A/N: I know guys I hate authors notes before chapters too but I just wanted to thank all my readers and voters and commenters and just everyone who has read my story. Obviously this is the 20th chapter of dwtgb which to me is a huge trademark chapter. Only one of my other books has made it to 20 chapters so thank you guys so much you make me want to keep writing. Hopefully the next book in the series with get this much love that I'll be motivated to continue that one as well.
Thank you.
Kisses candies.
FanNerd
-Twenty- Percy-
•Don't you get it? The you, you are now is the same you I was in love with yesterday, the same you I'll be in love with tomorrow• (Adam- if I stay)
Everything has been perfect. Toby, our little coffee dates, the surprise kisses I know are for show but somehow wish they weren't. Wish they were just for me, even they are perfect.
Yet it's like I'm waiting in the calm before the storm, waiting for something to blow up in my face like it always does and ruin this perfect feeling. My stomach is already prepared for it, knows the drill,
Perfection.
Suspense.
Hit.
Shock.
Protection.
Never let someone in.
Happens over and over yet for some reason the last rule keeps jumping a bit. Someone always comes in my thick shell, and I start trusting them and it's seems perfect and then the cycle starts all over.
"Knock. knock." Toby says from the other side of the door, rapping his knuckles lightly against the expensive wood.
"One sec!" I shout, tossing a shirt over my bare body that covers up my butt.
"Ok you can come in." I say, tossing my other cloths into my duffle bag as I pull some leggings on.
"Hey, what's up?" He asks, a small smile lighting up his face, but it doesn't light up my irises like it should, they are still dark and gloomy.
"Nothing much, just trying to see what's clean or dirty, was gonna maybe do a load of laundry at Sky's."
"Oh." He looks down at the ground a little.
"Hey." I say, walking towards him, making sure he looks at me "I could always change my plans if you needed."
His smile widens so I continue,
"What did you have in mind?"
+++
"The library?" I ask, looking out the window of his car before glancing back at him.
"Wu'll, yeah, I mean, unless you wanna go somewhere else." He says.
"No I like the library." I reply, realizing I haven't been here since I started dating Toby.
"So come on then" he states, opening his door as I reach to grab mine,
"Nah ah." He stops me from outside the car, waging a finger, "allow me madam."
He swings open the door, leaving a hand to help me out.
"Why thank you sir." I reply, daintily placing my hand in his and stepping out of the car, as we make our way into the library.
The large doors swing shut behind us as we walk past Katherine at the front desk. She smiles, pointly glancing at me and Toby's joint hands before quickly showing me her hand, where a large diamond lays gracefully on her finger. I give her a huge smile, following Toby out of eye shot so we're standing behind multiple shelves. He leads me to the romance section, where I lean against the bookself across from him as he searches spines for whatever he's looking for.Suddenly he turns, but instead of looking at me, he glances above my head, continuing his search for some book or another.
He steps forward, but in the tight space between shelves, there isn't much room to do that. He accidentily presses me up against the book case behind me, his body against mine. He leans in further, pulling a book out beside my shoulder. His eyes flick to mine quickly, he grins a little and with lightning speed he kisses my cheek. I wrinkle my nose, rubbing my hand against my cheek like I'm trying to wipe it off. He rolls his eyes, plopping down right in the middle of the aisle.
"What are you doing?" I ask, shaking my head and chuckling lightly at him.
"Come on." He says, spreading out his legs to be more comfortable and gesturing towards the space made.
I cock an eyebrow, shaking my head and biting my lip, glancing between empty slots in the shelves to see Katherine watching us not-so-subtly. I feel hands wrap around my hips, making me gasp a bit as he pulls me down to sit in between his legs on the library floor.
"Now, read." He says handing me the book.
"From where?" I ask, turning the book, 'If I Stay' in my hands.
"From anywhere, open to a random page and start reading." He says, leaning against the bookself behind him and closing his eyes.
So I do, starting with the lines,
"If you stay, I'll do whatever you want. I'll quit the band, go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I'll do that too. Maybe coming back to your old life would just be too painful, maybe it'll be easier for you to erase us. Adn that would suck, but i'd do it. I can lose you like that if I don't lose you today. I'll let you go. If you stay."
And I read.
