Chapter 19 #3
I glance around. The office has mostly cleared out, just a few stragglers at the far end. The space feels suddenly intimate, just the two of us in the dimming light. I stand and move closer until there’s barely any space between us.
“I promised,” I whisper. “No pranks.” Her breath catches, and I notice the way her fingers curl against the desk. “Come on.” I straighten, grabbing my jacket before the moment stretches too long. “It’s a surprise. Grab your stuff.”
We head to the parking garage together. The building is quieter now, people streaming toward the exits as closing time approaches. I catch myself watching the way the dying light catches in her hair through the windows, and I need to get a grip.
“Follow me to your place,” I tell her when we reach the cars. “We’ll drop yours off.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me.”
She studies me for a moment, then nods. Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling up to her apartment complex. She parks and climbs into my passenger seat, still looking confused.
“Seriously, why—”
“That’s why.” I point to a car across the street. Its headlights flick on as I pull away from the curb.
Eve goes rigid beside me. “That’s Luis's car.”
“I know.”
“Does he not have a job?” I muse, checking the rearview mirror. Sure enough, he’s following us at a distance. “Like, what does he do all day?”
“He does have a job,” Eve says, her voice tight. “That’s what I don’t understand. How does he have time for this?”
I glance over at her. The tension radiates off her in waves, her hands clenched in her lap.
The protective instinct that surges through me is inconvenient and undeniable.
This was supposed to be simple—pretend to date her, make Luis back off.
But the urge to keep her safe is becoming something else entirely.
Without thinking, I reach over and cover her hand with mine.
“Hey.” I keep my voice steady. “As long as I’m here, he can’t touch you.”
Her fingers are cold under mine. “Do you really think he wants to hurt me?” The question hangs between us. I focus on the road, on Luis’s headlights still following two cars back.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “And we’re not going to find out.”
Her hand relaxes slightly under mine, and I flip her palm, interlacing our fingers. It’s just for comfort, but as I drive, one hand on the wheel, one locked with hers, I notice how she doesn’t pull away.
* * *
The restaurant is exactly the kind of place that makes a statement. Soft lighting, expensive wine list, white tablecloths. I called in a favor with the owner—an old client who owed me one—and managed to snag a table on short notice.
“This is fancy,” Eve murmurs as the hostess leads us to our table.
“Only the best for my fake girlfriend.”
She shoots me a look, but there's a hint of a smile there. Progress.
We’re barely seated when I hear a familiar voice.
“Caleb?” I look up to find Natalie standing there, Ethan beside her. Of course. Of course this would happen.
“Don’t tell me you two are here to eat,” I say, leaning back in my chair.
“No, I just brought my fiancée here to look at the décor,” Ethan says dryly.
“Ethan, stop.” Natalie’s gaze shifts between Eve and me, her expression measured and curious. Her eyes narrow. “Are you two together?”
Eve looks frazzled, her mouth opening and closing without words coming out.
“Yes,” I say smoothly, reaching over to take Eve’s hand.
“I knew it,” Natalie says, satisfaction clear in her voice. “I knew Caleb liked you.”
Eve’s hand stiffens, and something twists in my chest. What is that supposed to mean?
I don’t like Eve like that. We barely get along.
We’re just good in bed, and we hang out in her apartment from time to time.
And we eat together most nights. And I spend the weekends over at her place.
.. That doesn’t mean I like her in that way.
“We should let them eat,” Ethan says, tugging at her hand. But his fiancée is already gesturing towards a server.
“Don't be silly. They should join us. We’re over there.” She points at a table in the back. Ethan’s reluctance is written all over his face, but he doesn’t say no. He never can when it comes to Natalie.
When the server she flagged down reaches us, she asks, “Can we get two chairs at our table so our friends can join us?”
The server quickly complies.
I catch Eve’s eye across the table. She looks as trapped as I feel, but she handles it with grace. “Sure that sounds fun.” As fun as pulling teeth out.
“So,” Natalie says once we’ve followed them to their seats and ordered. “How long has this been going on?”
Eve looks at me, panicked, and I say, “Just a few weeks.”
“So you’re dating her?” Natalie asks slowly. “You two are actually together, romantically?”
Eve squeezes my hand under the table, and I can sense her nervousness. “Of course,” I lie smoothly. “Why else would we be here on a date?”
