Like Romeo & Juliet

Chapter 12

*Cavanaugh*

The wail of police sirens were heard in the distance. More snowflakes flew around the two men in the alleyway. Caleb was frozen from the shock of Toby's confession. He should have figured it out sooner, but it was just so hard to believe. Toby Cavanaugh was dating Spencer Hastings. Hell must be frozen solid right now, because surely there was no way Toby would ever get with a Hastings.

"Are you going to say something?" Toby asked.

"I just..." Caleb was stuttering. "I don't know if I have the words."

Toby stood up and said, "well, whatever it is you want to say, you can't say it here. We're close to that door and someone might hear us talking."

"Nobody knows about this?" Caleb questioned.

"No, well, just Aria, but no," said Toby.

"I just...I can't believe this. What would your father think?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Toby pushed past Caleb to leave the alleyway. He started walking down the street towards his house. It didn't take long for Caleb to catch up to him.

"I'm sorry," Caleb was huffing as he walked alongside him. "I'm trying to understand this. Just...Spencer? Spencer?"

"She's not a bad person," Toby said.

"I mean...she's not exactly person of the year."

Toby stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Caleb, "you don't even know her."

"We're not allowed to know her! Dude, your dad is going to kill you."

"You don't think I've thought about that? You don't think I've tried with every ounce of my being to not fall for her? You don't think I've questioned this over and over inside my head how this happened? It just did! I love her, and you know what, I'm sick of hiding it."

They started walking again.

"Well, how did it happen? And when? You were gone for years," Caleb said. "It had to happen sometime after you got back, because before you wanted no part of that family."

"I met her at the masquerade party," Toby muttered.

"Wow, I'm sorry I forced you to go to that," Caleb said. Toby punched his shoulder. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

"We tried to forget anything that happened between us that night," Toby explained. "But she was helping me pass my French class, and things started happening between us. I got to meet the real her. The soft side of Spencer. The one who's warm, smart, and beautiful," Toby was smiling now. "She's wonderful, Caleb. "

"She must be if she's worth punching another guy over," Caleb said.

Toby nodded and said, "yeah, I may have gone a little overboard back there, but she's definitely worth it."

"Okay," Caleb said.

"You can't tell anyone about this. Especially my family," Toby said. "They wouldn't understand and we're just not ready for our families to ruin things for us."

"Keeping your relationship hidden must be a pain."

Toby rolled his eyes, "you have no idea. Someday we'll tell our parents about us, but we really wanted a chance to be together before they try to step in."

"Wow, and I thought Hanna and I had it rough."

"Have you figured out how to make things right with her yet?"

Caleb shook his head and said, "no, not yet, but I think I know a good place to start."

The two men shared a smile. They walked the rest of the way to Toby's house.