Author's Note: So in this chapter, there may or may not be talk about getting married...some baby talk...blah blah blah.

Oops! Did I just say that?

Chapter Seven

Toby looked at the clock once more. In the last fifteen minutes, he had probably looked about seven times, checking on when Spencer would finally come out.

"Spence?" he asked again.

"Toby! Calm down! I'll be out in a minute!" she shouted harshly from the bathroom.

He made a mental note not to call her again. Finally, about three minutes later, Spencer emerged. Toby was speechless. She was always beautiful, but she looked amazing now.

"You hate it, don't you?" she asked self-consciously before moving to get a new outfit from their closet.

"No! Spencer, you look amazing," he said, barely forming the words.

She frowned. "This dress looks horrible, doesn't it? I'm sorry. I just can't find the one I was looking fo—"

She stopped immediately as Toby put his hands on her arms, running them up and down slowly. She could feel his breath on her neck. She gulped.

"Spencer, you look beautiful. I always think you look beautiful, but now…you're stunning," he promised her. "Now, come on. We have to get to dinner now."

She nodded, gulping again. "Toby? I promised Aria that we would make Cassidy's birthday cake for tomorrow, so maybe…we could do that when we come back?" she asked, not facing him.

He nodded. "Sure. It sounds like fun."

"What does the term 'sensible shoes' mean, anyway? I wear three inches or I wear nothing. But preferably, I wear three inches," Hanna said before she took a sip of coffee.

Emily rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her blonde friend. As she paused between solving Sudoku, she looked up and saw a familiar blonde ordering up front at the coffee place.

"Hey, wait. Is that—?"

Emily trailed off, and Hanna turned to see the blonde.

"What is with this girl?" Emily asked finally.

Hanna turned back, taking out her dangling earrings and putting them on the table. "I don't know, but I'm dealing with this bitch now," she announced, getting up. Emily was frozen for a moment before she got up and chased her.

Hanna wasn't letting Emily stop her. She wasn't Toby's best friend, but his friend, nonetheless, and she wanted him to be happy. Though he seemed happy, his relationship with Chanel was always chaotic.

She was never around for him. She was always out doing God-knows-what with God-knows-who God-knows-where. He was always crushed, sitting at home, waiting for her. He gave a lot in the relationship, only to get very little.

Hanna stood on the side, never saying anything. But she should've. Toby was being abused mentally, and it was ugly. She was a snake.

Chanel was just walking away from the counter when she almost ran into Hanna.

"Hanna? Hanna Marin?" she inquired, beginning to smile as she looked at Hanna.

Hanna greeted her with stone cold silence. She wasn't amused.

Chanel's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Emily finally stood next to Hanna. Chanel looked from the brunette to the blonde, thinking.

"We need to talk," Hanna announced finally.

Spencer fidgeted with her hands as she waited for Toby to come back to their table. She fiddled with the ring resting on her right ring finger. She twirled it around, unable to keep her fingers still. She examined it intently.

Absentmindedly, she took the flashy piece of jewelry off her right hand and placed it on her left ring finger. She shifted it so the dim light would catch it perfectly. She smiled, subconsciously hoping that one day, that finger would be occupied with a more expensive, flashier ring.

Toby came back. Spencer snapped up in attention.

He looked at her with some kind of amusement. "What are you doing, Spence?"

"Nothing," she promised innocently as she took a sip of red wine.

He noticed the ring resting on her finger. "Are you hoping to get a glimpse into your future?" he asked playfully.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He pointed towards her ring. Blushing, she took it off and placed it in her original place.

"Spencer," he began. He took her hands in his, so they were holding hands across the table. "It's not bad to want that for the two of us. Is marriage something that you want?" he asked.

Spencer sighed. "I'm not going to lie, Toby, and say that it's something I'm never going to want, because I know I will, eventually. But I'm just scared that…maybe our relationship will end like mine with Andrew. He really wasn't cheating on me or abusing me until we got engaged." Spencer only realized she had begun to cry when Toby reached across the table to wipe the tear away. "I don't want us to end like that."

"Spencer…I would never, ever cheat on you. Please believe me when I say that. I would never abuse you or hurt you in the way he has. And I don't want you to ever think that any of it was your fault."

"But what if…what if I'm no good at marriage? What if that's what happened to Andrew and I? What if you—"

"I'm not going anywhere, as much as I can tell you're trying to get rid of me," Toby joked.

Spencer gave him a slight smile at his attempt at humor.

One of the things she loved most about him.

"You what?" Emily asked, her eyes widening.

Chanel looked down at the floor. "I know. I'm horrible. But I just didn't…I wasn't serious about the relationship, okay? I was twenty-one. I was so young. I didn't understand what love really was. I just wanted to have fun," she whimpered.

"Are you trying to tell us that you never saw Toby as more than casual sex? You led him on for that long?" Hanna inquired, incredulous.

