Page 53 of Psychotic Obsession
He takes his seat, a smirk on his face as I try to pull my eyes away from him, a fire building in me and I'm not sure if it's the good or the bad kind.
I lift the clicker from the floor, changing to the next screen, sweat now coating my forehead. "Um," I mumble, losing my position and words, my head scrambling.
Turning to the crowd, I try to regain some sort of composure, the crowd waiting for me to continue. I push my glasses up my nose, taking short breaths to make sure I appear calm, but inside, I'm spiralling.
"We're going to take our break now, and we will continue in..." I look down at my watch, plastering on my fakest smile when I lift my headagain. "Twenty minutes."
I hurry off the stage, my mind whirling as a large hand pulls my arm at the bottom of the steps, dragging me straight into an empty room. "What's wrong? You were doing so well."
Tobias's icy blue eyes are burning into me, his brows furrowing, and I fight back the urge to slap him for nearlymessing up one of the most important presentations I've ever done.
I'm still trying to process Tobias standing in front of me. I stare down at his hand on my arm, his thumb stroking up and down over the white material of my shirt.
"Why are you here?" I snap at him, moving his hand off me and crossing my arms. "And how did you know where my presentation was?"
He shrugs, tilting his head at me as I scowl at him. He narrows his eyes, looking lost. "You left and blocked me. What was I supposed to do?”
“You need to go home, Tobias.”
He looks confused. “Why?”
“This,” I point between us, “isn’t a thing, remember? It was over when I left.”
"You're mad," he huffs, standing back and pushing his hands into his pockets. "I want you to... No, Ineedyou to understand me. I can't do that when you’ve cut me out.”
If I wasn't seething with rage right now, I would hug him, tell him I missed his annoying face, kiss him until my lips feel raw. But I don't. Instead, I scowl at him until he gives me a reasonable explanation. He stands in front of me looking deflated, confused, and, if anything, hurt by my reaction.
"I missed you, Aria."
He steps forward so he's close to me once more, his cologne filling my nose, and I feel my anger starting to fade, especially when the corners of his lips curl, his dimples deep, hands gently touching my folded arms.
"I want a chance.”
Delicately, his knuckles tip up my chin so I look at him, hot bursts of breath hitting my face. I blow out my cheeks, sinking into his touch. “I don’t know how to do this with you. I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“We don’t need to be in one. We can continue our arrangement by visiting each other, fucking it out, then repeating the cycle," he replies, leaning down so his forehead rests on mine, my heart racing at an unhealthy pace. I’m trying to regulate my breathing so I don't show him he affects me in ways I wish he didn't, but I know I’m failing. "Say yes.”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.
“You look beautiful, by the way." He looks at my dark hair, his right eye twitching as he curls a lock around his finger. “Suits you.”
I run my tongue over my lips to wet them, looking away from his intense gaze. "Thanks." I move as he tries to lean in further, dodging his kiss. He huffs, dropping his hands to his sides and stepping back. "I need to go back on. This is important to me."
Tobias follows behind me, splitting when I reach the stairway to the front stage, giving me a look over his shoulder, telling me I've got this.
He disappears back to his chair as I take the stage once more, my eyes occasionally falling on him when I lose my thoughts–his nodding and proud facial expressions give me the confidence to wing the rest, ending the presentation with the crowd standing and clapping as I walk off.
Once I'm no longer attached to wires, I throw cold water over my face in the bathroom, staring in the mirror, intently watching my tired-looking reflection gazing back at me.
I'm not even sure what to say to Tobias. Despite my inner self screaming her head off to take him home and make him screw me, I dry my face and hands and fix my hair, letting sheer curiosity get the best of me. I head outside to meet Tobias.
He’s standing at the front entrance with an umbrella for me.
I hate myself, and I hate my feelings, because I truly am happy to see him.
Tobias stares at me the entire drive back, looking away when I turn my head to him. He stays quiet, maybe thinking of a hundred ways to annoy me further, flipping the radio stations every two seconds, turning the dial on my volume to an even number.
I frown at him when he starts tapping his hand on the edge of the door, humming to the song.
