Page 18 of Psychotic Obsession

TobiasWork: Give me 5.

Justin heads to the bathroom after reading a message on his phone with a furrowed brow. I assume Tobias told him to meet him out back to beat him up again if he tends to hit his friends.

The entire time they’re gone, Gabriella makes a list of the pros and cons of sleeping with her coworker, and whether she can trust herself not to get attached to Justin if she does.

While she talks, I have butterflies–not because she has talked herself into her fling, but because Tobias wants to sneak away from them with me.

The confused feeling is making me want to drink until my mind is obliterated, but since I can’t handle hangovers and I’m too "professional", I’m going to stay sober this whole work trip.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and it’s ridiculous how quickly I flip it over and cut off Gabriella.

TobiasWork: Pretend you need the bathroom.

I frown and look up, not seeing him anywhere as Justin winks at a waitress and heads back to us.

Me: And go where?

He doesn’t reply. He goes offline, and I chew my lip, glancing at my friend and the way she’s fluttering her lashes at Justin, looking at him like she wants to devour him.

“I’m going to jump to the bathroom too,” I say, and neither respond to me, too deep into their eye-fucking to pay me any attention.

And just like that, I slip my jacket on and push through the exit to the coldness outside.

“Let’s go,” a low voice comes from behind me, cleaning his glasses with his spectacle cloth and putting them on. “They won’t notice our absence until they’re done fawning over one another.”

“You noticed that too?”

“Justin is like that with everyone, if you want to let your friend know he’s not husband material.”

I giggle as we cross the sidewalk and slip onto a path running along the side of the promenade. “Gabriella isn’t much for romance and relationships either.”

“What about you?”

My eyes widen as I look up at him. “Oh, um…”

He smirks and stares at the water while we walk. “Was that inappropriate?”

“If I say no, will you make me answer you?”

“Depends,” he replies. “I’m not going to end up in a fist fight because I’m walking with someone’s girl, am I?”

“I’m very much single, so I doubt that. Plus, this is just coworkers walking away from our other coworkers nearly screwing in front of us.”

He snorts. “Yeah. I guess so.”

Chapter 8

Tobias

She’s so close to me.

If I take one step to the right, my arm will touch hers. Or her shoulder, since I’m a lot taller than she is.

I wonder if her ex is tall. From my research, I know he has brown hair. I have black. He has green eyes, I have blue. He’s completely covered in tattoos, and I don’t have a spot of ink on my body. He’s rough-looking. Muscular, with a thick stubble. He smokes, gets his hands dirty at work, and has pictures online of him at boxing sessions. Honestly, he looks like he could crush someone’s skull. Even though I work out and have a good build, I’m also clean-shaven, need all my clothes to have no creases, and have an addiction to wiping my glasses every hour.

I haven’t been in a fight since I was eighteen, unless I count all the times Justin has pissed me off.

We’re nothing alike. If that’s her taste in men, then I’m screwed.