from my high he kisses me.

"Let me do it again," he says against my lips.

I can't help but chuckle, still breathless. "Well…I don't know why I would say no…"

"There's nothing better than that feeling. Of you…" he makes his way to down my breast, taking a nipple in his mouth, "tight around my hand…dripping all over it."

"You're the only one who does this to me," I confess.

"Good," he replies with a cocky smile as he glances up at me.

TOBIAS-4 YEARS AGO

Just 2 months after Tris and Peter had broken up, and two more naked and orgasmic nights together, Tris calls me and asks me if I would mind going with her to get her belongings from Peter's apartment. She tells me she texted him to see when would be a good time, and his attitude was hostile and not cooperative. I immediately agree, not wanting to force her into a situation where she feels unsafe.

We meet after work on a week day, Tris assuring me that Peter is just getting home and hopefully hasn't had much time to stew over her presence. "You don't have to, like, do anything. Just hang there."

I nod. I've met Peter, and his displeasure with my friendship with Tris was more than obvious. She had admitted to me on more than on occasion that he was never pleased with us. I'm hoping my presence will make him hold his tongue so Tris doesn't have to endure any more of his asshole tendencies.

She knocks on the door, not wanting to use her key anymore. I don't blame her. We wait for a minute and I can't help but think that he's doing this on purpose to torture or aggravate her. Finally, she reaches for the key in her back pocket – already removed from her key ring – and is about to slip it in the lock when the door opens.

Peter gives Tris a blank stare, but when his eyes travel to me his look appears to be one of displeasure.

"Wow, Tris. A couple months? And you're already screwing Tobias?"

She doesn't acknowledge him, but instead breezes in the apartment, pushing past him.

"This shouldn't take long," she calls back to me from where she's walking down the hall towards what is probably Peter's bedroom.

I stand silently and stiffly, not wanting to engage with Peter. That's probably what he's after – to upset one of us, which he knows would upset the other.

I can hear her rummaging in drawers, pulling several in and out repeatedly, and Peter just rolls his eyes and goes into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of scotch. He holds the bottle up to me. "A drink?" he offers.

With a shake of my head I decline. No way am I going to sit here and drink with Peter.

He laughs and shakes his head. "You know, she does try to keep a short lease on her man."

I don't acknowledge his comment. Tris is probably the least controlling person I know. She's so eager to make others happy, she'd never tell anyone what to do.

Peter takes a swig of his drink and I can feel his eyes studying me. He's about to open his mouth again when Tris appears, handing me one filled duffle bag and then retreating back into Peter's bedroom. From what I hear, I think she's in the bathroom.

"She's a decent fuck, that's the only reason I put up with that shit," Peter says from the counter. He swirls the scotch in his glass waiting patiently for my reaction. Despite the fact that my insides are boiling, I stay calm.

He continues on, apparently not satisfied with my ability to shut him out. "A little prudish, though. That's why I had to find it elsewhere, you know? There were just desires she couldn't fill."

Thankfully, Tris comes out of his room then and the sight of her helps to calm me immediately. She gives me a cautious look, almost as if she can sense something has been going on out here. But she continues on her rounds through the apartment, maneuvering around Peter to grab various things from the kitchen before moving onto the living room. She's almost filled her third bag when Peter comes up next to me, downing his scotch before whispering in my ear.

"She's vulnerable as hell right now. Now's your chance. Fuck her and you'll see what I mean."

His breath is hot on my ear, making me clench my fists in my pants pockets. I'd love to turn around and tell Peter how he's the one lacking sexually. I'd rub it in his face how Tris moans in ways he's never heard when it's my fingers inside of her. How she's no longer shy or nervous with me because I've already explored every part of her body – and I've made sure to tell how incredible, how sexy every inch of her is.

But instead, I wait until Tris is done, which is just another minute longer. I hoist two bags over my shoulder while she comes towards me with the third. She tosses her key to the apartment on a table as she passes, and then confidently breezes out of the apartment, while I follow behind her.

I wait until we're all the way outside of the building to drop the bags and lean my hands on the building, taking a few deep breaths.

"Tobias? What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "What did you ever see in that motherfucker?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," she replies with a roll of her eyes. "What happened?"

I take a few more breaths before I stand up and drop my hands to my sides. "You don't need to hear it."

Her response is a nervous look, like she's debating between agreeing with me and her desire to know.

