49. Amelia
Chapter 49
Amelia
L ast night, Tobias made love to me.
There's no other way to describe what happened between us. It wasn't just sex—it was something deeper, something that ripped me open and reached into the parts of me I didn't even know I'd been guarding.
For once, I didn't shove the feelings away or try to rationalize them.
I let myself feel everything.
I stroll out of Tobias's bedroom, still wearing one of his white oversized T-shirts, the soft cotton skimming my thighs. His scent wraps around me, bringing me nothing but comfort, but the moment I enter the kitchen, I find him and my mom sitting silently at the island. They're doing that thing adults do when they're pretending everything's fine, but their body language is screaming otherwise. Her fingers are locked around her coffee cup like it might try to escape, while Tobias is staring into his like he's trying to drown himself in it.
"What's wrong?" I ask, my eyes bouncing between them.
My mom's smile is pure plastic, so fake that it makes me want to scream. "Nothing, sweetie. Tobiashas just been tellingmeallabout the piece you're doing for your audition next week."
"Right. Theone he wasn't supposed to see." I force a lightness into my voice that I don't feel, but Tobias's refusal to meet my eyes makes my stomach twist.
It was only a few hours ago that those same eyes had burned into mine with something that looked a lot like…
My mom's voice cuts through my thoughts, which is probably for the best, considering where they were headed.
"I'd like to see it."
"Why? It's not like you've been overly supportive about it."
"It was a bit of a shock, but I've had time to think about it, and maybe getting away and seeing what life has to offer could be good for you."
I blink, my coffee cup halfway to my mouth. "Where the hell is my mother?"
She raises an eyebrow at my sarcasm but doesn't bite back, which is an immediate red flag with this woman. "I've just changed my mind about it. Is that okay?"
Mygaze returns to Tobias, who still hasn't looked at me. His jaw is clenched so tight I can practically hear him grinding his teeth while his eyes are fixed on my mom in a way that sets me on edge.
"It's not like I needed your approval, but if you're on board, then great."
"Good, now go andget dressed," my mom orders. "I want to see this dance."
I clutch my coffee closer, breathing in the steam like it might clear away whatever nightmare I've stumbled into. "Yeah, no. It's ass o'clock in the morning, and I need caffeine first."
Tobias finally looks at me for only a second, but it's enough. Something in his eyes makes my stomach drop to my toes, and whatever went down while I was sleeping, whatever words were exchangedin this room, left marks.
"I'm gonna go back to bed. You got everything you need from my room, Mills?"
"No, actually. I left my phone in there."
"I'll grab it," he offers quickly, already moving, but something in his voice doesn't match the man inside me just hours ago.
"Fuck that," I mutter under my breath, chasing after him.
"Amelia?" My mom's voice cracks through the air like a whip.
"Two minutes," I bite back, not slowing.
"Amelia!" she calls again, but I'm already gone, slipping into the bedroom after Tobias. Itry to closethe door, but his hand shoots out, stopping it cold.
"What's wrong?"
"Please don't ask." His exhale is ragged, fingers raking through that beautiful mess of dark hair. "Because I don't want to lie to you, and I won't, but I also can't talk about it right now."
"Has something happened with my mom?" My gut churns as I watch the tension coil in his jaw.
"Amelia, please, baby, just leave it alone. Just for now." His hand moves to my hair, brushing it back in a gesture that's more habit than comfort.
"I don't understand whathappened between last night and this morning."
When his eyes finally meet mine, the pain there steals my breath. I reach for him, needing to touch, needing to taste, and to fix whatever's broken, but a knock shatters the moment.
Tobias doesn't flinch, but his hand rises to grip the top of the doorframe, his posture rigid as he turns his head slightly. "Jesus, Mom, what?"
"I'm taking you to brunch today, so don't be long," she announces, poking her head in.
"Great. Can't wait," I mutter, watching her leave.
I glance back at Tobias. "This conversation isn't over."
He nods, but his mind is a million miles away.
I reach up on my toes, kissing the side of his neck, feeling his abs flinch beneath my palm.
"Don't shut me out," I whisper against his skin, letting my lips linger against his racing pulse. "Not now."
I walk away and head straight to my room, yankingmyclothes from my closet with hands that won't stop shaking. The mirror across from me reflects a girl who's been thoroughly undone. Dark circles under my eyes tell the story of a sleepless night with Tobias, hair still wild from his fingers.I basically look like a walking advertisement for "I just got fucked within an inch of my life."
Tobias doesn't shut down. Not with me. Not ever. But maybe that's exactly what happens when you start getting close to something that scares the absolute shit out of you. Something that feels too big, too real. Something broke between last night and this morning. And I'm going to find out what, even if it kills me.
"Ready?" my mom asks when I meet her in the kitchen.
She's designer everything, not a hair out of place, and leaning against the island like she's auditioning for "Privileged Parasite Monthly."
"Yeah," I mutter, snatching my keys from the hook.
I silently drive us to Laurent's. It's one of those pretentious places she loves, filled with crystal chandeliers and imported marble, where they charge forty dollars for three bites of food and the satisfaction of saying you ate there.
