She shrugs and sits back down.
I clear my plate and head upstairs to change and get my bag. This time I change in Tori’s room, folding her pajamas and leaving them on her desk chair. I grab my bag and open the door. Toby comes up the stairs and motions for me to follow him to his room. I don’t get my hopes up.
He shuts the door behind us and turns to me. “Sorry about that. Guess my plan didn’t work as well as I hoped it would.”
“Don’t worry about it. Tori’s not a morning person.”
“I was going to say she’s a cranky bitch in the morning, but we can go with ‘not a morning person.’”
“Wow, you guys are worse than usual lately. I’ve never seen you fight this much.”
“You caught us on a bad decade.” He smiles.
“So you two haven’t been close since you were seven?” I think back to what they were like at that age. I’m pretty sure they fought over little things like toys and who got control of the TV remote—typical kid stuff. Nothing like this though. What happened to them, and how didn’t I realize it had gotten this bad?
He pauses like he’s thinking about it and then nods. “Sounds about right.”
“That’s awful.”
“There’s always next decade.”
“Stop making jokes. I seriously don’t want to cause any fights between you two. You said you’re worried about my friendship with Tori, but I’m worried about your relationship with her too.”
“Trust me, if Tori and I don’t get along, you’re the last reason on a long list.”
I shake my head. “That’s just terrible.”
“Hey, she’s my sister and I love her. Don’t tell her that though, okay?”
“Maybe she’ll be nicer to you if you do tell her that.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Have you met Tori?”
I laugh. Nothing sways Tori’s opinion once it’s set. Another reason why being with him is impossible. No matter how incredible that kiss was. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”
He steps closer and tilts his head to the side. “What is?”
I motion between us. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s already wickedly complicated. Secret bowling outings, group dates, and tutoring sessions that end with…” My heartbeat drowns out any sound in the room.
He reaches for my face, cupping it in his hands and pulling me closer. One hand drops to my waist, brushing the tiny bit of bare skin peeking out from under my shirt. Tingles shoot through me as his face dips toward mine. My chest rises and falls with the pounding of my heart. Will every kiss with him be this intense? God, I hope so. His lips find mine. It starts out soft, like the kiss last night, but then his lips part and he deepens the kiss. My fingers weave through his messy hair, pulling him closer to me. I don’t want this to end. Please don’t let this end.
Someone knocks on the door, and we pull apart in panic. He motions for me to get behind the door, so I’ll be out of sight when he opens it. I hold my breath, praying it’s not Tori, but knowing it is. It has to be.
“What do you want?” Toby asks. Yeah, definitely Tori.
“Have you seen Becca?”
“No. She must have left.”
“Her car’s in the driveway, and no one saw her come downstairs.”
“No idea. Have you checked the bathroom?”
“The door’s open.”
“Sorry. Don’t know.” He shuts the door and I exhale.
“What am I going to do?” I whisper. “I can’t explain this—where I’ve been.” I’m in full panic mode.
“Calm down.” His fingertips brush against my cheek. “We’ll figure something out.”
“What? This is too risky. She’s going to find out and hate us both.”
His eyes meet mine. “Are you saying that kiss wasn’t worth the risk?”
Of course it was. “That kiss was amazing.”
“I agree.”
“Great. But that still leaves one question.”
“What?”
“How the hell do I get out of your room?”
Chapter 9
“You may have to jump out the window.” My eyes widen and he stifles a laugh. “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t let you go out the window.”
“I can’t sneak out of here without her seeing me.” I can’t help thinking I’ve made a huge mistake. I’m jeopardizing my relationship with Tori. Sure Toby’s an amazing kisser, but I have no idea if he’s looking for a relationship—not that I can see how we’d have one behind closed doors.
“I’ll go find her and keep her in her room. You sneak downstairs and go toward the garage.”
“Why the garage? I’m parked in your driveway.”
“I know. You’re going to pretend your car wouldn’t start, and you went into the garage for tools.”
“Problem. I know nothing about cars. If my car didn’t start, I’d ask your dad to look at it.”
“Okay.” He thinks for a moment. “Then say good-bye to my parents and go pretend to start your car. Then come back in and tell my dad it won’t start. He’ll go out there with you and you’ll have an alibi.”
I sigh. “This is crazy, you know. I shouldn’t need an alibi to get out of your house.”
“You don’t. You need it to get out of my room.” He smiles again.
“This isn’t funny. I should just go talk to Tori. Tell her what’s really going on.”
“I hate to be this way, but we don’t even know what’s going on. What would we tell her?”
I stare at him, wondering why he’s so against us telling her. Is he really that worried about my friendship with Tori? “You said you liked me.”
“I do.”
“Then why do you want to hide this? Is it because we don’t hang out with the same people at school?”
“What?” He shakes his head. “God, no. I don’t care about that.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t want you to be the next Allison.”
“You really think Tori would just ditch me?”
