The Perfect Crime

And Suddenly, You're Everywhere

A/N: You guessed it, the edit above /is/ also mine. ;) Now on to the story!
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                  Spencer's POV

There's a feeling. A feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. It's a drive; a drive to the teenage boy I only talked to for no more than 5 minutes. It's a connection; a pull gripping my entire being that only leads my brain back to where the thoughts began; Toby Cavanaugh. I've never thought of the boy with piercing blue eyes before; having purposely avoided him on so many occasions. I don't know him, but something intrigued me. I left, but a part of me wanted to stay grounded to the exact spot. I still don't know him, but my head screams the command of 'keep digging and figure him out.' I almost want to; learn his story the same way I write them. But this time I won't write the story and fill the pages with ink; I'll be a part of it.

My original intention was to head home. Home is the only place I can rely on silence; normally having the whole place to myself. I never particularly cared; why should I if my parents don't? I was going to go home, take a shower, and scrub my head raw in attempts to rid my mind of Toby. It was my set in stone plan, but somehow I manage to find myself outside of The Brew; Rosewood's local coffee shop. I throw open the driver's side door on my car, stepping out as the cool Rosewood breeze sweeps my dark locks over my shoulder. The sun beats down on my face, giving off just enough heat for the perfect weather. I step up to the entrance door, wrapping slender digits around the knob and throwing the door open. As I stumble into the familiar space, a new sense of heat comes over me when a larger body collides with my much smaller one; effectively knocking me to the ground as well as plastering my preppy, snowy white blouse with hot, dark coffee. I immediately start trying to pick myself back up, only stopping mid-action as a large, calloused hand extends itself to me. I lift my cranium, my almond like eyes finding a pair of electric baby blue hues. I lace my digits through his, allowing him to effortlessly lift my slender torso from the ground.

"First you're staring at me, now you're spilling coffee all over my blouse and pretending we're playing bumper cars without the cars? Anything else I should be expecting from you?" I joke, shrugging off the evident spark we both felt as soon as my hand had been planted in his. A smile graces his perfectly pink lips, one that reaches his eyes and creates the crinkles just beside his kind hues. A chuckle surpasses his brims, and even though I don't want to admit it to myself, it may be the best sound I've ever heard.

"Nothing else if you just want to walk around with a stain on your shirt all day." A knowing smirk paints itself to his lips, fully aware that as a Hastings, I wouldn't be caught dead walking the streets of Rosewood with a prominent stain on my blouse. I roll my light brown hues, quirking a perfectly plucked eyebrow in his direction. "This isn't a shirt, it's a blouse." I correct matter-of-factly before continuing. "And napkins won't get this out, so unless you've got another solution, I will be until I get to the perfect house of Hastings." Sarcasm drenches my tone, folding my arms across my slender torso to hide the coffee stain from view.

"Well, you don't have to go all the way back to the 'perfect house of Hastings' when my lost is upstairs. It's not as fancy as you're used to, but it does have a large variety of shirts that /don't/ have coffee stains on them." He mocks me, the smirk forever imprinted on his brims growing wider. "Tobyy..." I whine, my gaze locking with his. "You promised me that there is not anything else to expect." I further whine playfully, my orbs scanning the place before landing on a spiral staircase off to a side that I now assume leads up to his loft. I redirect my gaze to him, now my turn to smirk. "Besides, you've done me enough 'favors.'" I remind him, 'favors' coming out sarcastically because between the staring, the coffee stain, and the knocking me down; none of it can really be considered a favor. He rolls his electric pools of bright baby blue, grasping my hand and leading my effortlessly towards and up the stairs; despite everything I just said.

Upstairs holds a short, narrow hallway with a door waiting at the end of it. He keeps my hand locked with his, even though we're the only ones up here or even allowed up here. He drags me down the carpeted hallway, stopping once we're in front of the door. He releases my hand; only to dig through his pocket and fish out a set of keys. He grips one specific key, pushing it into the keyhole and turning. A click sounds through the hall; a sure sign that the door is now unlocked. He pushes the door open, standing aside to grant me access inside first. I brush past him, instantly allowing my eyes to roam the space. He follows me in, shutting the door behind him.

"It's no mansion, but--" He begins, stopping mid-sentence once I cut him off. "It's cozy, it feels like a /home/, not just a place to stay. I've never had that." I offer him a small smile of reassurance, moving towards the sofa. "You'll like it even better once you aren't stained with coffee and smelling like expresso." He jokes, leading my through a door and into his bedroom. He immediately throws another door open; revealing shirts on hangers and stored away in dressers. He steps inside, rummaging through multiple shirts before stopping and yanking one down from a hanger. He tosses it to me, observing me as I study the shirt. A baby blue, long sleeve t-shirt with an anchor design on the top right side. He places both of his hands on top of my slender shoulders, directing me in the direction of a bathroom. I observe the place further on my way to the bathroom, turning on my heel to face Toby again.

"You live alone?" I never really have a filter when it comes to my curiosity; always asking the things I tell myself I won't. I tend to be nosy in similar situations. "It's better than living with my dad and my new step mom; who brought my new creepy step sister with her." I offer a small nod of my cranium at his words, very familiar with that feeling. "You're lucky that you got away. Hastings' have a habit of holding on to things, another 'great' quality of a Hastings'." I sarcastically reply, turning into the restroom and flipping the switch up. The room illuminates with light instantly as I close the door behind me. I strip the blouse from my torso, tossing it to the ground. I pull Toby's shirt over my head, pulling the much larger shirt down. It stops at my black legging covered mid-thighs, but fitting in all of the right places. I grasp my blouse, opening the door with my free hand and switching the lights off.

I step out of the restroom, once again finding myself in the hallway and facing Toby. His gaze instantly falls on me; roaming over the sight of his larger shirt on my petite body. "Hey Tobes, eyes up here." I tease, watching as his sparkling hues dart upwards to meet my gaze. "Tobes? When did I get a nickname?" He questions, a smirk appearing on his features. "When you lent me a shirt that I can actually walk around in without looking like I just lost a battle with a coffee machine." I reply with a small smile curving my pink brims. His smirk is instantly replaced with a similar smile at my words. "Anytime, Spence." A proud grin takes over his face, thinking up a nickname for me in return. I raise an amused eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest. "Everybody calls me 'Spence', how many people call you 'Tobes'?" I shoot back, knowing his answer before he even says it. He wipes the triumphant grin from his face, a playful pout taking its place. "Nobody..." He mumbles under his breath, breaking our eye contact. "Don't feel bad, I am the only person that will make nicknaming a competition." I remind him, a genuine smile plastering itself to my rosy tiers. "I'll remember that." He retorts, a smile lighting up his features as well as he begins to walk towards his kitchen; gesturing me to follow.

A/N: I was going for cute, so let me know what you guys thinkkkk!

Until we meet again,
- Marissa 🍕