+++
By now it's almost four and Toby just drove us back to the mansion after multiple hours of me reading from one romance book to another. We leave the car in the parking garage, starting to the back door past the pool and deck. I still can't get over the literally hugeness of the house. It's like my princess castle and Toby is my prince.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Toby asks suddenly.
I bite my lip "yeah sure why not?"
He leads up a staircase in his house, opening up into a separate movie theater.
"Is there anything this house doesn't have?" I ask.
"Hmm" he thinks for a second, his thumb on his chin "a slogan."
I laugh, plopping down on the couch while he grabs sodas and popcorn.
"What movie?" I ask from the couch
"Well we got action/adventure, romance/comedy, fantasy/sci-fi or any other combination of those 6 genres." He replies.
"I was thinking comedy." I answer.
"Same. Romance comedy then?"
"Sounds good."
He plops down on the other side of the couch, two seat cushions away. He puts the popcorn bowl in the middle on a coffee table, handing me a coke which I set in front of me. Using a controller he sets up the movie and soon were settled and watching the beginning previews that annoy the crap outa you because most of the movies for it have long been out. The movie finally starts we quickly start laughing our heads off at the stupid remarks of the main characters.
The boy says something inappropriate to the girl, making Toby groan and run a hand over his face, stating,
"This is seriously embarrassing for me, as a guy to watch."
I laugh at this, nodding in agreement. I reach for the popcorn bowl, realizing my arms are too short to make it all the way so I shooch closer towards it, meaning only one couch cushion is between me and Toby. Toby gets up to get more salt for the popcorn as the couple on the screen run around a school, denying there relationship with on another.
Seriously, they are so stupid.
'You're dating a guy to prove you can't fall for just anyone, to prove to your little heart that you didn't just fall for one guy.'
I will my mind to shut up as Toby comes with more powder salt and butter for the popcorn, sitting down a bit closer then he was before, so about half a cushion is between us. I involuntarily shiver, making Toby glance at me from the corner of his eye, wrapping and arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to his warm body. The couple on the scene meet in the janitor's closet, starting a ferious liplock, making my body tense up. This is only slightly awkward. Toby leans in like he's gonna kiss my cheek, which happens a lot so I have no idea why I turned my head to ask him what he was doing.
But in turning my head and opening my mouth, he was heading straight into a full out lip collision. I realized seconds too late that this would happen and my body reacts instantly before my mind could even comprehend anything. Our lips were connected, his arm around my shoulders tightening. I twisted my body towards him more, so I was sitting in his lap. My eyes closed a while ago but I can't remember when, in fact I can't remember anything, including good judgment. My brains been shut off by the electricity traveling from his lips to mine. My hands wrap behind his neck, fingers running through his dark hair. He cups my cheek with one hand, pulling me closer to him with the other. My entire body feels numb, yet at the same time, I've never been more aware of everything.
By now, I'm practically straddling him as he cups both of my cheeks, his lips moving in synch with mine. He's tried to deepen the kiss but I wasn't sure whether to give that access or not, but now I finally do as he pulls on my bottom lip with his teeth. His tongue enters my mouth.
Some people I've talked too, say it's like a ballet, slow and graceful, your tongues dancing together. But I disagree. It's more like a tango, quick and complicated and makes people confused and excited all at the same time.
The numbing gets too much and the electricity starts to ripe apart my body. I pull my lips away from his, jumping off the couch so our skin doesn't touch.
I wipe my lips,
"I uh... I gotta go." I mumble turning around and walking towards the door.
"Percy..." He calls out.
I glance at him over my shoulder, "yeah?"
"Dinners tonight, with my parents, 7 o'clock..."
"Yeah ok. I'll be there." I say, running out of the room.
And he lets me go.
+++
Skylynn doesn't help me get dressed for once in the time of my dating. I wear a black dress and tights with heeled boots. I curl my hair to the best of my capability, doing a half up half down style. The clock reads 6:58 as I exit my bedroom, walking towards the elevator and hitting down. A floor later the elevator stops and Toby walks in, hands in the pockets of his black straight jacket. His hair is slightly disheveled like he nervously ran his fingers through it multiple times. His eyes are darker than normal and keep flying from wall to wall.
I hesitantly lock my fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze. He holds on tight so I don't let go, glancing at me,
"Ready to give the performance of our relationship?"
It feels like a punch in the gut, reality, remembering it's all an act.