Be My Forever

Chapter 28

Danté

Jasmine: Come and get your girlfriend, please. She’s whining

Danté huffed out a laugh. What was going on? Jasmine never sent him messages. Had Evy told her something? Not that there was much to say. The last time he had seen her, which was only a few hours earlier, she hadn’t been keen on talking to him. The truth was, Evelyn had been able to knock the air out of his lungs with no more than five words. You never asked me out . He couldn’t help but smile. That piece of work of a girl had been able to get under his skin until she had become the only thing he could think about.

Danté: Where are you?

Jasmine: At the College

By the time he got there, Evelyn was alone at the bar. Jasmine was talking to her boyfriend and Alex. It shouldn’t have been a surprise; Alex and Jasmine got along too well for his sake. Evy was staring at the wall, absentmindedly swirling her drink, her face sad. Danté sat down next to her.

“Hey, Squirrel. Are you ready to talk now?”

Evelyn stayed silent. She just looked at him with her bright eyes as if she couldn’t believe he was here. It was hard to concentrate under her heavy gaze, or the tight black dress she was wearing.

Very well . Danté cleared his throat. “You can’t say those things and then run away as if they mean nothing.”

Her attention went back to her drink. It was so unlike Evy to be quiet. Where had her inner fire gone? An uneasy feeling tugged at his heart. What if she was preparing herself to run away again? Or worse?

“Evelyn, can you please answer? I can’t keep doing this.”

A tear fell down her pretty face.

Alex appeared on her other side. “I hope you’re not trying to have a rational conversation with her. She’s drunk.”

She glowered at his friend.

“Evy, are you alright?” Danté asked.

More tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Why won’t you love me?” she slurred.

Alex let out a surprised laugh at her bluntness. She wasn’t just drunk; she was completely wasted. And Evy was known to be a sad drunk.

“Let’s get some air,” Danté offered.

The girl gulped down the rest of her drink then followed him outside on high heels and wonky legs. Hopefully, the fresh air would sober her up a bit. Goosebumps appeared on her naked arms. The dress was even shorter and more revealing now that she was standing. Danté cursed, but quickly gave her his jacket.

“What’s going on?”

“My head feels fuzzy. I think I’m drunk.”

“You are.”

Evy hid in the too-large jacket like she would with a blanket. When she finally looked up, her glazed eyes were wet.

“Why don’t you love me?” she asked again.

How could she even believe that he didn’t?

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“I’ve tried to catch your attention for years.”

He could feel himself smile. Evy was a sad drunk, but also an honest drunk.

“You should’ve just asked me out.”

You never asked me out.

“I tried, but you had all those girls come over every time. I never stood a chance.”

“I am sorry, Squirrel.”

“Stop calling me Squirrel!” she yelled, stomping her foot and almost losing her balance.

Danté bit his lip to keep from laughing. It would only make her madder if she believed he didn’t take her seriously.

“Stop seeing me as that pathetic girl. And stop leading me on.”

New tears were forming in her huge eyes, and his heart squeezed at the sight. It was no use to talk about it now. The chances that she couldn’t remember tomorrow were high.

Still, he couldn’t help but say, “I never led you on. You kept pushing me away.”

She seemed to sober up rather fast. “How could I not? They were always around!”

“When?”

“At the bar, at the Christmas market. What did you expect?”

She thought that Manal had been one of those girls? No wonder she had lost her marbles.

“Evy, this is not what you think.”

Not giving himself the time to change his mind, he kissed her. She tasted like sweet cocktails and tears. She didn’t kiss him back.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I do.”

Her whole body trembled. “You do?”

As he nodded, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Her kisses were clumsy and wet and perfect in their own way. He could feel her smile against his mouth. Danté wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Why had he waited so long? Had he known those were the thoughts she had been with, he wouldn’t have. Evelyn kept trembling.

“Let’s go back inside.”

“You’ll stay with me?”

“I will.”

Before he could stop her, she went for the bar and ordered another cocktail.

“I am not sure that’s reasonable.”

She flashed him a cheeky grin, her worries long forgotten. She downed half of the drink in one go. “I didn’t come here to be reasonable.”

Jasmine sat down next to her. She was way less drunk than her friend was. Her brows furrowed when she noticed the puffy eyes.

“What happened to you?”

Evelyn jumped from her bar stool, almost knocking it over. She made Jasmine jump with her. Her looking almost sober outside had been nothing but an illusion. Evy leaned towards Jasmine’s ear, though the bar was loud and crowded, and she had to talk loudly for her friend to hear her.

“Danté told me he liked me. But don’t let him know I told you.”

Love . Not liked. Jasmine looked at him over Evy’s shoulder, her eyes full of laughter. He shook his head, unable to keep a straight face. Evelyn looked at her with pleading eyes.

“I promise, I won’t say anything,” she just said.

Evelyn clung to her best friend like a koala.

“I’ll take her home,” she offered.

Evelyn let go, shaking her head so violently that he feared she would end up on the floor. “You’re not taking me hoooome!”

