Chapter 10

A Cover Up

He didn't think he was in love. No, they just started seeing each other about three weeks ago and he couldn't be in love already. Could he? Whether it was love or not, Toby always enjoyed spending time with Spencer. And vice versa.

Over the past three weeks they spent all of their free time together. Ever since the night they reconciled outside of the bar, they never slept at night without the other in bed with them. Toby found it pretty easy to settle into things with Spencer. It was easy to have her in his apartment, in his clothes, walking around his place.

He enjoyed the little things about Spencer too. He loved the way she was competitive and would never hold back when they were placing a board game. He loved the way she would run over to his place just to tell him that she got an A on an exam. He loved the way she sang in the shower when she thought he wasn't listening. He loved the way her body curled up to his in her sleep. He loved her laugh, her smile, her sarcasm, and in general he loved everything about her.

Things were going good from them. He's stayed committed to her just like he promised and Wren hasn't been coming around ever since she mailed his watch to him. Surprisingly, their friends still were clueless about the fact that they were seeing each other. It was hard sneaking around because their friends always wanted to hangout or do something, but most of the time they just wanted some alone time. They never crossed over that boundary and took it to the next step, but he wasn't gonna rush her into it.

Spencer made rules for them on Saturday nights when it was time to go to the group meeting. They couldn't touch or kiss. He hated that part, but she couldn't stop him from staring at her the whole time. And he knew she loved it because every time she would look up at him she would blush. Things in the group was going good and things with Dr. Sullivan were going even better. Nothing could bring Toby down. Nothing.

Today was a rainy day in Rosewood. After Toby got off work and when Spencer got finished with her classes they both headed to his place to spend a quiet afternoon. He knew she was tired from all the work that she had been doing from school, so he gave her massage until she drifted off to sleep. He laid by her side and watched her sleep as he studied her face, engraving it into his memory. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep along with her. And when he woke up, she had already been awake for a while, so they just decided to lay their together and enjoy the soft pitter-patter of the rain on the window.

"You know today makes it a month since we started seeing each other." Spencer whispered as twirled his hair in between her fingers.

He smiled."I know. I can't believe how long I stuck around considering you hog all the cover at night."

She playfully smacked his bare chest."I'm serious, Toby. I didn't think we'd make it this far."

"Wow, you have no faith in us at all."

"That's what I wanted to talk about. Us." She said seriously and her new demeanor was starting to scare him a little bit. He sat up in bed and she sat up with him and sat cross crossed.

He reached over to grab her hand to hold it tightly in his."Look, Spence, I remembered that it's been a month for us. Hell, I've been counting the down the days until you left me when you found out I wasn't good enough for you. Or until I woke and realized you were just a dream."

"Toby-" She tried to interrupt him, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"I know that you've had doubts about us and we've worked past them. We worked past them because there's something so powerful about the way we feel about each other that it couldn't be ignored. I want to keep feeling those things with you." He turned away from her to open his drawer to pull out a black velvet box. He placed it in Spencer's hands and waited."Open it."

She had a look of shock on her face when he gave her the box. Her hand covered her mouth to try and conceal the gasp that slipped from her lips. But he knew by looking at the tears forming in her eyes that she loved it. Inside the the box was a necklace, but it was a special necklace just for her.

He went to the jewelers and picked out a gold chain with medium sized gold square dangling from the chain. He gave the jeweler specific instructions to engrave inside the square an 'S', but make it look like how a Scrabble game piece 'S' would look. The necklace looked beautiful and Toby knew that Spencer would love it, but he never expected her to cry.

"Toby, I love it." She said as she smiled down at her gift in front her."I didn't get you anything though."

He reached over to wipe away the fall tears on her face."Spence, it doesn't matter to me if you got me something out not. I only did this because I knew it would make you happy. And because I really wanted to see that beautiful smile on your face when you got it." He leaned over to her to quickly kiss her lips because he wasn't finished with what he had to say."I did this because I think we're ready for that next and I'm not just talking about the physical part, but all of it. Spencer, I want you to be my-"

Before he could finish her phone started to ring on the nightstand. They ignored it the first time, but then it started to ring again.

"I think you should get it. It might be important." Toby said and Spencer shook her head, but of course he insisted."We can talk after you get off the phone."

"Okay." She grumbled out as she reached over him to grab her phone and answered it."Hello? Oh, hey, Jason."

"Who's Jason?" He asked and almost instantly her finger was on his lips hushing him.

"Yeah, I know what next week is...I don't think I'll be able to come. I might be busy with stuff," She glanced over at Toby."I know that I promised, but...Fine, I'll be there. I'm busy, Jason I'll talk to you later."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Toby immediately started with questions."Who's Jason?"

She sighed heavily."Jason's my brother."

"Brother? I didn't know you had one." He knew his eyes had grown wider. In high school, she was never known to have a brother. If she had a brother, then he would have been known about it back in high school because she was always the talk of the school.

"Yeah, well, neither did I until a few years ago."

"You never talk about your family." He said as his fingers gently ran across the skin on her bare knee.

"Well, there's not much to talk about." She said sarcastically before she turned to him."Would you like to meet them?"

"What? Your family?"

"My parents, my sister, Jason, etc." She explained."Jason called to remind me that it's my parents anniversary next week and they're having a big party over the weekend. I didn't go to their last anniversary party because I was too swamped with school and the group, but I promised Jason I would go this year."

"And you thought that you couldn't go because of me?"

