Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pretty Little Liars. Because if I did the show would be based in Spencer and Toby's relationship not -A or unresolved and confusing murders. :P
Opening her eyes to be met by the lovely smell of coffee, Spencer's sight was blurry but she got out of bed anyway, walking slowly to the kitchen. A dark blonde haired guy stood near the counter, his back to Spencer. "Jason?" Then he turned around, someone she would have imagined to be there at all. "Hi, babe." Toby Cavanaugh was there holding two mugs, one of Spencer's favorite and one she assumed was his. Spencer shook her head and then suddenly she let out a yelp and opened her eyes.
Looking around her room, lit by the sun outside, Aria not beside her anymore, Spencer realized she had just dreamed the most awkward dream ever. Not, once in a life time would she think she'd dream of Toby, not when she couldn't stand his guts. A Deja-Vu feeling washed over her when she smelled the same aroma of the one in her dream, the lovely and sweet scent of coffee. Spencer got out of bed, checking the time on her nightstand clock. It was already 10:30 in the morning and thanks God it was a Saturday, otherwise she would be so late for class.
As she approached the kitchen she heard giggles and smacking of lips kissing, she figured out who has joined her and Aria for breakfast. So when she actually stepped in their condo's kitchen she awkwardly coughed to interrupt their making out, greeting her half-brother, Jason. "Hi Jason. How are you?" He gave her a one sided arm hug and handed her one mug that was separated on the counter top, awaiting for her. "I'm good, stopped by to spend some time with my girls."
A flushed Aria backed away into the counter corner smiling innocently to her best friend. "Sorry I ditched you in bed… annnd I'm sorry for yesterday." Spencer took a sip of her black coffee eyeing Aria suspiciously while Jason looked at his girlfriend for answers of why she would be sorry for something.
"Yeah you should be. Do you even remember anything?"
"I kind of remember when we were leaving that cafe, and that I shouted your name for Toby."
Jason stepped in front of them, looking at his sister. "What happened that Cavanaugh has to do with it?" Aria wrapped her tiny arms around his muscular torso and waited to hear the whole story, she was rather shorter than Jason so she had to put her head to the side to get a decent view of Spencer. Rolling her eyes annoyed, Spencer told all the events that took place a few hours before, and how annoying Toby was.
"I just don't understand why horror movies are so predictable. I mean, come on, you know when she closes the door it will have something behind it and yet half the audience gets scared." Spencer dragged about a movie she, Aria and Jason decided to watch after having take out for lunch. For her, these kind of movies were really stupid and really easy to read into it, so she would just curse to the movies directors and crew when a predictable part would appear, annoying the couple cuddling next to her. They on the other hand, gave up on watching and listening to Spencer complaining about everything single detail so they gave up watching and just kissed and whispered sweet jokes on each other's ears, Spencer completely oblivious to the situation beside her.
Later on as Jason left their condo to hang out with his buddies, Spencer told Aria about her morning dream, or more like nightmare, as she pointed out. "I cannot believe you dreamt with Cavanaugh." Sighing and sitting down beside Aria, she told her friend to shut up and to go take a shower so they could go out for dinner together.
They ended up deciding on a small diner they discovered shortly after the classes started, and have been coming here ever since. Ordering a pepperoni pizza to share, they chatted and joked about how freshman year was ending, and all the fun they had through it. They also planned their visit back home for summer vacations, wanting to reunite with their other best friends.
For Spencer's luck no other than Toby entered the diner by himself, looking down. "Aria, let's go." She whispered kicking her under the table.
"Ouch. No, I want dessert and I don't think you should be scared of him, he's... kind of normal." That's when he spotted them whispering, walking over to greet them, or to annoy them, hard to tell.
"Well hello there girls. Spence right?" Once again he welcomed himself to sit down with them just like the night before.
"Spencer for people I don't know." She emphasized the r as Aria greeted him back with a polite hello.
"Alright then Spencer, how about I order us three a dessert, as you already ate." Aria and Spencer replied together, but completely different things. Aria said it was a great idea, while Spencer said they were satisfied and just wanted to go home.
"Dessert it is then." He asked the sweet blonde waitress around her twenties for a brownie with three balls of chocolate flavored ice-cream, winking at her as she turned around to walk away.
"So you're Jason's girl right?" Toby asked Aria smiling, his annoying self disappearing for the moment being.
"Yeah. How you know that?"
"We're kind of buddies, cause he's friends with some of my friends so sometimes we hang out together. He talks a lot 'bout you." Spencer felt like a third wheel right then and doze off to think of why on Earth would he be there talking to them.
