Chapter 5
When Evan Parker joined the table, it was like watching the king take his throne. Celine and Chloe were practically throwing themselves at his feet, and Evan? He couldn't care less. That only seemed to make Chloe more determined.
Wendy nudged Sarah, her whisper tickling my ear, "Think Chloe's got a shot with him?"
Sarah chewed on her straw, disinterested in playing Cupid's assistant. "No idea."
We settled back into the rhythm of the night. Flirtations flew like arrows, laughs were shared like secrets, and Cameron Davis, restless as a cat on a hot tin roof, leaned into Evan, teasing him about his just-rolled-out-of-bed look.
"Just woke up, huh?"
Evan simply hummed in response.
"Did Sarah cook your dinner?"
Another hum.
"Why don't you say hi to her?"
Evan chuckled, "Does she look like she wants to say hi?"
Cameron smirked, "To an outsider, you guys might seem like you're fighting..."
Evan's response was a cold, sarcastic laugh. He leaned back, stretching his long legs under the table, accidentally bumping into Sarah's knee. Sarah flinched and shot him a confused look.
With her straw still in her mouth, her lips red, she had an innocent, almost pitiful look on her face.
Evan raised an eyebrow, his voice cold and indifferent. "What are you looking at?"
Sarah pouted and stomped on the ground. Under the table, she stepped on his foot. "Oops." She replied, sorry not sorry.
Evan: "..."
After a moment of silence, he laughed.
His laugh was a devilish purr, a nocturnal feline toying with its prey. His chuckles echoed around the table, demanding attention like a stage spotlight.
"What's got you grinning like a Cheshire cat?" Chloe Miller asked, her curiosity pricked.
Evan Parker merely arched an eyebrow, a silent challenge, before retracting his long legs, his smirk dissolving as he casually swiped through his phone.
Sarah Hayes tore her gaze away from his handsome profile, her ears flaming despite the cool evening air. She inhaled deeply, attempting to regain composure.
Wendy Manson, her chin resting on her hand, shot Sarah a knowing look. Sarah responded with a rueful smile. Wendy gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
That night, after a late-night drinking session, they returned to their dorms. Eric's phone remained silent, devoid of any message from Wendy. Similarly, Chloe failed to get Evan's number.
Cameron Davis, however, managed to get Sarah's number. As Sarah was freshening up, her phone buzzed with messages from him. She glanced at it briefly before deciding to ignore it.
Cameron persisted, texting: "Hey, old classmate, say something."
The next morning, his messages were still piling up. She chose to ignore them all.
At nine, Sarah grabbed her books and headed for her microeconomics lecture. Wendy, whose class was nearby, accompanied her.
On their way, Wendy casually asked, "Did he give you a hard time last night?"
Sarah shook her head, "No."
Wendy smirked, "Evan looks like trouble. My advice? Don't fall for him. If you're looking for a man, find a guy who's a bit more... reliable."
Sarah smiled, her mind drifting to a long-cherished but vanished love...
Sarah turned the tables on Wendy, asking, "What about Eric? Any sparks?"
Wendy waved her off, "He's just a kid. Nothing serious."
Sarah laughed, envying Wendy's nonchalance.
After class, they parted ways. Sarah's afternoon was free, and she decided to head to Huadong New District. Wendy, on the other hand, had to rush to her office.
Wendy proposed, "Let's hit the pool club tonight. It's been ages since I played."
Sarah agreed, setting up a time for Wendy to pick her up.
As Wendy's Tesla sped away, Sarah dialed Evan's number.
His deep voice echoed in her ear, "What's up?"
Sarah hesitated before asking, "Do we have any vegetables at home?"
Evan replied lazily, "Nope. You'll have to grab some. We'll have lunch, and then I'm heading out."
"Okay," Sarah agreed, hanging up before he could add anything else.
She headed to the local market in the old city to pick up some groceries.
Evan Parker sprawled on his designer couch, his gaze locked on the lifeless phone screen, a low growl of annoyance rumbling from his chest. The nerve... She'd hung up on him before he could even mention the six-pack that was calling his name from the corner store. He contemplated firing her, the thought as tantalizing as a swipe right with a promise of no strings attached.
When Sarah breezed back in with the eco-friendly tote bags bulging with greens, Evan was still lounging, the embodiment of bored luxury. He eyed her with the lethargy of a lion assessing a gazelle. But she just ghosted past him, into the kitchen, her silence a challenge he wasn't sure he wanted to accept.
The kitchen became her battlefield, the spicy beef curry her foe. As she wrestled with the meal, a sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, the heat from the stove battling the midday sun in a war over which could kiss her skin more fervently. By the time she plated the food, the clock had betrayed her—it was way past lunchtime.
