Because I was meant to fall in love with him. The way I am now.
“Oh, I just found a video of you and Tobias,” Nora says. The video starts to play in the background.
Why am I here? I should be with Tobias and working this out. We might not have all the answers figured out today, but I sure as hell won’t get any closer to them if I’m not with him.
He’s my person.
He’s my best friend.
He’s the man I fell in love with ten years ago.
I just didn’t know it until now.
“Ahhhhhh, oooooo.”
My gaze snaps to Nora’s phone at the very clear sound of my own drunken voice. Oh god, what video did she find?
“Nat, stop swaying like that, I can’t get the video to focus,” Nora voice fills the screen as the blurry image evens out, revealing Tobias and me sitting next to each other on one of the end tables at his old college house. He’s got his arm around me as I … I think I’m trying to sit-bop to the music, but I can’t be sure at this moment. Tobias is looking down at me with a giant smile.
“Tobias, get her water,” Nora’s voice chimes in again.
“She’s been drinking water for an hour now, Nora. I’ve got her.”
“I’m sure you do,” Nora says in a teasing tone. Tobias turns to glare at her, but I grab his face and make him look at me.
“I have to tell you something,” I say to him.
“What’s that?”
“I … I …”
“Jesus, Nat.” Nora hits me as we both stay glued to the phone screen. “Spit it out.”
“Seriously, how drunk was I?”
“You …” Tobias says in the video, his hand on my chin to gently force me to look at him. “Tell me. It’s just me.”
His voice gives me goosebumps.
“I dove you,” I say and then turn to Nora, smiling into the camera. “Oh! Nachos,” I shout and then run off.
“Natalie,” Nora is yelling at me, but her camera is still on Tobias.
“Yeah, Nat,” he sighs. “I dove you too.”
“Holy shit,” Nora whispers.
I grab my purse and run out of their house.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
TOBIAS
Waking up alone after spending night after night waking up to the woman you thought you might spend forever with sucks.
I wanted to tell her I loved her. That I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember, even if I might not have known the depth of that love. The day she told me she “doved” me, I knew something changed between us. Honestly, I just thought I was the lucky college kid who’d found this amazing girl who wanted to be friends with me no matter what, but really, that had to have been the day I fell in love with her. Hell, I think I’ve been in love with her since the moment we met.
It sure as hell would have made the last ten years easier had I seen that.
