Author's Note: Oh, it's late and I have stuff to do and I'm freaking out and this damn thing isn't working okay bye.

Day Seventy-One: It's Late by Queen

"I love you."

It came out like a slur, but it still rang in my ears as clear as a bell.

And what do I say to that? Did I say I loved her, too? I barely knew her name, let alone loved her. If I said I loved her now, in the dark night, I'd be the reason we both ended up…let down.

And I knew I should probably walk away right then and there, but I was curious. I couldn't help it. Some part of me was disagreeing with what was logical and what my mind said was right because some part of me wanted to be with her. I almost felt like we could be something amazing.

If I could only let her stay.

I glanced at the clock. It was late. I didn't feel like pouring out my heart or my thoughts to her in that sickening way people did in the romantic movies.

I sat down on the bed. I couldn't really recall what happened or why we were there in the first place. I was stuck in my own thoughts as she sat down next to me.

"It's late."

She only reiterated my thoughts. I nodded slowly. She reached for my hand and held it. She gave me a small smile.

And I felt myself fall a little bit for her. It was too late, but maybe not too late yet.

I could hear her say "I love you" in the back of my mind. It was the sweetest sound ever.

But I hadn't heard her say it in a long time. I was trying so hard to please her, to not be as cold as I had been all my life…but I knew I was letting her down in some way.

"Toby?"

I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. She looked somewhat nervous and I couldn't tell why.

"I need to talk to you."

I urged her to continue talking.

She took a deep breath before going on. "I need to leave. I'm sorry, but I…I can't do this anymore," she said, her voice cracking near the end of the sentence.

Time stood still for a few seconds as I tried to process it. This couldn't be true. I didn't want it to be true. I wanted to love her. Some part of me loved her.

That sounded like a lie, even to me. I had never thought about loving someone.

But I realized I did. She made me love her. But now she was leaving. How could she leave now? I had fallen for her.

I wished, as I sat alone in that room, that I could find some way to make her stay. I wished I could show her more affection.

But I didn't.

"What game are you playing?" she inquired with a suspicious look in her eye. That look kept asking me to explain what I was saying.

I couldn't answer her. I didn't know if this was a game or if it was real anymore. Maybe it started off with ill, less-than-honorable intentions, but she made me question a lot of decisions I had made in my life.

I shrugged. "I've missed you, Spencer. And I know it's too late, but I've been thinking about ways to work it out…"

She shook her head, cutting me off. She gave me a familiar look. I knew it was late. I still wondered if it was too late.

I kissed her and things felt eerily familiar. It had been so long since we were here together. We both didn't have long with each other; I knew that. But I just needed to know…

I opened my eyes in the midst of the kiss and looked at the clock. It was late, but I knew I needed to do this.

She pulled back and leaned against my bed. "You know it's late, right?" she inquired, reading my mind once again.

I nodded. "But it doesn't have to be too late."

My skin met hers and it was like electricity. I felt enamored with her touch in an odd sensation. Almost like it was capturing me.

I was holding back a bit. I wondered that if I did this with her…would it make me a bad person?

I certainly hoped not; I could feel my body giving into hers.

And I wanted to know what love felt like. It had been a long time. And this would be the first time since I admitted to myself that I loved her. I hoped it would be freeing and liberating.

I didn't think it would be too late for us…or for me.

I woke up to the empty bed. I was positive it would be empty in the morning. But seeing the empty space right beside me just made me want to cry.

I allowed myself to cry for the first time in years. It released some of the guilt I had been holding in for all the things I thought I had done to Spencer. It just made me realize something.

In that small fraction of a moment, I realized that it was all too late.

Sarah: Okay, I get it. You can just go ahead and take a couple thousand seats. I see how it is. JK, but please don't leave us hanging forever!

MizzIsTheFizz: Uh, the last one-shot and Queen...I don't know if I can handle that...Queen is the best band of the 20th century, #SorryNotSorry

LittleBittyAbby:I thought my choir teacher hated me, but I guess he doesn't because he wants me to be in Concert Choir and the drama and the musical and oh my, this is a lot. I like him, I just don't think I'm one of his faves. And...I've never climbed the monkey bars because I have no upper body strength.

eveningshades1107: Yup, he's legit. Lol. And yeah...they need an actual freakin date or I'm going to be mad as hell. Well...Macbeth or the Macbeth parallel isn't really mentioned at all, so I guess there's that. I think you'll like it.

tobyequalshottness: I...don't know? I don't know. I guess I just get the ideas from thin air. IDK. The ideas aren't really that great. I just use purple prose galore. It just seems like I'm smarticles, but I'm not. I'll try to update tomorrow.

So I have no freaking time to do anything but tell you what the next one-shot is. It's Lovesong by The Cure/Adele. It's really by The Cure, but I like Adele's version :)

It's cold. Kayson is freezing. -Kayson