"Oh, a lot? Like what?" Aria sounded unsure, and Toby noticed, smiling softly her way to comfort her.
"Good stuff. Like how amazing you're to your friends and how sweet you are. Those kind of things." The biggest and truest smile appeared on Aria's lips just as their brownie arrived, with three spoons for them to share.
For the first time being polite in front of the girls, Toby let most of the dessert for them, only stealing a couple of filled spoons. "I think we better get going." Spencer said mainly to Aria since she didn't care about what Toby think. "Yeah we better. She's gotta study for her tests."
Toby called over the blonde girl and asked her to note down on his name their bill value. "Why would you do that?" Spencer asked him as they all got up to leave. "It's on the house tonight." "You own the place?" Aria asked excited. "No, but my grandma does so it's alright."
They thanked him on the exit door but not before he asked them if he could walk them home, make sure they would get there safe. "I don't think you need to." "But I want to." "Alright then." The final word was Aria's since she knew Spencer and Toby would never get to an agreement together. "Let's go then ladies."
Spencer and Aria walked with linked arms ahead of Toby until they reached their condo. "Thanks Toby, you can leave now," Of course only Spencer would be this forward and rude to the boy behind them. "Thanks." Toby nodded and when Spencer turned around to walk into her building he called after her. "Hey Spencer? How about I take you out to dinner someday?" She laughed sarcastically and became serious just as quick. "Oh I thought you were joking. Not really." And inside she went leaving a rejected Toby outside alone.
Toby walked back to his house, a little far away from the girl's condo, his head hanging low as he starred at the concreted floor, his light brown hair falling on his forehead. For the first time after a few years he felt a weird feeling in his stomach for being turned down. Spencer on the other hand didn't give much thought about it, even though Toby was the first guy who properly asked her out since she arrived here, all the other boys simply walking up to her in parties, wasted, and wanting a one night stands.
"What did he want?" Aria asked once Spencer closed and locked their front door. "Nothing, he just asked me out." She sounded and looked indifferent about it, or so Aria thought. "Oh my God! What did you say? You hate him." "What you think I said? And I don't hate him, cause hating means you actually care to think about that person to hate them, which I don't, I just don't care about him at all." Spencer rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch next to Aria.
"Poor boy, got rejected by Hastings."
"Crap, I have to study, you didn't let me at all today."
"Gosh Spence, today is Saturday, you have the whole Sunday to study all you want, for a test that is more than a month away by the way." Aria lay down and put her head on Spencer's lap.
"Maybe I can spend some time with you then."
On Sunday, nerdy Spencer spent the entire morning since 7 am studying for her finals, hanging around the house with only sweats and an over-sized t-shirt. On lunch time Aria cooked for both of them, having to put up an act as her mother, Ella, and forced Spencer to leave her books aside and put something other than coffee on her system. After a short an hour break she was back to studying while Aria was left with the dirty dishes. When the doorbell rang and Aria couldn't pick up because her hands were wet and she was occupied, Spencer had to get up and answer it herself, coming face to face with a small bouquet of yellow roses. "Is Miss Spencer home?" An odd looking guy wearing a Yankees cap asked. "That's me Sir."
"These are for you then." He handed arrangement to her.
"Who is it from?" Spencer looked for a card, hoping it was from someone of her family back home she missed so much.
"I'm not sure Miss, I believe his name started with T, Tony maybe?"
"Alright, thank you Sir." As no card was found and she knew who it was from, she walked to the kitchen, interrupting Aria. "Ari, Jason left flowers for you." The girl washing the dishes turned her head around to face the flowers, "What? That's not like him," she wiped her hands and grabbed the bouquet. "Just be happy girl." Spencer teased before leaving for the reuniting with her books.
As predictable, she studied the rest of the afternoon, until 7 pm, when the doorbell rang, again. Aria was taking a shower, making it impossible for her to get whoever was bothering their peace. "Gosh Aria, you have great timing when it comes to answering the door." She mumbled to herself, getting the door, Jason standing there smiling to his half-sister. "Hi Jas, what you're doing here at this time?" He stepped in, even though not invited, he was welcomed anyway.
"Aria asked to sleepover, said you were be a bore." She grumbled a great at the same time the door clicked shut so he would hear her.
"Alright, can you do me a huge favor?" He made himself comfortable on the couch and nodded, his shoes flying somewhere across the couch.
"Sure, anything as long as it doesn't include going out."
"I need you to back me up. I received flowers today but I told Aria you sent them to her, so if she asks, you indeed bought them." Jason's eyebrow frowned, eyeing his sister curiously.
