The drive back from the office was shrouded in an awkward silence. Jane kept her eyes fixed on the road, her grip on the steering wheel tight, and her gaze very confused and was practically bursting with questions and curiosity, unable to contain herself any longer. On The other hand Evelyn's cheeks were flushing red.
After a few minutes of excruciating silence, Jane decided to break it, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"How?" Jane inquired, her curiosity piqued.
Evelyn let out a long sigh, her voice laced with frustration. "I don't know!" she replied, her tone almost bordering on despair.
Jane couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. "Gosh, woman! I think that visit to the forest has seriously stirred up your stars. How do you manage to run into one problem and then end up in the embrace of the professor? It's like something out of a romance novel."
Evelyn groaned, her hands clenching the steering wheel. "I know, right! First, that stupid man ruins my day, and then the professor appears out of nowhere in such a place. It's just impossible!"
Jane decided to get to the bottom of things. "By the way, how did you spill your coffee again?" she asked, her tone more serious now.
Evelyn sighed and began explaining, her voice dramatic. "Okay, so I was sitting in the waiting room, and I felt like having a cup of coffee. I went around the building looking for a spot to get it, but there wasn't any. So, I had to take the elevator and go to another floor. But on my way back, I got lost and started wandering around randomly. Then, I saw an elevator and decided to take it. When I pushed the button, the elevator doors opened like this." She demonstrated with her hands, mimicking the elevator doors.
Jane listened intently, nodding as her friend spoke. "And then? Was he holding the coffee cup?" she inquired.
Evelyn shook her head, slightly irritated. "No! I was holding the cup! Like I said, I went to get myself a coffee."
Jane chuckled. "Okay, okay, so you had the coffee, and then he took it and threw it over you!" She added a touch of playfulness to her voice.
Evelyn clicked her tongue, growing increasingly frustrated. "No! That's not what happened!"
Jane raised an eyebrow, amused. "Then what did happen?"
"Listen to me so I can finish my story first! You can ask questions afterward," Evelyn retorted.
"Alright, alright, go on," Jane agreed.
"So, the elevator door opened like this, and there was this man," Evelyn began, her voice filled with a dreamy quality. "He was tall, mysterious, and handsome—"
Jane interrupted, her sarcasm at its peak. "If you're done gushing over the man, would you continue? Don't tell me you have a crush on him now? How many crushes can you have in a single moment?"
Evelyn's cheeks flushed with irritation. "When did I say I had a crush on him?! I was just explaining it to you so you don't feel left out, okay?"
"Okay, I'll believe you, for now. Continue," Jane said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Evelyn sighed and continued, "So, as I was staring at him, he decided to hit me with a flirty line or maybe... well, he asked me to stop staring at him like that." She corrected her earlier statement.
Jane, who knew Evelyn all too well, smirked knowingly. "Was it a flirty line, or did he ask you to stop staring at him like that?" she teased.
Evelyn sighed, relenting. "Alright, alright, he asked me to stop staring at him," she admitted. "But you know what he did? I was falling because of the elevator malfunctioning, and he could have saved me, but he stepped away! Can you believe that?!"
Jane burst into laughter. "What?!" She couldn't help but find the whole situation utterly comical.
Evelyn clenched her jaw, annoyed. "You think this is funny? He's an egotistic dude. He bumped into me back at the hospital as well and didn't even apologize. I still have my tailbone aching because of him," she hissed.
Jane shook her head sideways, finding it hard to wrap her head around Evelyn's string of misadventures. "And here I thought I was the careless one. But at least his presence gave you a chance to..." Jane trailed off, smirking mischievously.
Evelyn punched her friend's arm, blushing profusely. "Stop it!" She pulled the professor's coat tightly around herself.
Jane continued, her voice laden with sarcasm. "Yeah, yeah! Wrap it tightly around yourself and imagine the professor again tonight, okay?" She couldn't resist poking fun at Evelyn.
