On a Sunday afternoon, as Toby was finishing up some schoolwork, he heard a loud gasp coming from Shannon's room. The two often spent the weekends at each other's homes, whether they were doing work or just snuggling up and watching a movie.
Toby rushed over to Shannon's room, noticing that she was on her computer. "Are you okay?" Toby asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Shannon said. She turned her laptop so that Toby could see the screen, revealing an email from the University of Denver.
"They want you to teach there?" Toby asked. He remembered Shannon confessing that she didn't want to teach at the elementary level any more. She wanted to branch out and do something new. Shannon had grown up in Colorado, and always admired the University. She was aiming to teach economics.
"Yeah, they want me to teach there!" Shannon said, smiling.
"Oh my god, that's amazing!" Toby said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend, kissing her once. "Wait... you're leaving?"
Shannon had applied for the job before she met Toby, but he didn't change the way she felt about her new job offer. She wanted this so badly, and she didn't want to stay because of one guy.
Then again, she did love him.
"Maybe you could come with me," she said, "I'm sure there are schools in Denver that you could work at. It would be fun,"
Toby wasn't sure how he felt about moving across the country, to a place he had never been before. He loved being with Shannon, and this experience could be great for both of them. "Yeah," Toby said, "I guess we're moving to Colorado then,"
--
Since Shannon accepted the job offer, Toby couldn't get one thing off of his mind. Spencer.
He didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wasn't even entirely sure if his thoughts about her were romantic or not. Seeing her after three years gave him a sort of nostalgic, happy feeling. He knew she was going through a rough time, and he didn't know how she would feel if he told her he was moving.
He didn't want to tell her, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Shannon asked Toby if he could pick up more boxes, and Toby decided to use it as an opportunity to see Spencer.
"Hey, you," Spencer said once she opened the door. She smiled once she saw him, something she couldn't help but do. She invited him inside. "Did you want to see Isaac? He's upstairs,"
"No, actually, I came to see you." Toby said.
"Oh," Spencer said, sitting next to Toby on the couch, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Shannon and I are moving." Toby said.
Spencer felt her heart sank at his words. They had just reconnected, and she felt like she finally had a friend. "Where?"
"Colorado," Toby said, "Shannon got a job at the University of Denver,"
"Wow," Spencer said. Her heart broke. He was going to be all the way across the country. She didn't want to lose him again. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked.
"You're kind of my only friend here," Toby admitted, showing a small smile.
"Well, that goes the same for me," Spencer stated. It felt so sad to openly admit that she didn't have any friends other than her own child, but she found comfort in discovering that Toby had the same problem.
In an instance, Toby felt the same sudden urge he had on the night he first met Spencer. He didn't know why, but he had the strongest urge to kiss her. Only this time, things were different. They weren't the same people they were when they met.
But in that moment, Toby didn't care.
Without hesitation, he leaned over and kissed Spencer. He wanted to stop himself and apologize, until he felt her kiss him back.
Her love for him was now stronger than ever, and of course it had to happen when he was going to move three thousand miles away.
She pulled away, telling him that it wasn't right.
"I'm sorry, I just-" Toby stuttered, trying to explain himself.
"I know," Spencer said, understanding Toby's confusion, "you don't have to be sorry. But you're with Shannon. I couldn't do this to her, knowing how bad it would feel for her if she found out."
Toby felt something similar to a punch in his gut when he heard Spencer's words. He wished he hadn't been so impulsive and cheated on her, back when they were dating. Maybe then, they would still be together. But Spencer had a point. They both knew how terrible it felt to be cheated on.
"I think I should go," Toby said, getting up from the couch and making his way back to his car.
On his way back to his apartment, he couldn't help but feel confused. He loved both of them, but he knew he could only be with one.
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