Eva hadn’t even noticed that she was crying throughout the entire time she was reading his letter. With one quick swipe of her arm, she wiped her tears, then read the letter again. She didn’t understand what he was referring to exactly. He sounded as mysterious as Amelie. However, she knew that her father wouldn’t be scared for no reason. He probably told her as much as it was safe for her to know, until he came.
The thought of him coming for her made her smile.
He’s coming back for me.
She put the letter down. Her father told her not to trust anyone. Did that include Bella? Or Dorian, Frey, or even Sebastian? She couldn’t tell. All she knew was that she didn’t want to be alone right now, even if that meant that she couldn’t share the best news of her life. That didn’t matter. She would just be around the people who made her happy and that would be enough.
Her first choice was, of course, Bella but Eva knew that on Tuesdays, Bella had band practice. She played the violin beautifully and was a much better musician than many others in the band, which was a fact she prided herself on, so Bella wouldn’t be returning for a while, even though official school hours had ended. She remembered Sebastian but she knew nothing about him. She didn’t know which dorm he was staying in, or anything about his classes or afterschool activities, apart from that one accusation by Bella, of course. But, Eva was too busy to contemplate any of that now. Her heart was so full of happiness that she felt she was about to burst and she needed to share it with someone.
Then, it hit her. Dorian had basketball practi
ce, and Frey might be at the swimming pool. Those two were sure guesses, and either of them would do. She was surprised to realize that, if asked who she would prefer out of the three of them, she wouldn’t be able to make up her mind. All three guys had completely different personalities, creating a different feeling deep inside of her. Exactly because they were so different, she couldn’t choose just one. She wanted all three.
Suddenly, she giggled at the thought.
All three. How silly.
But, she still toyed with the idea of how wonderful it would be to rise up out of this small town mentality she had always been surrounded by and just be allowed to love whoever she wanted. Even if that meant several people at the same time.
She pocketed her dad’s message, then grabbed her backpack, and rushed back to the school. Not knowing whether or not there would be many people watching the basketball practice, Eva opted to try the swimming pool first. Plus, she supposed that Katrina would be watching and she was the last person Eva wanted to see right now. She could forgive her the cracked lip, no problem, only if Katrina never spoke to her or bothered her again. Somehow, Eva doubted that would happen, but in the goodness of her heart, she was ready to let bygones be bygones.
Eva barged in through the door which led to the swimming pool. There were a few students in the water. Another few were drying off on the benches. Eva glanced around quickly, trying to find a familiar face.
“First, you’re underdressed to be here,” she suddenly heard a voice directed at her, “and now, you’re overdressed.”
Eva grinned, turning around to meet Frey’s face.
“Whoa, girl what happened?” he asked, his finger flying to her lip to touch it.
It didn’t even hurt this time. She weighed whether to tell him the truth or lie.
“Had a nasty meeting with Katrina,” she opted for the truth.
“That fucking bitch!” Frey snapped so loudly, that everyone around them turned to see what was going on.
Frey and Eva laughed, as if only the two of them were in on a conspiracy, and no one else had any idea.
“It’s okay, just leave it be,” Eva waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t come here to talk about her. I’m actually here to see you,” she told him, fully honest, which made her even more adorable.
“Seriously?” he asked. “Well, that’s nice. I’m actually done. Wanna wait for me to get ready? I’ll just be a minute.”
“Sure, take your time, I’ll wait,” she smiled back.
“Did something happen today?” he suddenly asked. “I mean, something good. You… you’re glowing.”
She could see it in his eyes how much he wanted to be with her. He took her by the hand, and she squeezed it back.
“I’m beaten up, but I’m glowing, yeah,” she replied, laughing.
“No, seriously.”
He cupped her chin with his other hand. For a second, Eva wondered if they should be doing this in public, for everyone to see. But then, she realized she had always been too busy fearing what others would say about her, what others would think about her. All that mattered was her own happiness, her own thoughts, her own satisfaction with her own actions and right now, she was happy to be here, his hand in hers.
“Well, something did happen. Something wonderful. But, it’s too early to talk about it. I just wanted to be with the people who make me happy. Like you and Dorian.”
The sound of his name made her blush. Frey noticed, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Do you want him to come with us?” he asked.