Page 30 of Tobias

“It’s partly my fault for emailing and texting you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Yet you did…

Which is why it’s confusing. He let his guard slip, and that meanssomething.Though he threw it right back into place, it could slip again… He let it slip for a reason. He’s talking about mebeing vulnerable and messy, but here he is breaking rules for me. Of course, this could just be his game and how he gets people to book dates with him. What the hell do I know? I don’t, and I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m paying him to be here.

“How are things with the wedding coming along?”

I gape at him. “Seriously? That’s what you want to talk about?”

“Fine,” he says patiently. “What doyouwant to talk about?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, grateful when the waiter shows up with our food.

The rest of dinner is awkward as hell. This is nothing like our first date. When we’re done eating, I pay the bill, and we make our way outside where we order rides. Both of which should be here in about fifteen minutes. There was no suggestion of sharing a ride tonight, and certainly no suggestion of making the night last longer.

“I’m sorry,” Tobias says. “That is not what you paid for and definitely not—”

I hold my hand up. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not,” he says adamantly, stepping up to me.

“Really, it’s fine. I don’t care about the money, Tobias.”

“Let me at least give you another to make up for it?” he says.

“That’s probably not a good idea.”

“Okay… then let me offer you something else.”

I shove my hands into my pockets, hunching my shoulders as the wind picks up, causing the misty rain to smack me in the face.

“What could you possibly have to offer me?”

He frowns and I realize immediately that it came out wrong, but I don’t apologize. I’m too tired. Today was awkward and I don’t know what I was thinking when booking another date with him for no reason other than wanting to spend time with him. That’s not what this is about. It’s not how his job works. Everything about this is wrong, and it was stupid. I have my answer. I know what I need to do. Now it’s up to me to go and do it. Tobias is not a part of this.

“Let’s be friends.”

My brows shoot up. “Excuse me?”

“Friends.” He repeats the word simply. “No more paid dates. No more dates at all. Just… friends.”

“You want to be my friend?”

“Yes.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why?”

He shrugs, glancing at his phone before shoving it in his coat pocket.

“Because I think you need a friend.”

I huff out a laugh. “I have friends.”

“No offense, but they’re doing something wrong if you had to come to me over this.”

“They’re just…” I say quickly in defense of Asher and Morgan, but I don’t know how I want to finish that sentence. They are good friends, and they know about this situation with me, since they’re the ones who pushed me to go on the date, but I know what Tobias means. It’s not just about being open about it, it’s more than that. Something deeper, more personal, that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing with Asher and Morgan. “Okay,” I finally say with a head nod, offering out my hand. “Friends.”

He grins that blindingly handsome smile that nearly knocks me on my ass. Then he takes my hand, but we don’t shake. He just holds it as firmly as he holds my stare. How the hell am I going to be friends with this man? And what game is he playing?

---