“I don’t know. You’re her best friend, and she’s older now, hopefully more mature. But she’s still Tori. She’s possessive. You see how much she doesn’t like being a twin. Sharing you with me would be too much for her.”
“I’m going to have to choose between the two of you, aren’t I?”
“No way. I won’t let it come down to that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’d lose.” He attempts a smile, but I can see he’s serious.
Why would he think I’d give him up that easily? “We’ve known each other all our lives.”
“But we’ve never really hung out. Not before recently.”
Do I tell him? Do I risk sounding like one of the psycho girls who follows him everywhere? “Maybe not, but I’ve…” I take a deep breath. “I’ve liked you for a while.”
He cocks his head. He really had no idea. Guess I’m better at bottling my feelings than I thought. Of course never really being around him without Tori helped. “Look, Becca, it’s your choice. If you want to tell Tori, go ahead. But I think we should wait.”
The thought of telling her terrifies me. It could mean the end of Toby and me before we even figure out what this is between us. “Maybe you’re right. We’ll wait. For a little while.”
He nods. “Now let’s get you out of here.”
“Without flat out lying,” I add.
“And how do you plan to do that?”
I go through the layout of the house in my mind. Other than the bathroom, Tori’s room, and Toby’s room, the only room upstairs is the master bedroom. What reason could I have for being in there?
“Does your mom make her bed right away?”
“Um, I don’t know. Why?”
“What if I make your parents’ bed and leave a thank-you note behind? I doubt Tori looked for me in there.”
“Make their bed? One, that’s just weird, and two, you’ve stayed over plenty of times and you’ve never made their bed.”<
br />
“I give up.” I sit down on his bed. “I’m going to have to tell her.”
“I’ll go keep her in her room. You just walk right out the door.”
“And how do I explain where I was later when I’m at the mall with her?”
“I don’t know, but it will give you time to figure it out. The longer you stay here with your car parked in the driveway, the worse this lie is going to be.”
He’s right. This is a big mess, and I’m not going to figure it out right now. I nod. “Let’s do it.”
“Give me two minutes, and then go.”
“Thanks.”
He smiles and walks out of the room. I watch the clock, and exactly two minutes later, I slip out the front door. Mrs. Michaels is nowhere around, and Mr. Michaels is so absorbed in the news that he doesn’t even see me leave. Now I just need to come up with an excuse by the time Tori calls.
***
The only thing I can think to do is fake being sick. I text Tori and tell her I wasn’t feeling well. I was throwing up in the downstairs bathroom. She insists she checked for me there, but I tell her we must have just missed each other. So, now my shopping trip is down the tubes, and I’m stuck with this shirt I’ll never wear. Oh well. That’s the least of my problems. Being fake sick means I can’t see Toby. Not that Tori would buy me studying on a Saturday anyway.
I stay in all weekend. Mom thinks I’m really sick and makes me her famous chicken noodle soup, so it’s not all bad. And Sunday night, I finally get a text from Toby.
Toby: You’re not really sick, are you?
Becca: No.
Toby: Good. Study date tomorrow night?
I’m going to have to purposely start messing up in trig or Tori is going to wonder why I keep working with Toby. He’s such an awesome tutor that I actually understand what I’m doing now.
Becca: Sure.
Toby: Everything ok?
Becca: Yeah.
Toby: Want to meet me for ice cream?
Becca: Now?
Toby: Why not?
I look at the clock. A little after nine.
Becca: Where?
Toby: You know the stand on Mountain View?
Becca: Is it open yet?
I can’t remember when they open for the season.
Toby: Opening weekend.
Becca: See you there.
I check my hair in the mirror and grab my keys. Dad’s asleep in his recliner with the TV blaring, but Mom is drinking tea and reading a book.
“Where are you off to?”
“Going to get ice cream.”
“I guess you’re feeling better?”
“Yeah. Two days of rest worked wonders. You want me to bring you back anything?”
“No. I’m calling it a night soon. Don’t stay out too late, okay? And tell Tori I say hello.”
“Night, Mom.” I give her a quick kiss and leave before she corners me in a lie.
I drive to Mountain View and pull up to the ice cream stand. It doesn’t even have a name, which I find really funny. Mom says some guy who grew up here a long time ago opened the stand and even though it’s changed owners a few times, no one bothered to name the place. That’s Lansfield for you.
Toby is sitting in his Accord with two cones in his hand. He motions for me to join him, so I walk over and get in the passenger side.
“You hungry?” I ask him.
He hands me a cone. “Vanilla and chocolate swirl with rainbow sprinkles. Did I get it right?”
I nod. “I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. Just because we never really hung out together doesn’t mean I haven’t known you all my life.”
“Still, it’s nice that you cared enough to notice.”
“You’re starting to drip.” He points to the side of my cone, and I quickly lick the ice cream before it gets all over his car.
“Let me apologize now for getting sprinkles everywhere,” I say.
“Don’t sweat it. I’m doing the same.”
“Chocolate sprinkles, huh?”