"No, no! I want to make it really clear to both of you that I considered Toby my boyfriend. But I used the term really loosely. I didn't think about all the commitment it was, and I really never considered us 'serious'," Chanel explained.

Hanna scoffed. "You were dating for three freaking years!" she exclaimed.

"I know," she replied sheepishly. "I know I screwed up, too. And it's not fair for me to ask him to take me back now that he's with that other girl. But honestly, what does she have that I don't? I just want him back so badly. But he wants someone else…"

Emily suddenly became very defensive. "What 'That Girl' has that you don't is unconditional love for him. She loves him with all her heart and never, ever takes him for granted. She appreciates him and loves him as much as he deserves it. She knows that she could lose him at any given moment and she cherishes the time she has with him. And something she also has that you don't is his heart and his love. You don't deserve him, Chanel. You never cared enough to realize how much he loved you. You broke his heart, and you didn't even care. You still don't care. All you really want is for him to take you back, because you've finally realized that he would treat you better than anyone else because he is amazing. He's selfless and he's a great friend and a great boyfriend. But you're never going to know because when you had the chance, you didn't take it. Now your chance is over, and it's Spencer's turn. If things don't work out for them and you can actually prove that you'd love him and cherish him as much as he did you, then maybe you could try and make things work."

Hanna, moved by Emily's words, finally spoke. "But that's never going to happen, because Spencer loves him as much as he deserves to be loved. They're perfect together, and they're not going to let you get in between their endless love," she added.

Emily nodded in agreement.

Chanel sighed. "There's something else that I wanted to tell you," she began, kind of switching the subject.

"What is it?" Emily inquired curtly.

"Did you get knocked up or something?" Hanna asked, only half-joking.

Chanel shook her head, looking down at her thumbs nervously.

"I never told anyone the real reason why I left. It wasn't just because I thought I didn't really love him."

Emily rolled her eyes impatiently, while Hanna seemed a little more willing to hear.

"I found a Tiffany box in his clothes. There was a ring inside."

"Toby, where do you keep the mixing bowl?" Spencer inquired as she searched throughout the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.

Toby came out, not wearing a shirt. Spencer, in her frantic state, didn't notice. She continued to look.

"What are you looking for?"

"A mixing bowl. And don't you even dare think of seducing me until we're done with the cake. I promised Aria I'd help, and it's the least I can do for my little bumblebee," Spencer warned.

"Seduce you? When have I ever done that?" he asked innocently.

She laughed. "When have you not done that? There was that night at the hotel, the morning after at the hotel, that afternoon in that hotel—"

"Hey, I was trying to give you a very romantic day, Spence. Can you blame me? You're gorgeous," he replied, touching her arm.

"Yeah, that was fun. Anyway, then there was the next week, after I got home from work, the night I moved in, the day after you came back from New York—"

"I wouldn't consider that being seduction," he argued.

"You seduced me," she retorted.

He stood, mouth agape. "What about those times you seduced me?"

"Like when?" she inquired with a laugh.

"Every other time."

She looked over her shoulder at him, finally taking in the view. Her eyes remained on his torso. She tried parting her eyes, but they didn't seem to cooperate with her brain. She closed her eyes instead.

"God, Toby, you're doing it again. Could you please put on a freaking shirt and help me?" she asked.

"Jeez. Fine, Spence," Toby mumbled, leaving the room.

She bit her lip, finally pulling out a glass mixing bowl. Toby came out a minute later (fully clothed).

"I'm sorry, Toby. I just want this to be as perfect as possible. Cassidy is my only niece, and I love her so much. I mean, after everything that happened…I'm so thankful to have her and—"

"Shh, Spencer. I know," he said, holding her, kissing her on the head. She took a deep breath.

"So, what kind of cake are you making?" he inquired with a smile.

Spencer relaxed, smiling at him.

"Toby, no! You have to level off the measuring cup or it's not right!" Spencer scolded, taking the cup from him.

"You just put that unleveled cup of sugar in the mix," he retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "You can never have enough sugar, and there's already a lot of chocolate in this recipe for the icing. If we don't get it right, then—"

She stopped abruptly. She looked down at the apron she was wearing, spotting white powder on the side. She looked over at Toby, who was silent, leaning against the counter, seemingly proud of himself.

"Oops," he said mockingly.

She shook her head. She took the cup of cocoa in her hand and poured it over his head. She smiled, putting the measuring cup down.

"Oops," she replied, mirroring his mocking nature.

When this failed to get a rise out of him, Spencer picked up one of the eggs, weighing it in her hand. Toby looked at her curiously. She smirked. Then, she cracked it on the counter, and then over his head. He watched the egg drip onto his face and eventually off of his head.

"Honey, are you egg-cited, or are you just happy to see me?" she asked with a smirk.

