Page 19 of After All This Time

The café appears in front of us five minutes later. Tobias parks the car and turns off the engine, and as I step outside, a cool breeze brushes against my skin.

We make the short walk to the entrance, and Tobias reaches for the door, holding it open, and when I step inside, I'm immediately hit by the warm, earthy smell of roasted coffee and baked pastries.

As I look toward the back of the café, the first thing that grabs me is Harry. He's impossible to miss, with his big, beaming smile lighting up the room like sunshine breaking through clouds. His curls have grown even longer since the last time I saw him; they're all wild and untamed and look perfect on him.

But it's the woman sitting across from him that makes me pause mid-step. When I say she's beautiful, I don't mean the airbrushed, filtered beauty we're force-fed daily. No, she's naturally stunning—the kind of beautiful that probably has no idea it's beautiful.

She greets Tobias with a warm and familiar smile before focusing her gaze on me.

"Hey, you must be Amelia," she says, and there's something about her energy that instantly makes me feel lighter, like I'm not the new person at the table. "I'm Tessa."

"Hey, it's nice to meet you."

"You good, Amelia?" Harry asks from across the table, his cheerful tone making me feel like I've known him longer than I actually have.

Tobias pulls out a chair so I can sit beside Harry before he takes the seat next to Tessa. As he lowers himself, he nudges her with his shoulder, and I can't help but notice the closeness between them—the way they move like they've been in each other's space forever.

"I think so," I say as I get comfortable. "This one practically dragged me out of bed this morning."

"Hey." Tobias turns to me, leaning back in his chair with a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. "You were the one complaining that I hadn't introduced you to my friends yet."

Before I can respond, Tessa leans forward, her grin widening. "I've been dying to meet you. Seriously, how the hell do you put up with him? I can barely stand him for an hour, let alone live with him."

Tobias arches a brow and crosses his arms over his chest like he's some wounded prince.

"Whatever, Blondie," he fires back. "You wouldn't last a week without me."

God, I hate being this girl.

The jealous girl.

I want to eye-roll that girl.

The way they tease, the ease between them, the unspoken understanding—it's too much like what Tobias and I have. It's a mirror of us. And yet, it's not us.

"So, where's the professor?"

"He's at the gym."

Tobias quirks an eyebrow at Tessa. "You not working him hard enough?"

"Shut up." The stunning blonde playfully whacks Tobias on the arm before turning her attention back to me. "See what I mean? How do you even put up with him?"

"She's used to it. Been putting up with me for nearly ten years, haven't you, Firefly?"

I roll my eyes, but I can't help the small smile from creeping on my face. "Honestly, I can't believe I've lasted this long."

"What is this? I didn't come here to be abused," Tobias shoots back.

"And here I was thinking you'd be into that," Tessa quips, causing Tobias to shake his head at her.

"For someone as unsociable as you, you sure have a lot to say this morning."

"I haven't had my coffee yet." She shrugs.

"Ahh, so we're in full-on bitch mode."

"You really should be used to it by now," she retorts with a playful glint in her eyes.

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