Chapter 352: Chapter 352
After dropping the girls off that morning, I decided to check on Cora and Es.
Yeah, I was slacking a little, but ndy’s strange request had thrown my whole schedule off. Thankfully, my so-called boss, Nala, was understanding. She’d even told , again, that I didn’t need to co in at all as long as she was running TechForge, but staying ho doing nothing would’ve driven
crazy, so I ignored that offer.
I stopped at a red light and turned off the AC. The weather was strangely calm compared to last night. No wind, no snow, just light rain tapping against the windshield. Just a little cold now. The storm itself had passed, but the damage it left behind was obvious. A few buildings had cracked windows, dirty piles of snow were pushed to the sides of the streets, and city workers in bright jackets were trying to clear what they could. Traffic was a complete ss, and I’d already been stuck on the road for almost forty minutes.
"Co on," I muttered, tapping the steering wheel. "Move."
The light turned green, but no one moved. I sighed, zipped my jacket higher, and rolled the window down to look ahead. An accident, apparently. That explained why nothing was moving.
"Great."
I noticed an opening to my right, turned the wheel, and slipped into the next lane. I barely caught the green light before it changed, and I let out a breath once I was through. I was close to Cora’s place now, which was the only comforting thought.
On the back seat sat a giant teddy bear, buckled in like a passenger. It was nearly my height. I had no idea what Es liked, so I went with sothing safe. Big, soft, and impossible to hate.
The dashboard lit up with an incoming call from Kayla.
"Hey," I answered, easing the car forward. "What’s up? You forget sothing at the penthouse?"
"No, no," she said quickly. "I just wanted to talk about that night."
"Okay," I replied. "What about it?"
She hesitated for a mont. "When is the next ti we do sothing like that?"
I smirked. "You liked it after all, huh?"
"Don’t change the subject," she said. "If you don’t want to invite
next ti, I’ll understand."
"Not invite you?" I scoffed. "Kayla, you’re crazy. Of course you’ll be invited."
╭───────────╮
EVENT
===============
Kayla’s Interest
5
╰───────────╯
"Okay," she murmured. "Good. And what about ndy?"
"I’m not sure about her," I said as I turned left at the intersection. "But I’ll ask. Maybe she’ll be open to it next ti."
"I doubt it," Kayla replied, "but go for it."
I smiled. "You were amazing, though."
She groaned. "You already said that, along with half a dozen complints about my ass."
"Hey," I said, "that ass deserves it. It’s out of this world."
She laughed. "Oh my god, Evan. I’m hanging up now. See you when I see you?"
"Yeah," I said. "See you."
She ended the call just as I slowed down at another red light. A mont later, my dashboard chid again with a new ssage. When I glanced at the screen, I couldn’t help but smile. Kayla was standing in front of a mirror, wearing only a t-shirt, turned just enough to make her point obvious. Damn, her ass was just perfect.
’Out of this world, huh?’ She sent it a few seconds later.
I shook my head and typed back: ’Fucking perfect. 10/10. Damn.’
The light turned green, and I moved forward again, rain streaking across the windshield as traffic slowly crept ahead. With any luck, I’d reach Cora’s place soon, because after everything that had happened, the quiet would be nice for once.
╭───────────╮
WON - INTERACTIONS
===============
Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★
Kayla: Interest: 35 / 40★
Tessa: Interest: 32 / 40★
Kim: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★
Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★
Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★
ndy: Interest: 21 /40★
Nala: Interest: 100 /100★★★★★
Penelope: Interest: 5 /20
Minne: Interest: 38 /40★
Ivy: Interest: 12/20
Eleanor: Interest: 15/20
Alia: Interest: 5/20
Es: Interest: 10/20
╰───────────╯
"Push the pedal, moron!" a man yelled from his window in front of . "It’s green! Move!"
"Jesus," I muttered, leaning back against the seat. "This traffic is unreal."
The next five minutes felt endless. The light turned green and barely anyone moved. Another green ca and went, and we crawled forward by a few feet. On the third light, I finally made it through and turned left, relief washing over
as the lane cleared. I dialed Cora while driving and waited.
"E-Evan?" she answered, her voice coming through the car speakers.