Once we're seated, Mom orders before I can open my menu, and I want to scream. Eggs benedict. Always with the fucking eggs benedict, like I'm still ten years old, and she knows what's best for me.
She launches into her usual chatter about her "friends"—women who'd probablydisappearthe second her bank account hit zero. But I can't focus. My appetite is nonexistent, and my stomach is tied in knots.
When she finally stops talking, I go for the throat.
"What the hell did you say to Tobias this morning?" I ask, cutting straight to the point.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't, Mom. Something was going on when I came into the room. I could feel it."
She dabs her lips with her napkin, and I watch her construct her lies behind those familiar brown eyes—the same ones that stare back at me in the mirror every morning.
"You know how he gets. He was probably exhausted from sleeping on the couch."
"Exactly, I do know how he gets. Which is why I know when something's wrong with him," I snap, leaning forward, my eyes narrowing. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I think you're reading too much into this, but then you've always been a little dramatic when it comes to your stepbrother." She stirs cream into her fresh coffee, the silver spoon clinking against bone china in that precise way she does everything. "I've beenthinking that maybeyou should get your own place."
"Excuse me?" The shock must be written all over my face.
She was the one who insisted on this arrangement in the first place, considering her nervous wreck of a self had three separate panic attacks at the thought of me living alone in the city.
"You've been living with Tobias for a while now." Her voice takes on that patronizing lilt that makes me want to gouge my eyes out. "I'm sure he doesn't want you in his pocket forever. And since you'll be leaving for a few months anyway, it's the perfect time to set you up in your own space."
I blink at her, struggling to process what she is saying. "I'm sorry, what?"
She laughs—that practiced, society-wife trill that sets my teeth on edge. The waiter arrives with our food, and she uses the interruption to slip back into her perfect mother facade, arranging her napkin just so.
"I was speaking with Tobias this morning, and he mentioned that the only downside of living with his sister is that he can't date like he used to."
"You'reso full of shit."
Her head snaps up, the mask slipping just enough to reveal the viper lurking beneath.
"Neither of you can live separate lives while you're stuck in this little bubble together," she says, her voice rising slightly. "It's time you both grew up, gained some independence, and had your own space. So, after this, we'll be viewing apartments."
My fork clangs against the plate as I set it down, and her eyes dart around the room, no doubt checking who's watching because appearances are all she cares about.
"I'm a fucking adult, and I absolutely won't be doing that."
"You will," she snaps, her composure cracking as she leans forward. "My realtor set up a few viewings, and we're going."
I stand abruptly, my chair scraping againstthemarble like nails on a chalkboard.
"Sit down, Amelia," she hisses through gritted teeth.
"Firstly, Tobias and I both have independence. He left for years to get away from you and David, and I don't know if you've noticed—maybe because you've never existed without a man's validation—but I'm not some porcelain doll who needs bubble wrap and constant supervision."
"Amelia!"
"Secondly," I continue, ignoring her, "get a flight back home today. I'm serious, Mom."
Her mouth moves, forming words I can't hear over the roar of my own pulse. I'm already gone, moving faster than my thoughts as I storm out of the restaurant.
By the time I'm in my car, my hands are shaking so badly I can barely grip the wheel. When I finally manage to pull onto the road, Chicago traffic wraps around me like a special kind of hell—all brake lights and horns and the overwhelming urge to scream until my throat bleeds.
The apartment door slams against the wall as I burst in and head straight to Tobias's room.
He's gone.
My chest tightens, my pulse racing as I spin on my heel, scanning every corner of the apartment, but there's no sign of him.
I pull my phone from my pocket, my fingers shaking as I call him. Twice. Both calls go unanswered, and my stomach knots tighter as I fire off a text.
AMELIA
I just left my mom at Laurent's because she was talking some shit about me moving out. Whatever's going on, I need you to call me and tell me before she finds her way back here.
The pacing starts around the living room, my frustration rising with every unanswered call and question.
I can't sit still, and my thoughts are too loud, crashing against each other as I try to piece together what the hell is going on.
Because I'm fucking missing something here, and I need to know what it is.
Finally, I snap. I storm into my room and gather my mom's things in one fell swoop, hauling them downstairs.
Victor, the building's security guy, doesn't even blink when I dump her bags at his feet. He just raises one eyebrow and offers a smile. I know that look. It's the kind reserved for watching the rich and entitled self-destruct. It says he's seen worse.
AMELIA
Your bags are with Victor. He's the building securityguy, and I told him you'd be collecting them at some point. He won't let you upstairs no matter what you pay him. I'll talk to you when you stop acting like the world's biggest asshole.
My fingers are already dialing Allison before my brain catches up.
"Milly." Her voice wraps around me like a warm blanket, familiar as my own heartbeat. For the first time since this morning, my shoulders relax a little. "I was just thinking about you."
"You're always thinking about me," I tease, even though my voice cracks.
"It's true.Are you okay? You sound stressed."
"No, I'm not okay," I admit, the words spilling out before I can stop them. "I'm so fucking far from okay."