Evaline:
The second the clock on the wall struck two, I reached for my phone and hit the call icon beside Mallory’s na. She picked up on the second ring, her voice laced with surprise.
"Eva? Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?"
I smiled at the sound of her voice. "I am... or I was. But River’s nowhere to be seen, and I haven’t been assigned any new files, so I figured I would take the chance to breathe a little. And maybe make plans."
She gasped dramatically. "Wait - your boss hasn’t shown up at all?"
"Nope," I replied, popping the ’p.’
"That explains the sudden free ti," she chuckled. "So what’s the plan? You sound like you are up to sothing."
"Well," I leaned back in my seat, letting my voice grow just a little playful, "I was thinking... I need to go shopping. It’s getting way too cold, and I have exactly zero winter-friendly clothes. But I’m still not super familiar with the towns or where to shop. So, I was wondering... would you co with this evening? Be my shopping guide?"
She squealed. "Absolutely! You don’t even have to ask twice."
I chuckled. "You sure? You might regret it halfway through."
"Never," she replied, her tone softening. "You and I have never gone out together, just the two of us. After over three months of friendship, I think it’s high ti we fix that."
Warmth blood in my chest. She was right. For all the things we had been through - classes, assignnts, late-night study sessions, even surviving mate drama - we hadn’t just... hung out. It was long overdue.
"Then it’s a date," I smiled. "I’ll text you when I’m done here. Let’s et in Lakeshire."
"Yup! Can’t wait!" she chirped before hanging up.
I was barely five minutes back into reviewing docunts when my phone buzzed with a new ssage.
Mallory:Girl, your man is too much TT
I blinked at the screen, my brows knitting in confusion. My man? What the hell?
Before I could even formulate a response or call her back, another ssage popped up, this one was from Oscar.
Oscar: I’ll pick you up from the headquarters at six. Your friend is too busy to accompany you, so I’ll be the replacent.
I stared at my phone.
What just happened?
I quickly dialed Mallory’s number, and she picked up with a laugh before I could even speak.
"You are not going to believe what happened," she said, clearly still caught between exasperation and amusent.
"Try ," I said, completely dumbfounded.
"So," she began, dragging the word with dramatic flair, "I was actually walking down the west wing corridor when I picked up your call. Unbeknownst to , Oscar was just around the corner. He must have heard everything."
"Really...?"
"Oh yes," she continued. "And the second our call ended, bam! He showed up. Walked right up to and - politely, might I add - asked about your shopping plans. And then, right there, he told to find sothing else to do tonight because he would be the one taking you out."
I groaned. "Did he at least ask nicely?"
"He was very polite," Mallory admitted, "but you know when soone’s being polite but also very clearly issuing a warning? Like ’step aside, I got this.’ Yeah, it was that vibe."
I buried my face in my hands. "I’m so sorry-"
"No, no, don’t even!" She laughed. "I was about to put up a mock fight when guess what?"
"What?"
"Jasper ssaged !" she squealed. "He wants to go on a date tonight. So, I’ll be busy with Dinner. Walk. Cuddles."
The shift in her voice from playful outrage to pure glee made laugh. "So you are saying you have already moved on from being mad at Oscar?"
"Girl, I don’t even rember what I was mad about anymore," she giggled. "Go, enjoy your evening with your possessive, overbearing, annoyingly hot mate. I’m going to focus on mine."
I shook my head, still smiling. I had a feeling that Oscar might have sothing to do with Jasper’s plan. I wasn’t saying that Jasper wouldn’t be making plans to spend the evening with his mate, it’s just the timing of his ssage was too much to be just a re coincidence.
After ending the call, I sent a quick ssage to Mr. Wood letting him know he didn’t need to co pick up this evening. Then I dove back into work, determined to finish everything before six.
Ti flew faster than I expected.
As the clock ticked closer to six, I wrapped up my work and headed to the washroom on the third floor. One of the biggest things I had learned from my last unexpected date night with Draven was to always carry essentials in my bag. Just in case.
I washed my face and pat it dry before applying a soft layer of moisturizer. Then I added a touch of blush, a thin coat of mascara, and a subtle layer of brown lip gloss later. And I was finally feeling fresh again.
My hair had been in a bun all day, but I opened it now, combed through the soft waves with my fingers, and pulled it into a loose side braid. A few strands were fanning across my face, softening the look. I reached into my bag and pulled out the only accessories I had on - Draven’s charm bracelet and a simple pair of gold earrings that used to belong to my mother - and slipped both on.
I fixed my clothes and took one last look at myself in the mirror before heading out of the washroom.
My heart was beating a little too fast by the ti I stepped out of the building and spotted Oscar’s car waiting at the very back of the parking lot, near the back exit.
I exhaled slowly, walking up to the car. I was just reaching for the handle of the passenger door when, to my surprise, the back door opened.
And then... a hand shot out from inside the car and grabbed mine.
I gasped, startled, but before I could react, I was pulled gently - yet firmly - into the back seat.
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