Page 86 of Until We Meet Again

"It's fine. I have sisters. Hormones make them go from crying to crazy real fast." He gets to his feet and takes his wallet from his back pocket. "I'm gonna hit up the bar and check if they've got any snacks for you."

Snacks? I think I just fell in love with him a little.

Don't be ridiculous. You're in love with Zane.

And now I'm having a conversation I don't want to have with myself, especially because the man in question is staring at me from the other side of the bar.

Moments later, as Erik leaves, Tobias swiftly takes his place and mirrors his move of casually wrapping an arm around the back of my chair. I have to admit, he smells incredible.

"Are you doing okay now?"

Not really.

"Yeah, thank you."

"All of this could have been avoided so easily tonight."

"How so?" I ask, fully aware of the response I'm about to receive from him.

"You could've just let me take you out on a date." We both laugh, but it's cut short when Erik slides a bag of chips into my hand.

"When are you going to get the hint, Tobias? She's not interested, so stop harassing her."

Tobias remains unfazed, exuding his usual calm and collected demeanor. Leaning closer, he makes sure his voice is loud enough for Erik to hear. "Sorry, Blondie, Erik's getting a little jealous."

"I fucking heard that, and that is not it—not even close."

"No? So you'd be good with it if she started dating me?" I don't want to attract any attention, but here we are, with all eyes on us.

"Not even a little bit."

"Because?"

"Because you're a dog, and she deserves better."

"Wow." Tobias laughs, but I can see that Erik's words catch him off guard.

"I love you, man, but you're not the right guy for her, and you know it."

"Okay, both of you need to quit acting as if I'm not even here."

"Tessa Walsh is finally getting some attention, and now all the guys are obsessing over her like she's a shiny new toy."

"Oh, go deep throat a cactus!" I lash out, and Jen cracks up beside me while Ashlee's face instantly fills with fresh anger.

"Don't be bitter because they're not fighting over you."I need to tell Harry I love him later.

"Tobias wishes I'd look his way." She bursts into laughter, and Tobias immediately shoots her a look of utter disgust.

"I like a challenge, not the easiest girl on campus."

"So that's what this is, huh? Now I get it." I'm unsure what it is about that comment that's gotten under my skin. I don't want any kind of relationship with Tobias that exceeds what we have. However, I don't want to feel like a project to him either because that's fucking humiliating.

"No, not you, Tessa. That’s not what I meant." I ignore him and get up, moving around him to free myself from where I was sitting.

As I leave the table, I head toward the restroom and catch snippets of the conversation from the people still sitting.

"You're an idiot, Tobias."

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