𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

21

Flowers, chocolates, and wine aren't enough to put a genuine smile back onto my face. Toby and I may have just been messing around, but I can't help but feel hurt by him calling everything off so suddenly.

Sure, we would have had to do it anyway, with me leaving in a few days and all, but why now? We were supposed to have a date night with Justin and Gabs tonight, but now I'll just be a third wheel, and try not to scrutinize them in a jealous manner.

"So we have all the forms signed, and Ivy will be on a flight tonight with her parents. Do you need anything else from us before you go back home?" One of the nurses is talking to me, but my eyes are on Toby, closely watching as he chats to the young, pretty, blonde nurse down the corridor.

I nod, taking the papers from her before giving her a tight smile, my eyes darting back towards Toby again. "Thanks, I'll go and say goodbye to Ivy, do you mind if I visit Lucy too?"

"Of course not, I'll call the ward and see if she's awake."

I smile at her once more, watching her retreat to the reception desk. The ward is quiet, all the visitors have already left, and the shifts are about to swap.

Gabriella has messaged me, asking how long I'll be, and that she's going to head to the shop for booze. I send her a thumbs up, knowing that it'll piss her off, before heading to Ivy's room.

"Mrs Dermott?"

Ivy's mum sits up, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Oh," she says, folding the laptop closed on her knee and setting it aside. "Are you all set to go?"

"Yeah, I just signed everything off, are you ready to go home?"

Sighing, she bites her lip, looking over at Ivy asleep on the bed. "I can't wait to get home, to be honest, Doctor."

We discuss our journey together, all the times we went on days out, the first time I met Ivy, and the most recent day at the beach. She thanks me for everything again, shaking my hand and telling me she will see me back in Scotland.

I give Ivy one last look as I close over the door, leaning my head on it for a few seconds. I go and say goodbye to Lucy, fist-pumping her as her eyes water, saying our goodbyes is hard, knowing that I won't see her again or even know about her health.

I head to the lockers and grab my bag, leaving the ward for the last time, trying not to give Toby a second thought, or look in his direction as he watches me leave.

_________

"Okay, so... red or blue?" Gabs asks, holding up a dress of each colour to her nearly naked body. "I think the red makes me look fugly, but the blue makes me look pale."

I try to grin at her, but in all seriousness, I'm confused as hell. My emotions are all over the place, between the past four weeks at this hospital, Toby, Ivy, and all the staff saying goodbye, I think I need to either cry in my bed or drink until I can't see straight.

I stare at the dresses, my mind not really focussing on what she's saying. "Blue."

"Urgh, I need to get pissed," Gabriella says, throwing the dresses onto the bed. "Why do you look so skunurd?"

"Um, Toby kind of just broke things off with me." I don't hold back, spitting the words out like venom. "Wanker."

Gabs spins on her heels to look over at me, her eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

I shrug it off, pretending that it isn't affecting me. "We were only messing around, I guess, there's nothing to end anyway."

"You're a terrible liar, Aria." She glares at me as she starts to make her way to the bathroom, pointing a red fingernail at me. You'd think the girl would put some clothes on, or at least a bra. "So... what did he say?"

"He didn't give me a reason," I reply, shrugging, frowning down at my hands, tracing circles on the bed covers. "Just that we needed to end it and then he walked out of the room. I swear, Gabs, he is worse than whiplash."

She agrees, nodding, and continuing to question me, even while she's in the shower, yelling out to me as she shaves.

When she's done, we begin packing our bags for the airport, keeping out enough stuff to last us until we leave in three days. Gabs probably took half of my clothes but I'll let her off with it. We do live together, and I know for a fact I'll find them in her wardrobe, or lying on her bedroom floor.

"What about you and Justin? Are you guys calling it all off when we leave?" I ask Gabs, tossing her a packet of baby wipes to put in her bag. She nods her head, her mouth full of food. "And you're okay with that?"

She swallows, running her tongue along her front teeth. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" she mumbles, covering her mouth as she speaks to stop the grub from tumbling out.

She has cracking manners.

"Just asking," I say, zipping up my bag and pressing my palms over my eyes. "I hate packing."

"Well..." Gabs stares at her phone, smirking. "Our dates have arrived and are currently awaiting us in the carpark."

She shows me her phone, Justin's text saying that both he and Toby are downstairs. Really? Is this dude really trying to fuck with me right now?

"I'm not going," I say, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "You can go down and tell Toby to fuck right off."

She rolls her eyes, tossing me my coat. "Move it." She checks herself in the mirror once more and grabs my wrist, dragging me out of the hotel room and down the hallway to the elevators. I try not to look Toby in the eye when we reach the underground carpark, even when he smiles at me, I don't dare look up.

I can't describe the confusion that's running through me right now, laced with relief, and I want to slap myself for feeling this way about him.

Justin takes Gabriella's hand, walking her over to Toby's car, kissing her cheek and tells her she looks lovely. Toby walks beside me, his hand in one of his pockets, looking at me sideways every few seconds before opening the passenger door for me.

"Thanks," I say, snarkily, not giving him a second glance as he closes the door.

It's awkward most of the drive, Gabs and Justin in the back kissing like teenagers, groping each other and whispering dirty words that we can hear. I keep my gaze out of the window, watching all the shops and bars pass by as we make our way to the cinema.

"What's wrong?" Toby asks, resting his hand on my exposed thigh, the black short dress making it easy for him to touch my skin. I shouldn't feel the surge of explosive pleasure rushing through me right now, and I shouldn't be aching for his palm to ride up higher. "You're acting... weird. Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm acting weird? Are you fucking crazy?" I yell, causing Gabs and Justin to pull apart and watch us. "You literally just told me we were ending whatever we were... which, by the way, was nothing."

Toby frowns at me, a few moments of silence before he scoffs, shaking his head in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

____________

Kind of fillerish, but not every chapter can be sexual, right?

Give me your theories?

Scottish definition of skunurd?

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