Chapter 7

“Evelyn, you act like my mother. Leave the apartment for once and go ouuut with meeee!!”

Evelyn closed her eyes and counted to ten silently. Lori could test the patience of a saint, and Evelyn was certain she was destined for sainthood.

Can women be saints? I really should have listened better in church.

She opened her eyes to the snapping of fingers. Lori was standing in front of her, hands placed on her hips with an exasperated look on her face. “There’s going to be a live band and everything! Evelyn. Seriously. You need to get out. You’re 20-years-old, not 60. You have so much...” Lori waved a hand up and down, gesturing at Evelyn, “ ... potential.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow and stifled an incredulous laugh, “You just want me there in case you get drunk, don’t find a guy to spend the night with, then need ME to help drag your sorry butt back here.”

Lori threw her hands up in mock surrender, “I swear that’s not what I had planned. I really do want you to go out with me. We’ve been in classes all week, cooped up here or at the library. I NEED to get out. I don’t care if we meet any guys or not. If we do, that’s great! If we don’t, that’s fine, too! I just want to go out with my best friend, drink a little, laugh, have a good time. Please? Pleeeaaseeeee, go out with me, Evelyn!”

Evelyn smiled and crossed her arms. “Tell the truth. Why do you really want me there? You know you can have just as much fun without me. YOU draw people in. YOU are the life of the party, not me. Maybe ... if you tell me the truth ... unless, of course, you want me to...”

Lori sighed. “ARGH! OKAY! FINE. I want you to use your ‘intuition’ on some guys I know will be there and let me know if they’re duds or not. I’m tired of trying to figure it out on my own. I’m obviously not as gifted as you are in that department.”

The ‘intuition’ Lori had referred to was a gift Evelyn had always had, even as a child. She just KNEW things about people. It was both a blessing and a curse. She could literally look at a person and tell you either what they were thinking, feeling, or what type of person they were. She and Lori had met in primary school, and Lori had thought Evelyn was a fairy child who had gotten lost among the “normal” people. Lori’s imagination had been, and still was, something of epic proportions. Her creativity knew no bounds.

Evelyn sighed, and Lori squealed, jumping up and down, then twirling around for good measure. She knew she had worn Evelyn down. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret it, I promise!”

We’ll see about that.

After Lori had picked out their clothes (Evelyn was apparently incapable of picking out anything remotely sexy), they set off for the bar closest to the campus. This way, if Evelyn did end up having to drag a drunk and belligerent Lori back to the apartment, it wouldn’t be that far of a walk. They laughed and exchanged tidbits of gossip as they made their way to the bar, watching the sun setting in the sky, and oohing and aahing over it. Out of nowhere, a shooting star streaked across the sky, and both girls stopped in their tracks and gasped in delight and wonder.

“Make a wish!” Lori said, squeezing Evelyn’s arm. Without thinking about how childish and silly it was, Evelyn closed her eyes and tried to come up with a wish.

I wish for ... something more. For my life to have a real purpose for a change.

Opening her eyes, she sighed wistfully and pulled Lori on. They were less than 30 paces from the bar now, and Lori’s eyes lit up, seemingly forgetting all about the shooting star and rambling on about how she hoped those guys weren’t duds, but if they were, surely there would be some “eye candy” tonight. No sooner than they had entered the bar, Lori immediately spotted the two guys she had been referring to earlier and tugged on Evelyn’s arm expectantly. Evelyn took a good look at both guys and let her intuition do its thing.

Blondie is a nice guy, but not very smart. He gets into trouble without knowing how he got there. Is always making the wrong choice. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is the worst of the worst. He will manipulate and use you without a second thought. He enjoys playing mind games.

“Stay away from both of them. MAYBE a one-night-stand with the blonde guy wouldn’t lead to too much trouble, but he has a knack for drawing trouble to him. I’d play it safe and just say to hell with both of them.” Evelyn said matter-of-factly.

Lori sighed, shrugged and then froze. “OH. MY. GOD. EV. LOOK.”

“Ugh ... don’t call me Ev. You know I don’t like it when you shorten my name.” Evelyn said, grumbling. She looked around to see what Lori was being dramatic about and saw Jimmy. Despite her best efforts, her heart began to beat a little faster. Every girl she knew had a crush on Jimmy. He had a cheeky smile and was brimming with confidence. Evelyn, of course, found him attractive, even if she wasn’t necessarily IN to him. Lori, on the other hand, wanted him like she was an Olympic athlete after a gold medal. He was her ultimate goal. Evelyn wondered briefly if Lori had used her wish on him and then chided herself mentally for being silly again.

