"Can I speak to you in my room, Emily?"

Tobias stares directly at me and refuses to look at Jake. I feel the air around me grow thick with tension.

"What kind of answer is that?" Jake says quietly from behind me.

My heart hurts for him because I can hear the pain lining his voice. There's no longer any anger radiating from him... It's nothing but deflation. I turn around and place a reassuring hand on his arm.

"It's okay, Jake. I won't be long," I tell him.

His blue eyes grow sad with emotion and he swallows the lump in his throat. His gaze flickers between Tobias and I before he takes a step back.

"Don't do this to me again, Tobias." Jake pleads with his cousin.

Myra springs into action and gently pries Jake away before leading him into the living room. She consoles him quietly the whole time while he keeps his head down to hide the heartbreak in his expression. Hearing the broken tone to his voice is crushing. I watch him go before Tobias gently nudges me to snap me out of it.

"Are you coming?"

I nod once before following him up the stairs. On the way up, I silently pray Tobias' explanation is enough to mend Jake's broken heart. I step into Tobias' room before closing the door behind me.

"Please tell me this isn't true, Tobias."

I remain standing by his door, feeling uneasy at the idea of coming inside and making myself comfortable. Tobias drops down on the edge of his bed before hanging his head in his hands. The muscles in his broad back ripple as he takes several deep breaths.

"It was true," Tobias admits quietly.

I feel like all the air is knocked out of my lungs. I stumble back to lean against the wall for support.

"What –" I begin to argue against him, but I don't know where to start. I'm left speechless. Tobias looks up at me and his chocolate brown eyes are filled with hurt.

"I did fall in love with you, Emily. All those little moments we spent together meant something to me," Tobias starts.

I release a trembling breath before placing a hand on my chest. My heart feels like it's ready to break through.

"Those moments meant something to me too, Tobias. A friendship," I whisper with tears in my eyes.

He can't do this again to Jake, it's going to completely break him. I recall the moment Tobias kissed me out of desperation in his hallway... Jake has no idea the kiss happened. If I reveal it to him, he's going to cut Tobias out of his life forever. Does Tobias have any idea the fire he's currently playing with or the magnitude of his actions? He fears loneliness yet he does everything to guide himself there.

"We went through the same hardship, Emily. You lived a nightmare and you came out the other end with a smile on your face. I lived through a nightmare and I allowed the darkness to swallow me whole. You taught me I didn't have to live like that... I had another option. It was impossible for me not to fall in love with you," Tobias says while looking directly at me.

His stare feels like scorching heat on my skin. His words are distant and I struggle to see anything past the declaration of love. Is this going to ruin everything between Jake and I too? Tobias points at his chest, an area where I know his deepest scar lies beneath.

"You helped me overcome this, Em. Nobody else could do that for me. You helped me overcome it because you were the only person who truly understood." Tobias whispers.

I know the darkness that follows after being shot. I know the terror that follows you around. I know how horrifying the dark becomes. I know how alien it feels to look at your bullet scar and not recognize it. I know how difficult it is to know you have to live with the trauma for the rest of your life. I know how soul-crushing it is to know you're going to see the scar every single day and know there's nothing you can do to get rid of it. A single tear slips from my eye before rolling down my cheek. I know Tobias' pain all too well.

"I get it, Tobias. I understand," I whisper with my head bowed.

Tobias slowly stands from his bed before taking one step toward me. He continues to take a single step until he's standing directly in front of me. I'm hit with his scent, his presence and the intensity of his pain. He reaches out to touch me and I shake my head in protest.

"No..." I whisper while fighting tears.

Tobias' dark eyes fill with pain and he drops his hand to his side.

"You showed me good people do exist, Emily Wentworth. You gave me hope for a brighter future. You came into my life and showed me I was capable of loving someone. You breathed life back into me."

Every sentence feels like a punch to the gut. His words are beautiful and spoken with truth. Whatever I was expecting... it wasn't this. Tobias takes hold of my hand and clings onto it tightly. He searches my eyes with a smile playing on his lips. He looks lighter than when I first met him. He doesn't carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"You taught me to survive," Tobias whispers.

He reaches up with his free hand to brush a stray tear from my cheek. His touch is cold and I shiver against him.

"I know what you, Jake and everybody else thinks. This isn't the same situation as Violet. She was the biggest drunken mistake of my life but you? You're not a mistake."

Tobias leans down to rest his forehead against mine. I feel his warm breaths hitting my nose. I want to pull away but I feel compelled to stay.

