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Chapter 11

Eve raced back to the hotel after the competition, desperate to get back to her laptop before the ideas for her articles that were swimming around in her brain faded away. She couldn’t stop replaying the moment that she had made eye contact with Matthew over again in her head.

He looked in your direction. You don’t know that he was looking at you. It was a crowded area. She scolded herself.

However, she couldn't deny the spark of recognition that lit his face when he spotted her. His dazzling smile crept the tiniest bit higher on his cheeks. It had stopped Eve in her tracks so much that Hannah had accidentally stepped on the back of her shoe, bringing her back to reality.

I can’t think about that right now. I have to focus on my work.

Eve swiped the twelfth-floor key card and went straight for the nearest computer, propping her laptop up next to it so that she could have two screens. She cracked her knuckles. Starting an article was the hardest part for her. So many ideas flooded through her at once that they got jammed up at her fingertips, each one fighting to appear on the page before her. Eve decided to start with the headphones article, and rapidly flipped through the pages of her notebook. Seeing her haphazard chicken scratch on the pages inspired her, and she began to type. She highlighted the headphones and how they helped during Matthew’s competition, but she decided to write an action-packed, attention-grabbing piece instead of a standard endorsement.

Glancing at the clock, Eve saw that she still had plenty of time to work on a draft for her article for Pixel Pulse. This was what she had truly been excited about. She scanned more pages of her notebook until she reached the notes she had taken toward the end of the match. Matthew had made an incredible, game-winning play during the competition’s final seconds, and that was going to be the star of her article. Eve intended to use every last drop of her Ghost Exterminators knowledge to her advantage.

When she was about halfway done with the draft, she heard the door to the computer room click open and a voice called out.

“Is there someone in here?” It was John.

Eve waved from behind the screens. “Just me.”

John stared at her in surprise. “I was just dropping in to grab my laptop. I didn’t think anyone would be here. Most of the team stayed and hung out at the event center.”

“I wanted to start on my articles right away while everything was still fresh.”

Eve’s notes sat scattered around her as if to corroborate her story. John regarded them with a raised eyebrow. “I can see that.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Eve. “Hey, John, since you're here, would you mind taking a look at these articles for me? I’m finished with the sponsored one. I was actually just about to email it to you.”

John shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

He leaned over Eve’s shoulder as she sat in awkward silence waiting for him to finish reading.

When he was finished, he turned away from the screen. “You know this was just supposed to be a 500-word endorsement for headphones, right?”

“Did I do too much?” Eve asked nervously.

“I think you came close, but you managed to pull it off. This is very well done. Harder than I’ve ever seen anyone work on a simple blurb before.”

Eve’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that. Will you look at what I have so far for my Pixel Pulse article?”

“Sure.”

John quickly scanned over the half-finished article. “Your writing style is incredible. My only recommendation is to include more details about the beginning of the match as well. The ending was definitely the show-stopper, but we want to paint the whole picture.”

Eve jotted down the feedback in her notebook. “Got it.”

John glanced at his phone. “I have to be heading back now. I’m glad you’re taking your job seriously, but make sure you don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”

Eve nodded. “I’ll be sure to stop and get something to eat soon.”

John laughed. “I think you missed lunch, but better late than never. See you, Eve.”

Instead of ordering room service or exploring the hotel restaurant, Eve took a risk and opened the executive suite fridge. Plies of sandwiches wrapped in plastic and cups of fruit and yogurt greeted her as she opened the frosty door.

Hannah really thinks of everything.

It gave her the perfect excuse to keep working. Holding a sandwich between her teeth, Eve reopened her laptop and began to edit her draft with the criticisms that John had given her. She barely noticed when the overhead lights kicked on automatically as the sky outside darkened. After a few hours, she sat back proudly. Finally, she had a draft that she was excited to send back to Jerry at Pixel Pulse. Eve opened her email and sent the drafts of her articles off for review.

She stood up and stretched her cramped muscles. Her body buzzed with pent-up energy that had been stashed away while she had been cooped up at a computer screen all day. She opened her phone and sent a quick text to Hannah.

I’m going to go for a night swim to burn off some energy if you want to meet me on the roof.

Hannah still hadn’t replied by the time Eve stood at the door to the hotel roof. She stepped out into the outside air and was immediately greeted by a warm breeze brushing against her exposed skin.

Maddie and that damned bikini.

The black bikini was among the items her best friend had snuck into her luggage, and now it sat low on her hips, exposing her body to the thick darkness of night. Icy water sloshed over her legs and stomach as Eve lowered herself into the pool, and she shivered with delight. The cold water felt rejuvenating compared to the sweltering beach heat. Dipping her head beneath the surface, she began to swim the length of the pool. Thanks to the late hour, she had the place entirely to herself, and she roamed the entirety of the water’s surface.

After a while of enjoying the water, Eve heard footsteps on the rooftop stairs.

I bet that’s Hannah.

She slipped under the water and swam toward the shallow end of the pool to greet her friend. Resurfacing, she wiped the droplets from her eyes. Instead of her friend, a tall, fully clothed figure stood pale and shocked in the moonlight.

Matthew.