~ Chapter 6 ~
Eva told herself she was overthinking. Which was funny, because she told herself that about twenty times a day and it never seemed to stop her from doing it anyway.
The weather was nice, like really nice, the kind of nice that made her want to live inside oversized sweaters and drink something warm and pretend life was simple.
She liked days like this. Quiet. Calm. Predictable.
Her brain, however, had other plans. Ever since the library last night, a certain tall, broad-shouldered, ridiculously good-looking man had taken up way too much real estate in her head.
It didn't make sense. She barely knew him.
They exchanged maybe fifteen sentences, most of which involved her panicking internally while pretending to function like a normal human being.
And yet here she was, thinking about Reed Taylor.
Eva hugged her backpack closer to her chest as she walked across campus, trying very hard not to scan every face she passed.
She failed. She spotted him near the engineering building, walking with two guys, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, shoulders relaxed, head slightly bowed as one of them talked.
He looked normal. Not intimidating. Not untouchable.
Just real. She slowed without meaning to, telling herself that maybe if she pretended she hadn't seen him, he wouldn't notice her.
Except he did. Reed looked up, their eyes met, and Eva forgot how to breathe.
He gave her a small nod. Not a smirk. Not a grin. Just acknowledgment.
It shouldn't have felt like anything, but it absolutely did.
They passed each other, and Eva kept walking for approximately six seconds before stopping near a bench and staring at the ground like it had personally offended her.
Why did that feel important? Why did her heart feel like it was trying to escape her ribcage?
She took a slow breath and told herself to get it together.
By the time Eva got home that afternoon, her brain felt full in the most exhausting way possible.
The apartment smelled faintly like laundry detergent and vanilla candles, which usually meant Parker had been trying to make the place feel cozy.
Parker was curled up on the couch in sweatpants and a hoodie, laptop balanced on her thighs, while Sandra sat cross-legged on the floor scrolling through her phone with a tiny smile she definitely wasn't trying to hide.
Eva dropped her bag by the door and squinted at Sandra.
"You look suspicious." Sandra blinked innocently.
"I always look innocent." Parker snorted.
"Caleb texted her." Sandra groaned. "Why do you hate me?
" Eva's lips curved into a small smile. "He did?
" Sandra shrugged, failing miserably at looking casual.
"He asked if I got home safe. And then he asked if I wanted to grab coffee.
" Eva felt warmth bloom in her chest. "That's really sweet.
" "Don't encourage her," Sandra muttered, even though she was smiling.
Eva wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, trying not to think about how much she loved seeing the people she cared about being cared for. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and when she saw Anand's name pop up, she smiled despite herself.
Her phone buzzed.
Anand: Did you reach home safe, squirrel?
Eva smiled.
Eva: Yes, Shaggy. I'm alive.
Anand: Squirrel. Stats study group forming. Me, you, Lila (bio major), Jonah (business analytics), and a couple mechanical engineering kids. You in?
Eva stared at the message for a moment longer than necessary. Studying with people she barely knew sounded terrifying. Failing stats sounded worse.
Eva: Yeah. I'm in.
Anand: Proud of you.
Eva locked her phone and gently rested her forehead against the cabinet. Sandra narrowed her eyes. "Why do you look like you just agreed to something you already regret, sweetheart?" "Because I did," Eva admitted weakly. Parker smiled slowly. "That tracks."
Later that evening, Sandra burst into Eva's room while she was folding laundry.
"Cassie invited us to the next Bruins game.
" Eva looked up. "Like... the basketball game?
" Sandra rolled her eyes. "No, Bubbles. The chess tournament.
" Eva hesitated. Crowds made her anxious.
Noise made her tired. And somewhere inside that arena would be a very specific boy with ocean-blue eyes.
Parker appeared behind Sandra. "You don't have to go if you don't want to.
" Eva thought about Cassie, about Sandra, about how sometimes love looked like showing up even when you were uncomfortable.
"I'll go," Eva said softly. Sandra squealed and flopped dramatically onto Eva's bed.
Eva immediately questioned all of her life choices.
That night, wrapped in blankets, Eva stared at the ceiling, her thoughts louder than she wished they were.
She didn't know what this thing with Reed was.
She didn't know if it was anything at all.
But she knew one thing for sure. Warm, confusing, slightly terrifying things were happening inside her chest. And she wasn't entirely sure she hated it.