She shrugged her shoulders."I just thought that since things with us are going so well that I didn't want to throw a hitch in it by mentioning my parents. I didn't want you to feel obligated to have to go with me."

He cupped her face in his hands and planted his lips on hers. Her moan of surprise emitted from her. His hand went around to cup the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. Her arms reached out to wrap around his neck and he fell back into the bed, dragging her down on him.

"I'd love to go and visit your family with. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't go?"

"Really! I can't believe you'll go-wait... did you just say boyfriend?"

"What you don't want to be my girlfriend now? I'm hurt, baby." He teased and pouted a little, but she kissed away the pout.

"I like the way that sounds. Me calling you my boyfriend." She smiled as she the word boyfriend played across her lips.

"Good, because you're gonna be calling me that for a long time. I promise you that." He said before sealing the deal with another kiss. He could handle the whole boyfriends thing. Couldn't he?

"Well, looks who's come out from hiding."

Toby looked up from his lunch to see his friend, Emily, standing in front his table. He was on his on his lunch break and decided to go to the Brew because it was in walking distance from the site of his latest project.

"Hey, Em." He said nicely as he took in his friends barista work clothes."How are you?"

"I've been good just been worrying about you." She said and he felt guilty as soon as the words left her mouth."Mr. Sweeney must be working you pretty since none of us have really seen you the past three weeks."

He chuckled nervously."Yeah, I've been working hard. I'm actually trying to save up to move into a house." The second part wasn't a lie, he's been saving for months almost every dime of paycheck to buy a bigger place.

"Yeah, I understand that. It's just sad because we never see you or Spencer anymore. She's says she busy with school and her group counseling thing, but I just think she's upset about her breakup with Wren."

"Breakup?" He asked and he was fighting himself not to smile.

Emily shrugged."Yeah, she said that it was just time for her to move on. Hanna thinks that she's seeing someone else."

"Why does she think that?"

"Because Spencer's usually a little uptight and serious, but these past few weeks she's been a little more adventurous and careless, but in a good happy kind of way." Emily explained and he was really liking what he was hearing. "Aria even caught her humming to herself the other day and then she just started smiling."

"Maybe it's not a new guy. Maybe she's just in a really happy place in her life right now."

"Whatever it is, Hanna made it her responsibly to find out what it is or who it is."

He almost choked on his lemonade."Why? What does Hanna have to gain from this?"

"You know, Han, she never likes to be out of the loop about anything." Emily joked before glancing down at her watch."I gotta head back inside to finish working. We're all going up to Ezra's cabin this weekend. Are you in?"

He wanted to say yes, but he and Spencer were leaving this weekend. He missed having a lot of free time to spend with his friends, but it's different now. He's not ignoring them, he still hangs out with them just not as much as he used to. His friends did the same thing to him when they started dating their significant other so now it was his turn to be a little selfish. All he needed was a good cover story.

"I can't, Em, I have this really big construction project out of town and Mr. Sweeney said its important that I go." He said and he saw Emily frown just a little bit."But how about when I get back we can have a movie night. Just me and you. Deal?"

She just smirked at him, but he knew she was a little bit happy."Alright, you've got yourself a deal."

"Good, I look forward to it. Bye, Em." He waved goodbye to his best friend before going back to his lunch.

"Can you explain to me again why you need so many outfits for a three day weekend?" Toby asked while he sat patiently on Spencer's bed as he watched her stuff her suitcase with clothes.

"I need them for options." She said while struggling to decided which kind of heel she wanted to pair with one of her sundresses.

"Options? I only brought a duffel full of clothes for the weekend." He looked at her inquisitively."Is this what women do when they have to go somewhere for a short period of time?"

She giggled lightly and shook her head."Some do, but I'm pretty sure us Hastings women do it more than anyone in Pennsylvania."

"Do the Hastings also rent houses in Martha's Vineyard often too?" He asked because he was surprised when Spencer told him the anniversary party would be in Martha's Vineyard. He knew that houses down their were not cheap.

She shrugged before waking over to him and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck."The Hastings like to either go big or go home. Our parties always have to be bigger and better than the rest. You should have seen what kind of party they threw when I turned sixteen."

He smirked as his hands slid up to hold her hips."I remember you at sixteen. You were really beautiful back then and it looks like nothing's changed."

She blushed a little before bending to down to his forehead."I remember you too. You looked like very sweet guy."

"Sweet?" He said as his face scrunched up in horror."Come on, Spence, I gave you beautiful and you only gave me sweet? Give me good adjectives like hot, sexy, or something other than sweet. Sweet, sounds so emasculating."

"Fine, you looked like a very hot, sexy, sweet guy." She cupped his face in her hands and planted her lips on his before he could say anything. He didn't mind because he could get her back later, but for right now her lips were his main focus.

"You know," He murmured against her lips as he deepened the kiss."we could delay out trip for another hour and continue doing this."

"That's sounds nice." She said against his lips, but all of a sudden she pulled back."But we have to get going because I promised Jason we'd be there by dinner."

He groaned drastically because he was that upset. He loved being with Spencer, he really does, but he's a guy and he's got wants and needs. It been a little over a month since they've been together and he feels like he's gotten blue balls from not having any quality time.

He said heavily before asking."So how long is this drive again?"

"Six hours." She says nonchalantly."I know it seems like a lot, but it'll go by fast since the two of us are gonna be in the car."

"And what are we gonna do for six hours?"

She sent a smile over her shoulder in his direction."We're gonna have fun."