The night unfolded, and Eva informed Barron that she enjoyed the dinner, but it wasn't enough to make her forget the restaurant's minor flaws.
Eva then meets up with Edward at her usual hangout, Bellambrosia, before heading straight home.
"One glass of whiskey for me," Edward ordered from the bartender. "How about you?"
Before returning her gaze to Edward, Eva cast a glance at the bartender, who was patiently awaiting her order.
"I'm not going to drink tonight."
"Why not?" Edward exclaimed.
"I had red wine earlier at Barron's restaurant," she answered.
"Alright." Edward glanced at the bartender again. "That would be my order. Thank you."
The bartender proceeds to make the drink.
"So, what was Barron's reaction when he finally saw you again after all these years?" Edward couldn't help but ask while waiting for his drink.
"I don't know... and I don't care," Eva replied.
He nodded as he gently bit his lower lip.
He doesn't understand what's been going on with Eva ever since he got to be with her. It's like she's corrupted by the passing of her parents.
"Have you ever, for even the slightest, regretted what you did ten years ago?"
"What exactly did I do?" Eva glanced at him with her usual resting bitch face.
"Leaving and not saying goodbye," Edward answered. "Abandoning our friends like they're some kind of stray animal."
Eva remained silent, her gaze averted from him. Edward couldn't help but sigh as he thought about what he'd been through mentally and emotionally.
"To be honest, Eva, I regret coming with you and leaving the other guys in the shadows," he continued.
"Don't act as if I didn't warn you not to come with me," she responded, and he fell silent.
The tense mood between the two quickly dissipates when the bartender finally serves Edward's drink. And seeing a glass of red wine with it confused him.
"I'm sorry, but I believe I didn't order this drink," Edward referred to the glass of red wine.
"On the house?" Eva asked.
"Yes. The drink is on the house and it's for her," with a hand gesture toward Eva, the bartender answered.
The bartender entertains another customer before Edward could even inquire about the red wine classification.
So, Eva took the glass and gently swirled the wine in the glass. Then, she got her nose close enough to the rim of the glass, taking a big whiff of the wine's aromas. Finally, she took a small sip without swallowing the liquor right away.
She rolled the red wine around her tongue for a moment before completely swallowing it.
"So?" Edward checked on her.
"It's Chergausan Rouge," she replied. "And it surprises me that they have been serving it here for almost two years, which is how long I have been visiting this bar."
"Damn. I thought you're only famous with restaurant owners," Edward joked.
The way the bartender knew the precise wine Eva liked to drink is somehow disturbing. However, it's also possible that Eva's fame extends beyond dining establishments to bars.
Eventually, it was already way past midnight when Eva felt utterly wasted. She shouldn't have drunk another glass of Chergausan Rouge after dealing with two at Barron's restaurant.
"I want my chocolate..."
Edward was confused by Eva's sudden statement.
"What chocolate? There's no chocolate."
"MY CHOCO—!"
"Alright. That's it. I'm taking you home," the scrawny secretary told her as he got up from his chair and assisted her in leaving the bar.
On their way to Edward's car, Eva suddenly tripped and was about to fall out of her balance. Fortunately, he quickly caught her hand and pulled her towards him.
"Come on. Let's get you in the car," he told her, and she was somewhat tipsy enough to reject him.
Edward eventually brought Eva home to her officetel apartment, a combination of an office, house, and hotel.
Due to his genuine concern that she lives alone, he is the only person who is informed of the address and has a spare key for her apartment.
He left his car seat and made his way out to the side of the car where Eva was seated, still asleep.
"Eva, wake up. We're already in front of your apartment." He opened the car door and tried to wake her.
However, the woman was too snarky, perhaps due to her intoxication. With her eyes still closed, she slapped Edward's hands away from her and madly exhaled.
"There's no way I'm going to let you sleep in my car," Edward warned her. "Whether you're my boss or not, I don't care."
Eva remained motionless except when she opened her eyes and fixed her gaze slightly higher on the secretary's way.
"Come on, Eva. I'm too tired to deal with... this!" he exclaimed, rubbing his completely exhausted eyes.
Eva suddenly cupped both of his cheeks, interrupting and shocking him. It was his first time to see her look both insane and beautiful.
Then, she uncupped his cheeks and pointed her forefinger, one by one, at his face. His soft-looking yet intensely staring eyes and long, straight nose all caught her attention.
"Why do you look prettier than me, huh?" she asked before giggling.
"You're the prettiest," he answered, parting the cocoa-colored hair away from her face.
She smirked at him as if she were completely sane before dragging her thumb all the way down to his attractive plump parted lips.
Her eyes were all focused while gently touching them, and she said, "I wish I could have these lips."
Her nonsense talk made Edward fall silent or at least made his cheeks blush. It's a wonderful thing to happen at night when nobody could possibly witness it because that would be embarrassing.
As he observed the inebriated yet enticing Eva, Edward noticed, for some strange reason, that his heart was beating rapidly.
The woman continues to touch his bottom lip as an odd sensation spreads through his body. That is, until she carefully slipped her thumb into his mouth.
At first, Edward didn't understand. The reason being that he had never done such a thing before with anyone, mostly not with his lifelong best friend. In addition, she was his only female friend.
He was unsure of how to respond. Should he react to the growing sexual drive he's having?
Meanwhile, Eva started grinning with her kinkiness while watching him gently suck her thumb.
She couldn't help but laugh deep inside by just thinking about the possible question that might pop inside Edward's head: "What the hell does this even do for her?"
Sucking is common for women to do with their men. But this time, Eva takes control of her guy. No lady is restricted from enjoying the effects of a blowjob just because she cannot have one.
The small nibbles and gentle caress of Edward's tongue were incredibly stimulating for Eva, that all she could do was to breathe heavily for what was about to come.
He actually enjoys it when things get heated, something she is unaware of. Although he craves taking the initiative, not this time.
With her signaling touches, such as her other hand working on rubbing his wrist, it was too late for Edward to pull back after finally leaning in and kissing her lips.
Eva gasps into his mouth from the lack of breath and is startled by the intimacy despite being inebriated, but still finds it pleasurable.
The muffled sound that emanates from Edward's throat causes the atmosphere to tense up more as he is reminded of his gift to Eva for her 18th birthday.
Imagine getting turned on by the subtle and delicious vanilla buttercream scent of a lip balm.
Leaning heavily into the kiss, his jaw is tilted hard on her like he wants to dive in deep.
She clutches at his arms, which have somehow wrapped around her body; his right hand begins to support her back, fingers brushing her hair and massaging her scalp so tenderly that she can't help giving a small moan.
His left hand remained supportive of her waist, and she nearly melted at the feeling of being wrapped up in him.
As he devoured her soft lips, she couldn't resist a little hair pull action, which almost caused him to go into a craze.
At the same time, his teeth close around her bottom lip, and they both draw away from each other as a result of her involuntary jolt.
Edward eases back, leaving both of them panting as they lock eyes again. The look on his face was like he was searching for something in Eva's face which, on the other hand, looked slutty and confused.
"I—I don't think we should be doing this, Eva," he spoke to her with seeming shyness.
"Why not?" Eva grinned at him again with flushed cheeks.
"I have something to tell you…"