Blackmailing The Untouched

Just Like Old Times

The doorbell goes off once more by the time I reach the front door, and I take a deep breath and then place my hand on the gold lever to open it. Toby stands there with a hesitant but warming smile and an awkward stance. He's wearing a hunter green t-shirt with a pair of black pants. The autumn air smells crisp behind him.

"Hey." He says, his voice friendly. "So, it's been a week. Long enough to forget?" His smile widens, and his hazel eyes sparkle.

I don't say anything. I just throw my arms around his neck and hug him. I've missed him so much. He brings his arms around me and encloses me in an instant, and the scent of his cologne cages me in. He feels warm and strong.

"I've missed you, pretty girl." He breathes in, and I can feel it when his chest expands.

"I wanted to call you Tobe, I really did." I explain with a nervous chew of my bottom lip. "I just didn't know what to say. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I forgive you." He winks playfully and walks inside. "So, what are you up to for the day?"

"I have nothing going on now, but I have so much that I have to tell you!" I reply and close the front door behind him. We sit down on the large sofa the way we always do, my legs over his lap and my head at the arm. "There are big changes coming my way!"

"Yeah?" He asks with caution.

"Okay, so I should have probably already told you this, but I've decided that I'm not going back to NYU." I tell him quick because I know it's a whole lot to take in. "I've really thought hard about it, and it's just not what I want."

His eyes widen, and shock washes over his handsome face. "Uh, that's a lot." He says after finally shaking himself free from the surprise. "Have you told your Father?"

"No." I shake my head, "That conversation is happening in the morning because the school has been calling him non-stop."

"So, he knows something's up, then?" He asks, and I frown.

"Of course, he does. It's not going to be good after he knows it all, but I've made up my mind, and it is my life." My voice is confident and strong.

"I guess." He shrugs. "But you know how he worries."

I scoff, "No, he doesn't worry. He smothers. There's a huge difference." With folded arms I huff. "I'm twenty-one, and I only started college so late because he was having a hard time watching me leave. Three years I waited for him, now I'm taking control of my own life. I'm making decisions for myself. Does that make me awful?"

"No, it doesn't make you awful." He chuckles a little bit. "It might take some time getting used to it, but I'm sure he'll love having you around all the time again."

My heart drops, "Actually." I hesitate before speaking.

"What?" He searches my face for the other end of the sentence. "What else?"

"Do you remember my friend, Sally, from the restaurant I worked at last year?"

"Of course, she was always trying to get you to go out to the clubs with her." His eyes light up, and he smiles, "What about her?"

"Well, she has this gorgeous apartment..." I begin to explain the next piece of my big news, but he seems to catch on and stops me.

"You're moving in there with her?" The force of his words forces him to sit straight up, my legs falling to the floor. "You're moving out?!"

"I think it's time - Past time, actually." I nod happily. "I know Dad is going to lose it when he finds out, but I have to do this, Toby. I don't like that I haven't done anything normal or for myself. I'm twenty-one years old, but you'd never know that unless you knew me all your life. I want to branch out and spread my wings. I want to go out to the bar and have a drink with my friends, I want to -" The words are just spilling off from my tongue. I'm having no trouble explaining the reasoning behind my decisions, I feel proud to finally stand on my own two feet.