She looked to see who Jimmy was with, and when she saw that it was Pete, she audibly gasped. He had been in a terrible wreck that had nearly killed him. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked him over.

IS that Pete? There’s no way he should be up and walking by now, unless Jimmy was lying about the extent of his injuries. What is different about him?

Her mind went back to the Pete she had met at the beginning of the semester. He was the painfully quiet, shy guy in class. She had always felt sorry for him, so she would go out of her way to say hi when given the chance. He would never look her in the eye, and it made her feel sad. As shy as he was, he was equally as intelligent. Evelyn was in awe of how he understood the course materials better than anyone and always had the highest marks. Part of her was jealous, yet, another part of her was proud of him. She couldn’t quite figure out why, but she liked Pete.

Tonight, however, there was something vastly different about him. He didn’t have that shy demeanor about him anymore. He walked with a self-assurance he had not had before. And he was smiling and laughing loudly and happily with Jimmy. This was not the quiet guy who stayed out of the limelight and tried not to draw attention to himself. He had changed.

A good change. He seems happier.

She and Lori walked up to the bar and took a seat. They ordered their drinks and chatted with the bartender for a while. Evelyn smiled at the bartender and made idle chatter.

Gay. Better tell Lori before she falls head-over-heels for this one, too. Took me over a week to get her to quit sulking over the last one.

Before she could turn to Lori to discreetly tell her to chill on the flirting, Lori saw someone from her spin class and wandered off to go talk to her about their new bitchy instructor. Evelyn gazed at the slender, blonde girl Lori was talking to and smiled.

Sweet. Kind. Trustworthy. She looks up to Lori because she’s friendly and talkative, while she’s shy and reserved. I like her.

Evelyn smiled again to herself, took another drink of her beer and looked up to see Pete’s reflection in the bar’s mirrored wall. His eyes met hers and her breath left her.

Evelyn could not explain why or even how it happened. A movement out of the corner of her eye. A nonchalant glance. But that was all it took. One glance to seal her fate. A word that she had assumed was the stuff of fiction and those with vivid imaginations—an imagination she did not have. She could have also said it was love at first sight, but again, the expression did not suit her practical mind.

Practicality, be damned.

Time had literally come to a standstill. She had heard that expression before, read it in books and such, but she had never understood its meaning until this very moment.

Transcendent.

He was not stereotypically good-looking, by any means. What intrigued her was the aura surrounding him. She could FEEL something radiating off of him that she could not explain intelligibly. She was inexplicably drawn to where he was—a pull she did not understand. It both scared her and excited her at the same time. She was not even aware she had turned on her stool to face him. Nor did she think to take her drink with her as she stood up to walk over to him. She just left everything behind because it was of the utmost importance that she go to him now. It was bold. It was brash. It was unlike her previous encounters with him, which had been in class, just a passing, “Hello, how are you?” No. This was something she had never done before But she had to. It felt vital to her very core.

I have to talk to him. I need to know him.

But you do know him, you idiot.

No, not this Pete. I’ve never met this Pete.

Her heart hammering in her ears, she held out her hand to introduce herself in case the accident had caused memory loss she hadn’t been told about. “Hey Pete. I’m Evelyn. I’m not sure if you remember me or not, but we have a few classes together.”

He smiled warmly at her, his eyes still never leaving hers and took her hand in his. “Hi Evelyn. How could I forget you? You were one of the only girls in class who actually talked to me like I was person.” This new Pete was strangely confident and straightforward. His hand in hers felt warm and comforting.

Get a grip, woman. It’s just Pete.

Before she forgot all of the manners her mother had taught her, she looked up at Jimmy and smiled, “Hey Jimmy.”

Jimmy grinned then suddenly wrapped Evelyn up in a bear hug, tearing her away from Pete’s hand. “Heya Evelyn! You’re looking fine tonight. Never seen you dressed up before. I like it.” He let her go, and she blushed furiously. She was normally not this awkward, but tonight, she was struggling to form words. She was not accustomed to Jimmy paying this much attention to her.

She must have made a face or the blush on her cheeks had gotten darker, but for some reason or another, Pete suddenly laughed—a laugh that tickled the nerves along her spine. He stepped between her and Jimmy, then reached out to touch her elbow. Shock-waves like an electric current coursed throughout her body. Her nerves were on fire, her vision had tunneled, making him the only person in the room.

“JIMMY! PETE! OH MY GOD! IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU GUYS!” Lori’s voice broke the reverie, and Evelyn took a step back. She inwardly chided herself.

What are you? 15? STOP. BLUSHING.

Lori was practically glowing as she gave both guys a big hug, first Pete, then Jimmy; although, the hug she gave Jimmy seemed to linger. Evelyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes; however, it did give her the excuse to give Jimmy another good once-over and really concentrate.