"What you need to hear," I begin, taking her shoulders with my hands, "is that you're beautiful, and smart, and comical. You're so many things that Peter never bothered to see or appreciate, and so I hope anything he's ever told you that makes you feel bad about yourself leaves your memory immediately."

Tris slowly nods, and once I see the understanding in her eyes I pull her towards me, kissing her on the top of her head.

Below me, I hear her murmur, "Thank you, Tobias."

TOBIAS - PRESENT DAY

Fridays are one of my days off, so Tris leaves me her key so that I can come and go as I please. She's much more accommodating than I deserve, but I appreciate it. Her work days are slightly shorter on Friday as well, but I know she wants to get some work done on her freelance assignment, so I make plans with Zeke for dinner.

Seeing that I haven't spoken to Lauren in five days, I feel the obligation to call her. The break from her has been much more of a relief than I anticipated it being. I thought that getting away for a while would give us time to cool off, make me remember why I felt the need to be with her for the rest of my life. After all, there was obviously a time that I decided I wanted to spend every day with her, starting with moving in together. I can't tell when this downward spiral began, but I realize now that it was probably happening far longer than I even realized.

For the past few days I've woken up in a genuinely good mood, looking forward to each day. It took being in a good mood to realize that for a long time, I've been in a sullen, depressed mood whenever I wake up, wondering what Lauren and I would fight about that day. There were times I specifically laid in bed, hearing her move around the kitchen, waiting for her to bust into the bedroom to bitch at me about something, or ask me a question I'd already given her an answer to.

The thing about Lauren is that she will always be the most important person to herself. There is no putting anyone else first. Maybe for a brief moment, maybe in special circumstances. But on a daily basis, her needs and desires are always number one.

I don't know what she's feeling right now. Hell, she could be just as relieved as I am. But if she isn't, I don't want to leave her in this purgatory state, waiting for me to figure out what to do.

She answers on the third ring, which means she was debating answering my call. Her cell phone is never more than 2 feet away, so she probably was thinking about ignoring me until she listened to a voicemail.

"Hello?" she says, as if she doesn't know that it's me calling.

"Hey, Lauren," I reply, suddenly wishing I would have rehearsed a conversation. "I…uh…just wanted to see how…uh…how you're doing, I guess?"

"Same as always," she says nonchalantly. "Busy at work. You?"

Unsure how to answer, I agree. "Same, I guess." Now is not the time to tell her how much I've enjoyed this week.

"Are you still staying at Tris's?" she asks, her voice sharper this time. Shit.

"Yeah, I am. Crashing on the couch," I explain, even though I said it all the first time.

"How much longer?" she demands.

"Lauren…I don't know. What do you think?" I want to know how she feels, if she thinks we need more time or if she's ready for me to come back.

I can almost hear her roll her eyes through the phone. "You know, it's just so strange, Tobias, that you claim we need space and find that 'space' at another woman's house."

"Lauren-" I warn, not wanting to go there.

"And it's a woman that you've had this mysterious, unstable friendship with for ten years!" Her words are vicious, and I can tell she's suddenly enraged with this idea of me staying here, despite her acceptance of it just a few days ago.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "We talked about this the day after I left. I told you, she's the only person I know that lives alone. I don't feel comfortable barging in on Zeke and Shauna."

When she doesn't respond, I continue. "Tris and I have been friends for ten years, and you have known about my friendship with her from the minute we started dating."

"Yeah," she says sarcastically. "I've always known about Tris, you've made sure of it."

"What's that mean?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowed with confusion at where this is going.

"You made sure to tell me about her early on, obviously to let me know what I was working against. "

"What?!"

"I hear all about the good times you guys had together from you, Zeke, Uriah. Fuck, even Shauna and Marlene love to talk about her! And you! And everything you guys did together!"

"They're her friends." I'm losing my patience.

"Yeah, and they love rubbing her in my face! 'Remember that time you had to carry Tris out of the bar on her twenty-first birthday?' I'm sure she's happy to see you running to her after you leave me."

"Christ, Lauren, where is this coming from?! My leaving was about us - you and I – and it had nothing to do with anyone else. And right now you're making it pretty damn hard for me to want to come home."

"Well then," she says sharply. "Don't."

And the line goes dead.

TRIS – PRESENT DAY

I'd been surprised to see a text from Shauna during my lunch break. She proposed after work drinks and appetizers at a dive bar in the middle of where we both work, and I couldn't say no. Even though I was off an hour earlier than her, she jumped at the chance to take an hour of PTO to meet me.

