~ Chapter 16 ~
By the time Eva got home from classes, she felt like her body had gone through something.
Not in a dramatic way.
Not in a painful way.
Just... in a way where everything inside her felt slightly shifted.
Reed's voice kept replaying in her head, low and steady, the way he had said her name like it meant something.
The memory of his hand in hers kept resurfacing at random moments, making her fingers curl against her palm as if they were trying to recreate the feeling.
She couldn't quite explain it, only that she felt lighter and heavier at the same time.
Lighter because something sweet was unfolding.
Heavier because she cared.
That realization alone was enough to make her want to lie face-down on her bed and scream softly into her pillow.
Sandra had announced, with absolutely no room for negotiation, that they were having a girls' dinner night.
Not a rushed, everyone-eats-in-their-own-room situation.
Not takeout.
A real sit-down dinner.
Which, of course, meant Eva was cooking.
Parker helped her in the kitchen, quietly washing vegetables and setting things out while Sandra handled drinks and Cassie arrived with dessert and an energy level that suggested she had been waiting all day for this moment.
By the time they were all seated around the small dining table, candles lit because Sandra insisted it made things feel "intentional," Eva felt that familiar warmth settle into her chest. This was her safe place. These girls were her safe place.
She twirled pasta onto her fork and took a bite, barely tasting it.
Sandra noticed immediately.
"You're in your head," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Which means you're thinking about him."
Eva didn't even try to deny it.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said quietly. "I keep replaying this morning over and over again. The way he talked. The way he looked at me. The way he held my hand like it was... normal. Like it was allowed."
Cassie smiled softly. "Because it is allowed."
Parker leaned her elbow on the table. "How do you feel, Eva? Not what you think you should feel. What you actually feel."
Eva stared at her plate for a moment before answering.
"I feel nervous," she admitted. "But not in a bad way. More like... I don't want to mess it up."
Sandra softened. "That means you care."
Eva nodded slowly. "I also feel safe. Which is weird because I don't really know him that well yet. But he doesn't make me feel rushed or pressured. He doesn't make me feel like I have to be anything other than what I am."
Parker smiled. "That's a really good sign."
Cassie took a sip of her drink, then sighed.
"I love Ryan. I really do. But sometimes it's hard dating someone who's in the public eye. People assume things. Girls flirt right in front of me like I'm invisible. Ryan always shuts it down, but it still messes with my head sometimes."
Sandra reached across the table and squeezed Cassie's hand.
"You're allowed to feel that way. It doesn't make you insecure. It makes you human."
Cassie smiled gratefully.
Sandra leaned back in her chair. "Okay, my turn. Caleb is confusing as hell."
Eva looked up. "Confusing how?"
"He's respectful. He asks before touching me. He wants to take me out. Like actual dates. And that freaks me out because I'm used to guys just wanting one thing."
Parker nodded. "You deserve to be wanted properly."
Sandra swallowed. "I know. I'm just not used to it."
Parker hesitated before speaking. "Felix is... interesting."
Cassie grinned. "Interesting good or interesting scary?"
"Interesting confusing," Parker said. "He remembers little things. He checks in. I don't know if he's flirting or just naturally like that."
Sandra smirked. "He's flirting."
Parker rolled her eyes, but her cheeks turned pink.
Eva looked around the table, feeling something warm bloom in her chest.
Four women.
Four different stories.
Same underlying want.
To be chosen.
To be respected.
To be loved gently.
Her phone buzzed.
Eva froze.
Sandra immediately leaned across the table. "It's him, isn't it?"
Eva glanced at the screen.
Reed.
Her heart did that stupid little flip.
"Yes," she whispered.
Cassie bounced in her seat. "Read it."
Reed: How was your day?
Eva stared at it longer than necessary.
Eva: It was busy, but okay. I kept thinking about this morning though.
Sandra squeezed her arm as she hit send.
Three dots appeared.
Reed: Same. I can't get it out of my head.
Eva's stomach fluttered.
Eva: That makes me feel less crazy.
Reed: You're not crazy. You're human.
Cassie pressed her palms together dramatically. "He's emotionally intelligent. I'm jealous."
Eva typed slowly.
Eva: What are you doing right now?
Reed: Lying in bed. Thinking about you. You?
Eva's face heated.
Eva: Girls dinner. They're interrogating me.
Reed: Should I be scared?
Eva smiled.
Eva: A little.
Reed: Worth it.
Sandra mouthed, oh my god.
Eva bit her lip.
Eva: You make me nervous.
Reed: Good nervous or bad nervous?
Eva thought about it.
Eva: The good kind. The kind where I smile like an idiot.
Three dots.
Reed: I like being the reason you smile.
Eva hugged her phone to her chest.
"I really like him," she said softly.
Sandra raised her glass. "To soft beginnings."
Cassie lifted hers. "To boys who show up."
Parker smiled. "To us choosing better."
Eva clinked her glass with theirs, her heart feeling full in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.
She didn't know where this was going.
But she knew she wanted to find out.