𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁

ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕣 || 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 21

Toby's POV

"Hey Tobes!"

Her sickly sweet tone choked me. The way her attitude twisted so dramatically increased my anxiety. She was sugary after her confession, believing that I too had shared the mutual affection. My conscience was tainted heavily with ear piercing screams and blood of innocent souls, yet I still had a soft spot for curtain individuals in this mansion. My best friend, Clockwork, was one of them.
For the past few days following her heart wrenching words, my thoughts endlessly picked through the ways to carefully let her down.
This girl gave me her time and consideration. This girl loved me at my low and dragged me back to safety.
This was a nightmare.
I peered over to witness EJ holding (Y/N)'s hand in his, the small touch showed an even closer relationship than before.
Another nightmare.

I gritted my teeth.

I didn't want them to get closer, quite the opposite actually.

"H-hey Clocky," I uttered, pulling my surgical mask down to fully expose my face. It was challenging to watch the girl I was about to break. However, hiding behind a mask was cowardice and disrespectful to her feelings.

"You and (Y/N) are really going at it again, huh?" She quired bitterly, wanting so desperately for her two best friends to get along. This reality didn't hold such possibilities.
Not for us.
By now, our bickering was normal in the mansion's atmosphere. It was shocking that people expected us to change or become more cooperative overnight.

"Yeah, but th-that's *tic* typ-typical of them," I mumbled, pushing my eyes down to stare into Clockwork's beauty. One look could have swayed my decision, blossoming love from one glance and cherishing it.

But she wasn't the person to share that glance with.

The emotion I was so desperately searching for wasn't even buried within her. Not a sliver showed light, just an empty affection.
The rage, the pain, the annoyance, the nausea, the torture… none of it was there.

I found that infatuation in… them.

The sensations I desired, the feelings I wanted to inflict wouldn't show up in her.
It wasn't fair to her. I couldn't lead her to a loop of heartache.

I needed to end this now.

"They're an amazing person, Toby. I guess some people will never see eye to eye," she sighed heavily, showing her displeasure as she hummed lightly. I guess this was the last draw for her, the final attempt to create a friendship between us.
She started a journey towards the stairs, glancing back over her shoulder to entice me to follow her. I ended up obliging to her silent demands and trotted behind her slowly. There was a thunderous pulse in my chest warning me not to pursue this path. A small bead of sweat formed on my forehead, nervous for what was to come. Rejecting her invitation was bittersweet.
Her entity was letting off a sensual aura, pludging me into an even deeper guilt. Her sea green sweater managed to conveniently slide down her arm to expose her flesh. Her stitched smile grew even wider as she turned to scan my figure. There was a noticeable vermillion stain on her cheeks, the same hue that stained her cheeks the night she kissed me.
My heart told me to stop.
For a brief second a flash of (Y/N) lingered in my mind. Our heated kiss made me touch my lips softly, coming to a complete stop.

"Cl-Clocky?" I breathed out her name like it was the last time I was saying it, biting my lip to find the right words to describe this sensation. After I stopped I knew I would have to lie to escape this situation, I just didn't know how I was going to do it smoothly.

"You can save it for my room, stupid," she laughed, inching a bit closer to my figure. Her head tilted upwards and her eyes roamed my features. I knew she loved every detail, she made sure I knew that.
She made sure to imply that nobody could love me the way she did.