“You’re drunk.”

“I don’t care. Theo wants to bang you, a looooot,” she slurred.

Then she giggled, her lower face hidden behind her hands. Jasmine’s ears and cheeks turned so red that Danté felt bad for her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll watch after her. You’re free to…” He hesitated, but that only made Jasmine turn redder. That had been the wrong way to start the sentence. He cleared his throat while Evy kept on cackling. “Free to do whatever you please.”

“I’m telling you, their night will be HOT! I’m so jealous. Hey, do you wanna bang too? I scrubbed and put on nice lange… lounge…”

Now it was his turn to feel the blush creep up his neck and face. Inebriated Evy was a dangerous woman, and she wasn’t even aware of it. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Lingerie, you mean,” he offered calmly.

“Yes. Come, I’ll show you!”

Jasmine patted his arm. “Good luck. It seems like your night will be far wilder than mine. Just, don’t do something you might regret tomorrow.”

“Nothing will happen.”

Evy wrapped her arms around his middle. “I love him. Do you think he knows?”

Jasmine offered him a sorry smile. “If he still doesn’t know now, he’s probably stupid.”

“Exactly!”

Alex was laughing so hard he almost fell off his bar stool, and Danté could feel his face burn from the attention. Jasmine had been right; this night was going to be intense. Jasmine handed them Evy’s jacket and purse.

“Let’s go?”

“Where?” she asked.

Her large eyes were unfocused. It didn’t matter. She was more beautiful than ever when she looked at him.

“Home.”

A shy smile appeared on her pink mouth. She nodded and grabbed his arm.

“Have fun, brother,” Alex said.

Danté showed him his middle finger before he took Evy out of the bar. The walk towards their block was slow, her steps unsteady because of the alcohol and the shoes. He lost count of the times she tripped over her feet. She hummed a Taylor Swift song as they walked inside his apartment. He didn’t know if Jasmine had gone to Theo’s place, or if they stayed here. One thing was certain, he didn’t want to walk in on them. Evy was so far gone that she might find the whole walking-in on her best friend hilarious.

“Where is your roommate?” she asked, throwing her purse and jacket on the couch like she owned the place.

“At his boyfriend’s house.”

She hummed appreciatively. Her voice became low and sultry. “So we have the apartment to ourselves?”

“Yes, but…”

Evy had stopped listening. She went down the hall and entered his bedroom, full of confidence he had never seen her have. Gone was the shy and buttoned-up girl. This was a side of her he had seen in glimpses. Once the door was closed, Evy took a few slow steps towards him until his knees hit the bed. She didn’t hesitate and pushed him down before straddling his lap.

“Woah. What do you think you’re doing?”

A cat-like smile twisted her pretty mouth, and all he wanted to do was kiss her until she was out of breath. Evy sensed it and kissed him. Her movements were more controlled than they had been at the bar. His good resolve thinned when her whole body pressed against him. Her perfume smelled divine on her skin.

“What does it look like I am doing?”

Her tongue stroked his, leisurely. Her hands roamed over his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt. Goosebumps erected on the skin where she touched him. There was no hesitation when she reached his belt.

“Undress,” she ordered.

If he didn’t know better, Danté would’ve listened and done everything she wanted. A voice in his head screamed how wrong this was.

“Evy, let’s not.”

He grabbed her hands before she could open his pants. This was going to be complicated. Her hot breath fanned over his mouth, and he found himself kissing her.

“I want you,” Evy whispered.

She pushed him down before taking off the dress. She had been right about the lingerie. The black material was so sheer it left little to the imagination. Everything about her was enticing. The warmth or the softness of her bare skin, the shapes of her curves. Her taste. He wanted to feel it all. Taste it all. When she kissed him again, her hands had found their mark. His blood heated, and his whole body reacted to her. Danté pushed her off and jumped from the bed, inhaling deeply. This night was getting out of control; he didn’t stand a chance against her. Especially if he didn’t stop her now. When he looked back, she sat on his comforter, in her almost translucent underwear, with sad, lost eyes.

“I thought you said you loved me.”

His heart broke at the words. He fell down on his knees before her. Danté grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up.

“I love you. And I want you. All of you.”

The flame in her eyes came back to life. “Then why won’t you have sex with me?”

“I want you sober, and fully conscious.”

The alcohol in her system made her slow to understand. She ended up nodding her head.

“Does that mean I can’t touch you?”

“Not like that.”

She let out a long, loud sigh. “Party pooper.”

“You can still kiss me.”

A smirk appeared on her harmonious face. He leaned forward, and she put a finger on his lips to push him back.

“No sex, no kisses.”

“I am pretty sure you’re saying that so there would be sex.”

A cute giggle escaped her, and Danté couldn’t help but grin back.

“That obvious?”

“Just a bit.”

He offered her an old T-shirt. His heart made a flip when she put it on. She looked almost as hot with nothing but her lacy underwear and his shirt. When they were both under the covers, Evy intertwined her legs with his.

“Please be there when I wake up,” she whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere.”