Evil Engineer Falls for His Best Friend

Chapter 6: Feeling Neglected

Present…

DARREN'S POV

I slept for about an hour before waking up to the sound of my alarm. I got up, showered, dressed, and went to class. Even though Eve and I study together and live in the same condo, we go separately. She refuses to ride in the same car with me, saying she doesn't want to be confronted by my other girlfriends. She feels more comfortable driving herself. Before leaving the condo, I texted Leah. Leah's condo is in a different area from mine, and picking her up would waste a lot of time. I'd have to make a round trip, so Leah drives herself to class. Besides, Leah and I are in different faculties, so our class schedules don't often match.

Darren: Are you awake, darling?

Leah: Yes, I'm awake.

Darren: I miss you, Leah.

Leah: I miss you too, Darren.

Darren: I'm off to class now.

Leah: Okay, drive safely.

Darren: Will do.

Then I went to class. I felt like I was running late compared to my friends today. Usually, Kent, Chin, and Pat arrive after me, and Eve is always the first one there. But today was different. I didn't see Eve.

"Hey! Where's Eve?"

"You're asking us? Who are we supposed to ask? Aren't you in the room next to hers?" Kent replied.

"We come separately, so how would I know?" I've never knocked on Eve's door because I usually leave after her.

"Could Eve be sick?" Chin asked, making me start to worry.

"Darren, try calling her!" Pat suggested. I quickly grabbed my phone to call Eve, but she didn't answer. No matter how many times I called, she wouldn't pick up, and I started to get anxious.

"Oh, there she is!" At Kent's words, I quickly turned to look. I saw Eve walking in, not quite herself. Maybe I overdid it last night.

"You're late, Eve. You're usually here before everyone else," Pat asked.

"I just woke up late," she replied.

I let out a sarcastic huff. Woke up late? She barely slept at all. We were together all night until morning. It's a wonder she didn't just collapse in bed.

"Eve, are you not feeling well? You're unusually quiet today," Kent asked.

"Yeah, that's right. You seem a bit off, like you don't have much energy to walk," Pat's supportive voice chimed in.

"I'm just a little unwell," Eve glanced at me before replying, fearing our friends would worry. She felt drained because she was completely worn out from last night, and more importantly, she hadn't slept at all.

"Have you taken any medicine?" Chin asked out of concern for his friend.

"I have."

"It's good that you only have one class this afternoon... once it's over, go back to your room and rest," Pat's voice came this time.

"Yeah, I know." Everyone was telling her what to do like they were her fathers.

"It's noon... let's go eat, everyone. What should we have today?" Kent asked.

"Let's eat out. I'm sick of the same old canteen food," Chin grumbled.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea too," Kent agreed.

"Eve... what do you think?" Chin asked.

"I'm fine with whatever you guys decide."

"And you... Darren, are you coming with us?" Kent turned to ask Darren.

"No, I've got plans with Leah." As soon as I said this, I didn’t see Eve's eyes began to fill with tears. She tried her best to hold it back.

"Let's go, everyone... let's not waste time," Eve urged our friends to leave, as her tears were about to fall.

***

EVE'S POV

I struggled to hold back my tears to keep them from falling... Darren didn't even ask how I was doing, even though I was like this because of him. He left me aching all over, and then there were his words that only defended Leah. I couldn't criticize Leah at all. If I mentioned Leah in a sarcastic tone, Darren would immediately raise his voice at me, and he would sound angry or displeased whenever I talked about Leah.

After we parted ways with Darren, we went to have lunch at the best noodle shop in the university area. Then we went back to attend our last class.

Once class was over, I hurried back to the condo immediately, not staying to watch Darren and Leah being all affectionate, because after class they had plans to go see a movie together.

"Eve... are you sure you don't want to go see the movie with us? You wanted to see this one, right?" Kent asked me.

"Yeah, BUT I'd rather go rest. I'm feeling a bit tired," I replied, glancing at Darren, but he didn't pay me any attention at all.

"Alright, make sure to get plenty of rest," Chin said.

"Hmm, thanks a lot, guys. I'm off now." As soon as I said that, I quickly walked away without looking back, because my tears were welling up again.

So, you're really not going to care about me, Darren?

***

DARREN'S POV

Why does Eve seem different today? She didn't say a word to me. Normally, she would always ask me about this and that. Eve is a talkative person. She loves to chat with me about various things. Sometimes she talks so much that it annoys me, but when she doesn't talk to me, I feel strange, like something is missing in my life. I wanted to invite her to watch a movie together because she once told me she really wanted to see it. But when she said she wanted to rest, I didn't want to bother her because I kept her up all night last night.

I picked up Leah from the Faculty of Communication Arts to take her to the movies with my friends. After the movie, I took Leah back to get her car at the university, and then I returned to the condo. Before heading back to the condo, I stopped to grab two bags of porridge. I'm not eating both bags myself because one is for Eve. I looked at my watch. It was almost six o'clock. I wonder if Eve's eaten yet. Hopefully, she's waiting for the porridge I got her.