45. Chapter 40
Caught In The Act
Evin
“ S hit.” Evin’s heart stopped.
Bas froze mid-movement, his pants unfastened and pooling around his ankles, his shirt somewhere on the floor. He looked at her as if he had just been caught committing a crime. “Who is that?” he whispered.
A quiet curse followed.
“My mom,” Evin choked out, her voice a panicked whisper. “Get dressed! Fast!”
But “fast” clearly wasn’t part of Bas’ skill set under pressure. In his panic, he kicked his shirt further away, tripped over the cards on the floor, and nearly knocked over the coffee table.
“Damn it!” he muttered, yanking up his pants and fumbling with his belt buckle.
Evin jumped up, flailing her hands. “Not the couch! Get in the kitchen, now!”
A dull thud—bang!—echoed through the living room.
“Did you just—?” Evin whispered, horrified.
“I ran into the doorframe,” Bas hissed, rubbing his forehead. Before he could recover, Evin shoved him halfway through the kitchen door and shut it with a decisive click. “Stay there. Don’t make a sound.”
The front door opened fully, and the rhythmic clatter of heels filled the hallway.
Evin’s mother stepped inside—tall, effortlessly elegant, despite wearing only jeans and a blouse. A faint trace of perfume mixed with the crisp winter air as she entered.
“Evin? I’m home,” she called out, setting her handbag on the console table and shrugging off her coat.
“Hi, Mom!” Evin’s voice was just a touch too cheerful, too high-pitched, as she darted around the living room, hastily picking up a stray box from the floor.
Her mother frowned slightly as she stepped further inside.
“What are you doing all alone in here? God, the repair shop nearly drove me insane today. The car’s acting up again, and I had to drop it off.
I barely got to have a coffee, and that was it.
” She sighed, shaking her head as she slipped off her shoes.
“Oh… yeah, that sounds really annoying,” Evin murmured, gripping the edges of the box in her hands. Her fingers were ice-cold, her cheeks burning.
Her mother lifted her head, scanning the room as if sensing something off. Her gaze landed on the half-fluffed couch cushions before shifting back to Evin, who stood stiff as a board in front of her.
“Everything okay? You seem… tense.”
“Tense?” Evin’s voice cracked. “No. Not at all. Everything’s great!”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed slightly, skeptical. She was a woman who rarely missed a thing. Crossing her arms, she let her gaze drift around the room again.
“Why are there playing cards all over the floor?”
“Playing cards?” Evin let out an overly loud laugh and quickly scooped them up as if defusing a bomb. “Oh, that! I… was just playing for a bit. You know. Fo r relaxation… and stuff.”
“Aha.” Her mother arched a brow, lips twitching slightly. “You play Uno alone to relax?”
“Yup.” Evin went to set the deck on the table, but her hands trembled slightly, causing the cards to slip apart again.
By now, her mother was fully in detective mode. She took another step into the living room, sniffed the air briefly, then glanced toward the kitchen door—just as a faint noise sounded.
The unmistakable clink of a can.
Her mother’s eyes narrowed further. “Do I hear someone in the kitchen?”
“Oh… uh, maybe the dishwasher?” Evin was pretty sure she was about to hyperventilate.
Before her mother could reply, the kitchen door swung open.
And there stood Bas.
Grinning broadly, a cookie in one hand and two cans of Coke in the other.
“Hey, Mrs. Hayes,” he said casually, as if he had just wandered in from the backyard.
For a fraction of a second, Evin’s mother simply stared. Her eyes moved slowly from Bas to Evin, then back again.
“Sebastian?” Her voice was neutral, but the underlying tone was impossible to miss.
“That’s me,” Bas replied smoothly, not dropping his grin for a second. “I… just dropped off some school papers Evin forgot. And then we got talking, and I figured I’d grab us something to drink from the kitchen…” He lifted the Coke cans as proof.
Evin held her breath.
Her mother remained silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the slightly disheveled living room once more. Her attention lingered just a little too long on the scattered playing cards and Bas’ slightly tousled appearance.
“Uno, huh,” she finally said, the ghost of a smile playing at her lips. “You two pl ay… intense Uno.”
Bas beamed. “Would you like to watch me absolutely destroy your daughter in Uno?” he asked, taking another deliberately slow bite of his cookie.
“Hm.” Her mother shook her head slightly, an amused chuckle slipping into her voice. “This is all too reminiscent of my teenage years.”
Evin groaned. “Mom!”
Her mother simply raised her hands in surrender and took a step back. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave you to your game.” She turned halfway toward the stairs but paused, glancing back at Bas.
“You make sure Evin’s in bed by ten. School tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bas responded with the most innocent grin Evin had ever seen on him.
As her mother’s footsteps creaked up the stairs, Evin collapsed onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. “That was probably the most humiliating moment of my life.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Bas grinned, plopping down beside her and raising his Coke. “I think we handled it pretty well. Good thing your mom didn’t show up ten minutes later.”
