Just his follower

Chapter 13: Popsicle Ice cream

The bike sped through the streets, and wind rushing past us. I clung to him, feeling every bump and turn but the moment we reached our village, I noticed he went past through my apartment not giving a moment to stop. I was expecting he will give me a stop there but he just kept going, and after few minutes we reached infront of his house. As confusion grew on me, he finally cut off the engine. He went down first and extended his hand to help me off.

"Evan." I called out as he took off his helmet. His hair fall loose and waves across covering some parts of his stern serious eyes, almost unreadable. "Why did you bring me here? My apartment is on the other side, its getting late now." I added, trying to ignore how hot he looks right now.

Evan then took a step toward me, his voice calm but with an edge that sent a chill through me. "Moriah, I thought we agreed that you will take this whole week off. I got you that paid leave for us to work on the track, and yet you’re at the office today? So, tell me… what were you doing there instead of coming here?"

My words caught in my throat. I have no idea he knew I went to the studio. "How… how did you even know I was there?"

Evan crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. "I was waiting for you all morning and then the whole afternoon. No texts, no call back from you. When you didn’t show, I went to your apartment, but it was locked, and no one was answering. I tried calling you but I can't reach you." He paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "So, I called Lyka."

Hearing that, I felt a surge of shock and a strange kind of worry. "Wait… you called Lyka? How did you even—"

He cut me off, his voice steady but firm. "Does it even matter, Moriah? I told you, if something’s wrong, you can talk to me."

"STOP!" I exclaimed, my voice sharper than I intended. I saw Evan froze and his eyes widened slightly as he took a step back, clearly caught off guard. I saw that he tried to open his mouth as if like he was about to say something, but I cut him off, taking a shaky breath to steady myself.

"I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say, Evan. Why you even went through all that trouble to find me? or give me a ride home? You don’t owe me anything."

"I need to make sure you were okay, and when you didn’t show up, I couldn’t just sit around and ignore it."

"But why, Evan? Why go through all this just to make sure I’m fine?"

I can feel my hands are trembling but I clutched them together hoping he wouldn’t notice. But before Evan could even say another word, a voice called out from the gate behind him. We both turned to see a guy stepping out, looking surprised. He got this casual confident easy smile, and at the same time - he look familiar to me, I just couldn't remember.

"Yo, Evan! I didn’t even notice you're back." His eyes drifted over to me, curiosity lighting them up. "So, is this the special girl you've been dying to catch up? Heard you took off with my bike for her." he said, smirking.

I felt my cheeks flush as I glance at Evan. He looked momentarily flustered, like he wasn't expecting for his friend to show up right then. But he quickly recovered, slipping his hands into his pockets with that cool, nonchalant shrug.

"Nick, this is Moriah." he introduced, his voice steady as he give his friend a pointed look, as if daring him to stop teasing. "And thanks for the loan on the bike." he added.

"No problem, man. Nice to meet you, Moriah." he said giving me a quick nod.

Just as I was trying to make sense of everything, Maya stepped out of the house, surprise flashing in her eyes as she noticed me.

“Moriah! You’re here!” she exclaimed, flashing a warm smile. “Perfect timing! Come in and have dinner with us.”

“Oh, I—uh—” I stammered, trying to explain. “I don't want to intrude. You all have family here and—”

“Nonsense!” Maya interrupted, waving my excuse away. “Evan, why don’t you grab Moriah a jacket? She looks freezing!"

Evan rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he didn't noticed the chill in the air, probably from the given past tension between us few minutes ago. So he just gave a slight nod to Maya and turn toward inside the house to fetch a jacket, and before I could say anything else, Maya already have her arm wrapped around me. Her energy radiating warmth and before I know it she's already guiding me towards the door, leaving me with no real chance to protest.

I'm still confuse of what is really happening, the last thing I ever wanted to happen right now is to be under my sheets and feel the cool air inside my room until I slumber to sleep.

But I don't think I will ever get it that easily right now.

I scan the whole room as I stepped inside, and my heart stopped for a moment. There she was—the same girl I saw earlier, Hailey. She's standing by the table with a relaxed, easygoing smile. But the older family members I noticed before are gone. It was just the four of them now: Maya, Evan, Nick, and Hailey.

Maya then gestured toward the couch “Go ahead, Moriah. Relax for a bit. We’re just finishing up with the table.”

I offer to help, though I could hear the exhaustion in my own voice. But Maya wave me off. “No need! You look like you had a long day already,” she said kindly, but then added, “We actually thought you’d be here early today.”

