55. Tobias
Chapter 55
Tobias
T he countdown haunts me. Every hour feels like a whisper of goodbye, each minute drawing me closer to the moment I'll have to let her go.
Amelia's leaving tomorrow.
I spent the last few years trying to convince myself I was building something that mattered when the only thing that ever mattered was her. Because the truth is, none of it means shit without her, I just didn't realize it.
I barely went home, and I left her behind—a guilt that eats away at me even now. Sure, I'd message her most days or call her when loneliness hit late at night, but it was never the same as being there or physically having her in my life. And over time, I started to forget what that felt like—the comfort, the connection, the way we just fit.
And then she came back. Steamrolled right through everything I thought I knew, claiming her rightful place in my world, my heart, and my fucking soul.
She's my girl. Not in some surface-level kind of way. In a way that means she's etched into my very DNA, a part of me I couldn't erase even if I tried. Our friends know. Her mom knows, though she's still skirting around the edges, probably clinging to some blissful state of denial. The only thing left is to make it official—to tell Kayla and my dad and make it real, no matter the fallout.
We're in love.
We haven't said the words. Not out loud. But they're there, hanging between us in every touch, every look,andevery breath.
But the thought of losing her tomorrow? It's a heaviness pressing against my chest, threatening to crush me.
My mind hasn't stopped spinning with these thoughts the entire drive home from work.I've got a large cheese pizza riding shotgun, and the smell is so good it's like a test of willpower not to eat it before I make it back to the apartment—but Amelia would probably have my balls, and honestly, I'm pretty attached to them.
It's not fancy. It's not a grand gesture. But it's us—perfectly, beautifully us.
I would've taken her anywhere she wanted to go. I would've pulled out all the stops—wined her, dined her, given her the full date-night treatment. But that's not who we are. We've known each other so long that we don't have to pretend. Fancy dinners and showy displays aren't us. Us is staying in, stuffing our faces with pizza, watching movies, and being unapologetically ourselves.
Amelia's in the kitchen, on her tiptoes, moving around like she's trying to put her whole world in order. She doesn't see me right away, and I take a second to watch her. She’s wearing a tight tank top that clings to her in all the right ways, paired with loose sweatpants.
I set the pizza down and lean against the doorframe, memorizing this moment. Tomorrow is coming too fast, but tonight she's here, and I'm not going to waste a single moment.
"You know you're not fooling anyone, Mills. Tiptoes or not, you're still a short-ass," I tease, leaning casually against the doorway.
She spins around, caught off guard, but the smile that lights up her face when she sees me completely ruins me.
Don't bring up her leaving. Just enjoy tonight.
Easier said than done when the clock is ticking down, and I'm about to lose the love of my damn life for the next six months.
"Hey," she murmurs, moving closer. "How was your day?"
My hands find her waist before she can take another breath, pulling her so close I can feel her heartbeat against mine.
"I had to shade some old-school tribal, and I was bored out of my mind."
With a featherlight kiss to my jaw, she slips her fingers through mine.
The plate she passes me is warm, and after she picks her slices first, I load up my own with what's left of the pizza.
Our carefully constructed conversations flow seamlessly, each rolling into the next like waves we're too afraid to stop riding. We laugh, tease, and push each other's buttons just enough to keep things normal. Both of us doing everything we can to avoid acknowledging what tonight really means—and what tomorrow will bring when the sun rises.
I'm holding onto her with everything I've got, and she doesn't even know it. My eyes are recording every single detail—the way her fingers curl around her wine glass, how her hair falls when she tilts her head just so, the precise shape of her smile when she's trying not to show how much this is destroying her.
Tomorrow is coming.
And I'm not fucking ready.
Amelia'spressed against me, her body fitting into mine like we were designed in the same breath.Her eyes are on the screen, her focus seemingly elsewhere, but my world has narrowed entirely to her.
Leaning in, I press a soft kiss to her arm, right where her tank leaves her skin bare. The sound she makes—a single, trembling exhale—shatters what little control I'm clinging to.
It's not just a sound.
It's surrender.
It's permission.
My fingers find her thin strap, and I slide it down her shoulder, exposing more of her to me. My lips follow the path of skin I'm revealing, and I take my time, making every second count. It's not rushed, not desperate. Each kiss is a promise, a goodbye, and a fuck you to the universe that's about to rip us apart.
She shudders beneath me, her body speaking a language only I understand, and I know she's drowning in this just like I am.
When she turns to me, her eyesmeetmine,andreality fractures. Everything outside of this moment dissolves, leaving only her.
