Evelyn 12 - Shoes Off

The front door shut behind them with a soft metallic click, the sound oddly loud against the quiet stairwell. Elijah stood beside Evelyn, keys still in hand, heart racing more than he had anticipated. The hallway smelled faintly of old wood and someone's leftover takeout, and the dim yellow overhead lights warmed the worn, grey-colored walls.

Evelyn looked up the stairs with a little tilt of her chin. “Lovely building,” she said, almost humorously.

Elijah laughed softly, thumb brushing the back of his neck. “Sorry there's no elevator. It’s actually a renovated old manufacturing space.”

She glanced back at him as they began their ascent, heels clicking softly against the worn treads. “It’s lovely, really. A lot more charm than my overpriced hotel…” She took another few steps before adding, “Reminds me of my actual apartment.”

“Oh yeah?” Elijah quickened his pace to stay at her side. “When do I get to see that?”

Evelyn turned, a sly little smile on her lips. “Soon, if you play your cards right.”

Elijah grinned, "I'll be on my best behavior."

"But will I?" Evelyn countered playfully. The two laughed as they reached the landing.

The door to his unit stuck a bit before giving way to a forceful push.

“Home sweet home,” Elijah said, more sheepishly than he meant to. The place was modest, but no one was mistaking it for upscale living. The vinyl floors buckled under their feet, and one of the two bedroom doors clung desperately to one hinge. A poster of The Thing leaned against the wall under an old AC unit.

Evelyn stepped inside the entryway without hesitation. Her eyes flicked from the collection of shoes on the floor to the posters dangling next to shelves lined with collectible games and manga. A small smile curled her lips.

“It’s cute,” she said, turning to face him fully. “Shoes off?”

“Only if you want to.”

“No, shoes always off!” came a voice from the living room.

Evelyn turned slowly toward Elijah, one eyebrow arched. “Roommate?” she asked under her breath.

“Yeah,” Elijah said with a wide smile.

“Friendly roommate?” Evelyn pressed.

“A best friend, his name is Ryan.”

Evelyn nodded once. “Okay then. Shoes off.”

She bent with practiced grace and slipped out of her black heels, placing them neatly by the door. Elijah followed suit, toeing his off while trying not to stare at the way her mini skirt hugged her thigh.

They stepped into the living room and found Ryan was fully reclined on the couch, controller in hand, eyes locked on the screen. The glow from the TV lit his soft face in blue-white flashes, his hoodie bunching around his arms as he leaned forward and pushed his long hair out of his eyes.

“Who did you bring?” he asked, not breaking his focus. “Is that Val?”

Evelyn turned to Elijah with a look of playful suspicion. “Who’s Val?”

Elijah laughed. “Just my boss. She’s a cool person. Ryan, I want you to meet someone.”

Ryan glanced back.

Then did a double-take.

His character in-game died immediately. Blown away comically by a tank with a loud KRAKOW and a plume of fire. Ryan didn't even flinch. He just stared at Evelyn, dumbfounded.

“Ryan,” Elijah said, grinning. “This is Evelyn.”

“Hi,” Evelyn said, giving a slow, delicate wave of her fingers. Her smile was disarmingly warm, but Elijah had expected nothing less.

Ryan gulped as he nodded slowly.

“H-hey.”

His voice cracked. Evelyn bit back a smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before stepping closer to the couch. She moved with performative grace, the same smooth, practiced motions Elijah had watched during Ivan's party.

“What game are you playing?” She asked gently, looking over her shoulder at Elijah with a devilish grin.

“Uh… Lancer Squad 3. It's a tactical shooter…”

Ryan’s eyes snapped back to the screen as several rounds flew past his character with a loud snap.

Evelyn moved to sit beside him, nodding solemnly.

“Hmm. Looks interesting.” The couch cushions sank under her weight, her bare thigh touching his lightly. Ryan shot upright at her touch, and when Evelyn angled toward him, he turned bright red. She draped one arm lazily over the back of the couch, her fingers close to the back of Ryan's neck. She tilted her head and parted her lips slightly, gaze fixed on the screen like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“How do you win?” She asked.

Ryan swallowed audibly. “Uh… well, you need to keep with your squad. You lose cohesion and... uh... you’ll get pinned down, and it gets harder to…uh…”

His words trailed off into the static hum of the game’s loading screen as Evelyn pressed closer. Pushing into him playfully. Sweat formed on his face as his eyes darted between her and the screen.

Evelyn’s breast pressed into Ryan's arm as her long fingernails just barely touched the nape of his neck. Close enough for her perfume to sweep over him.

Elijah leaned against the doorframe and tried not to smile. Evelyn was doing that thing again. The thing he’d seen her do at the party. At the restaurant. That smooth, disarming flirt reduced men down to blinking, blushing wrecks.

But this felt different.

Softer. Warmer. Almost sweet.

It felt like she was trying to get to know Ryan; she just didn’t know how else to do it.

Ryan had stopped playing, as if caught under a spell. The game had respawned him, and his character stood idle.

Exposed.

Evelyn watched the screen for a moment, then turned to Ryan again with wide, curious eyes.

“You said something about cohesion?” she asked gently.

Ryan looked like he forgot how to swallow as he glanced at Elijah nervously, then back to the TV.

“R-right, yeah... It’s really about how well you can work with your teammates...”

Ryan’s character began to move.

Elijah bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

He wasn't sure what was more humorous, how smitten Ryan was, or how oblivious Evelyn seemed to be to her conversational approach. He had to admit, the two made quite the pairing. The way she encouraged him when he took an objective, pressing her body next to his as a reward. The way her undivided interest encouraged him to speak further. How the playful bumps against Ryan’s arm helped him relax.

It would’ve made any man feel like the most important person in the world.

