To Love the Enemy

Chapter 5: Tobias

I stared at the blue roses in my hand, custom-dyed by Natalie every year for Avril. But this time, one white rose sat awkwardly in the middle of the bouquet, disrupting the sea of blue. Natalie was one of my closest friends, so I couldn’t even be angry when she told me the order had come up one rose short.

The damp autumn air clung to me, carrying the smell of wet earth. A lone crow croaked, breaking the graveyard’s silence. I pulled my coat collar up, but the chill still sank into my bones.

I stared at Avril’s headstone, tracing the cold, worn marble. This had become my ritual every birthday, bringing her roses and talking to her.

“Ave, I’m here again. Happy twenty-fourth.” My lips curled into a faint smile. If anyone saw me now, they’d probably think I’d lost my mind talking to a headstone. She wasn’t even buried here, but it still felt grounding, like I could pretend she was listening. Easier to pour my heart out here and imagine her witty comebacks. I’d come a long way from those early visits where I’d cry like a child, scream into the wind.

When Avril went missing, it shattered me. I couldn’t search for her, not openly. Couldn’t even grieve in public. The guilt never left. The questions clawed at me. If I hadn’t gone to Cole’s party that night... would she still be here?

I bent to lay the bouquet down, but something caught my eye, a single blue rose already resting at her headstone.

My breath hitched.

No one ever came here. No one ever brought flowers. And the blue roses? That was Natalie’s creation, her signature. I’d never seen them anywhere else.

Before I could unravel the thought, my phone vibrated, tearing me back into reality. A call from the office.

---

Later that evening, I pressed Theo harder than usual. My voice came out rough, sharper than I meant.

“Are you sure your contacts found nothing on her?”

He sat across from me, broad shoulders slouched, fingers raking through his dark hair. The exhaustion in his eyes mirrored my own.

“I’m just as frustrated as you are. Jean Lacroix is a snake. She’s too good at covering her tracks. We need to get you out of that engagement fast—because now that she's back, we both know what comes next.”

The room felt colder after his words. My chest tightened. Ever since Theo told me about Jean's role in everything that happened 8 years ago, we’d been looking for a way out. But Jean was spotless. No scandals. No mistakes.

I could still picture her crocodile tears after Avril’s accident, the way her father claimed she’d tried to take her own life. That was when they sent her to our house, saying a change of scenery might save her.

At the time, I was a shell of myself. I barely noticed her presence through the grief hounding me. But once she moved in, Jean wrapped the entire household around her little finger. My mother, being the most naive, let her have whatever she wanted including the room right next to mine.

Most nights, she’d slip inside uninvited, whispering about dreams of Avril. Guilt made me let her stay. Some nights, she wore thin dresses that left nothing to the imagination, collapsing into my arms with dramatic sobs. Exhausted, I began avoiding her altogether.

---

EIGHT YEARS AGO…

I shut the world out for nearly three months. No explanations. Not to my friends. Not even to myself. Theo was the only one I still spoke to, but even he was slipping vanishing for weeks, returning bitter, drunk, and angry. About a month ago, he left again and hadn’t come back.

The house was unbearable. Mom cried daily, threatening to leave if Dad didn’t do anything to find Theo but Dad couldn't care less as usual.

“Tobias, why’d you agree to come if you were just going to sulk?” Ethan’s voice cut through the pounding music and chatter of the party.

“I’m not sulking. Your girlfriend blackmailed me into coming.” I smirked faintly, trying to mask how hollow I felt.

He scoffed. “My Natalie is not capable of blackmail. But seriously, we can talk about whatever’s going on.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m fine.” The lie slipped out too easily.

“Whatever, man. At least pretend to be excited. You know how hard Nat worked for this party.”

“Yeah, I can tell. She brought her entire garden.” I nodded toward the walls drowning in flower arrangements. The place looked more like a charity ball than an eighteenth birthday party.

Ethan and Natalie had been dating for a few months now. He was the cliché golden boy—handsome, blonde, always the center of attention. Natalie was his opposite quiet, introverted, a sophomore like Avril. Then one day, suddenly, she was Ethan’s girl.

“Wow, the golden boy decided to grace us with his presence,” Natalie teased as she wrapped me in a brief hug. She shoved cups into our hands with a smirk. “Here. Drinks.”

The liquid tasted off. The more I sipped, the stranger it felt.

“What’s in this?” My tongue felt heavy.

“I don’t know. I got it from Cole, but it’s probably not poisoned.” Her grin was mischievous, almost daring.

“If it’s from Cole, then it is poisoned,” Ethan snapped. His eyes narrowed at her. “How could you be so careless, Nat?”

Their bickering dissolved into laughter and kisses, leaving me stranded in their wake.

A sting of jealousy burned in my chest. Avril and I used to be like that—when no one was looking. Today should have been her sixteenth birthday. We had plans.

My hand slipped into my pocket, brushing the necklace I’d meant to give her. Both our initials were carved into it, a small blue diamond glinting in the center. I carried it everywhere, hoping one day she’d return and I could finally place it in her palm. But that day never came.

I shoved it back into my pocket, tipped my cup, and swallowed the rest in one harsh gulp. The burn in my throat wasn’t enough. I needed more.

At home, I raided Dad’s liquor stash. The whiskey numbed me, just enough to blur the edges. But whatever Cole had slipped into that drink began to crawl under my skin, the ceiling spun, the sheets moved like clouds, even the air itself seemed alive against my skin.

The door slammed open. Jean burst inside, mascara streaking down her face. Her sobs came sharp and shrill as she threw herself onto my bed, holding me.

“Toby, where have you been?” Her voice cracked like glass.

“Avril… she’s been declared dead!”