"Hey," I said. "I’m just around the corner. Do you guys need anything? Groceries or sothing? I figured you couldn’t really go out yesterday."
"Oh, um," she hesitated. "C-can you get us food? Es wanted pizza."
"Sure," I replied. "Any good place nearby?"
"Renson’s!" Es yelled from sowhere in the apartnt, her voice faint but enthusiastic. "Renson’s! Two large pizzas, extra pepperoni!"
"Two large?" I asked, typing the na into the navigation. "Who’s eating all that?"
"Es eats one and a half by herself," Cora sighed.
I chuckled. "Is she secretly a Ninja Turtle or sothing?"
"And diet coke!" Es added loudly. "Diet coke!"
"You don’t need diet coke," Cora said. "She’s just being dramatic."
"And diet coke," I said anyway, smiling as I followed the GPS and turned left.
Renson’s ca into view a block later. It was a small corner pizza place, the kind that looked like it had been there forever. The sign above the door was red with white letters, one of them flickering slightly, and the windows were fogged up from the warmth inside.
I parked, pulled my hood up, and hurried across the sidewalk, nearly shouldering the door open as I stepped inside. The cold still clung to everything despite the calr weather. Inside, the place slled like baked dough, lted cheese, and spices. A small counter ran along the wall, with a few stools near the window and a nu board hanging above.
I walked up to the counter, pushing my hood back and clearing my throat. The girl working there looked up with a polite smile.
"Hey," I said. "Two large pizzas, extra pepperoni, and two diet cokes."
"Alright," she said. "Cash or card?"
"Card."
I paid and stepped aside while they prepared the order, glancing around the place. It was quiet, a radio playing softly sowhere in the back. A few delivery boxes were stacked near the oven, and the warmth was honestly tempting
to stay longer.
When my order was ready, I grabbed the boxes and headed back out. The cold hit
imdiately. I reached my car and realized I’d locked it out of habit, so I fumbled with my keys before finally getting inside. The rain was light, but the air was sharp enough to sting.
I made a U-turn and drove toward Cora’s building. Parking took a few loops around the block, but I finally found a spot near the entrance.
"Alright," I muttered. "Let’s not freeze."
I grabbed the pizza boxes and reached into the back seat for the teddy bear. It was huge, soft brown fur, round black eyes, and a stitched smile that made it look permanently cheerful. Balancing the pizzas on its belly, I hurried into the building and climbed the stairs.
By the ti I knocked on Cora’s door, I was slightly out of breath and probably looked ridiculous.
The door opened quickly. Cora stood there with an awkward smile that widened when she saw what I was holding.
"Oh my god," she said. "I’m so embarrassed. Evan, I’m sorry for making you buy all this. I’ll pay you back."
"You can pay
by taking this thing off my arms," I said. "It’s heavier than it looks."
"Oh—right," she said quickly, reaching for it.
She struggled a little before managing to carry the teddy bear into the living room and set it down on the couch. I stepped inside and set the pizza boxes on the counter. Es wasn’t there yet, probably still in her room.
Cora glanced back at the bear. "What’s that for?"
"It’s an apology gift," I said. "I figured she’d like sothing to hug while she sleeps."
Her expression softened. "That’s... really nice of you. I love you."
"Huh?"
Then she froze, her eyes widening. "I—I didn’t an—" She turned red almost instantly and looked away. "I an... thank you."
I smiled, pretending not to notice how flustered she was.
"Es!" she called down the hallway. "Get out here. Evan’s here."
"I’m sleeping!" Es yelled back.
"You ordered pizza," I called. "Two extra-large ones."
"Oh," she said. "Right."
Wow. That got five points from her. That was... okay. That was easy.
╭───────────╮
WON - INTERACTIONS
===============
Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★
Kayla: Interest: 35 / 40★
Tessa: Interest: 32 / 40★
Kim: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★
Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★
Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★
ndy: Interest: 21 /40★
Nala: Interest: 100 /100★★★★★
Penelope: Interest: 5 /20
Minne: Interest: 38 /40★
Ivy: Interest: 12/20
Eleanor: Interest: 15/20
Alia: Interest: 5/20
Es: Interest: 15/20
╰───────────╯
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