Still the same guy. Kindhearted, loyal to his real friends. Massive man-whore, but ... he might be falling for someone? Uh oh. Sorry, Lori. This guy is about to be monogamous.

She smiled and looked back at Pete, which caused her to suck in her breath again.

His eyes. His eyes gave the appearance of looking straight through to her soul. Dark brown, intense, focused. They seemed to turn darker the longer he gazed into hers. She was held captivated, enthralled. She could not look away if she had wanted to because--right now, right here--she wanted to be seen by him. It was almost as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, how she was feeling, and that he could answer all of the questions she had ever had and quench the insatiable curiosity she held within.

What is he thinking?

She concentrated on Pete, but she couldn’t get a read on him. Before she could try again, her hand was in his again. Large and warm. He was rubbing the pad of his thumb across her knuckles languorously, like he had all the time in the world to just stand there and stroke her. It felt rough against her soft skin. It was pleasure and agony combined, like an itch that desperately needed to be scratched. Her pulse began to quicken, her throat had gone dry. Again, as if he knew exactly what she was feeling, he proffered a mug of his beer to her, and she gladly took a sip.

“So what have you been up to while I’ve been held prisoner at the hospital?” Pete asked, eyes twinkling.

Evelyn laughed and took another sip of her beer. “According to Lori, I’ve been sitting in our apartment, learning how to knit and contemplating adopting a couple of cats. Little does she know, I have known how to knit since I was 8, I’m allergic to cats, and I’ve actually be contemplating adopting a hedgehog.”

Pete burst out laughing, and it was just as magical as it had been before. She lifted the mug up to her lips to hide her smile and then had the most inane thought flit through her mind. His lips had been on that mug.

Lick the rim.

Good Lord. What was wrong with her? Where the hell did that thought come from? She knew she was acting unlike herself, but damn. This was ridiculous. It was all she could do to think before she reacted impulsively. She grasped onto the last scrap of dignity she had and did NOT lick the rim, but handed the mug back to him with a smile. His eyes crinkled at the outer corners as if he knew what she had been thinking. It made her want to snatch the mug back, chug the remaining beer down, and lick the damn rim, screw dignity.

No. I need to hold onto it. You will not debase yourself like this, Evelyn Grace.

As the night went on, each studied the other curiously while Lori and Jimmy flirted unashamedly. She pored over his features--the way that he set his mouth, the way he held his back straight, yet ... relaxed. He watched her, too, but he also touched her, as if he were trying to memorize the feel of her. Little, seemingly insignificant to the outside eye, touches. Caressing the back of her arm absentmindedly, stopping at her elbow and then going back up as they listened to the band play a cover of Love Me Tender, causing her skin to break out into goosebumps. When she had gotten a little bit of foam from the beer on the corner of her lips, he had reached with his thumb to wipe it off, lingering there and smearing the foam across her bottom lip.

Holy. Crap.

She gawped at him. Never in her life had she gawped at a person, let alone thought she would use the word in relation to herself, but there she was. Gawping. Her lungs felt suddenly devoid of air, and her heart had begun to race again, beating erratically in her chest. He smoothed an unruly lock of her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Such a simple touch; yet, it was more intimate than anything else he could have done that night.

So she had thought.

He let out a soft, amused chuckle, and his lips curved into a smirk. She should have taken that smirk as him being unbearably arrogant, something she was definitely unattracted to. Typically speaking, a smirk like that would have turned her off completely, sending her on her way with him not understanding what he had done to lose her interest. But this smirk was one that assured her that she was safe with him.

Odd. Pete never smirked before; yet, somehow, it fits him. I like it.

It was so confusing to think this way. However, nothing about this night was normal. It was as if her senses were reacting to everything he did favorably, as if her mind were not her own anymore. Every atom in her body seemed to gravitate towards him, that damned pull she could not explain nagging at the outer edges of her brain.

Before she could dwell on that thought any further, he had taken her other hand in his.

“Would you like to dance, Evelyn?” he asked, that damned smile warming her to her core. “I’ve been told it’s easy.” He leant in closer to her ear and whispered conspiratorially, “But you would be my first time.” He finished with a chuckle.

She must have given some form of agreement because the next thing she knew, he was pulling her to the stage where the local band was playing yet another cover of yet another Elvis Presley hit. In a fluid-like motion, he pulled her to him, linking her arms around his neck, gazing down at her.

Oh god. I have never felt like this before. What is this?