And Evelyn, to her credit, didn’t seem to be performing.

She wasn’t coiling her words in innuendo or teasing to provoke.

She was trying to connect.

Elijah watched her profile as she spoke, following her fluttering lashes, the small curl of her lip when she laughed at Ryan’s innocent jokes. She shifted on the couch again, and her skirt caught high along her thigh, revealing the faint shadow of a garter strap that connected to her stocking.

Ryan definitely noticed.

And so did Elijah.

For a half second, he wondered if she’d worn those for him.

Then Evelyn turned toward Elijah with a little smile.

The same smile she gave him at the party. The same call of affection from across the room.

The same eyes searching for his approval.

Elijah’s heart caught behind his ribs as he gave her a gentle smile and nod.

“And then if you equip the radio perk, you get the mini-map. Which, honestly, is kind of broken. You get such a good understanding of where everyone is, it's almost unfair…” Ryan said, his fingers twitching over the controller.

Evelyn nodded, legs crossed tightly, her chin resting on the heel of her palm. Her eyes stayed on the screen, but her posture leaned into Ryan, like the game’s flow depended on how close their bodies were.

“Oh wow, so there's a lot of thinking involved.”

Ryan laughed, soft and bashful. “Yeah… a lot, honestly.”

“That must mean you're smart, huh?” she said, her voice smooth and teasing. She shifted her black hair over one shoulder, exposing her elegant neck to Ryan. The shimmering strands framed her face just as her teeth caught her bottom lip.

Ryan glanced at her, becoming transfixed in her gaze.

His character was blown away once again.

“I mean, yeah... I’m pretty smart...” Ryan said as Evelyn leaned in, her lips hovering near his.

And she looked right at Elijah. “That’s pretty hot, honestly. Cute nerds are my weakness.”

He blinked.

She smiled.

Elijah wasn’t sure what to make of it. The way she glanced at him while leaning just a little closer to Ryan, her voice warm, inviting.

Dipping into something deeper. Something Sensual and practiced.

It was effortless. Like this was a second language. One she couldn’t stop speaking, even when she was trying to be good.

And she was being good. Elijah could see it.

And Ryan was blooming under her attention.

He cracked one of his ridiculous one-liners. Something about spawning too early and regretting it, and Evelyn burst into laughter. A real one. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled brightly and touched his shoulder.

Then, with almost imperceptible ease, her fingers trailed down his arm.

Elijah felt his chest tighten.

She might actually be serious about sleeping with his friends.

That realization terrified him as much as it turned him on.

“So that’s when I usually would want to lock down the objective point, right?” Ryan said, eyes never leaving the screen. “But, what people don't know is that if you wait for armor backup, your squad automatically gets a defense boost.”

“What?!” Evelyn shouted, throwing her hands in the air as a tank exploded on the screen. A bloom of smoke filled the corner of the map. “God, that was so satisfying.”

Ryan grinned. "Yeah, it's great when a plan comes together."

“You are so good at this, Ryan,” Evelyn said.

Elijah watched his friend’s face light up, confidence and happiness blending into something he rarely saw in Ryan. Elijah had to hand it to her; Evelyn was incredible at this. At seeing people. At making them feel like the most interesting person in the world.

As Ryan and Evelyn laughed together, her phone buzzed. When she pulled it out to check it, her smile dimmed as her thumb hovered over the screen.

She sighed, barely audible, but it was enough to catch both Elijah and Ryan’s attention.

“Everything alright?” they asked at the same time.

Evelyn looked up slowly. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, I suppose so.” She stood, smoothing her skirt as she glanced toward Elijah. “When are your other friends arriving?”

“Maybe twenty minutes?”

Evelyn clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and let out a breath. “Darn. I might have to meet them another time then. I have something to tend to.”

“Aww man, you're leaving already?!” Ryan's eyes widened as he glanced at Elijah and cleared his throat. “I mean... because you won’t be able to meet everybody...”

Evelyn turned to him, lowering herself just slightly, voice dipping again. “Guess we’re going to have to wait till next time to really get to know each other.”

Ryan flushed crimson. Elijah watched his friend seize as his nervous system shorted.

Then she turned toward Elijah, and everything softened.

She walked over to him with quiet steps, her arms winding around his neck as she pressed her body close to his.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said gently.

“Is it work?” Elijah asked.

“Yes and no,” she replied, pressing her finger lightly to the tip of his nose. A little boop that made his heart catch. “Something came up last minute. I need to sort it out.”

“Well, if you need me to come…”

She shook her head, brushing her fingers down the lapel of his hoodie. “I’ll be alright. Enjoy your guy time.”

She pulled him close and kissed him deeply. Ryan looked away in awkward silence, returning his attention to the TV screen. Evelyn pulled away and planted another kiss on Elijah’s cheek.

“I’ll text you later?” he asked, quietly hopeful.

Evelyn smiled. Not the bottle girl smile, not the flirty one she used on Ryan.

It was the smile she saved for him alone.

“Please do.”

She turned toward the couch again, calling over her shoulder. “Goodbye, Ryan!”

“See ya!” he called back, voice a pitch higher than normal. His eyes followed her every step as she bent to slip her heels back on, the curve of her thighs fixing him in place.

His character died once more.

Evelyn stood up, turned to them both, and blew a kiss, then headed out the door.

The silence settled like dust.

Ryan turned slowly to Elijah, still dazed, mouth open.

“Dude…” he said, voice hushed.

“I know,” Elijah replied, smiling like a fool.

Ryan let out a breath and shook his head, still grinning.

“I’m happy for you, man. Now play this game with me.”

Elijah dropped onto the couch beside him. “Alright.”

The controller buzzed in his hand.

But his mind stayed at the door, still gazing at Evelyn's smile.

--

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