"That's it," he answered. "Baby, come here and give me a kiss," he prompted.

She shook her head. "No way. Get away from me!" she answered with a laugh, before she took more of the flour and threw it at him.

"But I just love you so much! Come back here!" he called as he continued to chase her around the counter.

Finally, he chased her so she was behind the sink. She grabbed the hose, pointing it towards Toby.

"Spencer!"

"Don't come any closer!" she warned.

"We can talk about this—"

Spencer turned on the water, warning him that she was ready to spray him. "Don't move," she warned.

"Spence—"

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Spencer sprayed him with water. He became drenched within a few seconds.

Spencer bit her lip, concealing a laugh as she looked at him. She was sure she also looked horrific after the whole food fight. She was sure she didn't look anything like he did, though.

"Toby…" she began. But she stopped herself. She couldn't conceal her laughter.

"I'm going to go take a shower, because I desperately need it. You can finish…this," he said before turning and leaving.

As she watched him leave, she burst into more laughter. In the midst of it, the timer went off. She quickly went to the oven to get the cake, taking it out and placing it on the cooling rack.

Suddenly, she felt very bored.

She decided to go into their room. She heard the water running in the bathroom.

She caught a look of herself in the mirror.

Inside the shower, Toby heard (and saw) the door creak open slightly. He was startled to see Spencer there.

"Hey, Toby?" she asked, her voice echoing throughout the bathroom. "I think I have to join you."

Spencer walked up to the shower door, and Toby finally got a good look at her.

"I think you're right."

I'm such a tease! #TiffanyBox #SpobyBaking #HannilyBustinSomeBalls

Girlz-Rule: Thanks!

Sunset13: Andranel should be a thing. Let's make it trend on Twitter. Jk, jk. Um...what?

Sarah: Aww, I could never forget about my loyal, funny readers. Seriously, I am one of the luckiest writers ever: I have the best readers. Anyway, I may or may not fail this Quarter, but know it's because of my dammed chronic procrastination, not because of you guys.

Spobyforever259: You thought you were safe, didn't you? News flash, honeys: you're never safe with me. And I'll consider making Andranel a thing. But I think I might want to see a little more of #Tanel or #Spandrew. By the way, I didn't totally fail that test. I got a B-, which, yes, is a Kayson F, but nothing compared to the real F I thought I got (and probably deserved). Just remember what team I play for. #teamMERRICK. Oh yeah.

AL3110: Ladies and gentlemen, the notorious AL! AKA, my Danish friend who I sometimes mention in my blogs and I think occasionally in my author's notes. Hey, AL.

Guest (Kmm): I think that #TeamAndranel would be a scary thing. I don't know if I'll have them team up, but they're not going to be gone so easily. They're not like old gum you can just get off your shoe. They're sticky, sticky bitches.

BirdSingsBells: Thank you! And I love your avatar, by the way.

Sylviecake231: Thanks! I guess it worked, because we won! We're in first place. And how many houses does your school have? I'm curious :) Mine has five. So I guess I should say #BensonFTW for you. I think I might do either one of those two options (Andranel ganging up or hooking up). Thug levels are high. Anyway, I hope I answered your question on why they broke up in this chapter :)

Addictedtospoby: Aww, that's okay! Better late than never, right? And you're a ginger? That's so cool. I have brown hair (which everyone thinks is black, but...) I'm guessing you didn't really care, but I'm socially awkward like this. So thank you again, I'm so glad you liked it.

mickeymack16: Thanks so much, and I'm very glad you found it. I'm also quite pleased that you love it, since that's always awesome.

In case you did not get the memo, your #MerrickFTW hashtags must've worked because MERRICK IS IN FIRST PLACE! We've got 100 house points, followed by Partington, the other cool house, with 80 points. In 3rd place is Willard-Mundorf, AKA, the nerd house, but they're not too bad, with 60 points. Then is Methfessel, AKA, the house that thinks they're better than everyone else, in 4th place with 40 points. As other houses like to say, they've got four wins and fourth place. And then, in dead last is Stettinius with 20 points. There's this girl Alice in my grade who says that she'd rather be in dead last than anything other that 1st. At least you've accepted that Merrick is going to win, Alice.

In case you haven't noticed, I get extremely competitive. This is all part of the fun.

And also, if any of you will be in London in November, you're more than welcome to be my room partner, because I have a feeling that I am on nobody's list of people they'd want to room with, which SUCKS. Ugh. Why don't people like me, really, is a good question, because I don't do a damn thing to anybody. Except for he-who-shall-not-be-named (AL knows...she KNOWS). But, yeah. I'm not like a bitch to people. I don't get it.

Sigh, sigh, sigh. So leave me a pretty little review! I'd love to see 80 since I know you guys can do it since you're amazing!

Until next time! -Kayson