Chapter Three (Evie)

Chapter Three (Evie)

When I came to, I was lying in a guest room that looked a little familiar.

Paige was sitting beside the bed, her eyes red from crying.

"Evie, you passed out downstairs. I had Nathan carry you up."

She tucked the blanket in around me.

"Don't take what the neighbors said to heart. I already explained it to them."

"I told them you're not the other woman. You're my friend, and you were moving in with me."

"It's just that the apartment is Nathan's, and he's my boyfriend now. That's why there was a misunderstanding."

She said it so sincerely, as if she really were trying to help me out.

But I was thinking about college.

My scholarship had been given to someone else in my place. Paige went with me to see the dean.

That day she was even angrier than I was. "I hate people who take what isn't theirs and then act all innocent!"

But now, when she said "Nathan's my boyfriend," her face wore exactly the same innocence.

Paige used to look down on Nathan. Whenever he came up, she'd call him by his full name and trash him.

I couldn't say when it started, but at some point she began calling him "Nathan." She started wearing his jackets. She started going to dinner with him alone, going on trips with him alone.

It wasn't that I hadn't noticed her crossing the line. But she was my best friend.

And Nathan always said I was overthinking it.

Evie, I only love you.

His thoughts said it over and over, and all I could do, again and again, was push my discomfort back down.

But now, I didn't want to pretend I couldn't see anymore.

"Paige, stop acting."

I pushed myself up on the edge of the bed and glanced at the clock on the wall. Nine-twenty.

"Where's my portfolio?"

The final interview at headquarters was at ten. The printed copy I'd prepared had been ruined in the rain yesterday.

The original, and the flash drive with all my proposals on it, I'd always kept here, in this home.

Paige paused. "I don't know. Why don't you look for it yourself?"

I ignored her, threw off the blanket, and got out of bed.

The master bedroom was her room now. A few of Nathan's shirts hung in the closet. My clothes had been shoved into the farthest corner, crumpled into a ball.

Paige followed behind me, explaining in a small voice. "He only sleeps in here sometimes, when he's drunk."

I didn't want to know what they'd done in this room. I only wanted to find my portfolio.

I opened the nightstand drawer. There was no folder.

Only three boxes of condoms.

One fewer than the last time I'd been home.

My hand stopped. I forced myself to look away.

The little table beside the bed was piled with takeout containers nobody had cleared away.

Paige let out a little "Oh!" as if she'd only just remembered.

"Evie, is this what you're looking for?"

She lifted a plastic box of hot wings.

Underneath it was my portfolio. The black leather cover was smeared with red chili oil, and the flash drive tucked between the pages was sitting in the grease too.

Paige bit her lip. "Sorry. I was eating wings in here last night, and it seemed nice and sturdy, so I used it as a tray."

I snatched it from her and flipped it open. Every page was soaked through with red oil. The sharp, spicy smell went straight up my nose.

"Evie Lawson, don't be so ungrateful!"

Nathan stormed in and planted himself in front of Paige.

"Paige was nice enough to get you up here. It's just a few pieces of paper. Do you really have to go after her?"

I didn't argue. There was only one thought in my head: was there still time to save this?

That was when a familiar ringtone went off.

It was my phone.

But the sound was coming from Paige's hand.

By the time I grabbed the phone from her, the call had ended. On the screen was a message from Sebastian, sent ten minutes earlier.

It's ten. Where are you?

I had never seen that message.

But below it, there was already a reply from me.

I'm voluntarily withdrawing from the final interview.

My head snapped up toward Paige. "Who told you to answer for me?"

There wasn't a trace of guilt on her face. "Evie, I did it for your own good."

I didn't have time to argue with her. I called Sebastian.

"Mr. Reeves, I didn't send that message. I haven't withdrawn."

The line was silent for a few seconds.

"The slot's already going to the alternate," he said. "If you still want to fight for it, be here within half an hour."

I hung up and ran for the door.

Paige came after me. "Evie, don't do anything rash! If you go see that Mr. Reeves right now, Nathan's going to get the wrong idea!"

Nathan's face darkened instantly. "What Mr. Reeves?"

Paige flinched as if he'd frightened her. "That male boss who's been holding the headquarters job for her. He said as long as Evie comes, he'll set her up with the job, an apartment, a stipend, everything... I turned it down for her because I was afraid she was being tricked!"

Nathan stepped in front of me.

"Evie, you'll throw away all your self-respect for an apartment?"

"What's the big rush? Going to prove what you're worth? Going to sleep with your boss?"

I looked at my phone. Twenty-seven minutes left.

"Get out of my way."

I shoved past him. The elevator was out for maintenance, so I had to cut into the stairwell.

Behind me, Paige was wailing. "Nathan, stop her! What if that man takes advantage of her?"

I hadn't made it two steps before Nathan caught up and grabbed my wrist.

"Evie, you're not going anywhere today."

"You have no right to tell me what to do!"

I fought to shake him off. He gripped harder, and the pain made me step back without thinking.

The stairs were right behind me.

My foot found nothing.

I fell hard, all the way down, and slammed into the wall of the landing below. Everything went black.

Nathan froze on the stairs.

Evie!

I didn't mean to.

I couldn't tell where I was bleeding from.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

But the worst pain didn't seem to be the fall.

It was dragging my bags back here, thinking I was finally home, only to find someone else already living in it.

It was kneeling by that pile of trash in the rain and picking up that ruined little dog.

Nathan stumbled down the stairs and dropped to his knees beside me.

Get up. Don't scare me like this.

I was just afraid you'd stopped loving me.

If you don't love me, I'd rather be dead.

He reached out to touch my face.

The next second, his whole body went still.

As if he'd suddenly heard something.

For the first time in seven years, my thoughts had reached his ears.

Nathan.

I don't love you anymore.

Go to hell.