"You're pure dynamite, Emily. I don't ever regret meeting you or falling in love with you."

A small whimper builds in the back of my throat. If Jake could hear this conversation, he would crumble and a piece of him would die inside. Tobias and I have shared many moments together. From him hating me the second he laid eyes on me to him consoling me after Amil's murder. He helped me through my own darkness in a weird way that nobody else could. Guiding Tobias toward the light made me stronger in return, but falling in love? It was never meant for us. It was never destined in the cards.

"You can't do this, Tobias. You know that, don't you?" I whisper.

Salty tears invade my mouth and Tobias hangs his head in despair.

"I know that, Emily. I know that now. At one point, I thought you would finally wake up and love me back. How delusional was I to think that, huh?" Tobias laughs.

I remain silent and allow him to continue.

"Jake saved you from so many bad people, but he failed to save you from himself. I thought he'd finally screwed up, you know? But then he did what nobody expected of him... He grew up. He took control and he started to love you as you deserve to be loved. Even I can't offer you that, Em."

His voice cracks with pain and vulnerability. I've never seen Tobias express his emotions so honestly and so raw. It's beautiful and heartbreaking to watch.

"I'm happy with Jake. I'm so happy with Jake," I tell him.

Tobias drops my hand before taking a step back. I look up expecting to find him looking broken due to my rejection, but he's smiling. He's smiling through his tears and he looks happy for me.

"I know you're happy. God, this is all I've ever wanted for you." Tobias smiles.

His eyes flicker down to my stomach.

"You're both perfect for each other, Emily. I see that now," Tobias admits.

His words soothe the raging war inside my chest and I give him a small smile of gratitude.

"I knew you would never love me back the same way I love you. I knew I could never hurt Jake again the same way I'd done in the past. You both deserve better so I refused to give into my heart. I let you go because I love and respect you both to do anything about my own selfish needs," Tobias says quietly.

"Jake looks at you like you're his sun, his moon and all the stars. Who am I to come between that?"

I inhale a shaky breath because I don't think I've ever met anyone as truly sad as Tobias Melvin. He deserves so much more.

"When I realized you were happy with Jake, I forced myself to move on with Jane. I used her to get over my feelings, and I never should have done that. She deserved better." Tobias reveals. I blink in surprise... Jane was Tobias' rebound? I had no idea.

"Oh, Tobias," I reach out for his hand before giving it a gentle squeeze.

Tobias looks down at me with sadness consuming his eyes. He reaches up with his free hand to wipe away his tears.

"I had no idea you were feeling so much," I tell him.

Tobias gives me a weak smile through his tears.

"Nobody did. I poured so much of my sadness into Jane until I actually began to fall for her. Without knowing, she helped put me back together. Jane knew I had feelings for you because she saw the way I looked at you. She never liked you and it caused a lot of arguments in our relationship."

That explains why Jane hates me so much. I'd look up and catch her staring at me sometimes. It always made me uneasy but I had no idea it was because she knew Tobias loved me.

"When I gave you the bracelet for Christmas, Jane stopped talking to me completely. I fell in love with her and now she's leaving me," Tobias' voice cracks with pain.

He drops down to the floor before resting his arms on his knees. I kneel in front of him and come face to face with a broken Tobias. He looks like a child experiencing heartbreak for the first time. My heart hurts for him.

"Listen to me, Tobias. You are one of the strongest people I know. You have a good heart underneath all those layers, I know you do. I never expected to find a friendship in you when I first met you."

I laugh as I remember the animosity between us. Tobias grimaces at the memories.

"I was such an ass to you."

"Yeah, a huge ass."

A silence settles between us.

"You don't need to be with someone to feel complete, Tobias. You don't need to love anyone but yourself. You've experienced so much hardship, but that doesn't mean you're not able to live a beautiful life. I do love you too, Tobias... But as a friend. I love you as my friend who helped me get through one of the darkest times in my life. I love you as the friend who makes me laugh and makes me want to throttle you within the space of five minutes. I love your brutal honesty and your fierce nature. You are an incredible person, Tobias Melvin. You will find your person one day but it isn't me."

Tobias fights back tears before nodding in agreement.

"Thank you," he whispers the words before lifting our intertwined hands to his lips.

I suck in a sharp breath when he places a light feathery kiss over the back of my hand. His dark lashes are coated with tears, but he doesn't look as weighed down with guilt or grief.

"Goodbye, Emily."

I smile back at him through my own tears before giving him a small nod of reassurance. I want him to know he's going to be okay... All on his own.

"Goodbye, Tobias."