Chapter 9
1393 Words
Just Pretend - Chapter 9
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
As the words left his lips, Evelyn’s mind flashed back to New Year's Eve—how she had accidentally stumbled into his chest after being pushed by a passing stranger. She had apologized, and he had simply nodded, signaling a no big deal.
The entire interaction had been as mundane as it could get—exactly like the kind exchanged between strangers.
Even though she had suspected that he recognized her, they had both played along, pretending nothing was amiss.
But she hadn’t expected him to be the one to bluntly lay it all out.
After all, Evelyn had been carefully matching his behavior the whole time—mirroring his attitude, following his lead.
Yet now, just as she thought they could keep up the act, he had suddenly flipped the script, taking the moral high ground with his “Is pretending not to know me really necessary?”
As if he was the one being straightforward and honest—while she was the one playing unnecessary games.
In short, this was Evelyn the naive farmer versus West the snake.
She held back a sigh and, deciding he didn’t deserve any face, replied, “Not really. I just thought you didn’t recognize me.”
West’s lips curled slightly.
“Well, I was wearing a mask at the time,” Evelyn met his gaze head-on, speaking slowly. “Didn’t expect your eyesight to be that good.”
West raised an eyebrow. “Good eyesight?”
Then, with a smirk that reeked of trouble, he added, “Ah, my bad. I guess I gave you the wrong idea.”
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. “What idea?”
“I didn’t actually see you,” West said leisurely, completely unbothered. “It was my sister who recognized you—told me you wouldn’t stop staring at me.”
“…”
Evelyn’s expression remained unchanged as she smoothly picked up the lie.
“That’s true,” she admitted.
West looked at her, waiting.
“I was staring because,” Evelyn continued, deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine, “your fly was down.”
“…”
Fearing he might twist this into another misunderstanding, she added with a sympathetic tone, “A lot of people around me were talking about it.”
West: “…”
“But don’t worry about it,” she said, flashing a gentle smile. “It’s been days. No one remembers anymore.”
Just as she was about to leave, West suddenly called out, “Hey.”
Evelyn turned. “What?”
“Do you remember where Declan parked?”
She nodded instinctively.
“Good,” West gestured with his chin. “Lead the way.”
Evelyn was momentarily confused.
She assumed that once she led him to the car, he would at least offer to drop her off somewhere.
But after she pointed out the car, West simply said, “Later,” and got in—without a second thought.
Zero intention of giving her a ride.
Evelyn initially brushed it off.
Not a big deal.
But then she glanced around.
The restaurant was in an eerily deserted part of the city.
Checking her phone, she realized the nearest subway station was miles away.
There weren’t many taxis passing by either—just darkness stretching down the empty streets.
She hesitated, glancing at West’s car, which was still parked.
Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly knocked on the passenger-side window.
After a few seconds, West rolled it down, his expression as indifferent as ever.
Evelyn softened her voice. “Could you give me a ride? This area’s kinda out of the way.”
West was quiet for a second. Then, his tone flat, he asked, “Where do you live?”
“City Garden.”
West blinked. “Oh. That’s not on my way.”
“…”
Evelyn had never met anyone so ridiculously petty in her life.
With a polite smile, she clarified, “I wasn’t asking you to take me home. Just drop me at the nearest subway station.”
West stared at her for a few seconds before sighing, clearly reluctant.
“Get in.”
Evelyn let out a silent breath of relief and slipped into the passenger seat, quickly fastening her seatbelt.
The car was too quiet.
West didn’t turn on the radio, nor did he make any effort to start a conversation.
Feeling awkward about just sitting there in silence—like she was treating him as an Uber driver—Evelyn decided to make small talk.
“So… why’d you leave early? I thought this was a friends’ gathering?”
West’s reply was as dry as it was dismissive. “Too loud.”
“…”
Evelyn wasn’t sure if he meant the party or her.
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Fine. No more talking.
She turned to the window, watching the city lights blur past, the neon reflections stretching into endless streaks against the dark glass.
Her mind drifted.
Seven or eight years—that’s how long it had been since she last saw Declan.
But with West?
It hadn’t been that long.
No one knew. Not even Declan.
As far as everyone else was concerned, she had transferred to a different city in junior year and never kept in touch.
Except with one person.
West.
At first, Evelyn thought their connection would naturally fade away.
But somewhere along the line, West had started texting her.
Not to chat.
Not to ask about her life.
Just to send her his exam scores.
Every time he had a test—big or small—he would send her a message with his results.
And that continued until the end of junior year.
After the final semester exams, Evelyn had stared at his latest text for a long time before finally deciding to type something back.
She hesitated, then slowly entered her own exam scores before hitting send.
It took a while for a reply to come.
When it did, it was short.
[Our scores are pretty close. Want to aim for the same university?]
A minute later, another text followed.
[Yes or no?]
…
Evelyn exhaled quietly, snapping out of her thoughts.
Realizing they had already passed several subway stations, she frowned. “Wait, I think you missed the stop. There’s another station coming up—can you drop me there?”
West’s voice was cool, carrying a hint of mockery. “Am I a chauffeur?”
“…”
Excuse me?
Didn’t we agree on this from the start?
Apparently annoyed by the idea, West kept driving.
Evelyn hesitated before asking, “Where exactly are you taking me?”
West shot her a side glance. “Your place.”
“…You’re kidding.”
He smirked. “Where else?”
“…”
Talking to him was impossible.
He always laced his words with a certain edge, subtle but sharp enough to make every conversation feel slightly off.
By the time they reached her apartment complex, Evelyn was exhausted.
West pulled up at the entrance.
Unfastening her seatbelt, she said, “Thanks for the ride. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”
West lazily turned his head toward her, lips quirking. “Already planning the next time we see each other?”
“…”
Was this guy seriously this full of himself?
Or was he still hung up on that one sentence she had said at the bar?
Evelyn decided to clarify.
“At the bar,” she began, “I—”
West interrupted. “Which sentence?”
He gave a slow smirk. “The part where you said, ‘That’s a shame’?”
“…”
Evelyn gave up.
Instead, she opened the door and got out.
“Drive safe.”
She walked into her building.
Just as she reached the stairs, she suddenly froze.
Three men were standing in front of her apartment, cigarette smoke thick in the dimly lit hallway.
And one of them was her neighbor.
Her ex-con neighbor.
She had forgotten.
Today was the fifth day.
The day his detention ended.
- Writer
