Before Travis left the library, he decided to speak to Jane, who was currently sitting back and touching up her makeup while waiting for security to arrive before she could leave.
'I'm definitely not getting paid enough for this,' she thought, sighing as she sat there. She glanced up and noticed Travis walking toward her.
"Oh, is the hunk looking for a number?" she teased, a smirk on her face.
Travis smiled back. "No, not trying to get Jenny to kill me anytime soon."
Jane chuckled. "So, what is it you want, or maybe *need*?" she asked, leaning forward slightly on the table between them.
Travis mirrored her motion, leaning in as well. "Well, I need a French dictionary."
Jane frowned. "That's unfortunate. But you know, you'll need to subscribe to the library for that," she said sarcastically, then added with a grin, "Well, that's what I tell the dummies. Just take a book. I'll sign you up for a library card."
Travis grinned at her joke and nodded. "Thanks, Jane. Appreciate it."
She winked. "Anytime, babe."
He walked over to the shelves and found a French dictionary, bringing it back to Jane. As he flipped through the pages, he noticed some were torn. He held it up to her, showing the damage, which made her pout.
"Ugh, I hate my job. We don't have any other French dictionaries in stock. So just hope you don't need any pages from that section," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, let's hope," he replied. "By the way, what's up with that computer room? There's a camera in there. Have you caught people doing you know what there?"
Jane smirked as she leaned in closer. "That's a secret. Fill this form out too. Don't forget to bring it tomorrow. Now leave before I pin you down on this table," she said playfully.
Travis chuckled and gave her a light slap on the boob. "I think it'd be vice versa," he joked before heading out. Jane clutched her breast, watching him leave with a mix of amusement and irritation.
'Jenny, you're going to forgive me for this,' she thought, shaking her head at the playful exchange.
Suddenly, a flashlight was shone in her face. "What are you doing, young lady?" an old, wrinkled man asked, his gaze piercing through the dim light.
Jane fumed, a vein popping on her forehead. 'I hate this job,' she thought, trying to muster a polite smile despite her frustration. "Just finishing up here," she replied, her tone strained.
...
After a short walk, they arrived at Mia's house. Travis watched as she snuck inside, and as soon as the door closed behind her, he started sprinting toward the park. A few moments later, he arrived and spotted Eve sitting on the fountain with a notebook, sketching something.
When she caught sight of him approaching, Eve raised her eyes, her expression lighting up with a bright smile. She set her things aside, lowered her headphones, and got up, her enthusiasm evident as she greeted him.
"Hey, Travis! I'm glad you made it! You came right on time too. I guess we'll stay here for about an hour before we leave," she said excitedly. He nodded in agreement.
"Sure, that's cool. Now, what are you drawing?" he asked as he sat down and picked up her drawing pad.
"Oh, it's just a rough sketch I just started," she said shyly. It was a nice drawing of a red-haired girl in a Superman flying pose, wearing a suit that resembled his own.
Travis recognized who this was; it was Eve's older sister.
"Wow, this is cool. Who is it?" he asked, genuinely impressed.
Eve smiled and replied, "It's my big sister, Grace."
"If that's how you see her, then she must be your role model or something," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you could say that," she said, her smile turning shy again.
"Tell me about yourself, Eve. Last I checked, I know absolutely nothing about you, except that you love and enjoy anime."
"Um, not sure where to start. How about my family? I live with my older sister; her name is Grace. She owns the tattoo place just across the street, and I also live there. My sister basically owns that whole building. I don't really have other family members—well, I did, but they all died in a car crash when I was young. My sister used the money they saved up to buy the building, and now we're pretty independent, I guess. Oh, we also live with a girl named Odette; she's pretty cool."
Travis listened intently, his heart aching for her loss but impressed by her sister's strength and their resilience. "It sounds like you two have built a really strong life together. Grace must be a great sister."
"Yeah, she is. Also, I expected you to say something like, 'That's a pretty sad origin story. I mean, are you planning to be Robin or something?'" she said with a chuckle.
"I was honestly thinking it, but I decided not to say it," he replied, laughing along with her.
Their laughter echoed through the park, lightening the mood even further. In that moment, the shared humor felt like a bridge, connecting their lives and experiences in a way that made them both feel understood and accepted.
"Well, I might as well be. What I'd do to have her Devil Fruit—without the drawbacks, of course," she said, a hint of longing in her voice.
"Yeah, that would be nice, but me personally, I'd take the Quake Quake Fruit any minute of the day," he replied, enthusiasm lacing his words.
"Damn, who are you trying to kill, Travis? I mean, I'm certain that you have no enemies, right?" she said with a smirk.
Travis smirked back and proceeded to dap her up. This playful exchange was one of the things that strengthened their connection—understanding each other's humor and how to react to anything said. Moments like these were rare, but they were also special; finding someone who shared the same views and interests felt like a twist of fate, reminding him that sometimes life works in strange and beautiful ways.
"You heard that *Rent-a-Girlfriend* is returning?" she asked.
Travis instantly cringed at the mention of it. "I hate that anime—well, more specifically, that anime's protagonist," he said, a hint of disgust in his tone.
Eve nodded in agreement, her expression serious as she added, "True, that dude Kazuya is such a beta. I mean, how the hell can he still want that girl after she left him? Plus, he can't even see that she's clearly just using him. The author must have some mental problems, because even the dumbest of guys know when someone is taking advantage of them."
"Facts, it's as if he was possessed by the same demon that makes those dudes in those NTR hentais and mangas not see anything or suspect anything when their girlfriend or wife is randomly exercising in the middle of the night or while she's supposedly at her parents' house. That literally makes no sense."
"That annoys me so much! Also, speaking of NTR, have you ever started reading a pornhwa, and in the very first chapter, the main character's girl or wife gets clapped by his boss or something? I freakin' hate that!"
"Bro, I've experienced that so many times. The one I hated the most is probably *Queen Bee*. That had me contemplating suicide," Travis admitted, shaking his head.
"Oh, luckily I read the comments before I even tried to read that! But before that, I was dumb and stumbled on *Silent War*. I was so young, and I saw so many things that I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have seen," Eve said, cringing at the memory.
"True that! But I ended up finishing that story. It wasn't the greatest, but I'd say it has great character development. Other than that, man, fuck that shit," Travis said, rolling his eyes.
They both laughed, sharing their mutual frustrations over cliched storylines, their camaraderie deepening with each relatable experience.
"Wow, you have a heart of steel. Enough of that, let's talk about some personal things, why don't we?" Eve smirked as she said this, and Travis returned the smirk with his own. He knew where this was going, and he liked it.
"Cool, so is it like a Q&A?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's do that. But let's put a twist on it: for each question you choose not to answer, you'll be dared by the person who asked it," she explained.
"Pretty cool rules. Well, let's get it!" he replied, excitement bubbling in his chest.
TO BE CONTINUED