__________
The sky was painted in soft shades of orange as Evin and Bas strolled down the sidewalk toward his car. She had her arms loosely crossed over her chest, a crooked smile tugging at her lips as she glanced at him.
“Your mom is pretty… laid-back,” Bas remarked, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.
Evin raised an eyebrow. “The calm before the storm, I fear. We were practically caught.”
“Caught?” Bas grinned. “If that counts as ‘caught,’ I don’t even want to know what you consider ‘completely caught.’”
Evin snorted and nudged his shoulder lightly. “Let’s not find out,” she said s oftly, smiling to herself. “You should be grateful she likes you. Otherwise, you’d probably be heading home in your underwear right now.”
Bas chuckled under his breath, stealing a quick glance at her. “You know how it is—mothers love me.”
“Oh, of course,” Evin replied, her tone sugary sweet and exaggerated. “The perfect son-in-law. A charmer and an Uno legend.”
“Charmer? And coming from you,” he said with a wink as they reached his car.
“You’re bringing out new sides of me,” she countered, eyes gleaming with challenge.
“Good,” Bas said, not missing a beat. “Glad I have some kind of effect on you.”
“If you only knew…” Evin trailed off, turning slightly away from him. She wanted so badly to say more. To show more. She crossed her arms and met his gaze, her eyes searching.
Bas reached for her hands, pulling her closer until she leaned against him. “Did you like what you saw tonight?” he asked, his voice teasing, but underneath it, she could hear the curiosity.
Even with her head resting against his chest, she could feel his heartbeat quicken. But she kept her composure, tilting her chin up slightly to meet his eyes.
“It was… okay.”
“Okay?” Bas scoffed, shaking his head as his grin widened. “That was top-tier entertainment.”
“If you say so,” Evin replied, but the corners of her lips twitched, betraying the smile she was trying to hold back.
As they kept walking, a comfortable silence settled between them, though the tension in the air was palpable. Evin felt his gaze flicker to her every so often, and she couldn’t deny that she liked it.
“So,” he started, “Valentine’s Day.”
Evin lifted her head, glancing up at him. “What about it?”
“Do you have plans?”
“That depends,” she mused, toying with one of her necklaces, her voice playfu l. “What are you thinking?”
“Seeing you,” Bas said without hesitation.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she gave nothing away. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying him. “And what does your grand plan entail?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied, his grin stretching even wider.
“I hate surprises,” she said, though her eyes told a different story.
“You’re going to love this one,” he murmured, his voice warmer than before.
Before she could respond, Bas stepped closer. His hand slid gently to her waist, and his gaze locked onto hers.
“I’ll just pick you up at seven,” he said softly.
As they pulled apart, she could still feel his eyes lingering on her.
“So, tomorrow,” Bas continued, his voice low and relaxed, “we’re all meeting at ten, right?”
Evin nodded, absently playing with her necklace. “Yeah, at the community hall. Milka said she’s bringing the rest of the decorations.” She lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes. “And you’ll be on time, Montgomery?”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “I’d never be late if you’re there.”
Evin rolled her eyes, but a quiet laugh escaped her. “You’re impossible.”
“I know,” he said, “but you like it. And I like being that way.”
She held his gaze, a soft confirmation in her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant—how easily he let go and just *was*. And she wanted that too.
“Don’t worry, the *bad* Sebastian is still around, in case you were wondering,” he teased.
Evin let out another laugh. “Ha, no, that’s the last thing I’d ever wonder.”
Her words lingered between them, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down. The sun had set, leaving only the distant hum of streetlights. The whisper of the wind barely registered.
All that remained was the space between them.
“Evin,” he said at last, his voice softer now, almost careful. She could see something shift in his eyes—the playful glint giving way to someth ing deeper, something rawer.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow. To being with you.”
Her throat suddenly felt dry, and her thoughts scattered. It wasn’t just what he said, but how he said it—as if his words carried more weight than they appeared to.
“I… me too,” she whispered, unsure of what else to say.
Bas stepped closer, and the space between them vanished.
“There’s something else,” he started. “I wanted to—”
Evin didn’t know what exactly he was about to say, but she realized it didn’t matter. Not right now.
So she closed the distance herself, rising onto her tiptoes. Her hands found his chest, where she could feel the steady beat of his heart.
“You talk too much,” she whispered before her lips met his.
The kiss was slow—charged with the kind of hesitation that simmered beneath the surface. His hands slid down to her hips, pulling her against him.
It was a kiss that made everything else around them fade.
When they finally pulled away, their foreheads remained pressed together, his breath warm against her skin.
Her gaze lingered, warm and steady.
“Good night, Bas,” she whispered.
He smiled back, his voice barely more than a breath. “Good night, Birdie. And don’t think too hard about what would’ve happened if your mom hadn’t come home.”
As she watched him walk away, she couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow would bring. The thought of seeing him again felt like a spark she wouldn’t shake off anytime soon and the lingering sensation of his kiss told her one thing for sure—
She wouldn’t be forgetting this day.