She looks relieved as she settles in to the seat across from me at the small high top. I'd already ordered a water and dry martini for each us, and she happily takes a sip of each.

We catch up about work, first. Shauna tells me she's been super swamped in her new position at her marketing firm. We haven't seen each other in at least a few weeks, mostly due to said job. She's relieved that things are finally leveling out now that she's getting used to it all. The conversation turns to me, and I talk about my freelance work and what I've been doing at the magazine, which is the same stuff I'm always doing.

"Are you going to tell me about Tobias staying at your place, or do I have to ask?" she says when I'm finished telling her about my latest assignment.

"I think you just did," I reply, hoping to dodge the question.

"Well?"

"Well, what? He showed up in the middle of the night because he needed a break from his fiancé. What was I going to do? Say no?" I'm slightly defensive, wondering if she's asking if we've been hooking up.

"I'm not saying that," she says slowly. "How's it been going?"

She's steering in a different direction, so I let it go. "For us? Good. I mean, fine. It's not like, awkward or anything."

"Has he talked about Lauren?"

"Minimally." She knows that's all I'll tell her, because over the years I've never broken Tobias's confidence.

"He told Zeke he left, but not much about it." She shrugs. Tobias was never a big talker.

"I can't advise him on this," I say. "So there's not much to talk about."

"What? Why not? You're his closest friend. You'd know better than anyone if he's making a mistake!"

I sip my drink while I try to organize the thoughts in my head to make them coherent. "Do you remember when I dated Peter?" She nods, like anyone could forget. "After we broke up, Tobias told me he'd always hated Peter. He always knew that Peter wasn't good for me. He wondered all the time what I could possibly see in him. I was mad, at first. I didn't understand why he didn't tell me that, try to deter me from dating Peter."

"He sure should have," Shauna interjects softly, with a playful look in her eyes.

"He told me that I had to figure that out for myself. Because if he did tell me, what were the chances I would have listened? Probably not very high. He couldn't push me in any direction, because it would have just driven a rift between us." I continue on. "Think about it? Remember when Christina told me how she thought he was a cocky asshole? We didn't speak for three weeks because I was so mad at her."

Shauna nods. "I guess…no one wants to hear negative things about the person they've just fallen for."

"I can't advise him on Lauren because he needs to find out for himself what he wants." I shrug, feeling kind of helpless that I'm not a bigger help to Tobias, but Shauna nods in understanding.

"I get it," she says. "But you can tell me. What do you think?"

I shrug. "I've never been a fan of Lauren." It's the truth. Christina, Shauna, and I would look at her Instagram when Tobias had first started dating her, nitpicking every little thing about her. We'd double over in laughter at her gym selfies, make up still on despite having a 'killer workout' each time.

Even after I'd met Lauren and socialized with her on multiple occasions, there was still something about her. Maybe it was the way she shot cautious glances in my direction when Tobias was around me. Maybe it was how his smile never seemed to be fully genuine when she was with him. Possibly, it was that I knew that they were very different people and I'd been surprised he was attracted to her in the first place.

Well maybe not attracted – Tobias found a lot of women attractive, and that was something I loved about him. He didn't have one set standard of beautiful. But he was picky on personalities, and I didn't know what he could see in Lauren.

"I know that," Shauna replies. "Neither have I."

"I thought you guys got along great?" I say, surprised. Shauna has spent plenty of time with Lauren over the past few years. With Zeke and Tobias being best friends, they've hung out on a consistent basis.

"We get along because we have to. I can't not-get-along with my boyfriend's best friend's girlfriend. I do it for Tobias and Zeke." She runs a hand through her hair and releases a deep breath. "Zeke doesn't really like her either."

"Oh," is all I can muster. I feel like all of this is coming back to me, like she's going to start talking about Tobias and me, together.

"Zeke once told me that the first time he saw Tobias with you, he could feel the sexual tension that was brewing." She looks at me intently for my reaction, so I try to play it cool.

"And?"

"And Zeke, more than anyone else, is still confused on why the two of you aren't together."

"We're totally wrong for each other-," I start, but Shauna cuts me off.

"Tris, I get it. I've heard all your reasons. And I even understand some of them – not all, but some. But the thing is, there's no way Tobias should stay with Lauren if she doesn't make him as happy as you do."

