Chapter 75: Tobias and Holly

The knock at the door rattled the quiet of Sam’s small house, a sound that carried too much weight for such a simple action. She stiffened, her gaze snapping toward the door, her pulse betraying the unease she refused to show.

Holly blinked at the sound, "Who’s that?" She asked.

Sam shrugged. "I don’t know." She lied.

"Maybe they came to tell you something? I can’t imagine anyone coming to visit you." Holly said with a laugh. "Who would even come here? It’s so secluded and your attitude doesn’t really scream you want friends." she scoffed, tossing her hair back with casual arrogance.

If Holly had meant for every word to sting, then she hit the nail on the head. For a fleeting second, the jab stung, tugging at something deep in Sam’s chest. She knew she was a loner. She lived alone, kept her distance, carried the sharp edges of solitude like armor. And yes, it was true, she had no friends here. The only person who even wanted to be in her company was Tobias and that wasn’t because he wanted them to be friends. It was more than that.

But even with the harsh words, Sam refused to let Holly see even a crack in that armor.

Her gaze hardened as she turned to Holly. "I have no friends," she said flatly, "yet here you are, sitting in my house."

The retort struck its mark. Holly’s lips parted for a second before she huffed, tossing her chin into the air. "You’re so rude. I consider you a companion and this is how you treat me?" Holly made a disbelieving sound. "That’s why you’ll always be lonely, Sam. People don’t like being around... well, this." She waved a hand dismissively at Sam, like she was gesturing to a broken piece of furniture.

Sam didn’t rise to the bait. She had to control herself. Just because she and Holly trained together most times didn’t mean they were friends. At one point she thought they would be but after finding out Holly’s true personality and her penchant for gossip, she let the idea die.

She had thought she could cope with whatever Holly wanted even if she wasn’t in the mood for it but right now, she wasn’t so sure. Perhaps it was better to face Tobias than this person. At least she could force Tobias to leave when she wanted him to.

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling through her teeth. Sirah was practically buzzing, so eager she felt like she might take control and claw through the wood herself if Sam resisted too long. Against her better judgment, Sam rose from her seat.

The knock came again, firmer this time.

Sam’s fingers hesitated over the latch. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to deal with him, his presence, his eyes, the way he looked at her like she was more than the cold wall she tried to be. But she also knew that if she had to choose between the boy...no, the man waiting outside and the annoying self serving brat inside her home, Tobias would win every single time.

Her hand moved, slow but sure, and the door creaked open.

And there he was.

Tobias stood on the threshold, framed by the dusky glow of the setting sun. He looked surprised she’d actually opened the door, his dark eyes widening for a fraction of a second before softening. Then came that smile, the small, crooked one that tilted one corner of his mouth and reached his eyes, warm and disarming.

Sam swallowed hard. Damn him. His smile did things to her chest, to her lungs, to the air she breathed. It was infuriating. She hated that it made her want to soften, even if she’d never let herself.

"Sam," Tobias said quietly, his voice carrying that low, velvety note that always seemed to find its way past her defenses.

She took in a deep breath and his intoxicating scent followed. She swallowed hard. She should not have done that. She knew how hard it was to restrain herself when it came to him and she still did it against her better judgement.

She opened her mouth to speak but before she could do so, footsteps echoed behind her. Holly, curious and nosy as ever, came striding toward the door. "Who is it?"

The moment her eyes landed on Tobias, her expression shifted sharp surprise, then narrowed disdain. She crossed her arms, posture dripping with arrogance. "Oh. It’s you. What are you doing here?"

Tobias’s eyes flicked briefly to her, cool and dismissive, before settling back on Sam. "I came to see you," he said simply, voice steady.

"I was speaking to you." Holly told him.

"And I’m speaking with Sam." Tobias replied to her. "I came to see her."

"See her?" Holly scoffed, her laugh shrill with disbelief. "Don’t make me laugh. You mean you came here because you want to sleep with her."

Sam stiffened, heat prickling her skin, but before she could say anything, Holly pressed forward, sneer curling her lips.

"Come on, Tobias. Everyone knows Sam isn’t your mate. You should stop wasting your time. Stop chasing after cougars and find someone your age."

The words landed like poisoned darts, and the room seemed to hold its breath.

Sam’s spine went rigid, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. Her fingers itched to touch the mating mark but she resisted. Only a few people knew they carried each other’s mark and for all her nosiness, Holly hadn’t found out about that tidbit of information. But even at that, her heart gave a painful twist, not because Holly’s words mattered, Holly was nothing of importance. Her heart twisted because Tobias was here to hear them.

For a long moment, Tobias said nothing. His dark eyes locked on Holly’s, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low, measured, and carrying an edge sharp enough to cut.

"My being here," he said, each word deliberate, "has nothing to do with you."

Holly blinked, startled by the quiet force of his tone, but Tobias didn’t stop. He took a slow step forward, his gaze never wavering.

"What are you even doing here?" He asked her.

"I came to see her."

"Why?"

"It’s none of your business. And besides, you should let go of your fantasies for her. She doesn’t want you. She’s older, Tobias. She’ll never want someone like you. You’re just a boy playing at being a man."

The insult hung in the air like smoke.

Tobias’s jaw tightened, his eyes flicking, just for a fraction of a second toward Sam. There it was, that hurt, raw and unguarded before he shuttered it behind steel. He didn’t lash out, didn’t explode the way Holly wanted. Instead, he leaned closer, his voice quiet but laced with fire.

"You think being young makes me less?" His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. "Funny. Because even with your constant noise, Holly, you still haven’t noticed what everyone else has. Sam doesn’t need another child in her house. She needs someone strong enough to stand by her. Someone who doesn’t run their mouth because they’re too insecure to face their own reflection." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The words struck true. Holly flinched, color flooding her cheeks.

Sam stood frozen, her heartbeat thundering. She wanted to say something, anything but her throat felt tight.

Holly scoffed. "You don’t really think your words mean anything right? And me, a child? Get your facts straight. I’m older than you..."

"And I’m more mature. I don’t go around begging for a childhood fling to take note of me." Tobias told her.

Sam covered her laugh with a cough and Tobias’ lips curved up because he knew she was trying to cover her laugh.

"I’ll have you know that Orion and I were more than just a fling." Holly told him.

"That’s not what I heard from him though."

"Well..." Holly sputtered. "At least I’m not going after some cougar like you are. At least I know my place unlike you who happens to be in places where you aren’t wanted."

Before Tobias could speak up, Sam spoke and this time her voice lost all its warmth. She should have said something a while ago but perhaps she left it because she thought both of them would let her be if she ignored them when she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

"He isn’t unwanted." Sam told Holly.

"What do you mean? You want him here? You don’t even like people talk less him. Everyone knows you don’t want him around and that he’s following you like some puppy..."

"Get out. You are the unwanted one." Sam told her, cutting off her words.

Holly sputtered from shock. "Wh..what?"

"You are the one who’s unwelcome and the one who’s following someone around like a lost puppy even when everyone knows he doesn’t want you, so respectfully, get out, Holly. I’ve had enough for today." Sam told her.

"You want me to leave?" Holly asked her and Sam nodded.

"And not him?" She asked again and Sam gave her a nod.

Tobias chuckled. "Just get out and stop clinging to her."