Laughter [Tobuscus/Toby Turner]

Chapter Seven

It took three showers to get the tomato sauce smell out of my hair. Three showers.
When my fingers no longer look like year-old prunes, I get in my car and drive over to Toby's house. When I get there, he's not outside, so I go to knock on his door. There's no reply at first, but then the door flies open.
In front of me stands a disheveled Toby Turner, a towel lazily wrapped around his waist, shaving cream caking half of his face. Pinpricks of water decorate his inky black hair, and he holds a razor in one hand and a toothbrush in the other.
"Cassie, what the Hell?!" he cries as I chuckle at his appearance. "You said 11:30!"
"What time is it?"
"11:26!" He yells, and I roll my eyes.
"Fine, take your four precious minutes and put some clothes on. Keep the half-shaved look going, though. You could start a trend."
After a long sigh and a slammed door, I sit down on the swing that hangs from the porch ceiling. The cool breeze kisses my cheeks, and I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath and listening to nature. I can feel my hair being blown back, and I don't even realize Toby standing outside until I open my eyes. A small grin plays at his lips, and I push my caramel hair behind my ears.
He doesn't say a word, he just gestures for me to follow him. I stand up, and he takes my hand. I don't pull away. He tugs me in the opposite direction of my car, and we head down the sidewalk, not saying a word. The air is still as we make our way to a destination unknown to me, but Toby seems to know exactly where he's going.
After a while, we arrive at an area full of overgrown trees and bushes. I open my mouth to speak, but he shushes me.
"Let me lead the way," he whispers, "follow me."
He leads me through the underbrush, the shadows of trees tracing patterns on the ground. The sound of the forest soothes me, and the only noises are our light footsteps and the birds in their nests. Suddenly, with no explanation, we come to a dead end.
"Toby?" I ask, but he just smiles.
"Don't look." he says, placing a hand over my eyes and plunging me into peaceful darkness. He pulls me forward, and I feel leaves and branches tickling my face and tugging my hair. I'm not prepared for what I see when he removes his hand.
Cherry trees. Cherry trees are everywhere, all in bloom. Pink petals gracefully dance down from the branches, resting on a small pond that reflects the cloudless, blue sky above us. I sigh in amazement.
"Oh my God," I whisper, as if speaking any louder will break the silent bliss around us. "Oh, Toby. This is..."
"Amazing? Beautiful? Amagical?" he fills in, and I turn to him.
"Wonderful!" I cry, running to him and jumping into his arms. He almost falls over, but hugs me back when he regains posture. When he sets me back down, we go and sit by the pond.
"How did you find this place?" I ask whimsically, staring at the sky.
"I was going through a hard time once, so I went for a walk in the forest. It's calming, you know? So I was just walking when I tripped on this log, and I fell into those vines, and bam. Pinkalicious surroundings."
I laugh out loud, then just look at him. I mean really look at him. He has this look in his eyes, like he's calm, content. There's this one hair on his forehead that won't cooperate, so it just kind of hangs down limply. He has a little freckle on the side of his nose, but that's all.
"Tell me everything." He says abruptly, catching me off guard. I give him a questioning look, and he recomposes himself. "Cassie Embury, I want to know everything about you. What's your story?"
My story? What is my story?
"My name is Cassie Jane Embury, I guess. I was born in New York, but I couldn't take the city life, so I moved here. I'm 25. I have an eighteen year old brother, Charlie, and I'm always on him about everything from drugs to grades. My parents weren't around much when I was a kid, so I felt responsible for my brother. A year ago I met Tyler, and we've been together ever since. Um..."
"That's basically your life story, Cass. I want to know the real stuff. What do you like? What do you hate? What's your most embarrassing moment?" He asks, facing me with his whole body. I do the same. "I want to know the deep stuff."
Deep stuff... deep stuff...
"I love lilies. I hate roses. My favorite color is lavender, but it has to be PALE lavender. I don't like bright colors. I hate running, but I love to sing. I love reading. The local librarian knows my name. Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter ice cream is my favorite thing ever." I pause to take a breath. "What about you? What's your past like?"
He cringes, almost like he hoped I wouldn't ask. "Um... my childhood is kind of a touchy subject." He admits, and I nod understandingly. "But we don't have to get into that."
We spend the next few minutes in silence, embracing our surroundings. Eventually, we get up to go.
---
Over the course of the day, we go to the store, back home to drop off the groceries, the mall, and the Ben & Jerry's shop. Next stop: the movies. When we get there, we read the movie list. "How about we just see whatever's coming on next?" Toby suggests, and we buy tickets for this kids' movie with talking fairies and this magic orb-thing. I lose interest in the first few minutes, but I still like spending the time with Toby.
When the movie ends, we trash our half-eaten popcorn and head into the theater lobby.
To my horror, there sits Tyler. With another girl.
They're at a table, a cherry ICEE between them, two straws poking out of the top. Tears rush to my eyes when he pecks her on the lips, and I look at the floor.
"C'mon, Toby, let's go." I say quietly, realizing my voice is quivering, and pull him out to the parking lot.
The drive home is quiet. Toby knows not to pry. I drop him off without a word, then break down as I'm driving away.
Why? Why would he do this? Why me? I push open my front door and instantly go to my couch, sobbing uncontrollably.
---
Three hours later, I find myself in my pajamas, lying on my couch under a heated blanket. I eventually turned on Supernatural on Netflix, only moving to press "next episode." I'm startled when my phone buzzes from beside me, so I pause the TV and check the screen.

From: Toby

Hey, you okay?

I think for a minute, then reply:

To: Toby

If I told you I was, I'd be lying.

It takes him a few minutes to reply.

From: Toby

That's what I thought. Don't go anywhere.

A few seconds later, my doorbell rings. I groan and stand up, shuffling to answer it.
When I open the door, there stands Toby, holding lavender lilies and a huge tub of Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter ice cream.
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OH THE DRAMA
There are so many cute parts in this chapter!!
Comment about lilies, cherry trees, cheating, Ben & Jerry's, or Supernatural.
Love you!!
~ Hollie xx