Chapter Fifteen
By the time he got to sleep, the alarm on his phone went off again. Toby sighed and grabbed it from the nightstand. He had a class in a couple of hours and needed to shower and change.
More importantly, he needed to have a serious conversation with Griffin before the ache in his chest grew and his heart shriveled up.
Or maybe he just needed out of Griffin’s house. Everything smelled like him, which just made the pain of their breakup hurt even more. He couldn’t get away from Griffin, even when he slept in another bed.
Knowing he was down the hall didn’t help.
Toby pictured Griffin sleeping. Maybe he lay on his back with his permanent, playful smile.
The only time Griffin had been anything but even-keeled was last night.
Toby never wanted to see the hurt on Griffin’s face again.
The way his body stiffened and how he closed himself off made Toby want to fall at his feet and ask for forgiveness.
Instead, he’d lain awake all night wondering if Griffin would want him if Toby begged hard enough.
As soon as the thought entered his mind, the reason he should walk away struck him as the better idea.
Toby yawned and sat on the side of the bed, trying to find the energy to take a shower. Or maybe he should just get dressed and head out before Griffin woke for the morning.
As soon as he opened his door, Griffin was right there. “I was just getting ready to wake you. I have to be at my job site in twenty minutes. You’re welcome to stay here. It’s safe. No one can get past my wards unless I allow it. I can also drop you off.”
The whole time Griffin spoke, there was none of his usual good mood. Despite his offer to let Toby stay, Griffin’s stiff body language made it clear it wasn’t an attempt to rekindle the romance.
Toby’s chest hurt, and he averted his gaze. “Isn’t staying here defeating the purpose of keeping you safe?”
Griffin shrugged. “Your apartment building isn’t warded.
The wards at the college aren’t designed to keep anyone out.
You’re safer here than anywhere else. But if you don’t want to stay here, then you can stay at my mom’s inn.
For free. My dad would let you stay, too. Or the Ransome farm if you’d rather.”
“Do you think I should skip class today?”
Griffin turned. “If you don’t, we need to call Riley, so you’re not alone.”
Toby followed him down the hall and into the kitchen. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You have to stay safe, too, Griffin.” Toby sighed. He didn’t understand why Griffin was so nonchalant about everything.
“My dad has my schedule. He knows everywhere I’ll be and will check on me throughout the day. I’m also planning on putting up wards around myself.” Griffin pointed to a to-go mug and lifted his eyebrows.
Toby nodded. “I want to know your schedule, too.”
“How do you take your coffee, Toby?”
“With just a little sugar and a lot of cream. Are you going to give me your schedule or not?”
Griffin sighed. “Not.”
“Why can’t I have it?” Toby took the to-go mug when Griffin slid it across the kitchen island.
“You don’t need to come to my worksite. If there’s an emergency, call or text. I’ll come.”
Toby shook his head. “Or you can give me your schedule so I can check up on you, too.”
“I need the fucking space, okay?” The hurt was clear when Griffin ran a hand through his hair. It was etched into his forehead. That was when Toby noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
Toby wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be alright, but he didn’t know if it would be.
He didn’t know how dangerous the dickwads really were.
He knew Head Dickwad could attack people in a public park and in broad daylight and that he couldn’t fight nearly as well as Toby could.
Head Dickwad would target people whom he thought were weaker than him.
He may view weakness as being only physical, which was always a mistake and would bite a person in the ass.
And he’d take whatever he wanted from people regardless of their willingness to give it.
Toby’s main problem was that he had lost control of the situation.
The second he magicked Wet Dickwad into the creek was the second he gave them leverage.
He didn’t know how to get it back. And he didn’t know what to do about Griffin either.
All he knew was that Griffin made his heart ache.
And that meant he was already in too deep.