Spoby One Shots

10 • Anywhere With You Is Home

Based on the song by Kurt Schneider.

6 months may not be considered a long time in the grand scheme of things. In fact, if you take into account the billions of years the Earth has existed then 6 months seems like mere seconds.

However, 6 months can seem like an eternity when your girlfriend is living abroad and you are awaiting her return.

When Spencer had told Toby she was going to study in London for a year as part of her degree he had mixed feelings. One was inexplicably happy for her, she wanted to do this for as long as he'd known her and of course he was going to support her in that.

The other was a feeling of pain and sadness, though Toby did his best to keep this hidden so Spencer wouldn't refuse to leave.

Spencer did doubt whether or not she should go, after all Toby was her rock, her comfort in time of need, her safe place to land. It would be a lot harder to keep that with an ocean between them. But she went anyway, Toby had convinced, here meaning bribed with a lot of sex, that he would still be there when she got back and that he wasn't going anywhere.

Now it was six months later and Toby had a secret. A secret he had forced himself not to tell Spencer since he'd organised it a month prior.

He was going to London.

A long car ride to New York and an 8 hour flight to London stood between him and his girlfriend but Toby was already almost trembling with excitement.

After checking himself and his bags in, drinking below standard airport coffee and waiting for what seemed like hours for his gate to come up, Toby was finally on the plane.

Only t-minus 8 hours until he was with his girl again.

Heathrow was a lot bigger than Toby anticipated. A lot bigger. After getting hopelessly lost and having to ask more than a few airport workers how to get into the city he somehow managed to get a train to the centre of the city where Spencer was staying.

On the train he silently prayed for Spencer to be in her dorm room, or what did they call them here "halls?". If she wasn't he was going to look pretty damn stupid sitting outside waiting for her to come back from wherever she was.

Finally his stop was announced and he left the station, getting his google maps out he walked through the narrow streets until he reached where he was going.

A quick knock on the door and a good looking blond man opened the door, looking expectantly at Toby.

"Hey, mate erm, you alright?" He asked Toby.

"Hi um yeah I'm looking for my girlfriend, I'm pretty sure she lives here, her name's Spencer." Toby answered, his stomach tying in knots, worried he'd come all this way just to have gone to the completely wrong place.

Luckily the man smiled and nodded "Of course, the gorgeous American with the equally gorgeous American boyfriend." Toby chuckled at that.

"Come on in, she's in her room, 2nd floor 4th door on your right."

"Awesome, thanks" Toby replied, going through and up the stairs, for some reason he felt oddly nervous about seeing her after so long. But more than anything he was excited, excited to kiss her, hold her, love her in person.

He knocked on the door the boy had told him was Spencer's and sure enough her voice rang out from the inside "One sec Alexandra, I'm so close to finishing this essay and I'm mid-flow."

Toby smiled to himself, that was his girl alright. A few seconds later the door opened and Spencer appeared.

"Sorry about that I've been try-" Spencer began before looking up.

"Oh my God, baby you're here!" Spencer said in disbelief before throwing herself into her lover's open arms.

Toby held onto her, afraid to let her go for fear of not seeing her for so long again.

"I wouldn't say I was in the neighbourhood but I figured I would go a little out of my way to see my gorgeous girl." He whispered into her hair, gently stroking it while keeping her firmly pressed to him.

Spencer laughed at that but tightened her grip on her boyfriend.
"I can't even explain how much I missed you." Toby whispered,  Spencer held onto him and whispered back "Me neither, every second of every day."

Toby buried his face in her hair and replied "I can't wait until you're back home and we're living together again."

At this, he felt Spencer tense up, pull away and pull him into her room. She closed the door and leaned against it before taking a deep breath.

"About that... You know how much I miss home, and miss you but I've been offered a permanent position here. Plus they want to travel, 3 months in Paris, 3 in Berlin, 3 in Rome."

Toby's mind was racing, not sure whether this meant Spencer was going to be gone too long for her to remain his. "Wow... Spence I don't really know what to say. Except, of course, that it's an incredible opportunity."

Spencer reached for his hand and intertwined his fingers with her own "I asked if I was able to bring a plus one..." She said, smiling shyly.

"And they said yes. I know that you probably don't want to stay here and that this isn't exactly what you had planned, in fact I really should've asked you first, I mean actually it's pretty stupid of me to assume you'll leave behind everyone and everything at home." She was waffling at this point and Toby had to fight the urge to laugh.

He gently put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a heartfelt kiss.

She broke away and pulled him into a hug.

Of course he was going to stay with her.

His hands gently stroked her back and he smiled into her hair.

"Is that a yes?" Spencer asked hopefully.

"Yes it's a yes!" Toby answered, swinging her in his arms.

Spencer giggled but when Toby put her down her smile faded and she said "I just feel bad tearing you away from home."

"Oh Spence... Toby looked deep into her chocolate eyes.

Anywhere with you is home."