𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

33

Toby stares at me the entire drive back, looking away when I turn my head to him. He stays quiet, maybe thinking of one hundred ways to annoy me further, flipping the radio stations every two seconds, turning the dial on my volume to an even number. I frown at him when he starts tapping his hand on the edge of the door, humming to Lady Gaga.

I'd say the volume thing is a sign, but it really isn't. I know many people who prefer things to be even, whether it's the TV or the radio, something Gabriella drives me nuts with.

He stays behind me in silence as I unlock my door, and I stand aside so he can walk in, pulling his suit jacket off and hanging it on my fancy, tree-shaped coat holder. He eyes my apartment, walking in front of me, and I watch him as he explores, running his fingers on nearly everything, keeping behind him as he stares at my graduation picture.

"You look good with brown hair too," he says, pointing to the photo. "What age are you there?"

"Twenty-one," I reply, standing next to him with my arms folded. "I went to university straight from school, got my degree then worked alongside the rest of my studies."

"Impressive, I graduated at twenty-three."

Oh, this is something. "What did you study?"

"Criminology."

My brows raise and I turn to look at him. "Really? Why are you working at a hospital then?"

He shrugs, eyes dropping to the floor for a second before meeting my intrigued gaze. "I got bored. I was working in psychology, but it wasn't for me."

Oh, I wonder why? Probably because you're a human version of whiplash that forgets everything.

Okay, I'll stop. It's not his fault if that's the case.

"Fair enough," I reply, silence follows while he walks into my kitchen, reaching his hands out to me, wanting me to stand between his legs as he sits on the counter. I shake my head, sitting up on the counter opposite him. "No."

Frustrated, he groans, running a palm down his face. "Come on, Aria. I'm trying."

"Why did you come here? It's not like you drove an hour, you live thousands of miles away." I screw my face up at him, trying to show how royally fucking pissed off I am. "Then you turn up at my presentation, and think it would be okay to stand up to show yourself? I don't know what you expect me to say to you, I really don't think we-"

"That you missed me," he interrupts, making me narrow my eyes at him, crossing my legs at the knees. He disregards my glare, gripping the edge of the counter. "Or just tell me that you aren't mad at me."

"I am mad. Again, why are you here? What are you looking to achieve by coming to Scotland?"

He slides off the counter and my breath hitches, my heart picking up the pace with each step he takes in my direction, his face relaxed, eyes hooded. "I told you... I missed you." He tilts his head to the side, only two strides away from me. "You blocked my number."

"You hung up on me," I throw back, holding my breath as he rests both hands on each side of me, leaning in slightly so I can clearly see the mixture of blue shades dancing in his eyes, his flawless skin, the full lips that make me want to...

"My battery might have run out, you didn't wait for a second to block my number, so how would you even know that I was coming?"

"Is that the case?" I ask, absentmindedly resting my hands over the top of his, our touch electrifying. When he shakes his head with a smirk, I struggle to hold back a giggle at his blunt honesty, wanting nothing more than to feel his arms wrap around my body and hold me, take me to my bedroom and have his way with me. "You're an arsehole," I utter, sucking in my bottom lip as his eyes drop to my mouth. "And you annoy the life out of me."