Obsessed

Chapter 52

The drive to Toby's dietician is quiet. Well, I am. Toby doesn't say much but I know he's thinking a lot. It's the first time seeing him, sober, after the kiss. It didn't mean anything on my half.

I wouldn't have come with him if I knew Kyle wasn't coming. I thought he was. I thought I might see him. See how he's doing. I haven't even gotten to talk about his mum with him properly yet.

Even though I'm furious, frustrated and forlorn... I still love him. I miss him. It hasn't even been a week. I feel pathetic. I'm no different to every other girl who goes through a breakup. Except, technically, you can't break up with someone you aren't officially dating.

The rest of Monday goes by quickly. Toby's dietician is a gorgeous blonde that's too pretty to be as smart as she is. I think Toby noticed her. They have another appointment in a few weeks. Toby has to eat really healthily now. Pretty much he has to survive, purely, on fruit.

The next day, I help Toby go grocery shopping. I've been spending a lot of time with him lately. I feel selfish and horrible because the main reason I've been spending this much time is because he reminds me so much of Kyle. He almost fills the gap, the whole in my stomach, that Kyle left.

Toby wrinkles up his nose when he sees the healthy food I put in the trolley. "Not a single Snickers bar!" I say as he tries sneaking in a handful of chocolates.

"Please!"

"You heard Dr. Monroe. No artificial sugars."

"She was just teasing. Of course I'm allowed a little..."

"Toby! If you aren't going to listen to me, please listen to your deitition. She knows what she's talking about."

"Fine, sure, ok."

Halfway through the checkout, I get a text from Harmony saying, "Code red." So I bid a restless Toby goodbye and head straight over to Harmony's house.

Don, Josh and Sierra have their cars parked out front. I wonder what the problem is. Let me guess... Harmony and Chase got back together? Nah. What if Sierra accidentally ran over Loreen with a bus? Too predictable. Ha-ha. Just kidding. Not really.

I knock on the door three times and almost instantly Josh opens the door. He walks me into Harmony's room without saying a word. He looks surprisingly happy and normal. Which makes sense when Bridgette jumps out of the closet and straight into my arms. Both of us break into half laughs and half cries. "You're back?!"

"Just for two weeks."

"I didn't realise you missed us that much."

"That, and, my mum. Good news, every holidays I'll be visiting!"

"That's amazing Bridge. Glad to have you back, even if it is only for a couple of weeks." I smile. "Where's Dylan?"

"I'm about to call him now," Bridgette says with the most excited expression.

"Hold on," Harmony says. "I don't think you should tell him you are here."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's only going to hurt you both."

"How? How is it going to hurt us?"

"You are only going to be here, what, six weeks a year? Maybe more over summer break?"

"So?"

"If he knows you're here, then you're going to have to get back together right?"

"What's so bad about that?"

"It means for the other forty-six weeks of the year, you guys will be separated."

"When you say it like that you makes it sound like forever."

"Long distance relationships never work." Sierra says bluntly.

"We don't have to get back together. We can just hang out!"

"That's not really fair though. Because when you go back to France, you'll feel like you can't get a boyfriend because you'll be seeing Dylan again soon."

"Same for him. Neither of you will move on. And every time you leave it's going to be hard to say goodbye." Sierra confirms.

"Ugh!" She exclaims and crashes onto the floor. "This is not how I expected this day to go."

"I think he has a right to know you're here," Josh says.

"I think so too. Maybe you guys can figure something out without the rest of us," I suggest. 

Harmony and Sierra look between each other and step out of the room.

"What if he doesn't want to be with me?" Bridgette mumbles.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Josh says and opens the door revealing a confused Dylan. He does a double take when he sees Bridgette then runs to her and hugs her tightly.

"I thought- I thought you weren't coming back?!" He stutters.

"Just visiting."

"I love you."

"I love you too." So simple. Three words. Eight letters. But Kyle couldn't say them. And neither could I.

I step out of the room for a second and walk outside for some fresh air while the reuniting couple examine returning to a possible relationship. What a stupid little problem. I have bigger fish to fry right now. Mental fish. Mental fish that I should have fried a long time ago. I don't make any sense. I knew I'd go crazy one day.

***

Bridgette, Dylan, Don, Harmony, Sierra, Josh and I spend the next two days together doing everything we want to. We went to the beach this morning and built sandcastles. Bridgette got really sunburnt. Sierra's inviting the deca-awesome tribe to a drive-in movie tomorrow night. I'm excited.

Now I'm getting ready to go to work. Today I don't look as bad. The bags under my eyes are almost non-existent thanks to last night's wonderful slumber. I spend more time than usual applying makeup. Harmony suggested this amazing mascara brand and my eyelashes have never looked longer.

When I get to the ice-cream parlour, I'm surprised to see the lights on and the shop opened. Bert must have opened the shop early. I put on my name tag and start setting up my station and the cash register. I spin around to pick up a coin I dropped and I slip backwards. I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing to fall.

When I open them, I'm not on the floor. I'm staring up into green eyes.