Hello again!
Wow : ) I'm so pleased with all the good feedbacks I have gotten for this story! Thank you to everyone for your support it really means a lot!
I hope you all love this new chapter as much!
Chapter 4: Intrusive Friends
"Come on man! What's with you today? We've been here for two hours and you said close to nothing!" said Caleb.
"Sorry Caleb, it's nothing," answered Toby taking a sip of his beer.
It was Friday night and both friends had decided to hang out together and watch a football game at a sport pub while Hanna and her friends were having a girl's night, checking wedding dresses, flowers, cakes and all other stuff women like to do when one of them is engaged.
Caleb wasn't convinced by Toby's answer but didn't say anything else because he knew that when Toby was like that, it was better to not pressure him and to let him do the talking only when he was ready.
"Well, if it's nothing get yourself together and go talk to that cute blond over there, she's been eyeing you ever since we arrived!" Caleb told him with a pat on the shoulder.
"No thanks, I'm not in the mood," simply said Toby with a shrug, taking another sip of his beer and taking back his attention to the game.
But Caleb had decided that they were apparently not going to watch the game, "Okay what is with you? It's Friday night, you're single and a cute girl keeps looking at you, why don't you want to just go and talk with her? You keep watching the game, but you don't even like football" asked Caleb, clearly confused by his friend behaviour.
"Okay… promise me not to laugh!" finally said Toby with a sigh, regretting his decision to talk as soon as the first words left his lips, but now was too late to back out.
"I promise, just tell me what is with you?"
"I… » Toby started.
« Come on!" Caleb urged him.
"Hey! If you want me to tell you, give some time. I won't be able to say anything if you keep interrupting me!"
"Sorry," said Caleb sheepishly, motioning that he wouldn't say another word.
"All right… I met a girl earlier this week…"
"Hey! That's great Toby! Why didn't you tell me? Will I meet her soon?" Caleb said, harassing Toby with millions of questions.
"Jeez! Hanna is really starting to transform you into a high school gossip girl! If you'd let me finish maybe I could answer to all those questions!" replied Toby slightly irritated.
"I'm sorry mate, I'm just really glad for you! You haven't met anyone since Yvonne left you two years ago!"
"I know Caleb, I needed time! We were engaged for god's sake!"
"Well then, I'm really happy for you and I can't wait to meet the girl," Caleb said.
"That's the problem, I don't know if you will, I don't even know if I'll see her again!"
"What? Why?" Caleb asked confused.
"I met her at Rosewood High, she teaches there, she had dropped boxes from her car and I helped her carry them to her office. We talked a lot too and I was about to ask her if we could see each other again, a coffee, a diner at a restaurant, anything, and I think she sensed it because one minute we were happily laughing about how the principal's last shirt buttons had been unmade all day, and the next she was running away from me," admitted Toby with a sigh.
"What do you mean?" asked Caleb
"Here's what happened:"
They had finally made it to Spencer's office and nothing else had been broken on the way. Toby could feel that Spencer was glad she had accepted his offer to help her. Her stuff was really heavy!
"You can put that box on the floor, I'll sort things out later," suggested Spencer while resting her own box on her desk.
Toby did as told and whipped his hands on his jeans, hoping that it wasn't the end. He had met the woman only minutes ago, but somehow he felt like he needed to know more about her. There was something that made him want to stay in her office all day and simply talk.
"You really have a nice office," he simply stated, admiring the room.
"Thank you, I really like it too, my first office," said Spencer with a big smile.
"Is it your first job as a teacher?" Toby asked with curiosity.
"Yeah, I graduated in April and then I started looking for jobs, I was hired at the end of July," answered Spencer.
"That's great! Are you from here? I don't recall seeing you in Rosewood," replied Toby who had been living in Rosewood all his life and knew basically everyone.
"No, I'm actually from Philly, but I didn't feel like working in the big city. I went to high school and college there and didn't exactly like it. A small town corresponded better to what I was looking for,"
"It's great that you found exactly what you wanted," Toby said.
"What about you? Have you been an architect for long?" asked Spencer.
"No, two years only, but it was my grandfather's business and I've been helping him ever since I was 12. As soon as I graduated, he hired me as his associate. I really like working with him," he said with a smile.
"You seem really good at that job, I mean, from what I've seen of the new annex," explained Spencer.
"Thank you, but that job isn't easy, with all the complications going on, and the principal is always mad about me… I hope it won't impact on the business; he said he wasn't going to recommend us for any work in Rosewood!" said Toby with a look of incertitude.
"Don't listen to that old man. I think he just says that to put pressure on you. No one would listen to him anyway, he seems too cranky," laughed Spencer.
"Hahaha! I hope you're right," said Toby.
"I am right! He goes around ordering everyone as if he is so better than anyone, but have you noticed that his shirt's been undone all day and he didn't notice? You can't act like you rule everything if you're dressed like that» added Spencer.
"Yeah, I noticed. At first I wanted to tell him, but then he said he was going to sue me if it wasn't finish soon. So I let him go everywhere with his shirt undone. And apparently I'm not the only one," Toby said pointing his finger playfully at Spencer.
"Hey! He told me that he wanted someone more experienced, but that I was the only person who accepted his offer so he'd had to deal with me. I was offended so I also let him show his belly to everyone," laughed Spencer.
They both laughed until it subsided and they fell into a comfortable silence. Toby knew he had to go back to the annex to supervise the work, but he didn't felt like saying goodbye to Spencer yet. So he took all his courage and went to invite her for a date:
"Spencer… I really had fun today… I was wondering if maybe…" he started but was soon interrupted by Spencer who sported a panicked face.
"Toby… I also had a lot of fun, but I gotta go, see you! » she said before leaving her office as if Satan himself was after her, leaving a dumbstruck Toby behind.
"I don't know what to say… Are you sure that she actually didn't have to go for real?" asked Caleb, trying to find something explaining Spencer's behaviour.
"Man! You kidding? We were talking casually and then the second I start asking her out she jumps out of the room without glancing back, saying she has to be somewhere else. She clearly didn't want me to ask her out!" whined Toby.
"Maybe it's not about you, but about her. Maybe she has a boyfriend, or she just doesn't want one right now," suggested Toby.
"You do know that Hanna is transforming you into a sensitive person Caleb?" playfully said Toby.
"Yes I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled, « Now come on, let's go back to the apartment, I'm sure Hanna and her friends have lots of things to ask us for the wedding! » he added with a sigh.
It was Friday night and Spencer was currently curled up on her couch, watching Nicholas Sparks movies and drinking wine while feeling miserable. The girls in those movies, how could they do it? They were beautiful, so full of confidence and they didn't run out every time a guy wanted to ask them out! No, that was only Spencer.
She felt bad for what she had done to Toby. She really liked him. He had offered her his help without any obligation and he had been so gentle with her! When he took her hand to clean her cut she had felt like a high school girl in front of her crush, feeling butterflies and everything. And his eyes, they were so beautiful, she wanted to get lost in them forever.
But Spencer wasn't ready to start seeing someone again. She hadn't been broken up with Wren for long and she felt like she wasn't in a place where she'd be good at dating. She probably would have started crying if Toby had asked a question about her past relationships! It wasn't time to date, it was time to get over that asshole of Wren!
She just hoped that Toby hadn't found her too rude. She knew she was bound to see him again since the work on the new annex wasn't yet done. If so, and it was probably the case, she would have to avoid him for the rest of the week.
Yeah, that was what she would do.