"Who sent you flowers Spence?"
"Cavanaugh. Not a word about it though, now thanks, goodnight and keep it quiet I have class tomorrow."
"I can't control Aria's loud talking, if you know what I mean." Jason shouted after her, and right before closing her bedroom door she shouted back, ""Gross Jason."
Spencer took an hour bathing, relaxing and clearing her head from everything around her, thankful Jason kept his promise of being silent.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday passed by too quickly to Spencer's liking, but too slowly to Aria's. Maybe it was the fact Spencer had classes in the morning and after lunch until around 4 pm, and her free time she wasted reading, while Aria had theoretical classes during morning and in the afternoon she spent taking great pictures around campus, part of her grading.
Thursday before lunch Spencer had the infelicity of crossing paths with Toby, or maybe he planned them meeting, she thought to herself.
Flashback
Her one strap bag hanging on her right shoulder, a couple of advocacy books pressed against her chest. She had on jeans along with a black tank top and a cardigan. Her eyes were on the floor, feeling tired, as she watched her feet move, one at a time, towards her destination, her growling belly reminding how hungry she felt.
"Well if it isn't Spencer Hastings." She rolled her eyes and looked up to her interrupter, just by the ironic tone she knew who it was before seeing him, Toby Cavanaugh. He was waiting a few feet ahead of her, waiting for her to catch up to him before continuing his walk, now by her side. Looking around quickly Spencer tried to decide if she had another path to turn to, to ignore him, but realized the only one was a little far away from them, meaning she was stuck with walking with him.
"Leave me alone Toby. I've gotta get home, have lunch and come back for afternoon classes."
"I'll take you out for lunch on my grandma's diner." Toby suggested and Spencer rolled her eyes sighing.
"Don't you have someone else to invite for a hang out?"
"No, I actually don't. C'mon, the diner is practically the same distance from here as your house. I'll take you there, no waiting." She came to a stop, looking at him.
"Under two conditions, no flirting and only as acquaintances, nothing more." Toby nodded, grabbed the books from her hand and held them in his firm hands.
"Alright, let's go cause I'm starving."
He kept his word, not flirting with her nor acting like a jerk, meaning they actually had a nice chat about university, finals and living in LA, nothing too personal for a first hang out. Even though it was just slightly and less than an inch, Spencer liked having a nice conversation with him, glad they could talk and not just bicker at each other. But as soon as the liking came it was thrown away when they finished and he was back to his normal annoying behavior.
"Alright. I'll pay for you this time, next time you're sharing it with me." Spencer thought he was joking, but when no grin nor chuckle appeared on his lips she realized he wasn't. She then grabbed her bag and her books, threw a 10 dollar bill on the table and left the diner. When already far away, she glanced behind her to see Toby standing in front of the restaurant, hugging a blonde girl and then kissing her cheek softly. Spencer then, just resumed her walk back to campus, to her next class, cause after all she had better things to be occupied with rather than Toby 'the bipolar'.
Everything on that Thursday was against Spencer. On her last class, remaining 10 minutes to the end it she was already putting her things away, wanting to head home as soon as possible, but was stopped once she class was dismissed and she was called by her professor.
"Yes Mr. Fitz?" He was a young teacher around his mid-twenties maybe, he was quite good looking, brunette with green eyes, not much of Spencer's type though, she was a sucker for blue eyes.
"I was thinking if maybe next year you could help me come up with a mid-term project, since you're the highest grades in my subject."
"Sure Mr. Fitz. I'll think about something during summer vacations. Thanks for actually asking me." She smiled politely at him and left the class.
Spencer left campus and walked home, being May it was kind of hot outside and she wished, as many times before, to be back home with her other best friends and her family, nostalgia once again hitting her exhausted mind.
Arriving home Spencer was hit with a thousand questions from Aria of why she had lunch with Toby, where she went with him, what they talked about and why she didn't tell her before. "Can we not talk about this right now?" Spencer seemed down, exhausted, and for the first time in a year she let it show to Aria. Feeling guilty for having a small part in her tiredness, Aria tried to cheer her friend up by making them breakfast for dinner and watching one of those extremely romantic vampire's series.
A/N: Hi guys. Here it was, I really hope you liked it, this one is a little longer. Took me awhile to rewrite from my notebook to the computer. Thank you so much for everybody that left a review, and for those that favorited and followed but didn't leave a review I would appreciate if you could use a minute to just let me what you think. Thanks again. The faster review comes, the faster I update! -wink wink- ;) xoxo Steph