Evelyn's face grew even redder as she suddenly thought of her professor's embrace earlier. "You know, it felt really nice," she mumbled dreamily. "He was so muscular and sexy. I wouldn't trade anything for that hug." Her words trailed off as she blushed furiously.
Evelyn slowly drove into the driveway of her house, a heavy feeling of unease settling in her stomach. She climbed out of the car but paused, her gaze fixed on her home. The building, which had always been a place of comfort, now seemed to ooze an ominous aura, and she couldn't help but shudder.
"Umm... Jane?" Evelyn called out hesitantly.
Jane got out of the car as well and leaned against it, waiting for her friend to speak. "Yeah?"
Evelyn took a deep breath, her eyes still on the house. "What about I come over to your place tonight? I don't feel very comfortable staying here for now." The memories of yesterday's intrusion were still fresh in her mind, making her stomach churn.
Jane considered the request for a moment. "Yeah, sure," she replied, a hint of hesitation in her voice. "Oh, wait, my dad's calling." Jane answered the incoming call, her face contorting into a pained expression as if she knew what was coming.
Evelyn's face wrinkled with sympathy as she listened to her friend's side of the conversation. "Yes, Dad?" Jane said, her tone clipped.
"Did you take my car—AGAIN?!!" her father's voice boomed through the phone.
"Dad, it was an emergency! I'm bringing it back right now. Just give me ten minutes, okay?" Jane pleaded.
"Ten minutes it is. If you're late, I'll ground you for this month!" he threatened before ending the call.
Jane let out a breath of relief, her shoulders relaxing. She was already an adult, but she hadn't moved out of her parents' house, as they wanted her to stay with them. They treated her like a child, even though she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
"So—" Evelyn began, her confusion evident.
"So what? Get yourself something more presentable to wear, not something like this," Jane gestured at Evelyn's current questionable attire. "And pack up your stuff. Come over to my place. It's not like you need a permission slip to visit."
Jane started the car again. "I'll be off. My dad will kill me if I don't get home in ten minutes."
"Okay, you hurry. I'll pack up my stuff and make my way to your place. Drive safely," Evelyn replied, waving at her friend as she drove off. She watched Jane's car disappear down the road, a sense of disappointment lingering in the air.
Buzz-Buzz...
Evelyn's phone rang, and she quickly pulled it out to see her grandma's call. The sudden call made her chest warm up, and she sat down on one of the elevated platforms beside her house's gate before answering. "Nana!" she exclaimed.
"Nana, my foot! Why didn't you come to see me at the hospital? I was feeling so lonely!" her grandma grumbled, trying to sound like an old brat.
"Huh?! You and alone? Are you sure, Nana?" Evelyn asked skeptically, giving her grandma a chance to reveal the truth about her new boyfriend.
"Of course, I was lonely! Who else is here to give me company?" her grandma retorted.
"Nana! I came by yesterday and saw you with a guy, all smoochy and intimate. Don't try to act innocent," Evelyn stated, her tone teasing.
There was a deep silence on the other end. "Oh goodness, you found out?" her grandma finally admitted.
"Of course, I did. You two were displaying your love so openly; I couldn't help but notice. Next time when you're going to be intimate with someone's grandpa, please do it in private," Evelyn teased.
"Stop it!" her grandma scolded. "I called you to let you know that I promised Mr. Barnet that as long as we're at the villa, you'll take care of his puppy."
"Huh? Me and take care of a puppy?! Nana, I can't even take care of myself, let alone a puppy!" Evelyn protested, her voice filled with disbelief.
"I don't know anything about that. He'll send it over anytime, so make sure you're at home to receive it and take care of it," her grandma instructed.
"But—Toot, toot, toot," Evelyn was cut off as her grandma abruptly ended the call. She was utterly confused by her grandma's sudden and rash behavior. "Did she just hang up on me? Gosh, love does change people," Evelyn mused, shaking her head.
Rustle...
"Huh?" Evelyn, still lost in thought after her conversation with her grandma, suddenly heard the crisp sound of leaves rustling. It sounded as if something had just walked into the nearby bushes and was stepping on the dried leaves. Her curiosity piqued,