I tried to make an excuse, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “Something came up…at the studio,” I replied, “I need to go back for some urgent work.”

My gaze flicked to Evan, who was handing me a jacket. His eyes held mine for a moment, and it felt like he could see straight through the thin cover of my excuse. I hesitated a bit then took the jacket, slipping it on while trying not to feel the weight of his scrutiny.

“Alright. Well, you’re here now!” Maya said obliviously. She then went on to introduce the extra people around, breaking through the silence. "Oh, by the way Moriah. I don't know if you already, but this is Nick."

"Yeah, I remember. He introduced himself when we were outside." I replied trying to put on a warm smile.

"That's good! this is his younger sister - Hailey." Hailey turned while helping Maya arranging plate on the table. She caught my eye and gave a casual “Hi,” which I returned with a quick smile.

Just then, Evan appeared beside me again, quietly handing me a glass of warm water. I jumped slightly at his sudden closeness, the warmth of the glass a strange contrast to the tense energy between us.

Maya, being cheerful as ever, piped up again. “Are you two doing another late-night session for the sample tracks?”

She looked between me and Evan as her eyes gleam with curiosity. Evan and I exchanged glances, a silent question passing between us, as if we were trying to read each other’s minds. Did he still want to work tonight, or was this his way of calling me out? Also, I'm starting feel exhaustion creeping inside me little by little.

Before either of us could answer, Maya went on. “If you’re staying late, Moriah, you can crash here with us after,” she said with a grin. “Girls' night after music sessions—sounds perfect, right?”

Realizing tomorrow was still the weekend, I nodded. “Sure, I could stay over.” I replied, trying to sound casual. “But if it’s alright, I’d like to stop by my place first. I could use a quick shower and a change of clothes.”

“Oh, can we come with you?” Maya asked excitedly. “I’ve been dying to see your apartment! And besides, it’ll be like a mini-adventure.” Hailey’s eyes lit up with interest too, and I could see they were both genuinely curious.

I smiled and nodded, though Evan’s gaze on me felt like a subtle tension tightening the air between us.

While the others continue chatting during the dinner, I made an effort to avoid Evan's glances, focusing instead on Maya and Hailey’s enthusiasm. The moment we finished cleaning up, Maya signaled to Hailey "Let's go Hailey!" she chirped, grinning.

As we walked along the quiet, dimly lit street toward my apartment, Hailey spoke up, breaking the easy silence. “Did anyone else notice how… different Evan seemed tonight?” she asked, tilting her head as if still trying to figure it out.

Maya nodded, casting me a curious look. “Yeah, now that you mention it. He was all smiles this morning, and then something shifted. Moriah, you were the last one with him—any idea what’s up?”

Caught off guard, I scrambled for a response, trying to sound casual. “Oh, I don’t really know… maybe he’s just tired? You know, he’s been working hard lately on those new music samples.” I forced a small smile, hoping to steer the conversation away from the awkward tension brewing between Evan and me.

Maya raised an eyebrow, sensing my evasion but shrugged. “Maybe. He can be intense when he’s focused on something sometimes."

As we walked, Maya threw a reassuring smile toward Hailey. “Don’t worry too much about him,” she said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “You know Evan; he’s always had his moods. He’ll be fine.”

After a moment, I finally found the courage to ask something that had been on my mind since dinner. “So… are you two close, like best friends? Or… are you related?”

Maya glanced at Hailey, then back at me with a grin. “Oh, no, we’re not related. Hailey’s family has been close to ours for a while now. Actually, we met them after my mom retired from being the camp manager. We moved to a house in the province, and that’s where Hailey’s family came into the picture. My mom and Hailey’s mom ended up working together on this charity they started for helping small families. They became pretty close—partners in all kinds of projects.”

Hailey nodded along, smiling at the memory, while Maya continue her story as we entered my apartment and settled in. I notice she started looking around with a mix of interest and curiosity as she went on, “Anyway, we all spent a lot of time together growing up. And, well, let’s just say Hailey used to have the biggest crush on Evan.”

Hailey’s eyes widened, and her face flushed instantly. “Maya!” she protested, trying to shush her with an embarrassed laugh, but Maya was having too much fun with it to stop.

“Oh, come on! I’m just saying, it was adorable.” Maya winked at me, leaning in with a teasing grin. “I remember once, Hailey even sent him this whole confession text when he left his phone out. I mean, Evan was in the bathroom, and it was just sitting there… I couldn’t resist peeking at it.”

