50. Tobias
Chapter 50
Tobias
" I fucked everything up." I groan as soon as Harry opens the annoyingly bright-red front door. I take one last desperate drag of my cigarette before stubbing it out against the brick wall, watching the ember die like my last shred of dignity.
I collapse onto the couch next to Jen, throwing my head back and sighing like the weight of the world is pressing on my chest.
"What did you do now?" Jen asks.
"Oh, you know," I say, grinding my palms into my eye sockets until stars form behind my eyelids. "I started sleeping with Amelia, realized last night that I was in love with her, and went and told her mom about it this morning."
The room goes quiet. Too quiet. I glance over to find Jen staring at me, her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide.
"See?" I say, jabbing a finger her way. "Fucked itup."
"I mean, it doesn't surprise me that you're sleeping with her because, well, it's you, and you sleep with everyone." Jen shrugs, but the comment digs in enough that I side-eye her.
"Not helping."
Harry leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head. "I warned you, man. Told you shit would get complicated."
"Wait—" Jen's head whips toward him. "You knew about this?"
"Uh…" Harry freezes like he's just stepped on a land mine. "No. I mean… yes."
"Seriously? What happened to not having secrets?"
"Okay, tell me what Tessa said to you this morning. I heard the words 'suction' and 'face down.'" Harry smirks, but Jen instantly clamps her mouth shut.
"Never mind," she mutters.
"Hey!" I wave my arms, desperate to bring the focus back to me. "Real problem here. I need help."
"No, you need a time machine."
"Harry, please. Deal with your woman." I groan, running both hands over my face.
Jen sighs, her tone softening. "Fine. I'll try to wrap my head around the fact that you have feelings that extend beyond your dick."
"Why the hell did you tell her mom?"Harry asks, unable to hide his disbelief.
"She backed me into a corner, and I wasn't willing to lie about how I feel."
Jen's brows shoot up, hitting her hairline. "Wait, she knew?"
"She knew I wasn't on the couch at two a.m. when she got up to get a glass of water."
"Oh, please don't tell me you actually told her what you were doing with her daughter attwo a.m."
"Of course not!" I throw my hands up. "I just told her that sometimes Amelia and I sleep in the same bed.Jesus, you should've seen her face when I said that."
"Well, yeah," Jen interjects. "Without context, that sounds… uh, a little weird."
"Which is why I told her I'm falling for her daughter, and yeah, it's complicated as fuck, but I want to pursue this without having to hide it."
Jen's lips part, and she reaches across, gripping my arm supportively. "You actually said that?"
"Word for word," I murmur, slumping further into the couch, wishing it would swallow me whole. "Then she just stared at me like I'd grown a second head."
"What did she say?"
"What didn't she say would be faster?" I let my head fall back against the couch, my eyes tracing the shadows on the ceiling.
"Tobias, come on. She's in your head," Jen says softly.
"She said I've disgraced the whole familyby taking advantage of her daughter." I let out a humorless laugh. The words taste likepoison, but they're easier to say out loud than I thought they'd be. "That she wishes she'd never defended me to my father because I'm the selfish asshole he's always said I was. Then she brought up my mom. Said I should remember what it feels like when someone walks away, and if I don't end this now, the whole family's gonna make damn sure I know that feeling again."
"Thatdisgustingpiece of work!" Jen snaps, grabbing my hand. It's rare for her to be this affectionate, but I don't pull away. Because right now? I really need it.
"I couldn't give less of a shit about her opinion. But then she hit me where it hurts." My throat tightens as I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "She said that once Amelia's career takes off, she'll travel the world, and I'll be left without her anyway. And if I don't let her go, I'll hold her back and make her feel like she has to choose between me and her dreams. That's the part that fucked me up."
"Why does there have to be a choice?"
"There doesn't, Jennifer," I admit, but the words come out flat, lifeless. "I'd do anything to help her succeed. Move mountains, burn bridges, whatever it takes. But I know her. If I tell her how deep this goes—how much I—" I stop myself, shaking my head. "She won't want to leave. She'll think she's abandoning me, and I can't let that happen."
