Page 20 of After All This Time

They keep firing back and forth at each other, and I know I need to question him as soon as we're back in the car because if these two haven't slept together, I'll burn my ballet shoes and never dance again.

"I take it Jennifer got called into work?" Tobias asks.

"Yeah, man, she really wanted to meet Amelia, so she was pissed when her boss called her in."

"Maybe we could arrange something? I'd love to meet her," I suggest, leaning forward and resting my arms on the table.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but why don't we go for drinks next weekend? I'll bring Zane, Harry can bring Jen, and then you'll have met everyone—except Erik. But we only get to FaceTime him these days since he decided to move a million miles away."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Eventually, I order one of these famous smoothies. Despite being a sugar bomb, the strawberry and vanilla mix is surprisingly refreshing. However, I can understand why Tobias hates it—it's like drinking melted candy with a hint of fruit.

I get comfortable, and the chatter around me blends into the background as my mind wanders. One of those super-fun intrusive thoughts hits me, and I find myself glaring at Tobias, questioning my place in his life.

His world. His friends.

It's not that I don't feel like I belong, but I don't want him to feel like he needs to keep me a separate part of his life. But then I remind myself that I'm here in this city for me, for my dreams, and that thought eases some of the pressure.

Suddenly, I feel the brush of something against my leg, snapping me out of my mental spiral. I lift my eyes and find Tobias focused on me. His eyes narrow in a way that says,Are you okay?Meanwhile, Tessa and Harry continue talking—something about Jen wanting to get a dog—but I barely hear it as Tobias keeps his gaze glued to me. I give him a smile that says,Yeah, I'm good, and even though I can see he doesn't fully buy it, he lets it go.

We spend about another hour or so at the café, the time slipping by in a blur of conversations, laughter, and sugar highs.

Eventually, we make our way back to Tobias's car, and by the time I settle into the passenger seat, the awkwardness from this morning's little incident has disappeared.

The engine hums beneath us as Tobias drives, his palm resting flat against the wheel once more, fingers splayed like he owns the car and the road beneath it.

Since when did a man's hand placement become foreplay?

Because here I am.

Thirsting.

Over a hand.

On a wheel.

I swear it does nothing to help my treacherous vagina understand that being sexually attracted to Tobias is not only inappropriate but also wrong.

"Tessa seems nice." I look at Tobias, watching the muscles in his jaw tighten as I continue to speak. "She's beautiful too."

"She is." He's being evasive. He's doing that thing where he answers without really answering.

"Have you two ever… you know?" I ask, leaving the implication hanging in the air between us.

"Nope."

"Bullshit." The word tumbles out of me with a laugh, but I know there's more to this than he's saying—or not saying.

"We haven't," Tobias admits, "although I tried for a while."

"I remember you telling me she rejected you."

His gaze flicks to mine, just long enough to catch the smug smile stretching across my face before he rolls his eyes.

"Okay, don't look so pleased about it. She was seeing Zane at the time, and if I'd known, I would've backed off."

"Did you like her? More than just your usual hookups?" I'm not even sure if I really want to know the answer because Tobias has never done relationships. Not serious ones, anyway.

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