His Miracle

Blast from the Past.

We're sitting in the furthest corner of Lulu's coffee shop. The sky grows dark outside and the rain pelts against the pavement and the glass windows. The weather mirrors the atmosphere between us. Jake and Tobias are sitting on one side of the booth and I'm sitting on the other side, facing the doorway. It's better if they stay as hidden as possible, and I have a clear vision of the entrance from here. We order food and hot chocolates before settling into our seats. I wrap my hands around the hot mug in an attempt to heat myself from the inside. The events of the day have left me feeling shaky and dizzy. I pull out my phone before calling Ivory for the tenth time. She hasn't answered a single call or text message.

"We need to find Ivory," I remind the boys.

Jake leans over to place his hand over my phone. He forces it out of my hand before giving me a concerning look of protest.

"No, Emily. You need to rest. You've done enough."

I sigh because I know he's right, but I also can't rest until I know she's safe.

"All I care about is food. Where is the damn food?" Tobias mutters before craning his neck to find the staff.

I raise a brow at his behavior. He's been acting odd ever since he found out Jane was cheating on him. Is this his way of detaching himself from his feelings?

"Since when don't you care about Ivory's wellbeing?" I question him quietly.

Him and Jake have always been over-protective about Ivory.

"She's eighteen years old. She's an adult. She can keep herself safe without us all worrying about her. I have bigger fish to fry right now," Tobias mutters.

Jake glares at him from the corner of his eye and I stare back at him with a blank look on my face. Ivory is AWOL because she was trying to defend her brother. Tobias repays her by acting like he doesn't care if she's safe or not. I kiss my teeth with frustration before dragging my eyes off him. I guess we're restoring back to the insufferable side of Tobias Melvin.

"I don't care what you say, Tobias. If Ivory is in danger, it's up to all of us to find her. Especially you, considering you're the reason she left home last night," I tell him.

Jake nods in agreement.

"Yeah, Emily is right."

Tobias rolls his eyes before lifting his mug to his lips. Before he drinks, he scoffs and speaks in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, yeah. Emily is always right."

His response earns a narrowed glare from Jake and I. Is he serious? I lean forward on the table to close the distance between us. Regardless of how hurt Tobias is, it doesn't warrant him to act like an asshole... Not when everyone else around him is suffering because of his behavior.

"Snap out of it. I know you're doing this because you're in self destruction mode but deep down, I know you care. You're being a fucking jerk, Tobias. We all deserve better than this version of you," I scold him.

Tobias leans closer until his nose is almost touching mine. A smug smirk stretches across his lips and his eyes sparkle with mirth.

"What are you going to do? Hit me? Go ahead, sweetheart. I'll enjoy it," Tobias hits back at me.

The misogynistic tone to his voice makes me want to reach over and strangle him. I feel rage bubbling inside me but I force my face to remain neutral. When Tobias acts like this, a reaction is exactly what he strives for. He feeds off getting under people's skin, and I won't give him the satisfaction. The sooner he snaps out of his self-obsessed mentality, the sooner we can prove their innocence. On the opposite side, Jake's eyes blaze with red hot anger. I lean closer before grabbing a fistful of Tobias' shirt in my hands. If he thinks I'm going to back down from him, he's painfully wrong.