“I'm surprised, honestly.” Natalie sips her water. “Eve, you clearly didn’t like Caleb before.”
“She likes me,” I say, sliding my arm around Eve’s shoulders. I kiss her cheek, letting my lips linger just long enough to feel her sharp intake of breath. “Enough.” The last part I can’t help throwing in, and she kicks me in the shin under the table. I try not to wince.
Natalie laughs. “Well, Caleb is very likeable. When did you guys start seeing each other though? As in, what happened?”
“Ah,” Eve seems to realize the question is aimed at her, and she takes a few minutes to herself. “Caleb helped me home the other day, and we just got to talking and realized our feud was a little childish. So we decided to get to know each other properly.”
I’m surprised by her clear answer.
“That’s smart. You’re an asset to the company. I would hate for my brother to drive you away,” Ethan murmurs.
I scowl. “Why would I drive her away? How would I do that?”
Ethan just raises a brow and sips his wine. “You’re notorious for being a troublemaker, Caleb. I would not have been happy if Eve had been at the receiving end of one of your pranks.”
Eve and I go still. Ethan’s just watching me calmly.
What does he know? How would he know? If he’d known, he would have said something.
“I’m not a kid,” I mutter, guiltily. “I wouldn’t do something like that.”
Ethan’s eyes turn to Eve who looks at him blankly. “Pranks? Caleb? That’s just not like him.”
I nearly choke at how steady her voice is as she lies to my brother. She could easily have thrown me under the bus.
Ethan smiles slightly and murmurs, “I see.”
As the conversation moves on, I see Eve begin to relax.
Ethan discusses something business related, but I’m barely paying attention.
I can’t stop myself from stealing glances at Eve throughout dinner.
The way she laughs at something Natalie says, how she tucks her hair behind her ear when she's thinking, the subtle shift in her posture when she leans closer to me.
When did I start memorizing these things?
By the time dinner ends and we’re heading to the parking lot, Ethan lingers behind. “You should bring her to see Mom and Dad. They’ll like her.” I open my mouth to say something, but he’s already striding towards Natalie as the valet brings the car around.
As soon as we’re in my car and pulling out onto the road, I spot Luis’s vehicle idling behind us.
“He’s still there,” Eve whispers.
“I know.” I start the engine. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
The drive to her apartment feels longer than it should. Luis follows the whole way, not even trying to hide it anymore. The boldness of it makes my blood run cold.
I park and walk with Eve to her building.
Luis has turned off his car lights, but he is still there.
Backing Eve against the door, I hear her gasp, and I murmur, “Stay still.” My hand cups her face, thumb brushing her cheekbone, and she makes this small sound in the back of her throat that drives me mad.
Her hands fist in my shirt, pulling me closer.
I can feel her heart racing under my palm as I slide my hand to her waist.
“Caleb,” she breathes against my lips.
“Ssh, he’s watching,” I whisper. Her body stiffens, and then she winds her hand in my hair pulling me closer. Our kiss is a performance, but it doesn’t seem that way. My pants are uncomfortable as I pull away, and I whisper, “Fuck it. I’m coming inside.”
Her laughter is breathy. “You’re so easy.”
“You won’t be laughing when I’m having my way with you.”
My threat has her chuckling. “If you say so.” She turns around and opens the building door. Luis is all but forgotten as we make her way to her apartment.
I’ll worry about him later.
* * *
As the launch grows closer, every day brings new deadlines, emergency meetings, and the kind of stress that makes everyone’s shoulders permanently hunched.
The Serastra campaign is consuming our lives.
Twelve-hour days have become the norm, and the marketing floor after sunset looks like a disaster zone of coffee cups, takeout containers, and people who’ve forgotten what sunlight feels like.
But there’s one benefit to this madness that I’m not complaining about.
Eve and I have fallen into a routine. We’re usually the last ones to leave—sometimes by choice, sometimes because the work literally won’t let us go.
Most nights, we don’t finish until close to ten, and I’ve gotten into the habit of dropping her home and then just staying over.
It started as practical—I’m too tired to drive back to my place, and her apartment is closer to the office anyway.
But if I’m being honest, leaving her after we’ve spent the entire day together feels wrong somehow.
Tonight’s different, though. For once, we’re actually ahead of schedule.
“Is it just me, or does eight p.m. feel obscenely early to be leaving?” Eve asks, shutting down her laptop with a satisfied click.