Chapter 3

When we got to the café, Amari was already at the entrance.

She spotted me, then clocked Evan, and her jaw literally hit the floor.

She yanked me aside the second she could. "Holy crap! That's the neighbor who's been feeding you? He's so handsome."

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"So, what's the deal with you two?"

"He offered to walk me here."

Evan gave Amari a polite nod and then turned back to me. "I'll be nearby. Text me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the rain.

Amari watched him go with a mischievous smirk. "Susan, I swear he's into you. Did you see the way he looked at you? His eyes were dripping with sweetness, like melted honey."

Melted honey? Was she for real?

I shook my head and walked into the café, finally spotting Amari's blind date and the "friend" he'd brought along.

When I finally saw who it was, I froze.

It was Charlie.

The second he clocked me, a smug, trashy smirk crawled onto his face.

"Susan? Long time no see. I'm surprised you've got the balls to show up in public." He made sure to say it loud enough for the neighboring tables to catch every word.

Amari flew into a rage.

"Charlie, shut your mouth," she snapped.

"I'm telling the truth." Charlie leaned back and crossed his legs, totally unbothered. "Who was the one thirsty enough to chase me but acting like some innocent saint now?"

Did I chase him? I literally thought walking to the door to pick up DoorDash was a cardio workout. Why would I exert that much energy on a guy?

Did I lose my mind or something?

Amari was vibrating with rage. She snatched up a glass of water from the table, ready to dump it in Charlie's face.

I caught her arm in time.

Seriously, why should we waste the water on him? Plus, someone would have to mop that up. It was way too much drama.

I looked at Charlie and said calmly, "We need to talk."

He looked a bit amazed, probably wasn't expecting me to be this chill.

"Fine, let's talk," he agreed, following me to a quiet spot outside the café.

The rain had mostly turned into a drizzle by then.

"Susan, don't act like I don't know what you're about," Charlie said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall with disgust. "You're a gold digger. You only stayed with me for the money, right?"

For his money? This guy was making peanuts, and nearly his entire paycheck went to his mortgage. What was I supposed to be after? The ten dollars he had left for groceries?

"Delete the posts," I demanded, not bothering to argue with him.

"Why should I?" he sneered. "I want everyone to see the real you. Are you scared your new sugar daddy is gonna see the truth?"

"I'm not scared. It's a total drag," I sighed. "When you keep posting, my friend keeps calling to check on me. It's wrecking my sleep schedule."

Charlie stared at me like I'd started speaking an alien language.

"Susan, are you insane?" he snapped.

"Maybe." I nodded.

Then, a black umbrella appeared over my head.

I hadn't noticed Evan walking up.

He stood next to me, holding the umbrella with one hand and naturally draping his other arm over my shoulder.

His face was stone-cold, and his usually warm eyes looked like they'd turned to ice.

"Stay away from her," Evan told Charlie. His voice was low, with a tone that brooked no argument.

Charlie was visibly rattled for a second, but he quickly tried to play it cool. "Who are you? The new guy? Dude, you better watch out. This girl isn't as innocent as she looks."

Evan didn't give him the time of day. He looked down at me, his voice instantly softening. "Did he bother you?"

I shook my head.

Could being a total creep count as bothering?

"Let's get out of here," Evan said, keeping his arm firmly around me as we turned to walk away.

Charlie, clearly not done being a loser, shouted after us, "Susan, this isn't over."

*****

Evan didn't say a word the whole way back.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

I stole a glance at him. His jaw was clenched, and there was a darkness in his eyes I'd never seen before.

Was he mad?

If he were into me and my trash ex kept harassing me, he'd be mad.

Wait, into me? Where did this idea come from?

When we finally reached the apartment, Evan let me go.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"For what?" I was totally caught off guard.

"Did I freak you out back there?" He looked almost fragile, like he was genuinely worried I'd be scared of him.

Freak me out? Not a little. He looked kind of hot being all protective.

Obviously, there was zero chance of me saying that out loud.

I shook my head.

He let out a long breath and gave me a soft smile, slipping back into his usual "sweet neighbor" persona.

But for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that the cold, dangerous version of Evan was the one that was real.