of water for himself. We made our way closer to the fire, and though it was impossible to miss the eyes on us, I found them easier to ignore than I expected.
Guys from the football team quickly surrounded us, distracting me from the whispers. They teased Leo about the hoodies and the splash we were making among our fellow students, though it was all in good humor.
Jude approached, and I broke away from Hayle to give him a quick hug. “I’ve missed having you cart me around campus.”
“I’ve missed that too, but I’m happy to see your leg is back to normal.” He gestured to the back of Leo’s sweatshirt with a grin. “So, how does one become property of Thea Gale? Are you accepting applications?”
I swatted at his arm. “Very funny. And those three are more than enough for me, I assure you.”
“Well, they’re lucky guys.” He said this warmly, without a hint of jealousy, thankfully.
I’d never gotten the impression that he was interested in me as anything more than his fellow wallflower friend. But I wasn’t always the best judge of romantic interest…as evidenced by my former best friend, who had just joined our group.
Tobias stood near Lincoln and a few of his other roommates, but his gaze was on me. We hadn’t spoken since he’d walked away from me on New Year’s Eve, and I was more than a little tired of this distance between us.
“Can we finish catching up later?” I asked Jude. “I have something I need to take care of.”
“Sure.”
After giving Hayle and Tristin a short explanation, I headed toward Tobias, passing him with a look that told him to follow me. He did, and once we were far enough down the beach for a little bit of privacy, I turned.
“What’s it going to take for us to make up and move on?”
He quirked a dark brow. “Wow, direct.”
“We’ve always been straight with each other.” Besides the declaration of love he’d kept to himself for who knew how long. But now wasn’t the time to bring that up.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He didn’t have to explain further. I knew exactly what he meant. “We had our reasons for keeping it a secret before tonight. Even so, I should have warned you. I’m sorry, T.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out sooner. It’s so obvious now.” Tobias stuffed both hands in the pocket of his coat. “Strangely, this makes me feel better about everything. It’s one thing to lose you to Leo. It’s another to lose you to all three of them.” He shrugged. “I can’t compete with the Sharpe brothers.”
“I never wanted you to feel like there’s a competition.”
He laughed, and there was actually a little humor in it. “It was inevitable, Thea. But, don’t worry. I’m not going to throw any more temper tantrums. I’ve already accepted my loss.”
“Yeah, about that. Kelsey? Really?” It wasn’t even the fact that he’d hooked up with her. It was that he’d done so to intentionally hurt me.
His face twisted into a grimace. “I’d been drinking, and I was pissed. But that’s no excuse, I know.”
He didn’t ask for forgiveness, but I mentally gave it to him anyway. Because, peering at the boy I’d known for so long, I realized something that hadn’t occurred to me before. I’d been unfair to him back in Kansas, never giving him the opportunity to know the real me. The me who opened up and lovingly interfered and just plain cared. The me who Petra, Leo, Hayle, and Tristin now got to see on a daily basis. But never Tobias.
Though he’d done his best to be a friend to me, I hadn’t returned the favor. Not really. So, it was no wonder that he was lashing out now. I didn’t blame him…not even for Kelsey.
“Do you regret moving here?” Even though I’d done my best to talk him out of it, I still felt guilty that he’d transferred for me.
“No.” He swept an arm out to encompass the beach and the ocean beyond. “It’s nothing like Kansas, and I think I needed to get away almost as much as you did. I just didn’t realize it.”
“I’m glad.” I started walking back toward the bonfire, and he fell into step beside me. Spotting a long, blonde braid shining like a beacon in the firelight, I grinned when I realized that Violet was talking to Jude. I hadn’t expected her to show up tonight. Maybe she’d finally been able to stand