Song after song, they swayed and danced in a slowly repeating circle. Without conscious thought, she began to play with the hair around the nape of his neck, fine and silky between her fingers. They stayed like this for some time, each mesmerized by the other, never breaking the intense gaze they shared. She tried to decipher the feelings behind those bewilderingly intense eyes. Just doing so made her hold her breath, so, once again she had to mentally remind herself to breathe. Dazed, she shook her head mentally, trying to understand what was going on here. She had never felt like this with anyone else. It was as if she were under some kind of fairy tale spell. The cynical part of her wanted to laugh over such fanciful notions as magic, but the feel of his hands on her waist, warm and strong, stopped the laugh from even forming.

If I did not believe in magic before, I do now.

The soft chords of Can’t Help Falling In Love floated past her ears, a sweet tone that made her want to close her eyes save for the fact that she needed to keep her eyes open to continue gazing into his. She was afraid it was all a cruel dream and if she closed her eyes, the dream would end. She did not think her heart could withstand the deep disappointment that would follow if she were right. As long as her eyes were open, she was going to drink him in—savor every last detail on the off-chance that she was indeed in a dream and about to wake up at any given moment.

The most surreal thing about this entire situation was that it seemed as if he were entranced by her, too. HER. Evelyn. Entrancing.

HA! As if.

She could believe in the supernatural before she could believe that she had the power to capture the attention of someone as hypnotizing as him. Someone who made her feel as if SHE were the only person in the room he had eyes for. No one ever did that. Sure, she had men flirt and make her feel attractive, but he was something else altogether. He made her feel like she was more than ... well, more than. More than just her looks. More than just her body. More than.

Indescribable.

Ever so gently, his fingers began to squeeze her waist with only the slightest pressure, pulling her closer. When her breasts brushed against his chest, despite the combined thickness of his shirt and hers, her nipples had hardened instantly. Once more, her mind reeled over how her body was reacting to him this viscerally. She literally ached with every fiber of her being to be as near to him as possible, despite the fact that she was already there. You could not get much closer than this.

Well. Maybe a little closer...

Just as her fingers were itching to pull his face down to hers, he lowered his head so that they were cheek-to-cheek. While his cheek was cool, it had heated hers instantly. She could feel the slight rough stubble of his one day growth scratching against her delicate skin, his warm breath tickling her ear. The feathery sensation caused an involuntary shiver to ripple through her. She wanted to rub her cheek against his with her eyes closed, almost cat-like. Just the thought of her doing that made her smile; yet, she resisted the tempting notion.

Must. Keep. Your. Cool. Must. Not. Reveal. How. Crazy. You. Have. Become.

In a low, deep voice, he began to sing along to the song. “I ... just ... can’t help ... faaalling in looove with you.”

Damn. DAMN.

Her crazy had almost shown itself at the sound of his voice. She had nearly told him to shut up. It was almost too much for her already frazzled nerves to handle. His voice was smooth and coarse at the same time. There was magic in it, and the low rumble had reverberated throughout her body into her very soul.

Suddenly, she stilled. The realization that this was the first time she heard his voice, REALLY heard it, left her stunned and confused. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was as if she were hearing him for the first time, the real him. It penetrated her to her core. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she tried to make sense of it all because none of it made sense. Then he pressed his lips to her ear and sang more of the verse and another delicious shiver came over her. She could feel his

grin against her cheek, and her alarm slipped away.

Don’t overthink it. In fact, don’t think at all. Just feel.

So she did. She let herself get lost in the variety of overwhelming emotions, to feel things she had never felt before.

They were still dancing long after the song ended. He pulled back to look at her. Again, his eyes, dark and piercing, went straight through to her soul; however, this time, instead of getting the impression that he could read her mind, she could see the slightest hint of frustration mar his features before being replaced by that cheeky grin of his. It was as though he was trying to read her thoughts but could not quite make them out.

How about that? I’m not powerless after all.

She was a little embarrassed to admit that the thought gave her an inordinate amount of pleasure. It might have been a combination of the fact that she couldn’t read him on top of the thought of having one thing over him, even one as odd as knowing he could not read her mind.

Are you listening to yourself? You are happy that he cannot read your thoughts. Sure, you can read people, but that’s just a fluke or something. No one can actually read thoughts, you idiot. My god, you have lost all your senses.

She was startled out of her mental recrimination of herself by the sound of his voice.

“We could keep dancing, but it looks like the band is packing up and heading out. It’s not a problem for me. I could just continue singing or humming a tune.” He said with a half-grin.

Oh god. Don’t grin at me like that. I am only capable of so much self-control.

“Or ... I could sing. I’ve been told I’m not bad, depending on how many drinks you’ve had. Or, rather, how many drinks I’ve had.” She quipped, matching his half-grin.