I felt a bit surprised hearing this, processing the idea of Hailey and Evan having this kind of history. But before I could respond, Hailey jumped in, shaking her head with a laugh. “Okay, yes, I did confess. And yes, he was so sweet about it. He let me down nicely, just saying we were better off as friends. No big deal, besides I was young back then.” she finished, clearly trying to brush it off now that it was all out in the open.

Maya laughed, nudging Hailey. “Hey, at least you ended up with that handsome boyfriend of yours now! That’s not so bad, is it?” She winked again, and Hailey just rolled her eyes as a smile sneaking onto her face.

I tried to keep my own expression calm from them, while I am hiding a mix of relief and curiosity about Evan’s past with Hailey. Somehow, it was a small reassurance that his warmth toward others wasn’t exclusive to me—or anyone, for that matter. I smiled at Maya and Hailey as I set out fresh towels and motioned toward the living room.

“Make yourselves at home. I’ll just take a quick shower and change.”

As I get inside the bathroom, I started off my routine with warm shower washing away the tension of the day. I emerged myself a few minutes later, all refreshed and in casual clothes. I damped my hair and did a quick night facial routine before I join back Maya and Hailey who were chatting and admiring my small living room. As we made our way back, I still have this feeling of anticipation I couldn't shake. I may be good at hiding my real emotion from the outside, I am totally nervous right now to go back to that place knowing I will see Evan again.

When we finally entered, I was taken aback from what we're seeing. Evan and Nick were setting up recording equipments in the living room. Maya, as a cheerful person she is, she was blinking her eyes with excitement, bubbling over like a kid.

“Uh, Evan, what’s this?” she asked with big grin on her face.

He looked up and smile breaking through his serious demeanor. “Nick and I thought we end the night with a little acoustic jam session. I figured it’d be a nice way for everyone to relax after today.”

"Oh! We missed this!" Hailey shriek as bubbly as Maya.

Both of them clapping their hands with glee and finally went to the living room near the set up to help, as they do so, they started spilling to Nick about my apartment decorations. I just stayed on my spot watching them beeing bubbly, while I am still trying to take this all in. Just then, I noticed Evan walking towards me who seemed to notice my hesitations.

“Hey, you okay with this?” he asked, his voice low and is now back to gentle.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I just… thought we’d be working on the sample tracks tonight.” I replied forcing a smile.

“You’ve been working so hard, Moriah. I didn’t want to exhaust you, not tonight. I thought maybe you’d like to unwind a bit with us.” There's a slight pause before he added, “And we can talk after, if you want.”

“Sure. I could use some fun, actually.”

****

After some few hours of night jam session, the house grew quiet as everyone drift off to sleep. As I lay in Maya's room, seeing her and Hailey sleeping peacefully together, I find myself a little bit uneasy and couldn't get any nice straight sleep. I don't if its the ambiance of the room or its just my mind couldn't shake off the feeling that something's wrong between me and Evan right now.

I slipped out of the bed, tiptoeing into the hallway carefully, trying not to wake up anyone into hoping I could get a nice drink of water. Believing it might help me calm my nerves. But just as I try to reach for a glass, my gaze drifted toward the dining table. There's Evan, his face illuminated by the faint glow coming from his laptop. I don't know if he ever noticed me, feeling unsure if I should say something or just quietly slip back to Maya's room. But as I attempt to do so after finishing my water, his voice cut through my stillness.

"Moriah."

I stopped, feeling my pulse quickening as I turned around. There his gaze met mine, searching, steady. He looked serious but calm, and a hint of hesitation flickering in his eyes. He paused, seeming to search for the right words to say while I am just frozen standing infront of him. Just then, his face changed as if an idea suddenly struck him and his expression softened.

“Actually… I just remembered that the convenience store down the street is open 24 hours.”

I just nodded with a feeling of bit a bit hesitaion, and at the same time surprised by the suggestion. But there was a certain ease in the way he offered it that made me want not to say no.

"Can you come with me?" he asked, and I just nodded again feeling speechless of his gesture. He then grab his jacket from the back of his chair and offer it to me with a small, tentative smile. "Alright, let's go."

As we walk along the quiet street, Evan glance over at me and finally turned down the silence between us. “Would you like to grab an ice cream or maybe a snack?”

I thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “A popsicle would be nice.”

He chuckled softly, looking a little relieved like he was glad I finally talk at all. After a moment of silence again, I heard him sigh while looking down on the ground.

