“How are things going with those numbers?” Tobias called out from somewhere in the kitchen.
I opened my mouth, meaning to respond, but instead got choked and started coughing.
“Hell, forget it,” Tobias said, returning with a case of beer. “I don’t even want to think about that right now. Don’t know why I even brought it up.”
He handed me a beer and I took it, not meeting his eyes. I then found myself glancing around against my will, subconsciously waiting to see if Joanna would suddenly pop up.
Tobias flopped down on the couch across from me and popped his beer open. “I don’t know about you,” he said, “but this week has been kicking my ass.”
Again, I forced a laugh. “Yeah, it’s been busy, that’s for sure,” I said, opening the beer he’d handed to me.
“Here’s to hoping the weekend goes by slowly,” Tobias said, raising his beer in the air as if in a toast.
“Right,” I said, doing the same with mine. I took a long slow sip as a stretch of silence spread between me and Tobias.
“I don’t know…” Tobias said suddenly. “You’ve been acting weird lately, but it doesn’t seem to be stress. Has this week really been tough on you? What’s really going on?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly. “Just um…”
“Your after-work activities?” Tobias said with his eyebrows raised.
My heart practically stopped in my chest. I gripped my beer so tightly that I was in danger of crushing the bottle.
Tobias’ gray eyes, the exact same shade as Joanna’s, narrowed at me. “How are things going in that department for you anyway, these days?” he asked.
I opened and closed my mouth for a moment, sputtering and making inarticulate noises. “W-What do you mean?” I finally said.
Tobias smirked, the sight of it looking somewhat sinister. “Yeah, there’s something going on. You’re stuttering.”
“Come on, man,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. “What is this? An interrogation?”
“Just trying to figure out what’s going on with you lately,” Tobias said, chugging another more beer. “You seem kind of distant. Makes me think its girl-trouble, based on your reaction, it is.”
“It’s not,” I said, realizing too late how defensive I sounded.
“Yeah right.” Tobias stared at me, his gaze challenging. “You know, you might as well tell me,” he said. “I’m not getting any play in that department, trying to keep up with work and Joanna and all. Might as well let me live vicariously through you, man.”
I almost choked at the sound of Joanna’s name. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
“That bad, huh?” Tobias said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “So what happened? You get caught by somebody’s boyfriend? Somebody’s husband?”
I waited with bated breath, thinking he was just seconds away from saying, “Somebody’s pissed-off overprotective brother.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, wishing more than anything for a change in subject. I shook my head and stared down into my lap, trying to think of what I could possibly say.
“All right, fine,” Tobias said, reaching for another beer. “Be like that.”
“Like what?”
“Secretive. You’re acting like Joanna.”
“W-What? How so?”
Tobias shrugged, a glossy look in his eyes indicating that he had likely downed a few beers before I had even arrived. “She’s just going through a lot, man. It’s hard to be the big brother and feel like you don’t know what to do. I always knew I’d have a hard time whenever she got her heart broken. Makes me want to strangle the hell out of someone.”
I swallowed another sip of beer, relaxing somewhat and starting to feel that Tobias truly didn’t know about me and Joanna yet.
“Oh,” I said. I wanted to question him further, but didn’t know what to say. So instead, I waited quietly, sensing that he would elaborate soon if I stayed patient.