Chapter 9
974 Words
Evy was lying on her bed, music blasting in her ears, when her mom entered her room.
“Hey, sweetie.”
“Hey, Mom,” Evy replied, sitting up and removing the earphones from her ears.
“Well,” her mom continued, “I just wanted to inform you that Stephaney has invited us for dinner, so we’ll be going over to their place.”
“Stephaney… as in Edward’s mother?” Evy asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes,” her mom nodded. “Eddy’s mother. So be ready by seven, okay?”
“Uh… yeah. Okay.”
Unbelievable.
Now she was stuck having dinner with that moron.
Weird, right? Her mom casually called him by his pet name, while Evy now preferred to use his full name—Edward—after everything that had happened between them.
There was no way she could bail on the dinner without appearing rude. So she decided to just get it over with.
It was almost seven, and Evy was ready for the unfortunate dinner.
She wore a simple yet classy black one-piece dress with a silver lining around the round neckline. She paired it with silver slippers. She wasn’t in the mood for heels. A bracelet adorned one wrist, while a watch rested on the other. The bracelet was a simple one Owen had gifted her on her last birthday. She kept her makeup minimal. That was it. She was ready.
Evy walked downstairs, where her parents were waiting.
“You look beautiful,” her dad said, kissing her forehead.
“Thank you so much, Dad,” she replied, hugging him.
Evelyn loved her father to bits and pieces. He had always been her protector, her shield against demons.
It barely took them two minutes to reach the Loraine house, since they lived right across the street. Her dad knocked, and Edward’s father, Louis, opened the door.
“Well, look who we have here!” he said warmly. “Evelyn!”
“Hey, Louis,” she greeted him.
“Come inside, everyone. It’s lovely to see you again, Evy—after a whole year,” he said kindly.
“Louis is right,” Stephaney added. “You’ve grown into such a lovely young woman this past year.”
“Thank you so much, Stephaney. It’s great to see you both after so long,” Evy replied politely.
“As polite as ever,” Stephaney smiled.
After a few moments of exchanging pleasantries, they moved inside and settled on the couch. It felt good seeing them again after a year. But after a while, Evy’s eyes instinctively searched the room.
Maybe Edward wasn’t home. She really hoped so. But never expect good things so easily.
“Hello, Nova and Archer,” Edward greeted her parents.
Then his eyes met hers, and he smiled instantly. “Hey, Evy.”
“Hey,” Evy replied with a curt nod.
There was an awkward silence.
Sensing the tension, their parents decided it was best to move to the dining table. They all took their seats. The parents sat across from them, which meant Edward was seated right beside her.
“So, Evy,” Louis began, “how was your old school?”
“It was really good,” she answered with a genuine smile. “The people there were amazing and very welcoming.”
“I heard one of my colleagues’ sons became your best friend,” he said. “Is that right?”
“You must be talking about Owen,” Evy replied. “Yes, I met him on the flight when I moved there. We’ve been inseparable since then. He’s the best guy friend anyone could ask for.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Louis said warmly. “At least someone was there to fulfill your father’s and my duties.”
Louis has been another father figure to her since her childhood.
“So,” Stephaney asked casually, “any boyfriends, Evy?”
Edward instantly choked on his food.
“Nope,” Evy replied.
“Oh, nonsense,” Stephaney laughed. “You must have dated at least a few boys there.”
“Well,” Evy admitted, “I was asked out a few times and went on a couple of dates, but nothing serious.”
It was only half the truth. She had a boyfriend there, but things hadn’t worked out, and they had broken up.
“Well, that’s good then,” Stephaney said cheerfully. “Maybe someday, you and Ed might go out.”
Evy nearly choked. “What?”
If she said this one year ago, then it might be a different story, but not now.
“Well, you know,” Stephaney continued, “most best friends end up becoming lovebirds. And you and Edward have known each other since childhood.”
“Oh… okay,” Evy said awkwardly. “But that’s not possible. Edward and I—no.”
After that, Evy barely spoke during dinner. Coming here was a mistake. She tried to keep to herself. As soon as she got an opportunity, she left for Lorraine’s house. She was getting pretty uncomfortable there as the total time Edward was staring at her. So, she excused herself, claiming she had a lot of homework, and went home.
Evy looked beautiful tonight.
She never liked wearing dresses. She preferred jeans, tracks, and baggy shirts. But dresses suited her.
Dinner had been painfully awkward, especially after his mom’s suggestion. Or rather, his mom’s wish to see them together.
That comment rekindled feelings Eddy had buried deep in his heart.
Her reaction, however, hurt him. It felt as though she was disgusted at the mere thought of being with him.
Everything felt wrong.
Nothing made sense anymore. There had never been awkwardness between him and Evy before, but tonight was different.
He missed his best friend.
- Writer