The living room held its breath, waiting. Sarah set the table, the clink of cutlery a soft symphony in the stillness. But Evan didn't move, his presence an unspoken dare. She called his name, her voice tiptoeing around the silence, only to find him lost to the world, asleep.
As she stood over him, his face was a study in contrasts—soft in slumber, yet etched with the hard lines of authority. She remembered their first encounter, the way his eyes had danced with a devilish spark, how they'd met hers and left her heart stuttering like a bad internet connection.
But reality had a cruel way of snapping back, and as she leaned closer, her breath a whisper, their eyes met—his suddenly wide open. In that electric moment, the only audience is to her racing pulse. A strand of her hair fell over her cheek.A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, slipping down her chin, and under Evan Parker's intense gaze, it splashed onto the floor.
Evan's voice cut through the tension, sharp and impatient, "What are you gawking at?"
Jerked back to reality, Sarah's reaction was instinctive, her defense mechanism kicking in with the force of a blocked user. She grabbed a jacket from the back of the couch, flinging it at his face, "Lunch is ready." her voice a mix of nerves and defiance.
Caught off guard, he was momentarily hidden behind the fabric, his eyes a mix of surprise and something unreadable. When he tossed aside the jacket, she had already vanished from his sight.
Her departure was as abrupt as a notification sound in a quiet room, leaving him alone with the spicy dish.
He took a bite of the spicy beef curry.
It was perfectly spiced.
As he was about to bit into the fiery food, his phone buzzed.
He returned to the living room and picked up the phone from the coffee table.
"Sophia Alderwood" flashed on the screen.
He flopped back into the armchair and accepted the call.
But he didn't speak.
Sophia's tear-choked voice filled the silence, "You finally picked up my call."
"Why are you weeping at this hour?" Evan Parker questioned, running a hand through his hair, exasperated.
"Why am I crying? Don't you know?" Sophia weeping intensified, a crescendo of heartbreak and accusation.
Evan's patience was a threadbare connection, ready to snap. "I haven't had dinner yet. If you've got something to say, spit it out."
"Have you stopped loving me?" Sophia accused. He hadn't called her since she left the country, and he never answered when she called.
Evan lit a cigarette. He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture as dismissive as a swipe down to refresh a feed. After a moment, he let out a cold chuckle, "We've broken up. Isn't it normal to fall out of love?"
"Evan Parker-"
As Sophia's anguished cry echoed from the other end, Evan Parker hung up.
-
Sarah's return to her slice of quaint suburbia was marked by the hum of her fridge and the sizzle of stir-fry. Her afternoon was a blur of academia, but the evening promised a different kind of education.
Wendy, her ride-or-die in high heels, pulled up with a grin and a plan. They hit up a trendy Japanese spot where Sarah double-tapped on grilled delights, her appetite as fierce as her latest Insta post.
Post-sushi, they ventured into the smoky den of a billiard hall. Alex Steele, the proprietor with a buzzcut and a smirk, made his presence known, his Instagram-worthy biceps flexing as he offered his 'expertise'.
Wendy, a selfie queen with a competitive streak, was all in. "Got a hotshot who can break it down for us?" she purred, her eyes a challenge.
Alex, ever the showman, nominated himself for Wendy, while promising a suitable tutor for Sarah. The stage was set for a night of cues and quips.
Sarah, in the meantime, was content to be a spectator, nibbling on deserts and sipping a cocktail as Wendy scrolled and gossiped. Yet, the pull of the green felt was a siren call. She remembered the days when the clack of billiard balls was the soundtrack to her dreams of impressing Evan Parker, the boy with the steely gaze and a break shot that could shatter hearts.
She'd even convinced her father to convert their home gym into a pool room.But sadly, her stint lasted less than two months...
Sarah chuckled under her breath, reminiscing about Evan's expression earlier that day.
Their dynamic was certainly peculiar.
She was playing dodgeball with him.
And he was playing defense against her.
*
As Wendy stepped away to take a call, Sarah's boredom morphed into action. She reached for a cue, the weight familiar and foreign all at once. She lined up a shot, the cue a lance aimed at the door, which chose that moment to open.
Evan Parker, the very subject of her high school fantasies, sauntered in. The cue stick, once a bridge to a shared past, became a weapon pointed at his heart. The moment shattered, cue clattering to the felt, as Sarah's pulse quickened. "You...?" she stammered, the question hanging between them like a pending friend request.
Evan, cool as a trending hashtag, arched an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame. "Looks like I'm your coach for the evening."
