Surely my closet isn’t that bad. Sure the color palette’s a little darker than most, but that’s just because I own twenty black sports bras and leggings. It’s not that I’m opposed to color; athleisure is just easier to match when it’s all black.
Evans pushes himself away from the counter and loops an arm through mine, dragging me out of the apartment.
“I get to pick all your clothes today,” he declares cheerfully.
I arch a brow. “You’re paying for them, too, right?”
He sends a glare at me.
“Don’t push it.”
***
As I predicted, Kayden wasn’t exactly happy about me skipping training this close to the semifinals, but after I explained to him how distressed Evans was, he was more than willing to let it go. Evans and I ended up making a quick stop at a drive-thru for a much needed ice-cream run before hopping over to the mall.
To my disdain, Evans proceeds to drag me to every single store that features a mannequin in their storefront, throwing me a heap of clothing to try on. I oblige him because it seems like he needs the distraction. And if trying on a gazillion dresses will get him to chill out, then I’ll gladly do it.
“Remind me to never to go dress shopping with you ever again,” I moan.
“Come on,” he insists. “Red is totally your color.”
“That’s what you said about blue. And gold. And green,”
I say begrudgingly as I slip into the red dress. Out of all the dresses I’ve tried on today, I think this might be my favorite.
It’s a sleek midi dress with a ruched detail on either hip, and it’s made from a stretchy, breathable material, making it easy to get it over my body. When I’m done, I push open the door to my dressing room and step out. “Here. How do I look?”
Evans is lounging lazily by the velvet chaise, aggressively dog-earring a men’s fashion magazine as if it’s his own.
When he realizes that I’m out of the dressing room, his head lifts slightly and a wry smile tugs on his lips when he sees me in the new outfit.
“Ravishing,” he murmurs, eyes scrolling up and down the length of my body. He clicks his tongue in approval. “If you walked into the apartment wearing this, Kayden would tear it off of you the second he saw you.”
“Probably not worth the purchase then,” I say amusingly as I glance at the whopping eighty-dollar price tag strung over the side zip. Dropping the tag, I lean a lazy arm over the frame of the dressing room and ask, “So . . . are you gonna tell me what’s been happening with you or are we gonna skirt around it like the problem isn’t there?”
Evans sighs, setting aside the magazine. He drops his legs onto the floor and rests his elbows over his thighs.
“Fine. If you must know, it’s about me and Brent.” He speaks in a defeated tone. A hand sifts through his mess of blond hair. “I really like him, Sienna. And this past week of being with him has been the most amazing week of my life.”
He drops his gaze to the floor, pausing before adding, “But my parents are coming to visit me tomorrow. And I’m not sure if I should tell them anything about it. I don’t know if I even want to because I know they won’t be happy about it.”
He lets out a frustrated sigh, burying his face in his hands like he just wants to shut off from the entire world. “And I know, I know I should embrace what I have with Brent and I shouldn’t let my parents’ approval dictate who I love and all that shit. But they’re my parents, you know? And they support me financially too. So it makes everything so fucking stressful. I just don’t know if I’m brave enough to go through all of that. And . . . I know no matter what decision I choose, I’ll end up hurting someone in the process.”
My lips pull into a frown at Evans’s tortured expression.
It is a rather tricky and difficult decision. And it clearly must have taken a lot for him to admit that. What a different man sitting in front of me today than the one I met two weeks ago.
I saunter over and sidle onto the chaise beside him, hoping I can provide some form of encouragement.
“I know how it feels to have a strained relationship with parents,” I say, clamping a hand over his shoulder. “You’re right. It’s not an easy decision to make. It’s going to be one of the toughest decisions you’re probably going to have to make. I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but I just want to say that I’ll support you no matter what you decide. But it’s your life, Evans. You should be able to live it however you want to. I just don’t want to see you sacrifice something so special with Brent and be unhappy for possibly the rest of your life. You might just hate yourself even more for it. And while you’re a pain in my ass sometimes, I quite like you the way you are right now.” I grow silent for a second, a half smile growing on my face. “You’re brave enough, Evans. You just haven’t had the chance to test out that bravery yet. I know you have it in you.”
Evans looks at me with the most earnest expression.
He nods at my advice, silently mulling over my words.
Eventually, he lets out a long breath and hoists himself up from the chaise, leaning a hip against the armrest.
“Thanks. That means a lot,” he says hoarsely. “Though I don’t know why I’m getting advice from a girl who seems to be doing the same thing as me—hiding.”