Chapter 18 Eva
Eva
“Can we play Crattegories?” Xavi’s face had only just filled my screen before the words tumbled from my mouth.
Dinner was lovely. Necessary and a perfectly timed distraction.
Only as soon as I left the restaurant, feelings of inferiority wrapped around me like smoke in a sealed room and they remained all the way home.
It was with a complicated sigh that I arrived to an empty house, Cooper’s side of the drive vacant, dialling my friend's number as soon as I got into bed.
“Why do you think I waited up?” He replied with an eye roll, and I smiled, exhaling deeply. “Your letter is G, you ready?”
I nodded, tucking my knees up to my chest, my chin resting on them, mint tea cradled firmly in one hand.
“Something you’d cook for Coopy Poopy to woo him?”
“Green eggs and ham,” I smirked, instantly feeling a little better.
“That was a terrible answer,” he scowled with judgement which only widened my grin.
“As the co-inventor of Crattegories, I say it's excellent,” I declared.
“As the co-inventor slash namesake of Xavier Cratt’s, Crattegories, I say it sucks,” he shot back, causing me to shake with silent laughter.
“A nickname for your new boss?”
I hummed, internally rattling off every word beginning with the letter gee until deciding.
“Grinner,” I sighed, and Xavi’s eyes widened excitedly.
“I can’t wait to meet this man of yours. Something you wish you could do to your new roommate?”
“Referring to him by different titles does not make you appear clever,” I proclaimed, causing him to scoff.
“Minus four points for ridiculing the judge,” he exclaimed, wiggling four fingers to really push that life-ruining digit home.
“Fine!” I acquiesced. “Glare into his eyes and tell him his parents are elitist scumbags, and I hope they choke on their Grandiose. Ha! Double points,” Xavi used his finger to draw two ticks in the air before rattling off his next question.
“Two things you could do with a giant pencil.”
“Finally, something unrelated to my brother’s friend,” the diversion was calculated as Xav knew me too well. “Ummm, Gouge people’s eyes out or graffiti,” I offered weekly.
“Yawn. Minus two for that boring answer. An excuse for being late to work, when your boss is also your roommate and your fake fiancé?”
I paused, closing one eye as I pondered an answer. “Got stuck in the shower… thinking about him…” I said seductively and he hollered while I reached to lower the volume on my headphones.
“Finally, you little tease. Took you long enough to give me something juicy. Now we’ve broken the ice, tell me everything,” he said, knowing I wouldn’t need much coaxing. He was my favourite sounding board because he was as rational as he was irrational while also making me laugh with his hilarity.
My sigh was heavy. “Long story short–” I began, and he quickly cut me off.
“Nope. I want short story long. Paint me a detailed picture because I will need to make sure I have the right people when I go looking for a new place, with very specific requirements,” he pursed his lips, and I cackled.
“Oh my God, don’t you dare,” I said, imagining the sadistic things Xav would do and say to Preston if given the opportunity.
“Too late, I hate them already on your behalf so at least tell me the reason so I can justify shitting in the bathroom of an open home and not flushing,”
The image was so unexpected and vivid, my laugh so sudden that I nearly spilled my tea. He was outrageous sometimes and always knew just how to hit me with a brutal dose of reality.
“Basically, I think they bought the whole couple thing–”
“Was there touching?”
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Was there kissing?”
“Maybe,” I said, intentionally evasive. I wasn’t ready to share details about the ruthless fury in Cooper’s voice when he gritted, I will never be done with her. A statement not meant for me and said to maintain a fake relationship which was quickly moving off script.
No. Those things I would keep for myself.
“Okay, no more flirting, give it to me hard and fast, baby,” he huffed impatiently.
This was our game. Xavi wanted the sordid details but if I gave them up too quickly, it ruined the chase and he lost interest. It was an unspoken element of our friendship that I hyperbolised all my stories and kept him hanging in our game of conversational foreplay.
“Lucky for you hard and fast is my style,” I joked, before sobering at the memories of their sugar-coated sneers.
“They’re awful. I heard them referring to me as the help,” I threw some air quotes into the air.
“And his mother sounded like she’d eaten a mouthful of shit when she asked him if I grew up in Moorway,” the memory easily eliciting profanity from my mouth with no regret.
Xavier gasped exaggeratedly, however, I could see the genuine anger in his narrowed gaze.
He didn’t come from money either, and while we would joke and laugh about our hand me downs, he knew this one would have hurt my feelings.
Our bank account was never something I really noticed because love was plentiful and even now, I could see cash wasn’t as important as time, affection and empathy.
But it seemed Mr. and Mrs. Dane didn’t get the memo and very clearly had more dollars than sense.
“They’re gross,” I mumbled, an unexpected lump forming in my throat as I felt tears pressing at the backs of my eyes.
Because even though their opinion meant nothing, it was two more people who thought I needed saving.
‘Have your fun and do her a favour or whatever this little project is,’ Preston’s vicious derision spun around in my head, loud and cutting.
“Urgh, I’m sorry, Ev, they sound like ball sniffers,” he admonished, and I wiped the stray tears.
“What did the gorgeous piece of lethal meat say? Tell me he defended your honour and boxed their arses out of his house. God, I want a man with thick hair who fights bare-knuckle. You really do have it all. It’s unfair. ”
I sniffled, my sadness clear despite my small laugh.
“What could he say? It’s true. I did grow up there and we didn’t have money.
Mum was everything though. She gave me the love of a mother and father and Sebastian was the best brother.
Then when Cooper joined our family, I never wanted for anything.
Between the three of them, I was rich. I didn’t even know we were poor until I was a teenager.
Why would where I was raised matter? It doesn’t make me less deserving of love,” I choked on the last word, before giving in and letting the tears free.
He mumbled a string of profanities and death threats while I wiped at my tears.
“He did defend me though,” I said eventually. “And it was pretty hot.”
“Something you would do to them if you could get away with it?” He asked, the emotions a lot for the both of us, and I took a moment to have a sip of tea while I thought about my answer.
“Give them both gastro and only a dry sponge to wipe themselves,” I replied, and Xavier clapped his hands in applause.
“I’m giving triple points for that level of evil.”
Using the sleeve of my jumper, I wiped the last of the tears and smiled.
“Thanks for listening and cheering me up.” I spoke. “I love you.”
“Love you too, babes. Screw those rich bastards. You should just marry their son. Or, better yet, fuck him on their kitchen bench when they aren’t home.” He laughed, making me reluctantly giggle.
“I wish,” I sighed. “I don’t think fake dating includes bench top sexcapades, unfortunately. Besides, that would be hot, but I want more. I want fireworks in the sky kind of love.” I replied, before laying down and snuggling in for what would likely be at least another hour on the phone.
“You’re such a romantic, E. You still love him, don’t you?
” Even through the screen I could see the pity in his eyes.
Pity with a little hope that I would deny it and say this was just a fleeting crush.
But when the majority of Coop and I was so fake, I couldn’t deny this part to myself or to Xavier.
“I think I always have,” I muttered, wondering just how long it was going to take to recover after these four months were done and there were no more reasons to perform.