“No problem.”
I put the almond milk and our food on my desk as he sits beside me on my bed.
“What were you doing?”
“I was taking off my makeup and talking to Aviva,” I say as I continue to get shit off my face. “I hate the glue they use. It sticks so badly in my eyes, and I have a hard time getting it out.”
He looks at what I’m doing with my eyes, and he takes the brush from me. “Come here.” He directs my head down into his lap and then proceeds to brush the rest of the glue out of my lashes. “You have really pretty skin.”
My lips curve as I feel him move the brush through my lashes. He’s so tender, so precise. “Thanks.”
“You looked really hot today.”
“A painted whore, really.”
He scoffs. “A hot painted whore.”
“The best kind.”
He laughs as he goes over each of my lashes with such detail. I open one eye to see him, his brows dented in concentration, squinting, and biting his lip as he carefully gets everything out of my other one. He even cleans my eyes with wipes once he’s done. “I think I got it all.”
I grin up at him while I blink to make sure I can see. “I think you did.”
He leans down, kissing my forehead, and I sit up before reaching for my food. I open the bag and give him his sub before we both start eating, cuddled up beside each other in my bed.
“You were good at that. Did you have to help your sisters?”
He chuckles around the bite he just took. “Actually, in high school, we did this spartan cheerleading skit where the guys would dress as girls and do a routine. We went all out because it’s Owen, and he made me. I got good at getting out the lash glue that my sister would use on us. She used her Broadway stuff, so it was tough to remove.”
“That is hilarious.”
“It was.”
“I didn’t know your sister was on Broadway. Which one?”
“Shelli. My mom was for a bit too.”
“Oh, that’s cool!”
“Yeah, they’re both super talented.”
“Sounds like your whole family is.”
He shrugs with a small smile. “We’re all pretty awesome.”
I lean my shoulder into his. “Are there pictures of you in this cheerleading outfit?”
Evan laughs around the bite he just took. “There are. I’ll show you next time you come to the house.”
“Hopefully, this time, I’ll be invited,” I laugh, and he nods.
“You will be. My mom has already asked about you countless times. She’s smart, though. She asks Owen, and he is basically an open book when it comes to information.” I giggle before taking a bite, and he says, “But I’m sure they’ll be asking for a dinner date as soon as they deem me mentally fit.” He rolls his eyes. “They handle me with kid gloves now. It’s annoying.”
I shrug. “They love you.”
“Suffocatingly so,” he says, shaking his head. “It’s okay, though. It’s easier not hiding anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sure. It has to be torture to mask your feelings like that. I know, with Nico, he is constantly masking to hide who he is. Now that he’s being honest, I can tell he’s way better.” Evan doesn’t say anything to that, but I do notice he tenses up a bit. Now that I know he and Nico had words, I’m sure that’s the reason. “Did you tell Owen about not wanting to play anymore?”
“Kinda, but not really. I think he thinks I just need some time, but when I talk about changing majors and maybe getting an apartment next year, he changes the subject.”
“You’re thinking of getting an apartment?”
“Yeah. I don’t know yet, but I’m not sure if they’ll ask me to be an RA again.”
“I’m sure they will.”
“Eh. I don’t know. Things are okay right now, but no telling what can happen.”
I nod, hating that all this is going on. I think the hearing for Jackson is next week, and I know everyone is on edge about it. So many rumors are floating around, and no one really knows the truth other than the two who were involved. It’s scary how college life is now. At the end of the day, you gotta protect yourself and surround yourself with people you trust. “I hope it all works out.”
“Me too,” he agrees. “But I’ll take it as it comes, and I plan to talk to Owen more when I visit.”
“I think that’s a good plan,” I agree, nodding. “Do you believe in Bigfoot?”
His eyes flash with confusion. “Huh?”
“Bigfoot. Big, hairy guy that is the ultimate winner at hide-and-seek?”
He snorts, shaking his head. “I know what Bigfoot is. That was way out of left field, though.”
I grin. “Aviva thinks you are a believer.”
“Why? I mean, I think he could be real, but I need more evidence.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s fake, but that’s beside the point. I wanted to see if you’d road-trip back to South Carolina with me?”
“Hell yeah, that sounds fun,” he says happily. “But what does Bigfoot have to do with that?”
“We can stop at all these cool places, and apparently, we have to stop to get a photo with Bigfoot for Aviva.”
“I’m down,” he laughs. “I have a plane we can use, though.”
I roll my eyes. “No, we have to drive it. We’ll take my Jeep and have a blast.”
He raises a brow at me. “Am I driving, or are you?”
“We’ll take turns.”
He eyes me. “Fine, but I refuse to be the backup singer.”
My face lights up. “I’m so stoked.”
He laughs and we kiss. Just a simple one, an easy one that makes my toes curl. “Also, we’ll have to have dinner with Nico and Aviva too, to smooth things over.”
He leans back, and he raises his brows. “Huh?”
“I heard about him confronting you.”
Evan looks uncomfortable as he picks at his bread. “You did?”
“Yeah. Aviva said you told him you wouldn’t stay away from me.”
He slowly nods. “I did.”
“So, yeah. I think we need to make sure things are okay. I don’t want him being a jackass to you.”
He chances a glance at me but then looks away just as fast. “Did he tell you what was said?”
I eye his profile. “No. Aviva only overheard what he told his therapist, but apparently he’s being a dick to everyone.”
He nods. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. Why? What was said?”
He shrugs but then pauses before he takes a bite of his sub. Once he’s done chewing, he says, “Just to stay away from you.”
I am pretty sure there’s more to it than that, but I also don’t want to know. I’m confident Evan handled it, and I respect that. I appreciate it. As I take my last bite, I clean up my wrapping and grab his before getting up to throw away the trash. When I turn, I find that he is watching me, a serious look on his face.
“What?”
“Can I ask you something?”
I nod as I come back to the bed, sitting on my knees and meeting his gaze. “Yeah, what’s up?”