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Chapter 17

Tobias

T he email is staring me in the face.

My stepfather, because he’s incapable of calling or sending a message, has informed me that Lucy is becoming weaker and thinks it would be a good idea to transfer.

Since Aria is leaving soon, I decline, making sure I stay as close as possible to her. I still need to find a way to keep her here, or at least pursue something with me past sexual.

She must like me. Going by my contact, apart from that asshole Ewan, she has had one other sexual partner, someone I plan on visiting one day to strangle the fucking life out of, just for looking like a prick.

He looks like Ewan. He’s smart, works in the same hospital as her, and he has money. I glance up at myself in the mirror, wondering if I go ink myself up and get rid of my glasses and all my medication, if she’d consider me acceptable as her type.

When I fucked her, I didn’t want to leave the room. We stayed there for two days while Gabriella slipped in for a change of clothes and disappeared again. During those forty eight hours, we had clothes on for maybe two.

I was inside her too many times to count.

She’d fallen asleep, and I’d taken pictures of her face. I know that was wrong, a violation of privacy, but I needed something for when she left.

I pull my glasses off, my vision blurring as I watch myself, inspecting my facial features. I have a strong jawline like my father, a slim nose, straight teeth, long lashes. What else do I need to do to gain her affection? To make her fall in love with me so fucking hard, she never leaves me?

I missed my therapy session yesterday, and it got rescheduled to today, but I don’t plan on going then either. I’ve found the only cure to my mortal mind is spending time with Aria.

My doctor will make me feel better.

She just needs to understand I’m different. I can be difficult and weird and harder to deal with, but I’ll try. I’ll try to be normal enough to be considered her partner.

Even if I need to remove all her previous partners so she has no one to compare me to.

I check my phone to see a message from her, asking what my plans are for dressing up at work tomorrow for superhero day.

Me: Lucy wants me to be an Avenger.

To be exact, she wants me to be a shield wielding guy with super sonic speed, stronger than anyone else on the planet. He’s her favorite from watching all the movies.

Doctor Miller: Cute. It’s my last day tomorrow if you want to do one last thing together before I leave. Maybe a movie with Justin and Gabriella?

My jaw tightens until it hurts. She’s implying we won’t do anything after she flies home, that this is done.

Over my dead body.