He threw his head back and laughed—a genuine, heart-felt laugh.

Damn it. There goes that tickle down my spine again.

He looked back down at her, mirth still playing at the corner of his lips. “I know we’ve only just met, but I have an apartment above the bar. We could have a karaoke battle if you’d like. No alcohol to give either contestant an edge or lack thereof.” His eyes sparkled mischievously, and her knees gave the tiniest wobble.

She bit the side of her bottom lip and watched his eyes flick down in response. “I ... I’d like that.” She stammered out.

Oh ... what am I getting myself into?

Before she could think any further into that, Jimmy and Lori had walked over, both laughing and looking like they were up to no good.

Are they drunk? No ... a little buzzed.

Evelyn then focused all of her attention onto her friend.

Giddy. Elated. They’ve both decided to leave me and Pete alone, so we can ... she ... SHE WISHED FOR THIS! They WERE up to no good.

Jimmy threw an arm around Lori’s shoulders and grinned over at Evelyn and Pete, his eyes sparkling, his grin stretching his handsome face. “We’re heading out to see what kind of mischief we can get up to. We’ll catch you two later. Try not to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Pete laughed and said, “That doesn’t leave me much, does it?” Both guys grinned at each other, and then, surprising both she and Lori, the guys gave each other a hug and bade farewell. This show of affection warmed Evelyn’s heart and made her think more highly of both men. She looked over to Lori to see what she thought and was met with her friend’s beaming smile.

“I hope you have a good night, EV.” Lori said with a wink.

“Ugh. I told you, I hate...” but before Evelyn could finish her sentence, Lori wrapped her up in a tight hug.

“Try not to overthink it, will you? Just ... be happy for a change, Evelyn. I love you.” Her friend whispered in her ear. Evelyn smiled and nodded silently. She watched as both Jimmy and Lori left the bar and turned to look at Pete. What she saw made her heart begin to hammer in her chest once again.

Pete’s eyes had gone from sparkling with mischief to dark and glittering like obsidian. He took her hand and guided her to the back of the bar. There, he led her up a set of stairs leading up to the loft above. Step-by-step, her heart began to beat harder. She gripped his hand as if breaking contact would break the spell between them. As silly as it sounded in her own mind, she knew something magnetic was happening here, and danger or no danger, she wanted to find out for herself how this would end.

When they reached the landing, he let go of her hand to unlock the door. The brief loss of contact left her feeling bereft, lost, and before she could stop herself, her eyes began to fill with tears.

What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you want him to think you’re crazy?

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them, startled to see him watching her. Apparently, she had not calmed herself down fast enough because she felt a tear threatening to slide down her face. He lifted his hand to catch the wayward tear and rubbed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, the rest of his hand cradling her jaw. She could not move if she had wanted to, her eyes wide and searching his, forgetting to breathe once more.

How could such a simple gesture render her completely immobile?

“Breathe.” He whispered.

She gazed up at him, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the beer. Or, maybe it was the romantic music?” She laughed nervously, looking up at him again.

He laughed with her, his thumb still rubbing her cheek, then letting his hand fall to his side. “Tonight has been full of the unexpected, hasn’t it?” He shrugged, then guided her into the apartment, locking the door behind them. She glanced around and saw that it was an open floor plan—everything in one room, minus the bathroom, which she took to be through the door on the other end of the room. She noticed that there were boxes sitting on the table and a few others dotted around the room, as if he hadn’t quite finished unpacking. Other than that, everything was clean and neatly arranged, no frills about the place. Practical.

Countertops in the kitchen were bare, minus a microwave and a slim Keurig. In the center of the ‘kitchen’ sat a small bar with two stools. Living area had a large, brown leather sofa and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall, gaming consoles sitting on an entertainment center below it. The computer in the corner caught her eye, a large three-screen set up where he did all the class work that had impressed her so much. Her eyes widened in recognition at the hardware, the computer would have cost almost as much as her car. On the far side of the room was a tall mahogany bookshelf, nightstand, dresser, and ... a queen-size bed.

She swallowed and dared a peek at him, blushing when she met his eyes. He had been watching her with amusement and, funnily, curiosity.

“Coffee?” He asked, gesturing to the kitchen. “You can have a seat here while I make you a cup. Or, I have Dr. Pepper and water in the refrigerator. I’m sorry those are your only three options. It’s all I drink. Actually, I only drink the latter. I keep the coffee here for friends. I can’t stand the stuff. I’m sorry, I think I’m rambling.” He said with a laugh.

“Actually, I don’t think I’m thirsty right this minute.” She said, feeling suddenly very shy.

Am I really going to do this? I’ve never done anything like this before.