“I was planning to go shopping,” Tori says, going back for another forkful of bacon.

“How much is on your credit card already?” Mr. Michaels asks.

Tori rolls her eyes. “I’ve got it under control, Dad.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her, Mr. Michaels. I have to return a top I bought but didn’t like.”

His brow wrinkles. “Why did you buy it if you didn’t like it?”

“Tori made her buy it,” Toby says.

“Excuse me, but she happens to look amazing in that shirt.” Tori points her fork at me. “You are so not returning it.”

“Don’t tell her what to do,” Toby says.

Okay, maybe being an only child isn’t so bad. “Tori didn’t make me buy the shirt. I thought I wanted a change, but I—”

“Changed your mind?” Toby asks.

“Exactly. That’s all.” I look at Tori. “I’m returning the shirt.”

“Suit yourself, but I think you’re making a huge mistake.”

“How can returning a shirt be a huge mistake?” Toby asks.

I force my pancakes down as quickly as I can and stand up. “Well, I have to get going. Thanks again for having me and for the pancakes.”

“Anytime, dear,” Mrs. Michaels says.

“I’ll walk you out.” Tori gets up, but I hold a hand out to stop her.

“Finish eating. I think I can find my way out.”

She shrugs and sits back down.

I clear my plate and head upstairs to change and get my bag. This time I change in Tori’s room, folding her pajamas and leaving them on her desk chair. I grab my bag and open the door. Toby comes up the stairs and motions for me to follow him to his room. I don’t get my hopes up.

He shuts the door behind us and turns to me. “Sorry about that. Guess my plan didn’t work as well as I hoped it would.”

“Don’t worry about it. Tori’s not a morning person.”

“I was going to say she’s a cranky bitch in the morning, but we can go with ‘not a morning person.’”

“Wow, you guys are worse than usual lately. I’ve never seen you fight this much.”

“You caught us on a bad decade.” He smiles.

“So you two haven’t been close since you were seven?” I think back to what they were like at that age. I’m pretty sure they fought over little things like toys and who got control of the TV remote—typical kid stuff. Nothing like this though. What happened to them, and how didn’t I realize it had gotten this bad?

He pauses like he’s thinking about it and then nods. “Sounds about right.”

“That’s awful.”

“There’s always next decade.”

“Stop making jokes. I seriously don’t want to cause any fights between you two. You said you’re worried about my friendship with Tori, but I’m worried about your relationship with her too.”

“Trust me, if Tori and I don’t get along, you’re the last reason on a long list.”

I shake my head. “That’s just terrible.”

“Hey, she’s my sister and I love her. Don’t tell her that though, okay?”

“Maybe she’ll be nicer to you if you do tell her that.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Have you met Tori?”

I laugh. Nothing sways Tori’s opinion once it’s set. Another reason why being with him is impossible. No matter how incredible that kiss was. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

He steps closer and tilts his head to the side. “What is?”

I motion between us. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s already wickedly complicated. Secret bowling outings, group dates, and tutoring sessions that end with…” My heartbeat drowns out any sound in the room.

He reaches for my face, cupping it in his hands and pulling me closer. One hand drops to my waist, brushing the tiny bit of bare skin peeking out from under my shirt. Tingles shoot through me as his face dips toward mine. My chest rises and falls with the pounding of my heart. Will every kiss with him be this intense? God, I hope so. His lips find mine. It starts out soft, like the kiss last night, but then his lips part and he deepens the kiss. My fingers weave through his messy hair, pulling him closer to me. I don’t want this to end. Please don’t let this end.

Someone knocks on the door, and we pull apart in panic. He motions for me to get behind the door, so I’ll be out of sight when he opens it. I hold my breath, praying it’s not Tori, but knowing it is. It has to be.

“What do you want?” Toby asks. Yeah, definitely Tori.

“Have you seen Becca?”

“No. She must have left.”

“Her car’s in the driveway, and no one saw her come downstairs.”

“No idea. Have you checked the bathroom?”

“The door’s open.”

“Sorry. Don’t know.” He shuts the door and I exhale.

“What am I going to do?” I whisper. “I can’t explain this—where I’ve been.” I’m in full panic mode.

“Calm down.” His fingertips brush against my cheek. “We’ll figure something out.”

“What? This is too risky. She’s going to find out and hate us both.”

His eyes meet mine. “Are you saying that kiss wasn’t worth the risk?”

Of course it was. “That kiss was amazing.”

“I agree.”

“Great. But that still leaves one question.”

“What?”

“How the hell do I get out of your room?”

Chapter Nine

“You may have to jump out the window.” My eyes widen and he stifles a laugh. “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t let you go out the window.”

“I can’t sneak out of here without her seeing me.” I can’t help thinking I’ve made a huge mistake. I’m jeopardizing my relationship with Tori. Sure Toby’s an amazing kisser, but I have no idea if he’s looking for a relationship—not that I can see how we’d have one behind closed doors.

“I’ll go find her and keep her in her room. You sneak downstairs and go toward the garage.”

“Why the garage? I’m parked in your driveway.”

“I know. You’re going to pretend your car wouldn’t start, and you went into the garage for tools.”

“Problem. I know nothing about cars. If my car didn’t start, I’d ask your dad to look at it.”

“Okay.” He thinks for a moment. “Then say good-bye to my parents and go pretend to start your car. Then come back in and tell my dad it won’t start. He’ll go out there with you and you’ll have an alibi.”

I sigh. “This is crazy, you know. I shouldn’t need an alibi to get out of your house.”

“You don’t. You need it to get out of my room.” He smiles again.

“This isn’t funny. I should just go talk to Tori. Tell her what’s really going on.”

“I hate to be this way, but we don’t even know what’s going on. What would we tell her?”

I stare at him, wondering why he’s so against us telling her. Is he really that worried about my friendship with Tori? “You said you liked me.”

“I do.”

“Then why do you want to hide this? Is it because we don’t hang out with the same people at school?”

“What?” He shakes his head. “God, no. I don’t care about that.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t want you to be the next Allison.”

“You really think Tori would just ditch me?”

“I don’t know. You’re her best friend, and she’s older now, hopefully more mature. But she’s still Tori. She’s possessive. You see how much she doesn’t like being a twin. Sharing you with me would be too much for her.”

“I’m going to have to choose between the two of you, aren’t I?”

“No way. I won’t let it come down to that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’d lose.” He attempts a smile, but I can see he’s serious.

Why would he think I’d give him up that easily? “We’ve known each other all our lives.”

“But we’ve never really hung out. Not before recently.”

Do I tell him? Do I risk sounding like one of the psycho girls who follows him everywhere? “Maybe not, but I’ve…” I take a deep breath. “I’ve liked you for a while.”

He cocks his head. He really had no idea. Guess I’m better at bottling my feelings than I thought. Of course never really being around him without Tori helped. “Look, Becca, it’s your choice. If you want to tell Tori, go ahead. But I think we should wait.”