“You’re not dumb, sis. Just inferior to your amazing twin brother.” Toby smiles and wags his eyebrows, but Tori’s face scrunches up and I can’t help wondering if she really does worry that people think she’s second best to Toby. She throws a pillow at his head, but he easily catches it. “Thanks. Elvis needs a new bed,” Toby says.
“Elvis?” I ask.
Tori rolls her eyes. “He bought a pet tarantula. How disgusting is that?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I think they’re kind of cute.”
Tori pretends to gag. “Go study, both of you, before you make me hurl my dinner.”
I get up from the bed and grab my messenger bag by the door. I’m all prepared for this study date—because in my mind that’s what this is. Not Toby tutoring me. It’s a study date. Probably the only kind of date I’ll ever go on with him, so I’m savoring every moment—even if there is math involved.
He motions for me to go into his room, and I take in every detail. The guitar leaning against the desk, the open closet with sneakers spilling out of it, the dusty bookshelf in the corner that holds a combination of books and basketball trophies, and finally the unmade bed, where my eyes linger a little too long.
“Um, where do you want to study?” I ask, looking around for a chair. The only one is at his desk.
“Wherever. Do you prefer the desk chair or the bed?”
I freeze at the mention of his bed. It probably smells like him. But if I sit there, will it look like I’m trying to get in his bed? “The desk chair is fine.”
“Really?” He furrows his brow. “I pegged you for a bed studier.”
“I always study in bed at home.”
“And in Tori’s room,” he adds. “Something wrong with my bed?”
I look at the rumpled sheets. “It’s a little messy.” And I totally want to crawl into it and cuddle up in your blankets.
“Oh, sorry. I don’t normally have girls in here.”
He doesn’t?
He straightens out the blankets and props the pillow up against the headboard. “There. Make yourself at home. I want you to be comfortable. It’s the only way you’ll learn anything.”
Comfortable around Toby? He sends my heart into a frenzy every time I look at him. “Thanks.” I sit down on the edge of the bed, my messenger bag at my side.
“Daniels, relax.” He takes my legs and swings them onto the bed.
“I have shoes on.”
“So?” He smiles and motions for me to scoot over. As soon as I do, he slides onto the bed next to me. My stomach flips. I’m in Toby Michaels’s bed—with him. “Okay, what’s tripping you up?”
“What?” Can he tell how uncomfortable I am? How much I just want to reach out and kiss those full lips of his?
“With unit seven. What aren’t you understanding?”
I look down, not wanting to see the total look of pity on his face when I say this. “All of it.”
He lifts my chin with his finger. “Hey, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Some people just don’t get math. It’s no big deal.” He lowers his hand and I regain the ability to speak.
“That’s the second time you’ve said that to me today.”
“What?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Oh. I guess it’s my phrase of the day.” He smiles. God, why does he have to be Tori’s brother? Why does he have to be so damn irresistible? “So tangent, sine, and cosine…” He launches into an explanation of the unit, and I listen to every word. Not all of them process, though. I’m mostly staring at his mouth and enjoying his deep voice.
“Does that make sense?” he asks.
“Um, maybe.” Not at all! “Could you explain it one more time?” I feel like a major idiot. He’s going to think he’s wasting his time if I don’t start paying attention. This time I focus. I watch the page as he points to the different problems and shows me how to work them out. And things do start to make sense.
“Here, try problem number six.” He hands me the pencil and our fingers touch. It’s only a small amount of physical contact, but it sends chills through me. I take a deep breath to focus on the problem. I don’t want to let Toby down. I go through the steps in my head before writing them in my notebook. Toby doesn’t say a word, just watches me work. I write the answer down and look at his face.
“Is that wrong? Was I supposed to—?”
“No.” He smiles. “That’s exactly right.”
“Really?”
“Really. Here, try another one.”
I go through the rest of the page. I struggle on a few, but Toby patiently explains them to me. When I’m finished and convinced all my answers are now correct, I sit back and smile.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” He leans back, lacing his hands behind his head.
“You’re a good teacher.”
“Thanks.” He turns his head slightly to look at me, and I can’t help noticing how close his lips are to mine. “What?”
“What do you mean ‘what?’” Oh God, am I drooling?
“You have that look.”
“What look?”
“Like you have something on your mind.”
“I have a lot on my mind thanks to you. I actually understand trig.” He doesn’t need to know about the other thoughts I’m having about him.
“Good, you—” His cell rings. “Hang on a sec.” He answers the call. “Hello?” He pauses as the person on the other end talks. “Actually I’m kind of busy right now. Maybe tomorrow.” Another pause. “Okay, bye.”
“I guess I should go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But you just said you’re busy. I’m guessing that means you have plans.”
“I do. With you. We’re studying, remember?” He playfully nudges my shoulder with his.
“Oh, do you think I should go over the homework again?”
“No, you’ve got it. Besides, you need a break. Don’t want to overload you with tangents on the first day.”
So he wants to hang out with me? I’m dying to, but is this a good idea? Hanging out with Toby will only make me like him more, and I have to get over this crush.
“Are you two finished yet?” Tori walks into the room without even knocking.
“Not yet,” Toby says before I can answer.
“Well, hurry up. I need Becca’s help.”
“With what?” Toby asks.
“I want her to braid my wet hair so it’s wavy tomorrow. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“I’ll be there in a few,” I say, suddenly feeling really self-conscious sitting this close to Toby, and on his bed.
“Okay.” She shuts the door on her way out.
Toby’s cell rings again. He checks the number and silences it.
“Avoiding someone?”
“Meredith. That was her two minutes ago. The girl is relentless.”
I can’t stop myself. “Then why do you hang out with her so much? I kind of thought you liked her.”
He shrugs. “She’s okay, just pushy sometimes. Besides, everyone expects me to be with someone like Meredith.”
“So you’re dating her because people expect you to?” That’s really messed up.
“No, we aren’t dating. We’re friends.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“I told her not to hang all over me at school, but she says she’s like that with all her friends and it doesn’t mean anything.”
“You do know that’s a total lie, right?” Toby’s too smart to fall for Meredith’s tricks.
“I kind of figured that out. I’m trying to get her to back off, but I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Like I said, she’s not bad. I’m just not into her.”
“Oh.” Of course he’d care about her feelings. He’s sweet.
“What about you? You dating anyone?”
“No,” I answer way too quickly. “Not right now.”
“Good to know.”
Good to know? What does that mean? Is it possible this crush isn’t one-sided?
Tori bursts into the room again. “Okay, seriously, if Becca doesn’t braid my hair now, it will be too dry to really take to the waves.”
“Guess I better go.” I gather my book and notebook, stuffing them into my bag. Toby slides off the bed and reaches for my hand. I take it, noticing Tori’s eyes on us. I let go the second my feet touch the carpet. As I walk past Toby’s desk, I spot Elvis and wave a finger at him. “Hi, little guy.” I turn to Toby. “Thanks for helping me.”
“Any time.” He smiles, and all I can think about is how he said it’s good to know I’m not dating anyone.