“Stick with me and I’ll convert you. Rainbow’s got nothing on chocolate.”
I laugh. “I beg to differ. They make your tongue rainbow colors.” I stick out my tongue.
He smiles. “Touché.”
“You like that word, don’t you?”
“Maybe a little.” He laughs. “Mom swears I used to pronounce it tushy when I was little. She thought it was adorable so she didn’t bother correcting me until some little girl told her mom I said something about her ass.”
I giggle, choking on sprinkles.
“You okay?” He sits up and pats me on the back.
“Fine. Sprinkles got me.”
“Chocolate ones don’t do that.” He raises his eyebrow and licks his ice cream.
“No, only the rainbow ones are deadly.” I shake my head, feeling more at ease around him.
“I thought I was going to have to give you mouth-to-mouth.”
I wouldn’t have objected. “Better luck next time.”
“Ooh, the real Becca Daniels came out to play tonight.”
“What are you saying? You don’t like the way I normally act?”
“Not saying that at all. I’m just glad you’re loosening up around me.”
I polish off the last of the sprinkles. “It’s easier to relax when Tori isn’t down the hall.”
“I agree.”
We finish our ice cream in silence. Not awkward silence, though. It’s peaceful. We’re enjoying each other’s company.
When I finish, he cocks an eyebrow at me. “You’re not eating your cone?”
“I never do. The ice cream and sprinkles are the best part. Why fill up on a cone?”
He reaches over and takes it from me. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go running out on me.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.”
He dumps my cone, and his, in the garbage and heads back to the car. “It’s cold out there tonight.”
“It’s not even officially spring yet and you just ate ice cream.”
“Right.”
“I thought you were supposed to be some super genius.” I nudge him with my elbow.
“Certain things cloud my judgment.”
“Oh? Like?”
“Hot girls sitting in my car.”
“Are you hiding them in the back seat?” I turn around, pretending to look.
“What has gotten into you tonight?”
I have no idea. “I guess I feel like I can be myself around you now.”
“Why?”
I shrug, not feeling quite so confident anymore. “Because I know my crush isn’t so one-sided.”
“It’s definitely not.” He brushes his fingers across my cheek before cupping my face and pulling me toward him. His lips press against mine, lingering there. It’s not the heart-stopping kiss we had in his bedroom, but it still gives me chills. When he pulls away, it takes me a minute to catch my breath.
“I have to tell you something,” he says.
“No good conversation ever started with those words.”
He sighs. “Tori told me a long time ago that she doesn’t want me dating her friends.” Are we dating now? “She even made me promise.”
“Oh.” Well, that’s not good at all. Not only am I going behind her back by dating Toby, but he’s breaking his promise to her. “So, what are we supposed to do now?”
He leans forward and kisses me again, deeper this time. It’s not a solution to our problem, but for now, I push all other thoughts aside. He finally pulls away and stares into my eyes. “You know what?”
“What?”
“Rainbow sprinkles do taste better.”
Chapter 10
Tori leans against the lockers, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.
“Sleepy this morning?”
She turns to me. “What are you so Suzie Sunshine about?”
Last night I promised myself that no matter what happens, I’m going to enjoy my time with
Toby. We decided to wait and see if this turns into anything serious before we talk to Tori. If we’re crazy about each other, she’ll see that and have to approve of us dating. And if things don’t work out between Toby and me…well, I’m trying not to think of that possibility.
“I had a long, restful weekend.”
“A long, restful weekend?” She scoffs. “You’ve been spending too much time at home with your parents. You even sound like them.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to dumb it down.” I laugh, which gets me another look from Tori. “Why is it a bad thing that I’m in a good mood?”
“It’s not, but after the morning I had with Toby, I can’t take any more smiling faces.”
“What do you mean?” Was Toby acting strange this morning?
“Ugh, he woke up in this uber good mood. He even hugged me. Hugged me. I can’t remember the last time he did that without my mom telling him to. It was gross.”
“He isn’t gross.” I catch myself before I say too much. “I think it’s nice you two are getting along. I felt weird at breakfast, watching you guys fight.”
“What makes you think siblings are supposed to get along, anyway? You have nothing to base that on. You’re an only child.”
I’m not letting her ruin my mood. “Forget it, okay? Take a nap in study hall. You’ll feel better.”
“Oh look, here comes my brother and the wart that won’t go away.”
I follow her gaze. Toby is walking down the hall and Meredith has her arm looped through his, as usual. I shouldn’t be jealous. I know he doesn’t like her that way. He likes me. But I can’t help wanting to douse the girl with Compound W and then rip her hair out.
“Let’s go,” I say, not wanting to be here when they walk by.
“I’m too tired to move.”
I tug on her arm, but I’m too late. Meredith eyes me. “Nice t-shirt. Did you buy that in the children’s department?”
Toby looks at Tori and me. “Good morning,” he says with a smile. “Cool shirt, Becca.”
Crush: A YA Romance Collection Page 97