I take a long drink to think about what she's said. She's right, at least when I reflect on my own experiences. There's never been a man that's even been on the same playing field as Tobias. No one has made me feel the way he has, in a number of ways. If I'm honest, I've been single for the past few years because I've been waiting for someone to make me feel the way Tobias does, and the search has been hopeless.

"It's not my job to tell him that. None of us can make this decision for him," I finally say.

Shauna nods sympathetically. "I know. But did you ever think about discussing his other options?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, curious if she is leading in the direction I had just steered her away from.

"I'm talking about you, Tris. Have you guys ever talked about that possibility?"

"No." That topic, while it had been on my mind multiple times, was never brought up between Tobias and me. In the beginning, I thought about it often. But the closer I got to Tobias and the more I got to know about him and his relationships, the more I saw how wrong we were for each other. There were a lot of small reasons why this would never work between us.

"I'm not saying now is the right time, but you know that there's a reason you haven't found anyone else. And we all know the chemistry between you two is undeniable – I've even heard it through the walls."

Shauna's bluntness makes me blush, thinking about all of the times we were roommates and she knew exactly what was going on in the room next to hers. "Maybe…that's just where it stops, though."

"Maybe because you've always cut it off there." She eyes me as she sips her drink, and I just chew on my lip in response.


Heading back to my apartment after having drinks with Shauna, I let myself think about what she had brought to light. Tobias and I have never talked about dating each other, but now is definitely not the time. I don't want to entertain possibilities that could be slashed the minute he goes back home to Lauren. And even if he doesn't, I'm not going to be the rebound.

The hardest thing about attempting more with Tobias is the loss that will come along if we don't work out. There's a difference to our friendship that neither of us can describe, but have discussed. If we didn't work out, the idea of losing that is more than I can handle.

I left Tobias my key this morning so that he could come and go as he pleased during the day. I guess if he's going to stay long term I should probably make him a copy, but it's just not something I feel comfortable asking. The door's unlocked when I arrive since I had told him I was on my way home earlier, and he's lounging on the couch.

"Hey," he greets me.

"Hey," I reply. I kick my shoes off near the door and drop my things on the bar before collapsing next to him, tired from the work week and the drinks I'd shared with Shauna.

"How was work?"

"Same as usual," I shrug. "Edited. Wrote. Researched." I turn my head to him to face him, noticing his somber face for the first time. "How was your day off?"

Tobias lets out a long sigh before answering me. "I called Lauren."

"Oh."

He leans forward, putting his head in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "She's pissed that I'm here."

"I'm…sorry?" I say, not even sure why I'm apologizing.

"I told her where I was staying when I first left. She just flipped a switch, decided she's pissed now."

I stay silent, letting him continue. "I just can't remember how she used to make me happy." He leans back, turning his head towards me. "That has to mean something, right? That I can't remember what my fiancé did to make me want to marry her?"

My heart is strained at his words and revelation. "Yeah, I think it probably does," I say softly.

Tobias lets out a long, painful sigh. I will listen to him as long as he needs me to, but hearing him sound so defeated is difficult for me. I hate seeing him hurt and torn like he is now, knowing that he's the only one who can fix the situation. I glance around the room briefly, suddenly noticing the vacuum lines on the carpet and the shine of the mirror on the wall. I sit up and see the kitchen towels replaced with fresh ones and the counter tops cleared.

"Did you clean my apartment?" I question.

Tobias gives a slight chuckle. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"You deserved some help. I've been here almost a week and you haven't asked anything of me. You've been more than accommodating." He shrugs his shoulders as he glances down at his lap. "I appreciate it. I guess I just wanted to show you that."

I smile in appreciation of his thoughtfulness. It's not unlike Tobias to think of me this way, but it still is just as touching as the first time he did something nice for me.

"You're a great guy, Tobias. You deserve someone who sees that and appreciates it." I speak as sincerely as I can, wanting him to know that it's the truth.

Tobias smiles and sighs in response, giving me a genuine look of appreciation before standing up. "I made plans with Zeke for dinner tonight. I figured I'd get out of your hair and give you some space."

I start to object and remind him his presence is not a problem, but he holds his hands up. "I know, I know. But I thought it would give you some time to work or relax or whatever you do when I'm not bothering you."

I chuckle and thank him before heading to my room to strip out of my work attire and into something more comfortable.