Chapter 2

Maybe I Have a Crush

Walking alongside one of her best friends, Hanna Marin, Spencer entered the Brew. It was this little coffee shop that Spencer and her friends always went to.
"It sucks Aria and Emily couldn't make it," Hanna said, sighing as they walked in. "Whatever, I have to go soon, anyways. Caleb and I have a lunch date together." She smiled and giggled as they went to find a table.
"It's fine, it's not like we don't see them almost every day," Spencer said. "I'll go order. What do you want?"
"Frappe," Hanna ordered with a grin. "Chocolate, decaf. I'm getting sick of the taste of caffeine."
Spencer raised her eyebrows, "Is that a joke? You know better than to say something about caffeine like that to me, Han."
"Sorry Spence," Hanna said with a quiet laugh. "I'd rather not lie to you."
"Lying is better than telling me that blunt and ugly truth," Spencer said, shivering. "I may just have to secretly put some caffeine in to get you back."
"You wouldn't!" Hanna cried with a giggle. "Besides, it's not much of a secret if you just told me."
"Shut up. When did you become the smart ass?" Spencer asked, crossing her arms.
"When you decided to become the dumb ass," Hanna joked. "Now, go! I can't wait for my drink any longer."
"Yeah, yeah," Spencer said as she walked into the line.

To her surprise, she saw Toby Cavanaugh standing in the line for a coffee.
"Toby?" Spencer asked curiously. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting coffee. What does it look like?" he said, chuckling. "I know, it must be crazy to realize that I exist outside of work. It's the weekend. My two days off. Expect to see me in Rosewood, you know... since I'm alive."
"Smart ass," Spencer mumbled.
"Hi, I'll have a dark blend, thanks," Toby ordered, handing the barista his money.
Spencer stepped up.
"One chocolate frappe, decaf, and one dark blend," Spencer ordered, giving the money to the barista.
"Two? Are you just dying to drink a lot, or are you here with someone?" Toby asked.
"Wow, okay, I have a life outside of being the annoying daughter that watches you work," Spencer responded. "Yeah, I'm here with someone."
"Who is he?" he asked, biting his lip.
"It's a girl. No need to get jealous, I don't have a boyfriend," Spencer joked, chuckling.
"That's not what I meant," Toby lied.
"Then what did you mean?" Spencer asked.
"I assumed it was a guy, I don't know why!" Toby cried. "Whatever, I should head out."
"You're going home?" Spencer asked.
His eyes flashed hurt for a moment.
"No, I'm not going home," he responded. "I'm just going out."

He left the Brew, so Spencer walked back to her table, where Hanna was sitting.
"Who was that cutie you were just talking to?" Hanna asked, her voice full of joy. "I would almost say he's as sexy as Caleb."
Spencer scoffed and said, "He's just this guy who's doing construction at my house. He works for my parents."
"Well damn, he's cute," Hanna said, grinning. "Does Spencie have a wittle crush on the constriction boy?"
She felt her body tense up for some reason.
"No Hanna, of course not. He hates me, anyways," Spencer said, laughing.
"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter. I thought you were trying to figure things out with Andrew, anyways," Hanna said.
She swallowed hard at the thought of Andrew.
"Figuring things out?" Spencer asked, rolling her eyes. "There's nothing to figure out. We broke up, and that's that. I don't ever want to be with him again."
"Alright, alright," Hanna said, sighing. "Andrew was totally your nerdy type."
"We had too much in common, and he was way too competitive with me!" Spencer cried. "I win some math competition, and he has to constantly try to prove that he's better at math. The guy has issues."
Hanna said, "I thought that you likes guys with intellectual skills."
"Sure, smart guys are great, but not when they act like smart ASSES," Spencer said, sighing. "And that's what Andrew did. Now, can we stop talking about him, Hanna?"

On Monday, Toby was back at Spencer's house.
"Hello, muscle man," Spencer greeted, giggling as she stepped into the back yard. "What are you working on today?"
"Setting up the actual fence," Toby responded, grinning at her.
"Nice. Why'd you rush out of the Brew on Saturday?" Spencer asked.
"I had to leave," he responded. "I was just going somewhere."
"So, why didn't you go home?" Spencer asked.
"Why are you interrogating me, Spencer?" Toby asked, sighing. "I feel like I'm being interrogated by the police. What did I do wrong? Not tell you my life story? I apologize."
Her brown eyes flashed hurt. She started to walk back inside of the house.

"Wait, Spencer, I'm sorry!" Toby cried. "I just got defensive... I have a really bad past, and I just don't like the pressure."
"A bad past?" Spencer asked. "Is everything okay at home?"
"Yeah, everything is fine," he said, staring at the floor. "I sometimes feel like people will hate me if they know everything about me. There's always wires pulling me around."
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
"If you ever want to talk about it..." Spencer began.
"I don't think now is a good time, I mean, we just met," Toby said.
"You're acting like I'm trying to pressure you into something really bad, like drugs or sex," Spencer said, laughing bitterly.
He tensed up again.
"I know, but you are underestimating what my past is like," Toby said, sighing. "It's not as simple as it seems, but thank you for trying."
"Yeah..." she nodded her head. "Okay, I'm gonna go back inside. Later, Toby."

"Wait. Spencer, I want to get to know you better," Toby said, grabbing her hand. Their fingers touched for a moment, and they both looked at each other intensely. "Do you want to go to a movie with me on Friday night when I'm off work?"
She felt like she was being asked out. Her heart was racing.
"Are you..." Spencer began nervously, swallowing.
"Yeah, I'm asking you out... if that's okay with you," Toby said, staring at the floor. "I mean, ever since I met you, there was always something so witty and... I couldn't stop thinking about you since I met you. I know we just met, but..."

Spencer looked up at him with a smile.
"I would love to go out with you."