𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

12

"You could've at least fixed your makeup, Aria, you have red lipstick all over your chin."

She continues to comment on my looks, from the messy hair, the wrongly buttoned shirt, and the creases over my pencil skirt.

I roll my eyes at her and accept my burrito from the server. "It was nothing."

She narrows her eyes at me. "So, just a little grope of the tits and he's got you all shagged looking?"

Lowering my voice, I side-eye the customer next to us. "Can you shut up?"

Gabs shrugs at me, paying for her food. "Justin and I are going bowling again tonight, maybe ask Toby to come so he can finish you off."

Finish me off, pfft.

I mean, would Toby even go with me if I did ask?

"What if he says no?" I ask, biting into my food.

"No harm in asking."

True, although it could overstep boundaries yet again and make things uncomfortable.

I pull my phone out and send him a message asking him anyway, shutting my eyes tightly when I hit send.

"What age are you?" Gabriella scolds me. "You act like a teenager with him, then act totally different with Ewan. Who, by the way, keeps asking me to talk to you."

"He's persistent," I reply, checking to see if Toby has replied. "He won't leave me alone."

"Maybe stop shagging him and answering the phone to him then?"

Always the blunt one.

"Okay, I get it. I make it worse, and before you say it, yes, I probably will again."

"You're just stupid," she says, popping a chip in her mouth. "Has Whiplash replied?"

I check my phone for the fifth time to no message, but I can see from the double blue ticks on Whatsapp that he's seen it. I glare at the screen. "Nope." I huff, and she studies my pissed off expression. "What?"

"Aria Miller!" Gabs gasps, her mouth wide open in surprise. "You like him, don't you?"

"Fuck off," I hurl back, tossing my phone into my bag. "Don't ask me that again."

She raises her hands in defence, holding back a laugh. "It's not a bad thing, it's about time."

"It's just fun."

She nods, a smile attempting to push through. "Sure."

We head back to work, finishing off my reports on the computer before visiting Ivy again. I halt my steps at the door, seeing Toby sitting next to her bed, reading a book, doing the animal noises, and making her laugh.

"Everyone has their own story, Ivy. And you're the superstar of your own, do you know that?"

She giggles and he joins her, pointing at the pages and making duck sounds.

Toby looks up from the book to see me, the corner of his mouth tugging up. "Hey."

"Um, I was just coming to see how she was," I announce, clearing my throat. "I'm sorry, I'll leave you two be."

Backtracking out of the door, I'm mad at myself for having the warmth flooding through me at the sight of him, not the kinky kind either. I find myself smiling, hugging myself as he makes the little girl's giggle echo along the ward.

Getting back to the office, I shut down the computer and shove all the paperwork into my suitcase, Toby walking in as I zip it up.

"She seemed upset, I just wanted to cheer her up."