“Moriah, I’m sorry for how I acted tonight—and for showing up at the office out of nowhere. I just… got worried when I couldn’t reach you.”

I nodded, brushing off the tension I felt earlier. “My phone died in the middle of the day. I should’ve thouht bringing a charger with me."

“Yeah, I figured.” he replied, his voice a little lighter now. “It’s just… I went to your apartment and saw it locked, and I had no clue where you’ve been.”

Curiosity got the best of me, and I finally ask “So, how’d you manage to reach Lyka then?”

Evan smirked, clearly amused by my question. “Actually, Lyka sent me a message after you moved in. She told me to keep an eye on you and, if anything ever seemed off, she told me to call her.”

I laughed a little, imagining Lyka giving Evan that kind of responsibility. “So you thought something bad happened, and your first move was to call her?”

Evan looked at me, a little defensive but smiling. “Well… yeah, sort of. And I’m glad I did.” His voice softened as he added, “Lyka told me a lot. About why you went at the office, about how… things have felt different for you.”

I looked away, my cheeks flushing a little, feeling vulnerable under his gaze.

“She told me that you’ve been feeling… insecure, especially with everything that’s happened and how much time passed by since we last saw or talked to each other. It made me realize… maybe I should’ve been more open with you, instead of just assuming things were fine.”

I stayed quiet, processing his words until we reached the convenience store front. I stopped just outside the doors, staring at the bright lights inside. At first I feel hesitation as I gather my thoughts, before finally looking up at Evan.

“Evan,” I began, trying to find the right words. “All those years that passed… I didn’t just stand still. I made choices, decisions that I thought would help me become someone… better. Someone who could be good enough for you, worth waiting for you, or even, probably worth chasing after you. But, as time went on, I was only seeing you from a distance, like everyone else does. Just another follower, catching glimpses of your life, and I began to believe that... I am out of your league.”

He listened intently, his expression softening, but I kept going.

“I mean… so much has happened in your life that I wasn’t part of. I thought I could just fit in again, but… it’s hard. You know… Maya told me a little about how things have been for you. She mentioned how some girls have been head over heels for you, how they confessed their feelings, followed you around. And you brushed them off, just like that.” I glanced at him, gauging his reaction but his face remained unreadable.

I took a shaky breath as the words spilling out now. “But now, I am here, and you’re… different. You’ve been showing these gestures, these moments that feel… sweet. And I wonder if you’re just being nice to me the same way you’ve been with others, or if I’m just someone passing through your life again.”

I met his gaze, finally voicing the insecurity that had lingered since we reconnected. “I don’t want to misunderstand, Evan. I don’t want to assume these little things means more than they do. I’ve waited so long and I’d give anything to have a place in your life again. But I don’t want to misread everything and get hurt thinking I’m… special, when I am actually just another person you’re being kind to.”

Evan didn’t answer me right away. Instead, he looked at me with an unreadable expression and said softly, “Wait here.”

Before I could even say a thing, he turned and walk into the convenience store, leaving me standing outside, speechless. After only a few minutes, he came back out holding a small plastic bag. Without saying a word, he reached in, pulled out a mango popsicle, and handed it to me.

He nodded as a small smile forming in his lips. “I remember that you love mango. I saw before that you've been always posting of sifferent kinds of desserts and it always have mango in it. And green… green has to be your favorite color, right? Every journal you’ve been posting before have green covers or highlights. I even remember how you posted pictures of dahlias — you have sketches and stickers of them."

I feel stunned and couldn't flinch from all these words his saying while staring at me.

"I guess it’s safe to say..." he continued "I noticed more about you than you ever think. You’ve been following my life, but I’ve been watching yours too, just… quietly.”

I feel sinking in through all these his words. I never knew that he remember every small details, the little things and moments of my life I thought were only just for me.

Evan gently took the popsicle from my hand, unwrapping it and handed it back to me while his eyes never leaving mine. “All this time, I’ve been adoring you Moriah. From the moment we met at camp ten years ago, and through all those years that passed- you’ve always been here at the back of my mind. And now.. you're here. I am here with you again, I don’t want to let this slip away.”

He paused, taking a breath and continued with softness in his voice.

“Everything I’ve done since we reconnected — all those little gestures, those moments — they’re for you, Moriah. Just you. I never treated anyone like this way before. This is always been about you.”

My heart pounded as his words sank in. I held the popsicle tightly, feeling its coolness dripping against my hand, grounding me as I tried to process everything.