"That choice has to be hers, Tobias," Jen says, her voice softer now, but her words still carry weight. And she's right. Of course, she's right.
I nod, but the tension in my chest only tightens. The longer I sit here, the more I regret letting Amelia leave this morning. Kayla's words got into my head and twisted me up, and now I'm spinning, trying to figure out how to fix it.
"I should've just kept my mouth shut."
"You're not built for silence, man. And why the hell should you be? Because some manipulative bitch decided to twist the knife? Fuck that."
"I just can't believe you're in love.I told you it would happen to you one day, and what did you say?"
"I said I'd allow you to say, 'I told you so,' Jennifer." I give her my best fuck-off smile, and she mirrors it back, returning one of her own.
"Well." She crosses her legs and props her chin on her fist like the smug little shit she is. "I'm not going to say it. Because I actually like Amelia, which is shocking considering she chose your train wreck of a personality to fall for, but she's a nice addition to our little family."
"Well, right now, she's with her mom."
"You think she'll tell her?" Jen asks.
"Not a chance. She's too determined for us not to be the stepsiblings who hooked up and ruined the pristine family name, giving everyone in their circle of rich asshole friends something to lose their minds about over martinis. God forbid we give those soul-sucking social climbers something real to talk about between facelifts."
"Where is he?"
I hear Tessa's voice before I see her.
One second, I'm sitting beside Jen… the next, I'm on my feet, pulling her into a hug.
"What are you doing here?"
Harry's smug face says it all before he even opens his mouth. "I messaged her." He shrugs, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Figured you might need someone to ugly-cry on."
The laugh that escapes me feels like releasing a breath I've been holding all day. My shoulders drop an inch, and some of the tension bleeds out.
After I walk Tessa through the morning's shit show, she fixes me with that look. The one that says I'm being the world's biggest dumbass.
"You've got to talk to Amelia about all this. You need to tell her everything."
"I know." I drag a hand across my jaw, the ache in my chest growing heavier. "I just hope her mom hasn't poisoned her." My voice lowers as the thought eats at me. "She and her mom didn't have money growing up. Kayla married into all this when she got with my dad, but she acts like she's been shitting cash since she came out of the womb and essentially believes she can control Amelia's every move."
Tessa winces, crossing her arms. "I knew you had money, but this sounds like a fucking nightmare and really not worth it."
"I have money because my gramps left it to me before he died. It just sits in an account, untouched, because I haven't earned a cent of it. One day, I'll do something that matters with it, but for now?" I shake my head. "It's just a constant reminder of everything fucked-up about my childhood."
Tessa's lips curl into a smirk, trying to lighten the moment. "I mean, if you don't want to spend it, I'll happily take some."
"In all seriousness, if any of you ever needed anything, all you'd have to do is ask. It's yours. Because growing up in this privileged life?" I pause, my voice hardening. "It's brought me nothing but fucking misery. If I can help you, or anyone I care about, then maybe all of it—the money, the expectations, the bullshit—maybe it'll all have been worth it."
"Can I say something to you?" Tessa asks, her tone soft, but when I turn to face her, I already know she's about to drop her truth on me.
"Course."
"The woman who gave birth to you is a piece of shit. She walked out on you, and yeah, that's left its mark on who you are and shaped pieces of you. However, you are better off without her in your life. You've got people who'll never leave you, who choose you and love you, and that's all you need."
"Even me, I guess," Jen pipes up, and I can't help but laugh as I drag Tessa into my chest.
"Jesus, we're getting fucking sappy here," I mumble, but my arms tighten around her. "Love you assholes though."
I stay a little longer, carefully avoiding any mention of Amelia, but she haunts my thoughts like a shadow.
Back in my car, my phone lights up with her messages.
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.
I'm an asshole.
AMELIA
You know what? Friends aren't meant to ghost friends when they're having their worst day. I'm at work, but I'll talk to you later when I'm home if you can get your head out of your ass.
My lips curl despite the guilt eating at me. She's furious, but that fire in her… fuck, it only makes me want her more. And suddenly, I'm done—so fucking done—with this friend bullshit. In fact, I'm ready to fuck the word friend right out of her pretty little mouth and replace it with moans and promises that tell the world she's mine.