Just us.
I reach for her, cupping her face in my hand, my thumb tracing along the line of her jaw.
I surge forward, my fingers tangling in her hair, angling her head back to devour her mouth. The kiss turns savage, and when she moans, something snaps inside me. That soundrips through my body like a bullet, and I chase it with my tongue, drinking herinlike it's the last taste of heaven I'll ever get.
She turns to face me, her hands gripping the hem of my T-shirt before lifting it over my head. I let myself fall back, watching her through heavy-lidded eyes. Her hands move over my body, fingers mapping the planes of my chest and stomach, and I let her indulge.
When her mouth finds my chest, I can't tear my eyes from the way shedrags herlipsacross my skin. Her tongue flicks against my nipple, tugging at the barbell, and fuck me—my head drops back,anda groan tearsfrom my throat as my cock pulses against my jeans, a desperate reminder of how badly I need her.
"Come here, baby." The words come out wrecked.
She rises, and I'm already reaching for her, my hands finding the delicate edge of her tank. When I pull it over her head, the sight of her bare breasts stops me moving, and I can't do anything but stare at her like she'll disappear if I so much as blink.
She crashes into me, her mouth finding mine, and this kiss—fuck, this kiss is pure desperation.Her tongue claims me like she's pouring everything she feels into it. She craves me, needs me, and I feel it in every sweep of her tongue and every breath we share until I can barely tell where I end and she begins.
When she tears herself away, I’m fixated on her. Her thumbs hook into the waistband of her sweats, and she slowly lowers them down her body, leaving me torn between wanting her to hurry the hell up or drag it out as long as possible so I can savor every second.
She's bareunderneath, and my gaze is drawn to every curve, every inch of skin that my hands and mouth are desperate to touch.
My hands make quick work of the rest of my clothes until I'm sitting naked on the couch, and for a moment, we simply stare at each other. It's not the first time we've seen each other like this—far from it.
And yet, this feels different.
It feels like the first time.
Maybe it's because we know what's coming.
Six months.
One hundred and eighty-two days of missing her touch, her taste, her everything.
It shouldn't feel like forever, but it does. It really fucking does.
My cock is aching for her, desperate to feel her wrapped around me and lose myself in the only person who's ever made me feel whole.
When she steps forward, I lean in, my fingers sliding between her thighs, grazing her pussy just to feel how wet she is for me. A sound rips from my throat—a sound I barely recognize. Soaked . She's ready for me—so soft, so slick, and so fucking perfect.
Her breath catches on a gasp, her lips part, and her eyes flutter closed as they roll back when I curl my finger inside her. The sound that escapes her—a soft, broken moan—sends a jolt straight through me, making my cock throb so hard it’s almost painful.
"Tobias…"
I pull my fingers away from her body, and she straddles me, positioning herself just right so she can slide against my cock. Teasing. Taunting. Setting me on fucking fire. I grit my teeth and hold myself steady as she takes her time, dragging this out like she knows exactly what it's doing to me. And then, finally, she starts to lower.
The moment she’s fully seated, I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer, needing to feel every point where our bodies connect.
Her mouth collides with mine, and I'm gone. Completely and utterly ruined for her. The way she kisses me—hungry, possessive, almost obsessive—every single time, it wrecks me.
"Feel how perfect we fit, Mills?" My voice comes out desperate against her lips. "We were always meant to be this."
She starts to move, and every roll of her bodyfeels like adeliberate torture. She's not just fucking me; she's marking her territory, making sure I remember who I belong to.
Her back arches as she rides me, her head falling back, and my gaze fixates on the perfect curve of her neck. I can’t help myself—I lean in, dragging my tongue over her skin, tasting her, as my hands grip her hips and guide her movements. She grinds her clit against me with every thrust, and my groans spur her on, driving her to take more, to move faster, harder, and to chase everything we both need.
"Baby… please." She presses her chest against mine, and I take over, slamming my cock into her.
Herpussy tightens around me, pulling me deeper,andmy name spills from her lips. When her orgasm hits, waves of pleasure crash through her body, and she floods my cock, soaking me in her release.
That’s it. That's all it takes.
The sight of her coming undone and the feel of her dripping down my balls send me straight over the edge.
"Fuck, Mills." The words scrape out of my throat as I empty inside her, my eyes locked on hers as every pulse of pleasure rips up my spine and tears through my body.
She’s shattered every rule about what connection means, broken me in the best ways, and now I’ll never crave anything but this.