Just Pretend

Chapter 8

Just Pretend - Chapter 8



As if disturbed by the noise, West tilted his head slightly and lazily opened his eyes.

His gaze met hers.

For a moment, an awkward tension seemed to fill the air.

West didn’t speak. He simply looked at her, quiet and composed, his eyes sharp and unwavering—completely devoid of any grogginess from just waking up.

His features were striking—his hooded eyes, the sharp arch of his brows, the natural smirk at the corner of his lips. And with his perpetually indifferent expression, he always carried an edge of arrogance.

Evelyn had a bad feeling.

It felt like he was about to roast the hell out of the term first love in the next second.

Before he could, Lily chimed in, “Oh? You guys know each other?”

Declan answered, “Yeah, high school classmates.”

Evelyn quickly averted her gaze, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. But before she could, Lily obliviously continued, “Wait, so first love means… your friend had a crush on Evelyn but never got anywhere?”

Declan burst out laughing. “Yeah, exactly.”

“…”

No wonder these two were together.

At this point, no matter how much Evelyn wanted to play dumb and gloss over the topic, it was impossible.

The fragile mask of let’s pretend we don’t know each other that she and West had tacitly agreed upon was now shattered—thanks to the two idiots in front of them.

Evelyn knew there was zero chance West would say anything to fix the situation.

His ego was bigger than the entire city.

So, she calmly said, “Oh? That’s funny. As the alleged subject of this crush, why am I only hearing about this now? Declan, you sure you’re remembering right?”

Declan frowned. “How could I be wrong? You two—”

Halfway through his sentence, he finally seemed to realize that something was off.

“Wait. Are you guys… awkward about this? Come on, it’s been years. I was just bringing it up for fun.”

Lily followed up, “How long has it been since you last saw each other?”

Declan scratched his head. “It’s been a while. Eve, you only stayed at our school for a year, right?”

Evelyn corrected him, “I transferred out in the second semester of junior year.”

Declan did some quick mental math. “So… seven or eight years?”

Noticing that West had been silent the entire time, Declan turned to him and said, “Dude, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’re still salty about this after all these years?”

West simply lowered his eyes, ignoring him completely.

Declan whistled. “Damn.”

Then, he turned back to Evelyn and started rattling off, “Honestly, Eve, just ignore him. You know what he’s like. The guy acts like he’s too good for everyone, so he probably thinks you were blind for not liking him back. But he doesn’t realize—”

Before he could finish, Lily cut in, “Okay, okay. Maybe let’s focus on driving first?”

“…”

Declan clamped his mouth shut, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Lily, noticing the shift in his mood, immediately softened her voice and said, “Don’t be upset, babe. I was just reminding you. If you want to keep talking, go ahead.”

Declan’s irritation vanished in an instant. “Aw, thanks, sweetheart.”

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the restaurant.

At this point, Evelyn felt like she had no choice but to stay for dinner.

If she left now, she’d seem way too defensive—like she still cared about the past.

And since West hadn’t said anything, leaving would make it seem like she was the one hung up on it.

She convinced herself: It’s just one meal. I’ll get through it.

What she didn’t expect was that when Lily said, “Declan’s bringing a friend,” she hadn’t meant just West.

She had meant a whole group of people.

They had reserved a private room, and when they walked in, the table was already packed.

Technically, since Evelyn had come with Lily, she should have sat with her.

But the only remaining seats were in pairs, and without hesitation, Lily ditched her and went to sit with Declan instead.

Which meant Evelyn was stuck sitting next to West.

And to everyone else in the room?

It looked like West had brought her.

The moment they sat down, someone immediately started teasing. “Damn, West! Didn’t know you were off the market!”

Declan clicked his tongue. “What are you talking about? You think this i***t could land someone like her? Let me tell you something—Eve was the most famous beauty at our school.”

He then turned to a stocky guy across the table. “Flynn, you remember, right? You went to Westport High, too.”

Flynn, a chubby guy sitting next to West, looked at Evelyn with mild embarrassment. “Yeah, of course. I was in the same class as your friend, Jo. Seen pictures of you in her posts.”

Evelyn gave him a polite smile and nodded.

The next second, another guy called out, “Whoa, Flynn, why are you blushing?”

For the first time all night, West reacted. He lazily lifted his gaze and glanced at Flynn.

Declan laughed. “Come on, you know how he is. He practically forgets how to talk when he sees a pretty girl.”

Lily, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up. “Babe, why are you talking about other girls in front of me?”

Silence.

Declan blinked. Then, after a long pause, he grinned and coaxed, “Baby, how’d you even get that from what I said? Don’t get jealous over nothing.”

…

The food took forever to come.

While the guys continued their chaotic conversations, Evelyn quietly sipped her water.

She felt completely out of place.

She glanced at West.

He was hunched over his phone, totally uninterested in the conversation.

Even when people called his name, he barely responded.

Evelyn let out a silent sigh.

After a while, Lily suddenly kissed Declan on the cheek and stood up. She turned to Evelyn and smiled, grabbing her wrist. “Come on, Eve! Bathroom trip.”

Evelyn got up.

As she did, she noticed Lily had left her purse on her seat. So, she quietly picked it up and brought it along.

Inside the restroom, Lily touched up her lipstick and casually asked, “So, you rejected West back then?”

Evelyn didn’t answer.

Lily took her silence as confirmation and continued, “You know that bar, Overtime? The one near our office? West co-owns it with Declan and another guy.”

“…”

“He’s got everything—a great face, great height, money. And you turned him down?” Lily shook her head in disbelief. “Your standards are crazy. Not that it matters now. He clearly doesn’t care anymore.”

“It was a long time ago,” Evelyn replied with an easy smile. Then, glancing at her phone, she said, “By the way, Lily—I totally forgot I have a deadline tonight. My boss wants an article by morning, so I’ll have to head out early. Can you let them know for me?”

Lily pouted. “It’s just dinner! Can’t it wait?”

“He’s rushing me,” Evelyn lied smoothly. “And I’m still in my probation period.”

“Oh… fine.” Lily sighed dramatically. “Go, then. But be careful on your way home.”

Evelyn thanked her and left.

Just as she stepped outside the restroom, she ran straight into someone.

West.

Unlike before, he didn’t just walk past her indifferently.

Instead, he stopped.

Expression unreadable, he looked down at her.

For some reason, the moment felt oddly familiar.